Samādhi and Pliancy

A state of tranquility (praśrabdhi) can arise even in preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), whereas the meditative absorption (samādhi) appears in meditative concentration at the level of the first dhyāna and above. Preparatory concentration has a state of tranquility, but it differs greatly from the tranquility of first-dhyāna concentration—the first dhyāna feels simply like the experience of an immortal. The tranquility of preparatory concentration is somewhat inferior: the body may experience sensations of becoming tall and large, or light and floating; walking becomes brisk and buoyant, the body feels lifted, the whole body relaxed, footsteps soundless, and the mind settled. Even within the same meditative concentration, each person's state of body and mind is not entirely the same; the same person at different times will also show some small variations. There are many kinds of states in the concentration of the desire realm, and the depths of concentration differ. Likewise, even within the same first-dhyāna concentration, each person's bodily and mental feelings and states are not entirely identical; when the same person enters the same concentration at different times, the bodily and mental states and feelings are also not entirely the same.

Even with the same word "tranquility," the boundaries of its definition differ, and the degree of its manifestation also differs; it is impossible to strictly determine where the threshold of tranquility lies, and each person's definition may vary. If someone with an unsettled mind insists on debating, then each side can only hold to its own view. Strictly speaking, meditative absorption (samādhi) should be found in the concentrations of the first dhyāna and above—this is formal meditative concentration, the starting point of the four dhyānas and eight concentrations.