The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

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So welcome now to this fifth talk, introductory talk, to the topic of samadhi.

And this experience, the dedication, the practice of samadhi,

lies at the heart of Buddhist meditation practice.

And it's integral to both the development of deep concentration

and to the development of mindfulness itself, Bipassana itself,

that mindfulness and vipasana are not the same thing.

Mindfulness is a practice and vipassana is a consequence of that practice.

The word vipasana refers to the deep insights, liberating insights that can come

when the practice of mindfulness is co-joined, is united with a strong, stable, steady, focused,

still attention when it's combined with samadhi.

And so in the way the Buddha taught samadhi,

it's always, there's always preparation for it. There's not a direct frontal assault on samadhi,

and not a few people, maybe highly idolistic or will learn about meditation, learn about

samadhi, and say, by golly, I'm going to do this.

And there's a story of the kind of fable of a very capable young man who's successful at school,

successful in sports, successful in many different areas of life, very capable,

who for some reason decides to address his suffering by going to a monastery, to practice.

And he asks the abbess, you know, explains the abbess, you know, I'm quite dedicated, I learn quickly, I'm skilled

in many things, and I can really apply myself. I have a dedication, I have discipline,

and if I come to the monastery to live here to practice, how long will it take to become enlightened?

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