Excerpt from Mahaparinirvana sutra:
"O good man! A good charioteer can drive a four-horse carriage and run it quickly or
slowly as the occasion requires. As the quickness or slowness matches well with the occasion, we
say equanimity. It is the same with the Bodhisattva. One who has much samadhi also practises
Wisdom; one who has much Wisdom practises samadhi. As samadhi and Wisdom are equal, we
have equanimity. O good man! The Bodhisattva of the ten stages has much power of Wisdom,
but little power of samadhi. Hence, he cannot clearly see the Buddha-Nature. Sravakas and
pratyekabuddhas have much power of samadhi, but little Wisdom. Because of this, they cannot
see the Buddha-Nature. The All-Buddha-World-Honoured One has samadhi and Wisdom in
equal parts and sees well the Buddha-Nature. All is clear and transparent, as when one sees
a mango that is in one’s own palm. One who sees the Buddha-Nature is the phase of
equanimity.
"Samatha means "thoroughly extinguishing", because it thoroughly does away with the
bondage of defilement.
"Also, samatha is called "that which well adjusts", because it well adjusts the evil and
non-good of all the sense-organs.
"Also, samatha is called quietude, as it indeed makes the three actions [of body, mouth
and mind] quiet .
"Also, samatha is called segregation, as it enables beings to part well from the five desires.
"Also, samatha is called "purifying well", because it purifies well the three contaminations
of greed, ill-will, and ignorance. Because of this, we say "settledness".
"Vipasyana is called right seeing. Also, it is called seeing clearly. Also, it is called seeing
well. Also, it is called all-seeing. Also, it is called gradual seeing. Also, it is called seeing
individually. This is called Wisdom.
"Equanimity is called all-equal. Also, it is called non-disputation. Also, it is called
non-seeing. Also, it is called non-acting. This is equanimity.
"O good man! There are two kinds of samatha. One is mundane, and the other supramundane.
And there are two kinds. One is accomplished, and the other non-accomplished.
[Those of] the accomplished are all the so-called Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And the nonaccomplished
are the so-called sravakas and pratyekabuddhas.
"Also, there are three kinds, namely: low, middle, and top. The low relates to common
mortals; middle to sravakas and pratyekabuddhas; and top to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Also there are four kinds, namely: 1) retrogressing, 2) abiding, 3) progressing, and 4) greatly
benefiting. Also, there are five kinds, which are the so-called five-knowledge samadhis. These
are: 1) samadhi of non-eating, 2) faultless samadhi, 3) samadhi in which the body and mind
are pure and the mind is one, 4) samadhi in which one feels pleased with both cause and effect,
and 5) samadhi in which one always prays in one’s heart.
"Furthermore, there are six kinds, which are: 1) samadhi in which one meditates on white
bones, 2) samadhi of compassion, 3) samadhi on the twelve links of interdependent arising, 4)
samadhi on anapana , 5) samadhi on the discriminatory mind of beings, and 6)
samadhi on birth and death. Also, there are seven kinds, namely the so-called seven Bodhi
elements. These are: 1) mindfulness, 2) discernment of Dharma, 3) effort, 4) joy, 5) repose, 6)
concentration, and 7) equanimity.
"Also, there are seven kinds, which are: 1) srotapanna-samadhi, 2) sakrdagamisamadhi,
3) anagami-samadhi, 4) arhat-samadhi, 5) pratyekabuddha-samadhi, 6) Bodhisattvasamadhi,
7) the Tathagata’s All-Awakened Samadhi.
"Also, there are eight kinds, which are none other than the eight Emancipation samadhis.
These are: 1) samadhi in which one gets Emancipated from the notion of matter by meditating on
matter, 2) samadhi in which one seeks Emancipation by meditating further on the external phase
of matter, though internally the matter notion has already been done away with, 3) samadhi in
which one seeks Emancipation and its actualisation in one’s own body through the meditation
on purity, 4) boundlessness-of-space Emancipation samadhi, 5) boundlessness-of-consciousness
Emancipation samadhi, 6)existencelessness Emancipation samadhi, 7) thoughtlessness-nonthoughtlessness
Emancipation samadhi, and 8) cessation Emancipation samadhi.
