Serenity and insight are the two great wings of Buddhist meditation. They each have a special role to play in the path to Awakening. While some modern approaches seek to marginalize serenity in favor of ‘dry’ insight, the Buddha’s own discourses place serenity right at the center of the path. This book collects virtually all the significant passages on this topic that are found in the early discourses, carefully elucidated for the modern reader....

Introduction 1 A Handful of Leaves 2 Samatha & Vipassanā 3 The Wings to Enlightenment 4 Dependent Liberation 5 The Gradual Training 6 The Benefits of Samādhi 7 Jhāna & the Noble Ones 8 Counterexamples A On the Translations B Contemporary Teachers on Samādhi C Instant Enlightenment...