Samādhi or 三摩地. It's one of the traditional Buddhist practices of meditation, the 8th and highest level of the Yoga Sutra, it's a "state" where joy and happiness disappear, where only extreme peace exists in the heart... At least that's my unenlightened understanding of the term.
One of my oldest and dearest friends is on a similar yet very different journey with our religious and artistic directions. I think it's interesting, the way she spends time in retreats and monasteries, and meditates. I think it would drive me bonkers to be so confined, and live with such strict rules. (Sometimes I think my id asserts itself via jaywalking and taking photographs in temples with 'no photography' signs ((Come on, I'm sure the gods and bodhisattvas don't mind/care.))) Despite my friend's attempts, I don't think I'll ever get the hang of traditional meditation. That said, the 'how to' on meditation seems to be about working to control the mind and release the self. It seems that I can do that and do that easily during the creative process. According to the literature, in the highest transcendent state of consciousness, nothing but pure awareness remains and nothing detracts from wholeness and perfection. Isn't that kinda like a "creative zone"?
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