---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are three stages in meditation. The…"
description: "\"“There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is called Dharana, concentrating the mind upon an object. I try to concentrate my mind upon th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg"
---

#  There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is…

![“There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is called Dharana, concentrating the mind upon an object. I try to concentrate my mind upon this glass, excluding every other object from my mind except this glass. But the mind is wavering. When it has become strong and does not waver so…” quote by Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg)

> ““There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is called Dharana, concentrating the mind upon an object. I try to concentrate my mind upon this glass, excluding every other object from my mind except this glass. But the mind is wavering. When it has become strong and does not waver so much, it is called Dhyana, meditation. And then there is a still higher state when the differentiation between the glass and myself is lost — Samadhi or absorption””

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Meditation progresses through stages: focused concentration, deep uninterrupted flow, and finally a state of unity where subject and object merge.

**In simple terms:** Meditation moves from focus to deep flow to unity.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate steady focus, then deepen practice.

Themes

mindfulness spirituality personal growth

Mood

calm inspired

Type

instructional philosophical

When to use this quote

- daily meditation
- yoga retreats
- mindfulness workshops

Key Concepts

Dharana Dhyana Samadhi

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you sustain concentration?
- What does loss of self‑other distinction feel like?

A Different Perspective

Progress can be hindered by mental restlessness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/)

## Related quotes

> [Om is the pointed piece and Dhyâna (meditation) is the friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/om-is-the-pointed-piece-and-dhy-na-meditation-is-the-friction/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Do not many of us who fail to achieve big things. . .fail because we lack concentration--the art of concentrating the mind on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/do-not-many-of-us-who-fail-to-achieve-big-things-fail-because-we-lack/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [It is not advisable for persons who are in the early stages of meditation to mediate on the two lower chakras. You will unleash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-advisable-for-persons-who-are-in-the-early-stages-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Concentration is not thinking of one thing. On the contrary, it is excluding all thoughts, since all thoughts obstruct the sense of one's true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/concentration-is-not-thinking-of-one-thing-on-the-contrary-it-is/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [There are five stages of meditation, each one leading gradually into the next: concentration, meditation, contemplation, illumination, and inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-creme/there-are-five-stages-of-meditation-each-one-leading-gradually-into/)

[Benjamin Creme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-creme/)

> [“This meditation is called nontheistic, which doesn't have anything to do with believing in God or not believing in God, but means that nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/this-meditation-is-called-nontheistic-which-doesn-t-have-anything-to/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Even Zen finally has to be transcended. Finally you have to become so meditative that you don⬢t need to meditate any more ⬠meditation becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/even-zen-finally-has-to-be-transcended-finally-you-have-to-become-so/)

[OSHO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [I am particularly drawn to the form of meditation called Japa. I know it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-am-particularly-drawn-to-the-form-of-meditation-called-japa-i-know/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [“Dhyana or meditation, means to be beyond the limitations of your body and mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/dhyana-or-meditation-means-to-be-beyond-the-limitations-of-your-body/)

[Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/)

> [“The word Zen is the Sinico-Japanese abbreviation of the Sanskrit Dhyana, or Meditation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-word-zen-is-the-sinico-japanese-abbreviation-of-the-sanskrit/)

[Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/)

> [Begin with dhyana, with meditation, and end in samadhi, in ecstasy, and you will know what God is. It is not a hypothesis, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/begin-with-dhyana-with-meditation-and-end-in-samadhi-in-ecstasy-and/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [He who always thinks himself as weak will never become strong, but he who knows himself to be a lion, rushes out from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/he-who-always-thinks-himself-as-weak-will-never-become-strong-but-he/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Even books are nurses, medicines are nurses. But we must work to bring about the time when man shall recognise his mastery over his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/even-books-are-nurses-medicines-are-nurses-but-we-must-work-to-bring/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“THE MORE SHALL WE LOVE We have to bear in mind that we are all debtors to the world, and that the world does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-more-shall-we-love-we-have-to-bear-in-mind-that-we-are-all/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Dear God, I trust that no matter what happens in my life, it is for my highest good. And no matter what happens in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/dear-god-i-trust-that-no-matter-what-happens-in-my-life-it-is-for-my/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

## More by Swami Vivekananda

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Renunciation is in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/renunciation-is-in-our-blood/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/where-can-we-go-to-find-god-if-we-cannot-see-him-in-our-own-hearts/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [It is the free alone which never changes, and the unchangeable alone which is free; for change is produced by something exterior to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-the-free-alone-which-never-changes-and-the-unchangeable-alone/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Above all, India is the land of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/above-all-india-is-the-land-of-religion/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [It is the Prana that is manifesting as motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-the-prana-that-is-manifesting-as-motion/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Though an atom is invisible, unthinkable, yet in it are the whole power and potency of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/though-an-atom-is-invisible-unthinkable-yet-in-it-are-the-whole-power/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Nothing can be produced without a cause, and the effect is but the cause reproduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/nothing-can-be-produced-without-a-cause-and-the-effect-is-but-the/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [All the strength and succour you want is within yourselves. Therefore make your own future. "Let the dead past bury its dead." The infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/all-the-strength-and-succour-you-want-is-within-yourselves-therefore/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Be brave! Be strong! Be fearless! Once you have taken up the spiritual life, fight as long as there is any life in you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/be-brave-be-strong-be-fearless-once-you-have-taken-up-the-spiritual/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“there is a continuity of mind, as the Yogis call it. The mind is universal. Your mind, my mind, all these little minds, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-is-a-continuity-of-mind-as-the-yogis-call-it-the-mind-is/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

[Explore all 1,889 Swami Vivekananda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

## More Meditation quotes

> [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/)

[Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/)

[Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/)

> [If you have time to be mindful, you have time to meditate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/if-you-have-time-to-be-mindful-you-have-time-to-meditate/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [Unless and until you introspect you cannot even respect yourself. You cannot even love yourself. If you love yourself you will introspect and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/unless-and-until-you-introspect-you-cannot-even-respect-yourself-you/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [ “...even though \[my psychiatrist\] understood mor than anyone how much I felt I was losing--in energy, vivacity, and originality--by taking medication, he never was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/even-though-my-psychiatrist-understood-mor-than-anyone-how-much-i/)

[Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/)

> [“Mindfulness is an invitation to change that pattern and to become aware of where we are and how we got here. Mindfulness gives us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-duerr/mindfulness-is-an-invitation-to-change-that-pattern-and-to-become/)

[Maia Duerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-duerr/)

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/)

Harold McGee

[Browse all 7,091 Meditation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is called Dharana, concentrating the mind upon an object. I try to concentrate my mind upon this glass, excluding every other object from my mind except this glass. But the mind is wavering. When it has become strong and does not waver so much, it is called Dhyana, meditation. And then there is a still higher state when the differentiation between the glass and myself is lost — Samadhi or absorption”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Swami Vivekananda"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the-first-is-what-is-called/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Meditation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the-first-is-what-is-called/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/swami-vivekananda-53_meditation_there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the_1726243.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is called Dharana, concentrating the mind upon an…” — Swami Vivekananda",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Swami Vivekananda",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There are three stages in meditation....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the-first-is-what-is-called/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-are-three-stages-in-meditation-the-first-is-what-is-called/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
