Grammatical Analysis
Ekaggatā: [f.] one-pointedness; unification of mind. Formed by eka (one) + agga (point, peak, summit) + tā (state of). Literally means “the state of having a single point.”
Orthodox Definition
Ekaggatā is a universal mental factor (sabbacittasādhāraṇa-cetasika), meaning a baseline level of it arises in every single mind-moment just to keep consciousness from instantly shattering. However, in the context of meditation, it is elevated into the supreme faculty of concentration (samādhindriya).
As the final, unifying factor present in every single jhāna from the first to the eighth, ekaggatā is the absolute synchronization of the mind. Its characteristic is non-wandering or non-distraction (avikkhepa-lakkhaṇā).
The commentaries compare it to water binding dry flour into a solid dough, or the central ridgepole of a roof that perfectly locks all the other rafters together. When ekaggatā matures in absorption, it totally suppresses sensual desire (kāmacchanda) and keeps the mind utterly motionless upon the counterpart sign.
Textual References
- Sutta: Cūḷavedalla Sutta (MN 44) – Dhammadinnā explicitly defining concentration (samādhi) as the unification of the mind (cittassa ekaggatā).
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Mapping the universal factors of consciousness).
- Commentary: Atthasālinī – Describing its function as the pacification of the mind and mental factors, bringing them into a single, unified column.