What is Shamatha Meditation? A Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness Meditation
Inner calm. Feeling at peace. Tranquillity. This sounds like something we could all use more of in our everyday lives. These are attributes you can learn and cultivate through Shamatha Meditation.
In Buddhism, “shamatha” refers to an attitude of calm serenity. Shamatha, also known as mindfulness or concentration meditation, is a key precursor to “vipashyana,” also known as insight meditation.
Shamatha Meditation requires the practitioner to maintain a focused gaze upon an external object to achieve a calm mind.
Multiple types of anchors and supports are used in the conventional Shamatha practice. This leads to practising without tools and concentrating on emptiness as it is.
With the help of Shamatha Meditation, one could see his mind for what it is. By cultivating Shamatha, you recognize that your mind is constantly bombarded with thoughts, some of which contribute to your well-being and growth as a human being, while other thoughts do not serve any purpose. The fact that your mind is always spinning with ideas is nothing out of the norm, and accepting this reality is crucial.
Consistent Shamatha Meditation practice reduces mental and emotional stress. Your mind is at peace, and you patiently accept your thoughts for what they are. Over time, this causes superfluous ideas to diminish.
When you reach a state of stable consciousness, you can begin the practice of vipashyana, where you understand the nature of the mind through analysing your own thought processes. Practising peaceful abiding and insight in unison leads to an awakening to one's actual nature as a thinking being.
Shamatha Meditation and Its Benefits to Health and Well-Being
The benefits of Shamatha Meditation have been the subject of numerous research studies. The benefits of this straightforward practice are extensive and multifaceted, extending to your mind, body and overall well-being.
Research studies involving people with HIV, breast cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis suggest that Shamatha Meditation can boost the immune system's ability to fight against illness.
According to the American Heart Association, those suffering from heart disease could reap significant benefits through Shamatha Meditation. Cognitive decline could be slowed by this practice as well.
Those who suffer from stress, anxiety, depression and what medical professionals call "general psychopathology" can also benefit from Shamatha Meditation.
This practice has been shown to improve outcomes for those undergoing treatment for substance abuse by elevating one's levels of empathy and contentment with their physical selves.
Your health and well-being can improve as you continue to practice Shamatha outside of the meditation space. Shamatha Meditation techniques like attunement and observation help you enjoy your life as they unfold.
Through continuous practice, you fortify yourself to deal with life's inevitable challenges.
Shamatha Meditation and Meditating on Certain Objects
In practising Shamatha Meditation, Buddhists traditionally use different objects to meditate on.
Ten Kasinas
The kasina are tangible things you can directly meditate on. These are:
Earth
Water
Fire
Air
Blue
Yellow
Red
White
Light
Enclosed-space
Ten Kinds of Foulness
These are ten meditations in which you meditate on rotting corpses. Since corpses were often dumped on carnal grounds during the Buddha's time, it was easy to find a corpse to meditate on.
Today, gurus in Thailand recommend meditating on thoughts of your own physical body in various levels of deterioration. This should only be attempted by experienced practitioners because it can be rather distressing.
These include:
Bloated
Livid
Festering
Cut-up
Gnawed
Scattered
Hacked
Bleeding
Worm-infested
Skeleton
Ten kinds of Anussati
Anussati is a Sanskrit word that implies "recollection." Devotional practices are incorporated into these meditations. For example, recalling the Buddha's noble attributes and meditative accomplishments, such as the capacity to recollect previous lives.
Recollection of the Buddha (the Enlightened One)
Recollection of the Dhamma (the Law)
Mindfulness occupied with the body
Recollection of the Sangha (the Community)
Recollection of Virtue
Mindfulness of Breathing
Recollection of Generosity
Recollection of Deities
Peace
Death
Four Divine Abidings:
Loving Kindness
Compassion
Gladness
Equanimity
Four Immaterial States:
The base, which consists of boundless space
The base, which consists of boundless consciousness
The base, which consists of nothingness
The base which consists of neither perception nor non-perception
Modern Shamatha Meditation
Similarly, the traditional practice of Shamatha Meditation can be practised in a modern way.
In doing so, you direct your attention to a positive object. By meditating on a positive object, you hone your ability to concentrate deeply.
Additionally, you take on the positive energy that the object emits. The Shamatha Meditation practice is based on this principle.
For instance:
To achieve calm and centre, you focus on your breathing
To achieve freedom and flow, you focus on running water
To achieve a sense of liberation, you focus on blue skies
Practising Shamatha Meditation
This meditation practice is very straightforward. Simple, albeit not easy - which is part of its popular appeal.
It is based on the notion of "not too tight, nor too loose."
You use this tempered, even-keeled approach to improve your posture, breathing, practice, and overall health and well-being.
The Seat
A typical opening instruction in a Shamatha Meditation class is to "take a comfortable seat." What does this entail? The cornerstone of Shamatha Meditation is the seat and posture.
The Breath
Let your breath be. Pay attention as it ebbs and flows. Breathe in, breathe out.
The Practice
This is where "simple but not easy" comes into play. As you practice observing your breath, your mind will begin to compete for your attention almost instantly. Thoughts start coming in, “Did I leave the door open?” "Should I cook or order in?”
You're engaged in contemplating the past or future before realising it's happening.
Whenever you recognize thoughts, practice letting them go. To do so, it's vital that you consciously acknowledge your thoughts.
When you become aware that you are thinking, you categorize it as thinking. When your mind wanders, you tell yourself, "I'm thinking."
Whatever your thoughts are - whether it's angry, passionate, ignorant, or in defiance; whether it's troubling or scary or soothing; whether it's spiritual, encouraging or fearful, just identify them as thinking and consciously recognize it without judgement.
Take a comfortable seat. Focus on your breath. Consciously recognize your thoughts and let them go.
Diligently doing this practice over time will rest your mind in calm abiding. And when your mind is calm, you can tune into your experiences without judgment and strong emotions and only with great clarity and insight.
When you can take your Shamatha practice in real life, no matter how challenging life is, you will be able to ground yourself, decrease your levels of anxiety in stress, achieve inner peace, and cultivate insight and wisdom from your experiences.
Are you ready to begin your Shamatha practice and transform your life?
Learn about our upcoming 9 Stages of Shamatha course with Lama Brian, which starts this 14 September, suitable for beginners and practitioners alike.
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