When the Buddha spoke about meditation, he spoke about samādhi. The word samādhi comes from ‘sam-a-dha’, which means as much as ‘gathering’, ‘uniting’ or ‘unifying’ the mind. The word samādhi is almost synonymous with the word samatha (calm) and samatha meditation is the meditation method by which one develops samādhi.

It’s not a question of breathing a few times and then it’s quiet enough, but the ability to keep the mind fully focused on an object of your choice whenever you want, without the emergence of a single thought or other mental disturbance.

Only when the mind is calm and serene, manageable, malleable, light and workable is it able to perceive the rise and fall of phenomena, the transience of nāma-rūpa (the mental processes and matter).Without concentration, the mind is simply not pure and sharp enough to observe this process.Through the practice of samatha meditation you develop the foundation upon which true liberating insight can manifest itself.

Why to Meditate?

To find happiness, and peace which is the absence of suffering?  Unhappiness comes from a diluted mind, with a wrong view about reality.  It is the mind that wants to be happy. We want to become friends with our mind, to make it reliable and peaceful.

The Samatha Meditation

Samatha “Calm Abiding” means centering consciousness and balancing the mind. It is a Buddhist meditation practice for the stabilization of the mind.  When practicing samatha meditation, at first it may seem as if the mind is only becoming more restless. This is because you look at your mental processes with an increasing magnifying glass and will perceive your restlessness with increasing refinement. Every time you reach a new point of calm you become aware that even this point is essentially still restless.

You create a clear, focused, peaceful mind while concentrating on breath, focusing on the 7 points posture.  When we meditate in Samatha, we increase the capacity of the mind and see how emotions arise. Indeed, we can penetrate into consciousness where emotions reside and develop stability, which is the foundation to generate confidence, for our well-being and happiness.

The 7 point-posture

The “Vairochana” is an ancient set of postures which help to feel comfortable, alert and fresh, balancing a physical body with an energetic body.

1. Legs: balanced and steady being able to stay on a lotus position for a long time, with one leg on top of the other.  You may also sit on a chair, with both feet on the ground and legs next to each other.

2. Hands: on the lap, or on the top of the knees, one touching the other on the “Dyana” mudra of compassion and wisdom. Or, rest the palms on the knees.

3. Back: do not lean. Imagine a string going straight down, from the middle of your head. If the back is straight, the flowing is right, and we avoid reaching the state of over dullness or sleep.
4. Chest and shoulders: widen the chest to open your heart center, relax shoulders.
5. Chin: lower it a little towards the chest.
6. Eyes: slightly open, while looking down in front of you, so that light comes in. In this way, you avoid falling asleep, which can happen if your eyes are closed. Relax the muscles around the eyes, mouth, and whole face and smile a bit.
7. Jaws: not touching the teeth, relax the tongue and let it touch the top of the mouth.

Samatha is a Buddhist meditation focusing attention on breath.

You meditate with the mind, not with the body. Find a place that inspires and makes you feel good. You have to remain at the present moment. To achieve this, you have to calm the body and all activities of the mind.  In meditation the mind looks for things to do and is occupied by thoughts, rather than being peaceful and quiet.  You have to restrain anything that distracts the mind, such as thoughts, plans, and feelings of pain in the body.  To experience Samatha, you have to focus on the object of attention which is your breath. Consider breath as something great that you are with, until you die. When you have a quiet mind, breathing is calm. When your mind projects many kinds of problems then the mind gets agitated and breath becomes worse; when less problems, better the breath.

Prepare body, speech, and mind

Body: should be upright and straight.  Relaxing my spine.

Speech: calm down your “internal speech” when thoughts come.

Mind: have a positive motivation, control, let go of any future thoughts, concerns, past worries.

Do not force yourself.   Have no expectations from yourself.  Just say “I want to calm my mind and get the benefit out of this meditation to help myself and others”.

We have learned that if we do not press and push, we will not succeed.  This is not happening in meditation.  Here, we must have a relaxed mind, have fun and no expectations. The meditation space can be the one which inspires you and makes you feel good.

Focusing on breath

1. Once you have calmed the body, focus your attention to calm the mind.
2. Take three deep breaths. Quieted the body. Watch the breath as it flows through your nostrils, coming in and out.  Each time you breathe in and out, watch how your belly moves forward and backwards with each breath.
3. Keep observing your inhalations and exhalations. Be aware of what happens with your breath. Each time your mind is wandering here and there, remember to bring it back to you.
4. Let thoughts disappear, as they arise. Return to the breath each time you get distracted. Hold it and do not allow it to disappear.
5. Continue to Inhale and exhale.  Hold the breath after the inhalation for a few seconds before exhalation: inhalation, holding, exhalation. Keep on doing this.
6. You may combine it with a sacred mantra. Inhale with “Om”, hold with “Ah”. Exhale with “Hum”. Chanting these sacred syllables, you help yourself to keep awareness; while the mantra purifies your body, speech and mind, which is the sense of this mantra.

If you have the tendency to sleep, try to keep your mind aware that you might sleep. If you are spacing out and you realize it, try to bring your mind back. Each time you return to the present moment, this becomes a skill for you and you will get improved, while staying focused on your breath.

You can practice Samatha meditation with noise, any sound, and dogs barking even when you feel pain. In case of pain, observe the physical sensation of that part of the body in pain. Use it as a skillful experience. Gradually, the pain would stop. Since you gain consciousness and awareness, nothing can distract you anymore.

While you are doing Samatha Meditation;

Remember:

• The three main qualities: Mind stability, clarity, relaxation.
• To relax and release thoughts -not easy as we have a “monkey” mind, jumping from one thought to the other.
• To have a clear and knowing mind.
• To have mindfulness recognizing dullness and thoughts.
• To have introspection (check your mind i.e. if in dullness, return to the breath and check it again).

If you start meditating every day for 10 – 20 minutes, for one month, you will see major changes in your mind.  Thoughts such as “I cannot meditate” should be left aside, because when we put time into meditation we take steps slowly but surely. Practicing Samatha, you will develop a basis upon which you will get liberated, and your insight will get manifested.

It is so beautiful to see the mind developing little by little. What you get quickly, you lose quickly. But what you have worked with tolerance for will stay with you forever.

PICTURE 3

Elephant is the mind and the black symbolizes laxity. The monkey is the thoughts and its black symbolizes excitement. Fire appears at different stages of the path. It represents the energy necessary for meditation. It gradually diminishes at stages of calmness, as less energy is needed to concentrate. It flares up again at the last stage when the monk is practicing insight.

1. A monk (the mediator), holding a rope (mindfulness) in his left hand and a goad (full awareness) in his right, runs after an elephant led by a monkey. The mediator has no control over his mind.
2. He almost catches up with the elephant.
3. The monk throws a noose around the elephant’s neck and it looks back; the mind is beginning to be restrained by mindfulness. The rabbit on the elephant’s back represents torpor which by then became subtle.
4. As the elephant (the mind) becomes more obedient, the rope (mindfulness) needs less pulling.
5. The elephant is being led by the rope and the hook, and the monkey follows. There is less restlessness now; there is full awareness.
6. Both the animals follow behind and the monk does not have to look back (he focuses his attention on his mind).The rabbit (subtle restlessness) has disappeared.
7. The elephant is left on its own without the need to use the rope or hook; the monkey leaves. Torpor and restlessness occur occasionally.
8. The elephant, now completely white, follows the man. The mind is obedient. There is no torpor or restlessness but a bit of energy needed to concentrate.
9. The monk sits in meditation while the elephant sleeps at his feet; the mind is able to concentrate without effort for a long time and there is great joy and peace. The flying monk represents the zest and lightness of the body.
10. The monk sits on the elephant; he now finds calmness and needs less energy to concentrate.
11. In the last stage, the monk on the elephant’s back holds a sword (the realization of emptiness) and cuts off the two black lines representing the obstacle to full knowledge and the defiling obstacle. The monk now is cultivating insight and he is on his way to the perfection of wisdom.

If you start meditating daily for 10 – 20 minutes, for a month, you will develop the basis upon which liberation of the insight will manifest. Thoughts like “I can’t meditate” should be left aside, because when you put time into meditation, you will succeed it slowly, but surely. It is so beautiful to see the mind developing little by little. What you get quickly, you lose quickly, but what you have worked with tolerance, stays with you forever.