About Samatha Meditation

A pure state mind at which there is neither perception nor non-perception is the goal of Samatha meditation

With Samatha meditation we attain a balance of mind and have Citta Ekagrata –the one-pointedness of mind and this is its purpose.

Samatha literarily means quiescence, a serene attention state of mind at which the excitement and laxity have been thoroughly calmed. 

Samatha meditation is mind training to attain highest state of attention, stability and vividness. 

With Samatha meditation, equanimity in thoughts and continuum of positive perception without a gap are established. 

Equanimity means a feeling of being in accord with all sentient beings and surrounding environment.  It is with the feeling of equanimity there comes the respect to all beings and the urge for developing and practicing right attitude towards others. 

Samatha meditation is a calm abiding meditation.  It enables us to make our mind steady and unperturbed.  Referring to Samatha meditation, Acharya Kotali writes; “Bliss is perpetual in all our consciousnesses at the innate state our mind.”

Letting the mind settle down to its natural state is called Samatha, at which peace and bliss are experienced. 

At the culminating stage of Samatha meditation our mind is effortlessly one-pointed, and suffused with physical and mental pliancy that is blissfully conducive to deep integration into ultimate reality.

With Samatha meditation we get rid of five negative forces: (i) greed, (ii) anger (iii) hatred, (iv) delusion, and (v) ignorance.  When we get rid of these five negative forces we are left with positive attitudes only.  We already have as much generosity, loving kindness, compassion and wisdom as we would ever need.  We only have to realise them.

Cleansing five negative mental state of our mind called Panch Klesha or five obstacles is prerequisite for making progress with Samatha meditation.  And to be free from Panch Klesha is called Panca-Nivarana.  The Panch Klesha are:

1...Sensual desire –craving for pleasure to senses

Sensual desire, the lust and greed, either to possess the sense object or experience it, is the first thing that binds us to Samsara –repeated wondering, and closes all the doors to spiritual progress. 

Satipatthana Sutta, the foundation of mindfulness, says; “Where there is delightful and pleasurable, there this craving arises and takes roots.  Form sound, smell, taste, bodily contact, and idea are delightful and pleasurable; there this craving arises and take root.  Craving when obstructed is transformed into frustration and wrath.”

Dhammapada (216) says:

“Tanhaya jayati Soko – tanhaya jayati Bhayam

Tanhaya vippmuttassa – natthi soko kuto bhayam.

From craving arises grief, from craving arises fear;

Neither grief nor fear is there to one who is free from craving.”

2...Anger and ill-will directed towards others

We react against what is unpleasant and disagreeable.  Even the trifles cause dissatisfaction and indignation. 

Wrong understanding and perception brings about anger, hatred, and ill-will that cloud our mind.  They distort the entire mind and its properties and hinders awakening of truth, and blocks the way for righteousness and harmony. 

Anger and ill-will are the crowning corruptions in the state of our mind and they are the root causes of every strife and dissension. 

3...Lassitude of mind and mental factors, and sloth and torpor of body

Lassitude or obduracy of mind and mental factor, and sloth and torpor, the bodily fatigue or sluggishness of body, are the pair of evils that poses a fatal block to prosperity and happiness. 

The lassitude or morbid state of mind cause bodily fatigue and sluggishness resulting in half-hearted action with little or no concentration.  Indeed lassitude of mind, and sloth and torpor of body are the abode of suffering. 

Lassitude or laxity is a dangerous enemy of mental development.  Laxity once gets into our mind it breeds greater laxity until finally there is a state of callous indifference. 

4...Restlessness and worry.

Restlessness and worry is also a pair of evils that incapacitate us to calm our mind. 

We commit evils when we are mentally excited, restless and impatient.  Mental agitation impedes the balanced state of mind.  Equally baneful is mental worry. 

Good deeds omitted and duties left undone too are evils committed and worrying over does not serve any purpose. 

Repenting on the evils we may have committed must yield in having unwavering commitment and endeavour for not to repeat such unwholesome action. 

5...Doubt –lack of conviction or trust

Doubt causes the disease of mental itch and perplexity. 

Mental itching cause perplexity and create cynical view which are detrimental to our mental development, and we fail to decide anything definite. 

Doubt causes lack of conviction and trust, and the inability of attaining concentrative thought and spiritual wisdom. 

Doubt has positive and negative aspect.  To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is neither spiritual nor intellectual.  As one does not understand or have clear insight, doubting yield positive results with higher level of understanding and insight.  While doubting on one's own confidence and integrity or of others' derails well being of everybody.

One understands things clearly only when all doubts are cleared.  Lord Buddha was always eager to dispel doubt of his disciples.  Even at the last moment of his Maha Pari Nirvana, Lord Buddha repeatedly asked his disciples to ask him if they had any doubts about his teaching, and not to feel sorry later that they could not clear their doubts.

Samatha is the principal meditation taught in the Theravada tradition, the basic vehicle.  In Mahayana tradition, the Bodhisattvas practiced Samatha meditation for cultivating Bodhi Citta to generate Karuna –loving kindness and compassion, and Prajna –the wisdom. 

The Bodhisattvas perfected in Karuna and Prajna, took Para Nidhana vow, the vow to benefit all sentient beings, to the extent of transferring one’s own karmic merit to others and take upon himself the suffering of all others. 

True happiness comes from within and it comes when we understand others and extend platonic love. 

The platonic love energises us with abundant positivity -the Bodhi Citta.  That abundant positivity is possible with methodical and regular practice of Samatha meditation thinking noble for others wellbeing. 

Thinking good of others enables us to understand others better.  Only when we understand others, there arises Bodhi Citta, the platonic love that transcends our mind to embrace spiritual ideals. 

Samatha meditation requires physical and mental readiness.  Physically we should be at ease, normally seated in prescribed posture in silence, conducive for concentration. 

For mental readiness the process begins with offering inspirational prayer and normally recitation of Pancha-Sila, the five precepts.

Besides many variants, the three things necessarily advocated for practicing Samatha meditation are:

1...Body posture

Sit in cross legs position called Padma Asana, which is however not compulsory.  Back should be straight but not stiff.  Mouth and eyes slightly open, and hands placed comfortably resting on knees, and mind and body alert.  One may close the eyes, or gaze at the tip of nose, as it may be convenient.

2...Attention of the mind

Bring the attention of the mind to the tip of the nose and hold it there pursuing applied and sustained thoughts.  Having applied the attention and holding it at the tip of nose, just feel the breadth going in and coming out, called Anapanasati. 

3...Concentration

Concentrate on Anapanasati.  Let the mind observe Anapanasati as it happens.  Just be in the present state of mind being aware and mindful of Anapanasati.

When mind is fully concentrated on Anapanasati, the world of existence vanishes.  It may happen for a split of a second in the beginning and the challenge is to expand that moment.

As one loses completely in awareness and mindfulness on Anapanasati, the highest level of concentration is attained.  At that state of mind, the sorrows, unhappiness and un-satisfactoriness dissolves and the bliss of being oneness with the object of concentration is experienced.

Keeping our mind in present moment is not easy.  Perversely, the mind always wanders away, but we should bring it back persistently and let our mind naturally settle down on the object of concentration. 

The persistence is the key to Samatha meditation. 

In doing Anapanasati, our mind must stay in present moment.  It means when we are exhaling, the previous inhaling is only a memory, and no longer real.  The only present inhalation is real, which is the object of present moment. 

Focus only on the present moment inhalation and exhalation, and the gap between the two. 

As the concentration deepens, there arises bliss in the body and happiness in mind.  It happens sequentially in five steps of: (i) Applied thought, (ii) sustained thought, (iii) bliss in body, (iv) happiness in mind, and (v) equanimity. 

Firstly, with applied and sustained thought the traces of bliss in body and happiness in mind are sensed.  This happens with concentrated state of mind at any instance. 

With greater effort, we go to second stage by leaving the applied and sustained thought behind at which mind is simply resting on the subject of concentration.  There comes a greater sense of bliss in body, happiness in mind and equanimity.  But still the bliss and happiness gets easily distorted. 

With even greater effort, we slip into third stage at which there is even greater sense of happiness in mind and equanimity at heart.  There is no longer bliss in the body.  We simply reflect on happiness leading to subtle happiness of mind. 

As we reflect on subtle happiness, we come to know that the happiness of our mind has dependent origination and it distorts when our perception changes. 

If that is the case, we should then think; “If I could get rid of happiness, I could see the world exactly the way it is, not through the sense of judgement and preferences, attachment and repulsion.” 

With greater understanding and a renewed effort, we go into the fourth stage at which the only characteristic left is equanimity at the deeper level of our consciousness.  There is no joy, no sorrow, no bliss or rapture, and no pain.  At this stage we are simply centred, focussed, and clear. 

We will not feel un-satisfactoriness, good or bad, as long as we are in fourth stage, as we have reached a profound level of acceptance with the way things are.  It is the highest mystic state of mind.

In essence, Samatha meditation enables us to settle down our mind in its true nature in an un-distracted state at which there is perfect balance between mind and heart, the our conscious and cognitive mind and emotional feeling, creating an environment for Vipassna meditation.