How to Practice Shamatha
Meditation
Shamatha
meditation—mindfulness or concentration—is the foundation of Buddhist practice.
Lama Rod Owens teaches us a version from the Vajrayana tradition.
Illustration by Carole
Henaff.
Shamatha means “peaceful abiding” or “tranquility.”
Also called mindfulness or concentration meditation, shamatha
is an important introductory practice that leads to the practice of vipashyana, or insight meditation.
The
purpose of shamatha meditation is to stabilize the
mind by cultivating a steady awareness of the object of meditation. The
traditional practice of shamatha uses different kinds
of supports or anchors for our practice. Eventually, this leads to practicing
without supports and meditating on emptiness itself in an open awareness. For
this particular practice, the instructions will be for shamatha
meditation using the breath as the focus of our practice.
Shamatha meditation allows us to experience our mind
as it is. When we practice shamatha, we are able to
see that our mind is full of thoughts, some conducive to our happiness and
further realization, and others not. It is not extraordinary that our minds are
full of thoughts, and it is important to understand that it is natural to have
so much happening in the mind.
Over
time, practicing shamatha meditation calms our
thoughts and emotions. We experience tranquility of mind and calmly abide with
our thoughts as they are. Eventually, this leads to a decrease in unhelpful
thoughts.
When we
experience stable awareness, we are then ready to practice vipashyana,
in which we develop insight into what “mind” is by investigating the nature of
thoughts themselves. In the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism, the ultimate goal
is to practice calm abiding and insight in union, which opens the door to
realizing the true nature of mind.
Traditionally,
shamatha practice is taught through instructions on
the physical body and then looking at the meditation instructions themselves.
The Seven-Point Posture
The
seven-point posture of Vairochana is an ancient set
of posture points that are said to align the physical body with our energetic
body. The posture has been practiced for thousands of years by Hindu and
Buddhist yogis. The seven points are:
1. Sit
cross-legged.
2. Hands
in lap or on knees.
3. Have a
straight back.
4. Widen
the shoulders to open the heart center.
5. Lower
the chin.
6. Open
mouth slightly with the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.
7. Eyes
open, gazing about four finger widths past the tip of nose.
A Body-Sensitive Posture
We all
have different bodies and capabilities. It is important to adjust this
demanding traditional posture to meet the needs of our own bodies, and not
struggle to adapt our bodies to the posture. What is most important in terms of
body posture is keeping the back and spine as straight as possible and
remaining comfortable. So the seven points of a more
body-sensitive posture could be:
1. Sit on
a cushion or a chair, stand, or lie down.
2. Arrange
your hands in any way that is comfortable.
3. Hold
your back as straight as possible.
4. Keep
your shoulders relaxed and chest open.
5. Hold
your head at whatever level is comfortable.
6. Keep
your lower jaw slightly open.
7. Keep
the eyes closed or open.
The Meditation
There
are many kinds of breath meditations. Some have been written down, while others
have only been transmitted orally from teacher to student. The following is a
basic breath meditation from the Vajrayana tradition:
1. Adjust
the body into a comfortable position, and start the practice by becoming aware
of your breath. Notice the inhalation and exhalation.
2. As you
notice the breath, continue to let go of thoughts as they arise. Each time you
are distracted by clinging to a thought, return to the breath. Keep doing this
over and over again.
3. Eventually,
as you exhale, become aware of your breath escaping and dissolving into space.
Experience the same thing with the inhalation.
4. Slowing
down, begin to allow your awareness to mix into open space with the breath on
both the inhale and exhale.
5. To
deepen the practice, begin to hold the breath after the inhalation for a few
seconds before exhaling. By doing this, you are splitting the breath into three
parts: inhalation, holding, and exhalation. Keep doing this.
6. As you
inhale, begin to chant om to yourself. As you hold, chant ah. As you exhale,
chant hung. Chanting these sacred syllables helps to further support awareness
and is believed to purify our minds.
7. As you
continue with exhalation, relax more. Continue awareness practice, letting go
of thoughts and returning to the breath. Do this for as long as yo