Method
Śamatha
Classification
- Method family
- contemplative
- Domains
- Ethics
Overview
Śamatha settles and stabilizes attention until the mind rests undistracted on its object, calming the agitation that ordinarily disturbs observation.
Purpose. The practice makes sustained, undistracted observation possible and weakens the craving and aversion that keep the mind unsettled. Śamatha is not a rival to Vipassanā and not a lesser version of it: the early discourses pair serenity and insight as two things to be developed, and this record makes no claim that either replaces the other.
Characteristic operations
- Choose a stable object: Settle on one support for attention, such as the breath.
- Return without agitation: Notice wandering and come back, repeatedly and without force.
- Calm the disturbance: Let restlessness, craving, and aversion subside rather than suppressing them.
- Stabilize into collectedness: Allow attention to rest continuously, producing the composure that sustained observation requires.