Imagine a lake surrounded by hills and snow-capped mountains. It is a clear mountain lake which reflects the surrounding mountains so accurately that it can be difficult to tell which image is the mountains and which just the reflection of the mountains on the lake’s surface. But when this lake becomes agitated by the elements, various things happen. First of all, the surface of lake breaks up so that it no longer reflects the mountains accurately. The image is still there, but it is distorted. Secondly, the lake water gets stirred up so that we cannot see the depths of it with clarity.
The above example is quoted frequently in Buddhist texts to explain the situation of our ordinary, everyday mind. Our mind is constantly agitated by the flow of new information through our senses. Once agitated, it no longer sees the world with clarity, hence, it no longer understands the reality as it should. At the same time, because of this disturbance, the mind’s ability to introspect gets affected too, and it gets harder to train the mind.
That is the reason we need some calm. Shamatha, in Sanskrit, means “to calm the mind.” Shamatha is a common meditation practice in Buddhism, and is used alongside Vipashyana to train our minds. In that sense, it is the first step to achieve true liberation. Here, we work on bringing calmness inside us (stillness of mountain lake). Then comes Vipashyana (the insight meditation) where we try to get to the core of it, of ourselves in some ways. More on that in the next post.
Once we are clear what we are trying to achieve in Shamatha, let’s try the practice by following these simple instructions:
- Plan short sessions in the beginning. Around 15-20 minutes session would be perfect to start with.
- Find a quiet spot for yourself. Sit with your back straight, shoulders upright, but at the same time, relaxed. You can sit on floor or on chair, whichever is suitable for your body.
- Breathe in, gently. You don’t have to go too slowly. Simply focus on the breath. Now, breathe out. Follow the breath once again.
- Let the breathing be natural, at a comfortable pace. All you have to do is, direct your attention to the passage of airflow from your nostrils and into the lungs.
- It is good to keep your eyes closed, especially if you are a beginner. Some people like to focus on something in front. You’ll have to find out what works best for you.
- Gradually, you will learn to feel your breath more intimately. If your mind is not calm, you would feel it in your breath, the moment you observe it. You do not have to do anything about that. Just keep observing.
- If you get distracted, that is fine too. Come back to the breath every time you find yourself getting lost in some random thoughts. This will happen a lot in the initial sessions. Let it be.
Once you are comfortable with this practice (and feel its calming effects), you can take the next step, the practice of Vipashyana. That, we will discuss in our next post.
Kalampedia 