Simplicity in Shamatha
Shamatha is a simple meditation style. The point is to free ourselves from delusion. We dwell in delusion all the time, but as long as we understand that and cultivate discipline, shamatha can help us transform ourselves. It's about being here now. When we aren't fully present we make all sorts of mistakes.
Shamatha is based on stabilizing our body, speech and mind. We want to have mindfulness of physical experience, mindfulness of emotions, and mindfulness of discursive thoughts.
To free ourselves from delusion we practice. We sit and meditate. Through meditation we develop a state of awareness, both when we're meditating and off the cushion in daily life. In shamatha we let go. We pay attention to the things that arise and we simply let them go.
In shamatha we are just dwelling in mindfulness. We are engaging in one pointed awareness. Mindfulness manifests in us in a sense that we are actually present in what we're doing. We train our minds to just pass through, instead of attaching to them.
Our development of awareness is based on our mindfulness practice. We strive to be present, just being, just here. Shamatha is the point at which we behave like a Buddha. It is simple and doable. Being here without preconceptions or discursive thoughts or daydreams is possible. Mindfulness isn't really religious or even spiritual, it's just being here. As you go it becomes more natural.
Meditation is about experiencing reality in being as real as possible in our own existence. We train our minds to experience reality directly. By practicing meditation we are following the Buddha's example and going through what he went through. It's important to remember that he was a regular person like us, not a god or a spirit.
SIMPLE SHAMATHA INSTRUCTIONS
Set a timer. You want to set a time for your sit, rather than just sit until you feel like getting up.
Sit and arrange yourself. Posture is important. Your head and shoulders need to be straight and uplifted. Keep your back straight and never slouch. When we slouch we start to lose our awareness. Upright sitting helps our back be free of strain and helps us avoid sleepiness. Sit with your legs either in the half lotus or just the cross-legged position. Relax your eyes. Don't focus on anything.
Put your hands in either the cosmic mudra or the relaxing mind mudra. The cosmic mudra consists of placing on hand on top of the other, face up. Gently touch your thumbs together, making a circle. The relaxing mind mudra consists of simply resting your hands on your knees.
Feel the cushion beneath you and make yourself as comfortable as possible. Feel yourself breathing. Keep your mouth slightly open, so you're breathing through both your nose and your mouth.
Feel the breath coming into and going out of your body. As we pay attention to the in breath and the out breath, we can feel our awareness expand. Every time a stray thought or distraction comes into your mind, bring your attention back to your breathing. Simply bring your attention back to your sensation of breathing every time a thought comes into your mind.
Just be here.
If you like this post, please consider leaving a small donation: