What is samatha?

Samatha (samatha; Sanskrit śamatha) means calm, tranquillity or serenity. In meditation it refers to practices that settle the mind and gather it on a single object, so that it becomes peaceful, steady and clear. Samatha is closely linked to concentration (samādhi) and to the meditative absorptions called jhāna.

Calm and insight

The Buddha often spoke of samatha together with vipassanā, insight. Calm stills the mind; insight sees clearly. In the early suttas both are said to lead to awakening, and they are best developed together. One common image compares them to a lamp: calm keeps the flame still, out of the wind, and insight is the light that lets us see.

Without calm, insight can be shallow and easily disturbed. Without insight, calm can be pleasant but does not uproot the causes of suffering. The two support each other.

Objects of calm

Many meditation objects can be used to develop calm. The most widely taught is the breath. Others include:

• loving-kindness and the other sublime states
• recollection of the qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha
• a coloured or earth disc used as a visual object, known as a kasiṇa
• a word or mantra repeated silently

Later Theravada texts list forty such objects and suggest which suit different temperaments.

Calm abiding in the Tibetan tradition

In Tibetan Buddhism, samatha is called calm abiding (śamatha, Tibetan shiné). It is taught in a series of stages, from first placing the mind on the object to an effortless, stable concentration. Teachers describe two main faults to watch for: dullness, where the mind sinks, and excitement, where it scatters.

How to begin

Sit comfortably, with the back upright and the body at ease. Choose one object, such as the feeling of the breath at the nostrils. Rest attention on it lightly. When the mind wanders, notice where it went and return without criticism. Many people find it helpful to count breaths at first, from one to ten and back to one.

The five hindrances, which are sense desire, ill will, dullness, restlessness and doubt, will come up. Each has its own remedy, but patience is the most important. Calm cannot be forced. It grows gradually as you keep gently returning, and with it comes a quiet joy that makes further practice easier.