Shamatha: Meditation for Balanced Living
A three-session introduction to shamatha meditation with David Oromith, recorded at Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London.
Shamatha is the practice of developing single-pointed concentration in order to find a calm, clear and focused mind. Recorded live at Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London in 2024, this three-part course covers both the explanation and the practice, working through a range of methods for developing meditative quiescence. Only when the agitations of the mind are healed and calmed can we really focus and see things as they are. David talks about why relaxation has to come first, how counting the breath gives the mind somewhere steady to rest, and how the mind itself can be taken as the object of practice. What is being cultivated is a state that is supple, deeply relaxed and brilliantly alert at the same time. It offers a much-needed respite from daily life and a way of letting go of physical and mental stress, but it goes further than temporary relaxation: the methods here are for a lasting tranquillity and clarity. For those following the Buddhist path, the Buddha strongly emphasised the importance of achieving shamatha in order to awaken, which makes it an indispensable practice. The practices themselves are open to anyone, Buddhist or not.
What this course covers
- Shamatha, or meditative quiescence, explained and practised
- Why relaxation comes before stability
- Counting the breath as a way of steadying the mind
- Taking the mind itself as the object of meditation
- Letting go of physical and mental stress
- Why the Buddha treated shamatha as indispensable to awakening
Sessions
- S1 - Relaxation Comes First 71 minutes
- S2 - Counting for Stability, and the Nostrils for Clarity 73 minutes
- S3 - Taking the Mind as the Path 86 minutes