Shamatha Meditation
There are different techniques for meditation. Zazen, or Zen meditation, was covered in the previous chapter. Two other types of meditation are shamatha meditation and vipassana meditation. Shamatha means “calm abiding” or “dwelling in tranquility,” and vipassana means “insight.” Vipassana is therefore also called “insight meditation.” Most Buddhist traditions employ these as central practices (that is, Theravada) or as component practices (for example, Tibetan).
The Sathipathana Suta provides very detailed instructions on breathing mediation with sixteen different ways to attend to breathing. The These myriad ways of attending to breathing are outlined in Larry Rosenberg's classic book, Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation.
Shamatha meditation techniques involve concentration on one thing in particular, whether it is your breath or the sound of rain. “Calm abid ing” means sitting with one's breath, or other point of concentration, gently coming back to this point whenever attention wanders. Concentration is the foundation for later insight practices and is not the final goal. Remember that Siddhartha was able to reach very high states of concentration and these did not lead to his final awakening. But concentration is valuable as the foundation for awakening.
The benefits of one-pointed concentration are many. You can make great progress in any undertaking you choose if you have the ability to focus diligently on the task at hand. Shamatha meditation has you focus on one point calmly and quietly without undue exertion. The quality of this concentration is firm but not forced. Think of holding a bird in your hand. If you hold it too loosely, it will fly away. If you hold it too tight, you will crush it. Pursue concentration along the Middle Way, with effort, zeal, and interest.
