“[One] should question someone who has attained samatha: “How should the mind be steadied? How should it be made to settle down? How should it be unified? How should it be concentrated?” [AN 4.94]
Contemporary research points towards building attentional skills as an important factor in diminishing negative thought patterns. The Dharma states to be free we must ‘still the formations’ or settle the distracting rumination that pulls us away from the present moment. The term Samatha – (stilling, settling, calming focus) refers to practices that support a calm abiding.
By settling one’s attention in a way that cultivates calming or tranquility, the mind begins to naturally re-collect itself and settle into states of concentration. Once a pleasant abiding in the body with a recollected mind is established we are in a better place to begin to examine the habits of mind that often come to disturb the state of wellbeing.
Join us for a 6 week series dedicated to deepening cultivation of Samatha, in meditation practices, in sutta exploration, discussions on Buddhist psychology and in meditation practice.
Suggested Donation:
6-Class Series:$125
Single Class: $25