3 Reasons For Meditation

This morning, as with many other mornings, I arose early and spent a few minutes on the practice of Samatha Meditation. While doing this is not a practice that was ever taught or recommended to me by any person, spiritual or otherwise, outside of a paid course or book, I’d like to suggest that it is well worth exploring.

Samatha?

No, that’s not a mis-spelling of a lady’s name.

Samatha is a Pali word to describe a meditative practice designed to bring about calm and focus. Samatha Meditation is the most basic practice within the most popular forms of Buddhism; it is also the most likely form of meditation you would be taught if you attend a Western meditation class. For most Buddhists, Samatha is the starting point.

But You’re Not Buddhist…

As far as I am aware, none of this blogs current readers are Buddhist… and, although that is a shame, it’s more a statement of reality. No, neither am I… and it’s likely that you are not either.

So why should you practice Samatha? I’ve got three reasons…

Reason 1: Self-Control Require Practice

Most people would agree that a degree of self-control is no bad thing. If we are one of those people who are easily tossed around, emotionally turbulent if you will, then it can do us no harm to begin to calm ourselves. Even if you are already self-controlled, you will know and understand that this state requires effort. That’s where Samatha comes in.

Samatha is nothing more mystical and scary than sitting or standing quietly, still or walking, and focusing on one thing only. Easier said than done, as any practitioner will tell you.

Most commonly you sit, perhaps like the lady in our picture, and close your eyes. Most Samatha, as taught in the 21st Century anywhere in the world, begins with focusing on the breath. As you can get help on the HOW TO of it very easily, I’ll not get into that here – but don’t go spending a lot of cash on some ‘guru’ guide. Start with sitting quiet and “watching” your breath.

In even trying this practice for 2 minutes you will find that: a) it’s incredibly hard; b) your mind will shout thoughts at you and distract you; c) you will feel impatient and want to stop. Don’t give up… just realise the truth that self-control requires practice.

Reason 2: Science Thinks It’s Good For You

In his book ‘Mindsight‘, Daniel Siegal shows how neuroscience and psychiatry would encourage us to develop the skill of the same name – Mindsight. His starting point in almost all of the cases described so wonderfully in the book is the practice of ‘watching the breath’… or, as you now know, Samatha Meditation. He writes:

“…creating well-being – in our mental life, in our close relationships, and even in our bodies – is a learnable skill.”

“Mindsight is not an all-or-nothing ability, something you either have or don’t have. As a form of expertise, mindsight can be developed when we put in effort, time, and practice.”

Siegal is not alone in believing, from empirical studies and from the practice of medicine, that meditation has significant health benefits. That’s not surprising given the relationship between religious practice and the desire for well-being and growth. It’s just nice to know that science is comfy with the idea of meditation.

But… it’s about more that well-being and feeling calm. Mindsight, developed through Samatha and other techniques, is a means by which we can develop our capacity to see our own minds and take control over the habits and behaviors that harm us.

Reading Siegal’s book, you can discover how the emotionless man found his feelings or how an angry boy learned to control his rage. Samatha was the starting point for both – creating a space in their minds to begin to become self-aware and self-regulating. And all through the application of Buddhism to psychiatry.

Reason 3: You Don’t Have To Become Buddhist

Sitting down and meditating is not a betrayal of any belief that you may hold.

If you, like me, are a theist then you are not being asked ignore God. Meditation is about focusing your mind for calm and control, nothing more. What person couldn’t use a few minutes of calm before they move into prayer or study or work?

If you are an atheist, then you are not being asked to do anything other than to improve yourself. Buddhists are atheists too… so you are on safe ground. You get the benefits without any of that mucking about with deity.

Samatha is a few minutes of calm and focus. With practice, you can go longer and discover many awesome benefits such as reduced stress, the overcoming of the minor pains of your body, and increased patience with others in the daily grind. You don’t need to take it any further. It may be the first step for many Buddhists but it need be your only step if you are so inclined.

Why Bother?

For me, Samatha is helpful. It can be helpful for you too.

As a Christian, I find that it’s really hard to sit down and pray without distraction. Learning about the early Christians, and reading about monastics, I realised that a form of Samatha was practiced as a step on the path to greater experiences of God through prayer.

As a human being, I find that increasing my capacity for focus and calm, for patience, has increased my ability to deal with and appreciate others. I am rubbish at Samatha, but that really doesn’t matter – the fact that I am improving is the point.

For you, perhaps, Samatha is a means towards greater self-control and self-awareness. Most of us are too busy to realise how unhealthy our lifestyles can be. Take 5 minutes and focus on your breath – you’ll see how much you still have to learn about self-control.