Samatha vs Vipassana. What are the mechanics?
Upvote:1
IMO samatha and vipassana are two sides of the same coin. Calm and clarity as qualities of mind. In terms of method, I would distinguish between absorption and observation. Practically speaking it involves a broadening of attention, from a single object to multiple objects, thereby seeing the conditionality of experience.
Upvote:3
What you say is well researched, that's the traditional view. There are some other sutras to look at in addition:
Ekottara Agama 17.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20110811122049/http://sites.google.com/site/ekottara/eaxv
Satipatthana Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 10 https://suttacentral.net/mn10/en/sujato
Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Digha Nikaya 22 https://suttacentral.net/dn22/en/sujato
While it is possible to enter into samadhi by using samatha technique, it is said to not have liberating power. But one would have to be fully ignorant of the Dharmna teachings to fulfill such conditions, and it's probably unlikely. Vipassana is centered in the practice of investigation and arousing Wisdom, but each teacher seems to have slightly different idea what it is. Be patient in researching this. I think samatha acts as an anchor, and deep investigation into "reality" requires such calm and tranquility, so develop calm and tranquility, then go to Wisdom and Insight. I'm not of the opinion that this is anything but one practice ideally. Called by many names: Samadhi/Prajna. Calm/Insight. Tranquillity/Wisdom. Stopping/Seeing. Silence/Illumination. Emptiness/Fullness. Tiantai Master Zhiyi likens the pair as two wheels of a cart. You can indeed work with one wheel at a time (either samatha, or vipassana) but if you are planning to use the cart to get to Liberation (or just results) you need to use the whole cart.
Contemplation of death is never a bad idea, that is, if you are ready for it. Since we all invariably die.
And yes, calmness might be the first goal in starting this samatha/vipasanna practice.
Upvote:3
Vipassana (insight) is direct clear seeing thus does not requiring any thinking. Therefore vipassana it is not antagonistic to samatha (tranquility).
Both samatha & vipassana are natural results of the silent collected stable mind called "samadhi".
To answer the question: "how do I practice vipassana and how do practice samatha?", suttas such MN 149 say samatha & vipassana are products of developing/practising the noble eightfold, as follows:
Thus for him, having thus developed [practised] the noble eightfold path, the four frames of reference go to the culmination of their development. The four right exertions... the four bases of power... the five faculties... the five strengths... the seven factors for Awakening go to the culmination of their development. [And] for him these two qualities occur in tandem: tranquility (samatha) & insight (vipassana).
In short, the main meditative practice of the Noble Eightfold is abandoning craving or letting go. Thus the Right Mindfulness factor instructs:
A bhikkhu abides contemplating (observing)...ardent, fully comprehending and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world.
"Samatha" ("tranquility") is not "one-pointed focus" ("samadhi") nor is genuine "one-pointedness" ("ekaggata") an obstacle to vipassana. Its appears the questioner is reading the common non-sutta ideas of modern gurus.
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