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Samatha v. vipassana?

DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
edited July 2010 in Philosophy
Could you say in a nutshell what you think the essential difference is between samatha and vipassana?:)

P

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2010
    Introspection.
    Analysis of introspection.

    Hugs.
  • RichardHRichardH Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Perhaps it could also be put as.

    - settled, stable, awareness

    -analysis of the objects within this awareness.
  • pegembarapegembara Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Samatha - calming or settling the mind to achieve mental stillness or silence without mental chatter.

    Vipassana - watching objects arising and ceasing in this state of mental silence alert to their drawbacks, their allure, and the escape from them
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Samatha - stop resisting the pattern and energy we are experiencing and instead just notice it.

    Vipassana - the insight that arises as we begin to notice what is going on rather than trying to manipulate it to what we want

    I think I deserve a gold star :p I couldn't think of what to say earlier
  • truthseekertruthseeker
    edited June 2010
    I would phrase it similar to pagembra. Samatha proceeds with the calming and settling of mind, quelling thought processes, establishing a stable sustained state of concentration, resulting in one-pointedness. It is usually connected with a technique that focuses on one specific meditation object. By contrast, vipassana is clear-sight, introspective insight, registering phenomena as they arise and cease in a state of developed concentration. I would not use the term "analysis" in connection with vipassana, because analysis sounds like intellectual thought processing, pondering, and problem solving.

    Cheers, Thomas
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2010
    That's some big 'nutshell'. :lol:
  • shenpennangwashenpennangwa
    edited June 2010
    porpoise wrote: »
    Could you say in a nutshell what you think the essential difference is between samatha and vipassana?:)

    P
    Creating a dichotomy between the two is a bit problematic. samatha and vipassana are not opposing forces. They support and enhance one another through the singular act of meditation. Sure one may be primary and the other secondary at different times and they may be perfectly balanced, but they are both present.
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited June 2010
    Some good answers here, gold stars all round!
    I think that different traditions probably have different perspectives on this.
    I'm going for "focussing" v. "observing" at the moment.

    P
  • TripleGemTripleGem New
    edited July 2010
    You can have a vipassana experience and see for yourself. 10-day courses are free of charge.

    You can check out info on vipassana here: www.dhamma.org
  • DeshyDeshy Veteran
    edited July 2010
    pegembara wrote: »
    Samatha - calming or settling the mind to achieve mental stillness or silence without mental chatter.

    Vipassana - watching objects arising and ceasing in this state of mental silence alert to their drawbacks, their allure, and the escape from them

    :uphand:
  • treederwrighttreederwright
    edited July 2010
    Tibetian ways of this topic are fully clarified in Lamrim Chenmo
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