Samatha Meditation

[Slartibartfast]

http://www.samatha.org/meditation/index.html

Does anyone else use this method? As you will know from posts on otehr forums I have very recently started training in this method. I think It is a little early to comment yet but I do feel a little more aware of things in the present. I have quite a journey ahead of me.

I am at the third stage, or third week and have had something new added each week, with an understanding that some practice should be done at home.

Stage 1 Longest Breath. Breathe in gently counting 1-9 and breathe out gently counting 9-1.
Stage 2 Longer Breath. Breathe in gently counting 1-6 and breathe out gently counting 6-1
Stage 3 Short breath. Breathe in gently counting 1-3, andbreathe out gently counting 3-1.

Always leave the meditation as you entered it, so move from 1-2-3-2-1. Acknowledge distractions mindfully and gently bring the concentration back to the breath.

Does anyone else have experience of this? It is a fairly basic technique, but then I think this is a good thing, because an overcomplication, certainly at this stage, would confuse and detract from teh meditation.

[bodom]

I dont practice this particular technique but i do practice samatha/vipassana.

[Element]

Hi Slartibartfast

What you described is an extremely common preliminary method in Theravada.

Kind regards,

Element

[Cittasanto]

Hi Slartibartfast
I asked this on the other thread but as you have started this one which is more relevant to ask in I'll ask here also.
are you controling the breathing in this method?

[bodom]

Hi Slartibartfast
I asked this on the other thread but as you have started this one which is more relevant to ask in I'll ask here also.
are you controling the breathing in this method?

Kinda looks that way dont it? I would think counting 1-9 - 9-1 on each breath would be a little tiring for me personally. Maybe just the first few to get a "feel" for the breath.

[Cittasanto]

Hi Slartibartfast
I asked this on the other thread but as you have started this one which is more relevant to ask in I'll ask here also.
are you controling the breathing in this method?

Kinda looks that way dont it? I would think counting 1-9 - 9-1 on each breath would be a little tiring for me personally. Maybe just the first few to get a "feel" for the breath.

It does!
I have come across similar methods and used a similar methods (see my link to a book in what method do you use), but this discription seams different!

[Slartibartfast]

Hi Slartibartfast
I asked this on the other thread but as you have started this one which is more relevant to ask in I'll ask here also.
are you controling the breathing in this method?

I hope people don't mind me repeating myself.

Yes, we do control the breath during this meditation. I think, however, at this stage the counting is just trying to get us used to the breathing technique. the breath is slow and gentle, even on the shortest breath but they vary in length according to the count. At the same time we don't over-inhale or over-exhale. We control the breath in a relaxed way.

[Cittasanto]

I have never heard of controlling the breath in this techneque but I suppose it is the same idea as taking some deep breaths before starting?
keep us uptodate with the progress in the stages.

[Slartibartfast]

It could be a mis understanding in my part of course, we haven't be directly instructed to control breathing however the counting suggests the length of breath to me, and it is not so controlled that we lose focus.

[Dhammanando]

Hi Slartibartfast,

It could be a mis understanding in my part of course, we haven't be directly instructed to control breathing however the counting suggests the length of breath to me, and it is not so controlled that we lose focus.

No, you haven't misunderstood. In Nai Boonman's method one begins with controlled breathing, then the controlling is later dropped.

Best wishes,
Dhammanando Bhikkhu

[AdvaitaJ]

Greetings Slartibartfast,

I use a similar count method I learned from an audio dharma talk as my "warm-up". It's essentially a pyramid count: 1-10, 10-1, 1-9, 9-1, 1-8, 8-1...1-2, 2-1, 1. It seems to take just less than 10 minutes on average and, while I'm doing the "warm-up", I really cut myself some slack and don't worry too much about being distracted, fidgeting, etc. The original talk said you should restart from the beginning if you lose your place, but I don't feel that's necessary for my purposes. When the warm-up is over, the attitude changes and I try to really focus.

Regards: AdvaitaJ