Developing concentration through deep relaxation.
What you'll learn
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Introduction
Did you ever notice how our regular dreams are characterized by a lack of stability?
The contents of our dreams effortlessly pull our attention from one place to another, and our responses to these events are nothing more than habitual.
Shamatha is an old Buddhist practice that teaches us how to master and stabilize our attention.
It is said that the stability of attention is an essential step towards freedom—the freedom to achieve the state of lucidity in our dreams, and maintain it.
Shamatha allows us to swap the utter confusion of ordinary dreams with an everflowing stream of coherence.
In shamatha, concentration is developed through deep relaxation.
We learn how to muffle our mind’s distractions so that we can wilfully rest our attention on a selected object for a long period of time.
By mastering this type of stability, we create a platform for ourselves that allows us to seamlessly develop lucid dreaming and dream yoga skills.
In shamatha, these are the necessary techniques for successful dream practice:
Prospective memory, retrospective memory, remembering dream cues, and a steady concentration on visual images.
It is important to note that the shamatha practice exists not only in Buddhism, but Christianity, Taoism, and Hinduism as well.
Keep reading in the app
The rest of this lesson is in Mind, with practice tools, reminders and a journal that shows your progress.
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Questions about Shamatha Meditation
How long is the Shamatha Meditation lesson?
About 20 minutes of reading in all, in short parts of about five minutes. Read one a day, or go at your own pace in the Mind app.
Is the Shamatha Meditation lesson free?
The beginning is free to read on this page. The rest comes with a Mind subscription in the app.
Do I need experience before starting the Shamatha Meditation lesson?
No. It starts from the basics and builds step by step, so you can begin today whether you are new to the topic or not.
