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What is the difference between samadhi and samatha?
Samatha is tranquility meditation, meditating on a stable object with the objective of reaching calm states/jhanas.
Samadhi is concentration. The Buddha's teachings of the eightfold noble path are ...
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Which is the easiest of the four paths for a novice lay practitioner?
The sutta was spoken by Ananda. It is not the words of the Buddha. The Buddha taught samatha & vipassana are developed in tandem (MN 149; Dhp 372); as demonstrated in MN 118 (when it is properly ...
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6
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What is the difference between samadhi and samatha?
Just to add to what Robin has said and answer your last question.
"..are the underlying concepts related if you consider the Pali origins of the words i.e. do they have similar roots in the language?"...
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What is the difference between a Vipassana Jhana and a Samatha Jhana?
There is no samatha jhana nor is there vipassana jhana mentioned in the suttas, I may have missed it!
There are the 4 rupa jhanas mentioned with each containing various jhana factors and 4 arupa ...
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Schopenhauer’s inexplicable disturbance in the heavenly calm of Nirvana?
There is a similar question here: What is the starting of Samsara?.
I would be surprised if there was any Buddhist reference supporting Schopenhauer's claim that "the world came into being as a ...
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4
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Computer Feedback in Meditation
I've heard of some meditators who use tools like EEGs. Of late these models are becoming pretty cheap, USD 100-500, which was unthinkable even a few years ago. They can't be very accurate at this ...
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4
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Computer Feedback in Meditation
Biofeedback programs just take data such as heart rate, blood pressure, etc... and display them on a screen so that the person can see them. The underlying theory is that if a person can directly see ...
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Buddha's advice regarding meditation practice
Consider the story of the blind weaver's daughter, Verse 174 of the Dhammapada,
Verse 174: Blind are the people of this world: only a few in this
world see clearly (with Insight). Just as only a ...
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jhānas, Zen, and how to practice concentration meditation
Ajahn Brahm wrote a book about jhana called 'Mindfulness, Bliss & Beyond'. It is 291 pages long. The first 65 pages are at this link.
The method in this book emphasizes 'letting go' & is thus ...
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4
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Meditation - hot and expectant in the morning
Be expectant in life as a house holder but not when meditating. When meditating focus on the task at hand.
With regards to ideal time for meditation, it depends, from person to person and time to ...
4
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How can we choose more congenial Kammattana?
You will need trial and error but generally based on the personality types.
The Pali commentaries further provide guidelines for suggesting meditation subjects based on one's general temperament:
...
4
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Which is the easiest of the four paths for a novice lay practitioner?
I believe that many/most people understand the meaning of jhana incorrectly. Bhikkhu Kumara has written a book recently to address this. He is waiting on more feedback before allowing people to post ...
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Help Me Choose which meditation i Should do Anapanasati or Brahmaviharas?
Brahmaviharas is a lower type of meditation than Anapanasati. In Brahmaviharas you use your intellect, to make up suggestions or narratives, that condition your point of view a certain way. In ...
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4
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Is samadhi the same as samatha? Is there khanika samatha?
If I sit dow on the cushion for a moment, that's momentary samatha. Samatha is simply calmimg. It can take place anywhere. Samatha can lead to samadhi, but the two are by no means identical. It ...
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Shamata - attention on upper lip, diaphragm or belly?
Well it depends on the teacher who is guiding you. If you do have a teacher go by what he instructs.
One of interpretations focul point (as in the original teaching as well as the most effective ...
3
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Effects of samatha
Summary: "Negative" is a subjective term - I believe there is learning to be had in every moment in life.
Certain Samatha and Vipassana experiences can puzzle the unstable or ignorant mind. The ...
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What is the difference between a Vipassana Jhana and a Samatha Jhana?
Ask A Monk: Samatha Jhana, Vipassana Jhana says (if I paraphrase properly),
Samatha Jhana (e.g. concentrating on a white disk) cannot lead to insight because it's concentration on a conception (e.g. ...
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3
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Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?
Samatha = citta-samatha = Leading to wholesome mind = seclusion of unwholesome in 5 strings, kāmaguṇa.
Vipassanā = samatha-vipassanā = Leading to sabbasaṅkhāra-samatha, nibbāna = seclusion of whole ...
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Sila before samatha, samatha before vipassana according to AN 11.1-3?
As I explained in "Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?", the factors of "being good", "feeling good", "calming down", "understanding", and "liberation" are designed to ...
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Samatha vs Vipassana. What are the mechanics?
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....
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Samatha vs Vipassana. What are the mechanics?
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 ...
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3
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Samatha while studying
Higher levels of concentration is not possible while the mind is active but you can have some level of non-exclusive focus on like the breath or bodily sensations while working. You need to develop ...
3
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What causes the arising of fear that the sense of "me" will be threatened by the fruition of my practice?
The Pali suttas teach self-identity is born from craving. For example:
The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion &
delight, relishing now here & now there — i.e., ...
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3
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What effect does social media, mobile gaming and watching movies have on my meditation practice?
If you are regularly practising meditation, you should know for yourself how various activities affect your meditation.
For example, if desires & thoughts about various activities pop into your ...
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