Cultivating Tranquility with the Breath
This is a modern, pragmatic take on the Elephant Path practice of śamatha (calm abiding) as taught in The Mind Illuminated (2015). This system of meditation describes progressive stages of meditative development, from the very beginning of establishing the practice all the way through to effortlessly stable attention, unification of mind, and tranquility. These teachings are drawn from Indo-Tibetan teachings of Asanga and Kamalaśīla, adapted for modern audiences by using practical, plain language.
What to expect
This series of guided meditations will progressively explore the stages of śamatha (calm abiding) practice. In this meditation technique, we will develop stable attention on the breath and bright, open awareness. This detailed, practical approach will help practitioners to cultivate the qualities of calm abiding through developing an understanding of how attention works, the method used to train attention, and how to use stable attention to reach states of tranquility.
We will also discuss what to expect as you progress through the stages and how to overcome common obstacles. The main focus will be on guided meditations that explore the techniques and allow the practitioner to get a first-hand experience of the practice. There will also be time for questions, discussion, and opportunities to receive guidance for your practice.
The first session will provide an overview of the tradition and will be recorded. Subsequent sessions will focus more on the guided practice, and will not be recorded.
Additional resources
- The Mind Illuminated, by Culadasa (Dr John Yates), Matthew Immergut, and Jeremy Graves (2015).
- Guided Meditation Recordings by Kynan Tan
- Basic Meditation Instructions by Kynan Tan
- The Mind Illuminated Reddit Group
- Sit Down and Practice, start anytime online course to help establish a practice over six weeks
This guided meditation will run every week from Thursday 16 February – Thursday 13 April 2023 (excluding Thursday 16 March). Please register once to indicate your attendance throughout the series, or register for the individual sessions you plan to attend.
Please note:
