Forms of meditation: samatha and mettabhavana
I can explain the nature, purpose and significance of meditation including samatha and mettabhanvana meditation, for Buddhists today.
Forms of meditation: samatha and mettabhavana
I can explain the nature, purpose and significance of meditation including samatha and mettabhanvana meditation, for Buddhists today.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Samatha meditation is mainly used in Theravada Buddhism.
- Samatha meditation is about calmness and relies on the mindfulness of breathing.
- Many non-Buddhists use meditation as a way to calm the mind, reduce stress and increase focus.
- Some Buddhists use objects called kasinas to focus during meditation.
- Mettabhavana meditation assists with developing feelings of loving-kindness.
Keywords
Meditation - a spiritual experience that opens a person up to the highest state of consciousness
Mettabhavana - the development of loving kindness, usually through meditation
Mindfulness of breathing - a form of meditation found in Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism. It focuses on the practice of breathing
Samatha - calmness or breathing meditation
Common misconception
The goal of samatha meditation is to achieve enlightenment or insight.
Samatha is primarily a concentration practice aimed at stilling the mind through focused attention, often using a single object like the breath or a visual object (kasina).
To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: Forms of meditation: samatha and mettabhavana, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: Forms of meditation: samatha and mettabhavana, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
a spiritual experience which opens a highest state of consciousness
the development of loving kindness, usually through meditation
calmness or breathing meditation
focuses on loving kindness
focuses on creating a state of calmness
focuses on gaining insight
focuses on the present moment