Forms of meditation: samatha and mettabhavana
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the nature, purpose and significance of meditation including samatha and mettabhanvana meditation, for Buddhists today.
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).
Teacher tip
If appropriate, pupils could listen to a guided meditation.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does Annica mean?
Q2.What is Anatta?
Q3.What is Dukkha?
Q4.What is a Puja in Buddhism?
Q5.Which of these is a mantra?
Q6.What does a vihara symbolise?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the correct definition.
a spiritual experience which opens a highest state of consciousness
the development of loving kindness, usually through meditation
calmness or breathing meditation
Q2.Which of these statements is false?
Q3.Which one word is missing from this quote about meditation; “ springs from meditation; without meditation wanes.
Q4.Match the type of meditation to it’s correct description.
focuses on loving kindness
focuses on creating a state of calmness
focuses on gaining insight
focuses on the present moment
Q5.Which type of meditation focuses mainly on breath?
Q6.What does metta-meditation help to reduce?
To help you plan your 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 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.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Buddhism: Practices unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.