Samatha Shorthand (COPY)

Have you ever tried to read a book or a magazine, only to find that your attention wanders no matter how hard you try? Why does the mind do that?

From a Buddhist view, one would say the mind is “untamed”—that it needs to be trained.

Training the mind in a Buddhist context includes a form of meditation called śamatha, a Sanskrit term that means “peaceful abiding” or “tranquility. In the teachings of the Buddha, śamatha is a state of mind to be cultivated. It is often likened to a path, as shown in this thangka, because it is comprised of many stages and can take a lifetime, or many lifetimes, to master.

You may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with monkeys and elephants? Let’s take a look…

In the teachings of the Buddha, the wandering nature of the mind is often compared to a wild monkey because of how it constantly moves about, never settling.

As you see here, the meditator, symbolized by a monk, chases after a wild elephant, a symbol for the dullness of the mind. However, the elephant is completely absorbed in the activities of the monkey, who is running out ahead of him.

In contrast, the practice of śamatha is meant to stabilize the mind by cultivating steady awareness on a single object, such as the breath. The more we cultivate this stability of mind, the more aware we become of our own thought patterns and how they may be harmful.

However śamatha is so much more than this. The Buddha, seen here sitting on a white lotus with other enlightened beings, taught that an untrained mind is, in fact, the cause of all suffering. Moreover, our untrained minds can cause harm to other people as well. In this way, cultivating śamatha means a commitment to ending suffering not only for ourselves but for others as well.

You may notice that standing before the Buddha is the same monk we see walking the entire path. How did he get here? Let’s go back to the beginning…

Notice that the monk has two objects in his hands, a lasso and a sharp stick. Both are tools he can use to tame the elephant. The lasso represents mindfulness. The stick represents meta-awareness he can use to pay attention to his practice – a way to steer the elephant in the direction he wants him to go.

Ahead of the monk is a roaring fire, symbolizing the great energy required of him in these early stages.

You’ll also notice symbols representing the five senses trailing up the path: a silk cloth  (touch), fruit  (taste), a  conch  (smell),  cymbals  (sound), and the  mirror  (sight). As gateways to distraction, the five senses can invoke feelings of attachment to what feels good and aversion to what feels bad, further unsettling the mind. If the monk observes these sensations mindfully, he can guide his attention more deliberately, protecting his mind from their influence while gaining insight into their true nature.

As we move up the path, the meditator begins showing progress. The elephant is now trying to sway the monkey; both have slowed down to a steady trot.

Notice the top of the head on the elephant and the monkey as well. Both are beginning to turn white. In śamatha meditation, laziness—or what is often called laxity—is a big obstacle, as it can make the mind dull. However, as the meditator progresses, this dullness fades, represented by the animals turning increasingly white.

At the same time, we are at risk for over-stimulation or excitation, represented by the monkey. If laziness pulls it inward toward sleep, by contrast, excitation pulls the mind outward toward distraction. The goal is to achieve a balance between the two by being fully relaxed yet fully awake.

As the meditator finally lassoes the elephant, we see the monkey and the elephant looking back at the monk. He has finally gotten their full attention! This is the stage of practice where the meditator no longer to maintain his attention on his object, such as his breath.

However, there is a risk of sutler forms of laxity, like zoning out. We see this symbolized by a rabbit who has appeared on the elephant’s back. Subtler attention is required from the meditator.

By the fourth stage, you will see the fire is now behind the monk, demonstrating that he has properly harnessed his energy. Too, with the monkey and elephant both turning increasingly white, we see greater balance between overexertion and underexertion.

Eventually, the monk makes his way out in front of the group and is now leading everyone himself. He has fully lassoed the elephant. The monkey is now behind the elephant, following his lead.

At the sixth stage, the meditator now faces forward, showing that he no longer needs to constantly discipline his mind. The rabbit has also disappeared, showing that the risk of zoning out has also vanished.

Eventually, the monk lets go of his lasso and stick altogether. They are no longer needed, as both elephant and monkey have been fully tamed. At this stage, you may notice the fire is gone completely, showing us that the monk has achieved a certain ease to his practice.

In the final stage, the monk can sit in meditation while the elephant sleeps peacefully next to him. At this stage, the mind can concentrate without exertion for long periods of time—in fact, there is no limit to how long the mind can rest undisturbed.

Having achieved śamatha, the fruit of the path, we see the meditator flying, representing ease of the body. Rainbows radiate from him indicating his present state of bliss. We see the meditator holding a sword representing the application of wisdom in his practice.

The sword he holds is echoed in this image of Manjusri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, who wields a flaming sword to cut through delusion. In his other hand, he holds the Perfection of Wisdom sutras, which teach the nature of reality itself.

Most importantly, the meditator is now equipped for other practices as well, such as vipashyana, or the practice of insight. This is depicted by the meditator now arriving before the Buddha, ready to receive higher teachings.

With a mind that is fully trained, the meditator can begin seeking insight that can lead to liberation from suffering, or what’s called the wheel of cyclic existence.

For a more detailed look into this “wheel,” see the thangka next to this one, the bhavacakra.

Tenzin Norbu (Tibetan, b. 1973)
Buchang Nubgya (Tibetan, b. 1979)

Samatha (Calm-Abiding), 2022. Mineral pigments on cotton. Gift of the Michael C. Carlos Museum Leadership Board in honor of Bonnie Speed. 2022.10.2

Text by Faith McClure