Gnostic Meditation 04 Calm Abiding: The Stages of Serenity

When you lack the elements of serenity,
Even if you meditate assiduously,
You will not achieve concentration
Even in thousands of years.
—Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment

Tibetan Buddhism has outlined nine fundamental stages for arriving at a calm, balanced, and serene mind, known in Sanskrit as Shamatha or Calm Abiding, a state of concentration marked by its perfect equanimity and effortlessness to maintain.  This lecture explains the path of these nine stages of concentration, from a wild and chaotic mind to one that is perfectly under one's control, in accordance with the writings of Tsong Khapa, the Dalai Lama, and other scriptural writings.