Gnostic Glossary: Dictionaries

(Samatha) Tranquility Meditation. Sha in Sanskrit means “peace.” Mata means “dwelling” or “stability.” Samatha means “to dwell or to be founded, to have establishment in peace, to dwell in peace.” This is the same as Pratyahara. The term Shamata is also related to the Tibetan shi-ne which means “peace.” Samatha is one-pointed mind, or the varying levels of concentrated attention. According to the Maitreya Buddha, there are nine distinct levels of Shamata.

Samatha – Tranquility, meditation. Sha in Sanskrit means “peace.” Mata means “dwelling” or “stability.” Samatha means “to dwell or to be founded, to have establishment in peace, to dwell in peace.” This is the same as Pratyahara. The term Shamata is also related to the Tibetan shi-ne which means “peace.” Samatha is one-pointed mind, or the varying levels of concentrated attention. According to the Maitreya Buddha, there are nine distinct levels of Shamata.