Shamatha Meditation Image

for developing a peaceful mind

In this wonderful summer course in Italy you will learn to draw and color or paint this special image according to the Tibetan-Buddhist thangka tradition.

The Sanskrit word ‘Shamatha’ means ‘to develop peace’. This schematic picture shows the the path of a monk an elephant and a monkey, surrounded by different elements of nature (clouds, rainbows, fire, etc.)

The diagram illustrates the 9 stages of spiritual development of the practitioner (you) from the very first
stage, in which there is no control over the mind (‘monkey mind’), to the highest stage: a completely peaceful mind and the experience of pure consciousness (‘Buddha nature’).

The development of Shamatha (Tib.: Chi.nae, Eng.: Calm abiding) is meant to cultivate and refine your ability to focus, making your mind more stable and clearer. Negative emotions -such as contempt and aversion- decrease and are replaced over time by compassion and equanimity.

There are various shamatha meditation techniques to stabilize your attention and become more mindful, and you will learn them all during this course.

The course is suitable for everyone, from beginners (even without any drawing experience) to advanced. Advanced thangka students may choose to finish their other artwork during this course (and will of course receive these new grids as well).