Origins

The form of practice that has developed in, first, England and now internationally under the auspices of the Samatha Trust, is a specifically lay tradition that links directly to pre-reform practices widespread across Southeast Asia for many centuries, but with unique and fascinating adaptations to the new Western cultural context.

The heart of this new tradition is the teaching and practice of the jhānas; both the rūpa (form) jhānas and the arūpa (formless) jhānas, but with several important supporting activities developed by the wide range of character types that have been key to developments over the last more than 55 years.

A group of members, for example, developed special expertise in Pali chanting, taught initially by Cambodian and Thai teachers, and on several occasions have been invited to chant at important events in Thailand and Singapore. Others have been drawn to studying and in some cases translating Buddhist texts including those of the Abhidhamma, and have been recognised for their contributions to academic understanding. Yet others have become involved in “green” projects of land management and the creation of a variety of small animal habitats, including a wetland area and wonderful gardens at the national meditation centre in Wales. And more recently, with the cooperation of meditators happy to be the subjects of an EEG research study of brain activity during jhāna meditation, a major breakthrough paper was published in a leading neuroscience journal (EEG study) in June 2019.

The understanding and practice of jhāna meditation is highly developed in this tradition, and available to those who wish to explore more deeply. Its form of expression is closely related to the pre-reform Yogāvacara that existed for centuries across Southeast Asia, There are occasionally opportunities for meditators from other jhāna traditions such as those of Pa-Auk and Ajahn Brahm to join periods of practice with our teachers.