Frameworks of Shamatha and Vipashyana
Though we often hear about the importance of shamatha-vipashyana meditation, rarely do we get to focus on what exactly it is and how to practice it in a thorough manner. Two pivotal texts for this practice in the Tibetan meditation tradition are Jamgon Kongtrul's chapter, presenting a detailed description of the types, stages ,and technical details of shamatha and vipashyana practice, and Kamalashila's text, perhaps the most famous presentation for the entire Tibetan tradition for how to actually practice vipashyana. This course will bring together Kamalashila's contemplation with the more analytical exploration of Jamgon Kongtrul. Both are short, allowing time for contemplation and in-depth study of these texts. Kongtrul’s text is the one that the Vidyadhara used as his source text for his talks on vipashyana at the many Vajradhatu Seminaries.