Buddhist meditation: samatha (calm abiding) and vipassana (special insight)

The Theravada Buddhist tradition has wonderful resources on meditation, like the Four Foundations of Mindfulness in the Satipatthana Sutta. But put simply, what makes meditation Buddhist? Or Theravadin?   In this video, I'll talk about two basic factors: samatha (calm abiding) and vipassana (special insight). These two work together and can be difficult to distinguish from each other, so I'll clarify their meaning a bit. I learned about all this in the Thai forest tradition, so my explanation might sound different from what a student of Burmese or Sri Lankan dharma traditions would say.   Also, because the mindfulness movement has borrowed so heavily from Theravada meditative traditions, it can be difficult to get back to the original intent of meditation in a Buddhist context: to notice our mistaken assumptions about the world and ourselves and begin to uproot them. If meditation leads in the direction of awakening, it's probably drawing on samatha and vipassana.   I recorded this video from a live Insight Timer teaching; you can find me there and get notified of future talks: http://insig.ht/clairevillarreal  To get the resources associated with this teaching series on types of Buddhism and get notified of upcoming live events, join this mailing list: https://bit.ly/typesBuddh  To support my work, you can join my Patreon insiders (https://bit.ly/3Dm14p2) or make a one-time donation (https://bit.ly/CVPayPalMe).   May all beings be well.