Joyful Mindedness by Chade-Meng Tan

In practicing meditation, one often comes across interesting surprises. My biggest surprise in practicing Shamatha (Calm Abiding), a practice leading to profound concentration, is the insight that relaxation forms the foundation of Shamatha. When the mind is relaxed, it becomes more calm and stable. These qualities deepen Shamatha, which in turn strengthens relaxation, thus forming a virtuous cycle. Paradoxically, deep concentration is built upon relaxation.

A similar mechanism seems to work in the practice of Mindfulness. I found lightness to be highly conducive to Mindfulness. Lightness gives rise to ease of mind. When the mind is at ease, it becomes more open, perceptive and non-judgmental. These qualities deepen Mindfulness, which in turn strengthens lightness and ease, thus forming a virtuous cycle of deepening Mindfulness.

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