Broadly, the Buddhist meditation is divided into two categories - the Samatha (calm) and the Vipassana (mindfulness). The Samatha, or Calm, meditation, is done by concentrating the mind to such a degree that mind and body both attain a high level of calmness. There are three benefits of practicing this form of meditation - peace and happiness, a favorable rebirth and the freedom from mental disturbances that are the source of unhappiness. Samatha helps us attain a state of tranquility and calmness with oneself that best depicted by the images of Buddha himself. With Samatha we do not attain nirvana, but get ready to achieve it. - Full Article

Buddhist Meditation
By Eddie Tobey

Meditation is the very core of Buddhist practice. Buddhist meditation is a form of mental concentration based on the liberation of the mind, giving importance to the cultivation of virtue and wisdom (enlightenment). The ultimate aim of Buddhist meditation is to attain the supreme bliss of enlightenment (nirvana). The central part of Buddhist meditation is a realization of the ultimate goal of life. The core of Buddhist meditation is the practice of the eightfold noble path. The eightfold virtues are right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The proceedings of Buddhist meditation are based on "samatha", which literally means 'tranquility', and "vipassana" (insight), meaning mindfulness.
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The Zen Master and the Cat
By E. Raymond Rock

“Understand that it is the calm mind which aids and supports the development of wisdom, and the extent to which it aids wisdom depends on the strength of the calm mind. Calmness can be coarse, adequate or refined, and will thereby promote wisdom that is likewise coarse, adequate, or refined. Therefore, it is in your best interests to develop a calm mind to the highest degree possible without becoming attached to the calmness. If we become attached, which is easy to do because of the peace the calm mind induces, we will be hesitant to move forward with the work of Investigation. Investigation is the work that is crucial if we are to ever acquire the refined wisdom necessary to free us from our cycles of birth and death.”. - Read More

Zen Meditation
By E. Raymond Rock

When everything is taken away from us, we become grounded in reality very quickly. A sage was once asked why he was so happy, he responded, “I have nothing left to lose!” Being grounded in reality happens in that split second when we know all is lost; a moment before the car crash, a moment after the diagnosis. The reality we then face is quite different from the daydreams of our everyday illusions. The fanciful images that we had previously projected into our idyllic lives melt away when we come face-to-face with certain disaster. There is something we can learn here, because many times, the result of a traumatic experience is that we come out of it a changed person, and the changes are usually for the better. New vistas open up for us, and we find ourselves and our interests somehow strangely altered. We actually become happier.
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