Shamatha-vipashyana (Kamalashila's stages)

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Kamalaśīla · 700 · India

What it is

The tradition's sequence is shown below. The teachers note that stages overlap and that emphasis shifts with need, and Thubten Chodron calls the nine stages descriptive rather than fixed.

Format

• Format and duration.
• Practice is individual meditation under a teacher, often in retreat. Berzin's lamrim account recommends many short, regular sessions at the same time and place on the same object.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Perfectionism. It is working when effort drops and stability holds.
• Advanced practice without a teacher. Retreat intensity rising quickly. Refer and coordinate (item 21).
• Intrusive imagery, numbing, freezing or losing time. It is working when the client can stay present and choose.
• Retreat used to escape crisis. Untreated serious illness. It is working when a written safety and support plan exists.
• Monitoring that becomes self-surveillance or obsessional checking. It is working when faults are noticed earlier and without self-blame.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.