Shamatha means tranquility, calm or quiessence, and is about developing focused attention by concentrating on an object of meditation such as the breath. It is measured in 9 specific stages, these stages lead to achieving single pointed concentration/meditation.

This form of meditation is a honing tool for focused attention, developing relaxation, stability and clarity. It teaches the use of specific antidotes to counteract the obstacles that arise such as laxity and excitement which hinder the practice of meditation. Training in this way helps to free the mind from disturbing emotions and conceptual thinking processes by disciplining the mind with some degree of single pointed focus, clarity and awareness.

Mental clarity can only come when the mind becomes free from sluggishness, drowsiness, and lethargy/laxity. Mental stability will only come when the mind becomes free from excitement, agitation, rumination and addiction to daydreaming.

The very purpose of Shamatha meditation is not just to feel good for a period of time but to give birth to deeper levels of understanding, of wisdom and by practicing in this style of meditation, the individual is able to gain inner peace, harmony and mental well being and balance.

Vipassana in pali means clear seeing, another word to describe it is discernment. It is an insight meditation which through powerful concentration accurately and without illusions discerns the true nature of things.

It differs from Shamatha meditation in that with Shamatha we direct the mind to an object (usually the breath) in meditation and work in stages to achieve single pointed focus. Vipassana is more about being with whatever arises without doing anything with it. Merely observing and noting, feeling, thoughts etc. It is has the qualities of penetrative, investigation that focuses more on the phenomena aspect which reveals the true nature of reality.

This style of meditation directly helps to pull out the seeds or imprints that are left in our psyche by these our emotional defilements and distorted thoughts so that they will never reoccur. It brings unchanging and everlasting inner peace, joy and harmony.

In the modern times it is also the name given to the 10 day retreat style meditation developed by S. N. Goenka a lay Burmese meditation teacher.

The Buddha practiced these two styles of meditation, first cultivating single pointed focus and then using that powerful attention to deeply penetrate the true nature of reality. It is thought that without having attained some stages of Shamatha meditation, the practice of Vipassana meditation is ineffective.