Shamatha: The 9 Stages Of Training Your Mind - by Lama Brian Hilliard

COURSE

Shamatha: The 9 Stages Of Training Your Mind

With Lama Brian Hilliard

Discover that you already have the treasure you need to live a completely fulfilled life. Join Lama Brian for this foundational yet in-depth course, that draws on Buddhist thought to explore a traditional path of meditation. Each of the 9 stages of Shamatha (resting the mind) provide extraordinary instructions that you can immediately put into practice. The goal of the course is to have glimpses of unconditional happiness and from these experiences, set out on a journey towards liberation. As you progress through each stage, you will learn to cultivate equanimity both in your meditation practice and in everyday life. Throughout this course, emphasis is placed on instruction that helps you to be open, spacious and relaxed to encourage you to develop inner strength, stabilise your mind and find freedom from turmoil.

MahamudraHappinessHealth & HappinessAwakeningSpiritualMindfulnessOpen AwarenessTraditional BuddhismReligionBuddhismMindfulness Meditation

Meet your Teacher

Lama Brian Hilliard
Villastrada, Province of Perugia, Italy

Lama Brian (Brian Hilliard) has spent a lifetime studying and practicing the teachings of the Buddha. At 18 years old Lama Brian Hilliard received life-changing teachings from the Tibetan master, Chőgyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He has since worked with great Tibetan masters including Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Thrangu Rinpoche. Lama Brian completed advanced training seminaries including Ngedon School, Nitartha Institute and Vajradhatu seminaries under Tibetan masters. After many years of study, teaching and training, Lama Brian completed the traditional Tibetan three-year retreat. He has taught meditation in business and retreat centres for over 35 years. He teaches widely in Europe and Asia as co-owner of Mindfulness Journeys. He teaches beginning and advanced students meditation for everyday life as well as tibetan yoga and is well known for his clear teachings which enable students to quickly grasp key concepts and put them into practice. His warmth of style will set you at ease so that learning key life tools becomes both inspirational and enjoyable. Lama Brian was born in Connecticut, USA and is now based in Europe, having established a retreat centre in Umbria, Italy. He is passionate about studying, cooking, enjoys running, playing accordion and ukelele, Italia, yoga and travel.

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10 Days

14.2k students

4.7 stars

12 min / day

Happiness

English

Lesson 1

Giving The Monkey Mind A Rest

In the first lesson, you will be introduced to the three instructions for the practice of shamatha: posture, breath and working with the thinking mind. Through following the meditation instruction you will be able to calm your busy mind. The first stage of realisation occurs when you become aware of just how wild the untamed mind is. Learn to see how the wild mind is seen as the source of all of our stress, anxiety, worry and suffering. There is a glimpse of peace (shamatha) through bringing ourselves back to the breath.

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Lesson 2

Resting Like A Flowing River

In stage two you activate the instruction on flowing on like a river without interruption. You learn the role of giving yourself positive advice in meditation. You use the thought process as a source of inspiration. This is called contemplation, and gives you more strength.

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Lesson 3

Resting Like A Child

In stage three your childlike naiveté comes into play. No matter how many light-years you drift away you just simply come back to now. There’s no need to analyze or figure anything out. Your strength of mindfulness increases. There is the discovery that coming back to presence is automatic without a lot of effort. And most importantly, you are learning kindness and gentleness. There is less self-criticism.

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Lesson 4

Resting By Seeing The Tiniest Thoughts

In stage four even the most subtle thoughts, which are like bubbles coming up in a stream, are seen by your awareness. In this way, your meditation experience becomes more peaceful and joyful. The wild elephant of your mind is stopped by the rope of mindfulness. All thoughts are just like ripples stirring the surface of the ocean.

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Lesson 5

Taming Self-Loathing And Other Problems

In this stage you learn to tame the feeling of yourself as impossible, a nuisance. It's inevitable that sooner or later you want to give up. This happens to everyone, especially after having achieved some success in meditation practice. You remember the gentleness and decency you previously experienced, become aware of them. Relax back into the soothing and cool state of stable meditation.

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Lesson 6

Pacifying Temporary Nausea

The sixth stage relates to how you look at the whole practice of meditation. Sometimes you are completely revolted by the idea of sitting down on the meditation cushion. You think that escape is the only answer to the prospects of nausea inducing meditation. "I simply cannot face myself again!" Then you remember how good meditation is. You remember that meditation is your teacher and friend. Then you just give in and do it. You have good strength of awareness and do not get distracted. This lesson will conclude with a meditation song, "Take a Rest".

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Lesson 7

Completely Pacifying The Fires Of Negative Emotions

At the seventh stage you apply methods to work with the fires of intense emotions. Emotions are very difficult to work with and are a big part of the meditation path. They cause us a lot of difficulties when we feel that we are under their power. Here’s how you can begin to work with them and subdue them into submission.

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Lesson 8

Dancing On The Head Of A Pin, Relaxed And Free

Stage eight expands meditation to the middle of the city in a crowd, or wherever you are. You know what it takes to relax in any situation and how to do it without too much effort. You know that with just a little mindfulness and awareness you relax into stable meditation anywhere.

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Lesson 9

Resting Like The Ocean Still

The last stage of shamatha is being one with your practice. You can just let your mind be as it is. You are truly kind to yourself because you have trained. You know just how to be. Now you are completely going in the direction of liberation and enlightenment. From this point onward in the journey the path forward is made of rainbow light.

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Lesson 10

Walking The Path With The Monkey & Elephant

This is helpful review of the path we’ve travelled in this course. In your meditation session you can quickly flash on or review any of the stages of resting, and especially the first four. In this way you first remember the teachings and then immediately put them into practice. Then you have experience, and this leads to liberation. Finally, learn another new song, "Constant Steady Flow".

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Ask your teacher

This course includes 137 community questions and 87 audio replies from Lama Brian Hilliard. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

137

4.7 (684)

Recent Reviews

Kelly

December 20, 2025

Teaches you the basic

Magdalena

March 26, 2025

Very useful points with clear and encouraging way. It feels as I just needed that to continue my meditation with peace, understanding and letting go. Thank you

Giulia

February 16, 2025

Amazing, completed for a second time around after taking a break and many other meditations and courses I was drawn back to this one which is helpful. practical enjoyable, interesting accessible, and fun I find it the the most restful practise, thank you again for this wonderful course Giulia 🧘‍♀️🙏🕯️🌟

Marjorie

January 27, 2025

This 10 day course with Lama Brian was just right for me. It was clear and organized, he provided just the right amount of detail to engage but not overwhelm me. I did not do sequential days because I did the suggested three meditations in between each lesson. Really a perfect way to learn. The practice of Shamatha allows one to follow the steps by learning them and then practicing them, without requiring guidance during the sessions of practice. That was a big plus for me. I really enjoyed this course and will follow Lama Brian. Many thanks to Lama Brian.

Gayle

January 25, 2025

As a long time meditator I understood what this teacher was attempting impart. I am not sure if I were an utter beginner, that I would have understood the nuances of his teaching. Of course since I am not a beginner I could be seing. So these are just my thoughts. As a long time yoga teacher who incorporâtes meditation in to my teaching, I am always looking for ways to do this. Which is why I did this course. There were some helpful ideas for that purpose.

Burr

January 5, 2025

Excellent! Thanks

Zoe

December 21, 2024

A wonderful course, a real meditation game changer. I have listened to lessons repeatedly to remember what's helpful. Thanks so much 🙏

Tom

December 19, 2024

Very calm and most kind. Lovely.

Peggy

November 12, 2024

What a great course! I’ve been practicing meditation for some time; the guidance in the course encourages me to continue (without taking myself too seriously!)

Tim

September 27, 2024

Thank you. 🙏 Simple and profound...

Rise

September 20, 2024

Thank you!

Liz

September 5, 2024

Thank you for these meditation instructions. Very simple and very helpful for my practice. Namaste

Sanjay

August 27, 2024

My new practice. Very welk paced course with good learnings.

Ruth

July 19, 2024

After practicing and studying meditation of all kinds over the course of 20 or so years, this course has given me fresh insights. The simplicity, gentleness, and accessibility of this type of meditation has helped feel more at home with myself and others. I am finding it easier to carry the spirit into post-meditation. I am grateful to Lama Brian with his genuine gentle calm voice for providing this new light to my path.

Bart

June 3, 2024

A very gentle, clear and flowy introduction to meditation. I love the simplicity of it, which makes you can take your practice with you wherever you are.

Nejem

April 20, 2024

This was wonderful and very simple.

Elaine

March 13, 2024

Superb 🌻❤️🔥🧘🙏🌹🌻

Angie

January 24, 2024

Lovely presentation, thank you! I enjoyed the information as you presented it, very calming, easy to understand, good pacing, gentle.

Bill

January 21, 2024

Really good

Donna

October 14, 2023

Extremely informative and I love your voice ❤️

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