Vaj: > Not a very honest presentation... > According to Wallace, Samatha is "calm abiding", a type of meditation designed to enhance sustained voluntary attention; a subset of the broader family of samadhi or meditation practices.
Reginald Ray at the Shambhala Mountain Cente says Samatha is single-pointed focus of mind; a "limb" of Raja Yoga. So, it's just like TM in a way: meditation on objects. "The unification leads to a very clear and direct experience of the nature of all things. This brings one very close to what is called the absolute truth." - Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche Works cited: 'The Attention Revolution' Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by Alan Wallace Wisdom Publications, 2006 page 6 and 131 'In the Presence of Masters' Wisdom from 30 Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist Teachers By Reginald Ray Shambhala Publications, 2004 page 69 and 76
