Samatha is the Buddhist practice of the calming of the mind (citta) and its 'formations' (sankhara).
This is done by practicing single-pointed meditation most commonly Mindfulness of breathing.
Samatha is common to many Buddhist traditions. It may be accomplished by concentration on a meditation-object such as the kasina. Although seemingly the same as jhana/dhyana, it differs from the practice of jhana/dhyana, which ultimately lead to a heightened awareness.
in the Buddhist tradition vipassana means insight into the true nature of reality, namely as the three marks of existence:
impermanence,
suffering or unsatisfactoriness,
and the realization of non-self.
Vipassana is a Pali word from the Sanskrit prefix "vi-" and verbal root paś. It is often translated as "insight" or "clear-seeing," though, the "in-" prefix may be misleading; "vi" in Indo-Aryan languages is equivalent to the Latin "dis." The "vi" in vipassanā may then mean to see into, see through or to see 'in a special way.
Alternatively, the "vi" can function as an intensive, and thus vipassanā may mean "seeing deeply."
A synonym for "Vipassanā" is paccakkha (Pāli; Sanskrit: pratyakṣa), "before the eyes," which refers to direct experiential perception. Thus, the type of seeing denoted by "vipassanā" is that of direct perception, as opposed to knowledge derived from reasoning or argument.
In Tibetan, vipaśyanā is lhagthong (wylie: lhag mthong). The term "lhag" means "higher", "superior", "greater"; the term "thong" is "view" or "to see". So together, lhagthong may be rendered into English as "superior seeing", "great vision" or "supreme wisdom." This may be interpreted as a "superior manner of seeing", and also as "seeing that which is the essential nature." Its nature is a lucidity,a clarity of mind.