An introduction to the practice of contemplation pdf

Keller, and Tom Macfie explain the vital role centering prayer can play in fostering communities of faith. Cynthia Bourgeault explicates philosopher and spiritual practitioner Beatrice Bruteau's study of the meaning of contemplation - Brian Taylor uncovers the positive mental changes that centering prayer can bring about - and Thomas Ward reflects on spirituality in the twenty-first century, as well as the inspiring experience of attending a centering prayer retreat.

Of interest to anyone involved with contemporary Christian life, these essays, originally published in the Sewanee Theological Review, contribute to the growing body of literature on centering prayer--its practice, theory, and applications--and offer valuable entry points for all those interested in deepening their spiritual practice and fostering a more profound relationship with the Divine.

Ward, Jr. A major work of mystical literature, this account focuses on 14 visions in the form of dramatic conversations with the divine, interspersed with dazzling visionary episodes regarding the nature of existence, humans' relationship with reality, and the way to achieve true happiness. The introduction presents a resume of Ibn 'Arabi's life and examines in detail the style and symbolism of the contemplations.

Presented for the first time in English, this work is a superb example of Ibn 'Arabi's inimitable style and deep perception.

This is the first systematic and thorough study of mysticism or contemplation in these three seventeenth-century poets and in three modern writers. It not only clarifies the very confused issue of mysticism in seventeenth-century poetry but also connects seventeenth-century poets with modern literature and science through the contemplative tradition; from the Bible and Plato and Church fathers and important mystics of the Middle Ages through Renaissance and modern contemplatives.

The transformative and redemptive power of contemplative poetry or "holy writing" regardless of genre or discipline is prominent throughout the book, and the relevance, indeed the vital necessity, of such poetry and of the living contemplative tradition to our apocalyptic modern world is discussed in the last chapter. In this chapter, attention is given to modern science, especially to the new physics, and to philosophical and mystical writings of eminent scientists.

First published in We may adapt a remark of St. Thomas Aquinas, and apply it to his own great work, the Summa Theologica: not everyone has talent to master this work; not everyone has a taste for the study it requires; not everyone has time to devote to such study.

Aeterna Press. Author : John H. Coe,Kyle C. Author : Joseph H. You can say 'with an ob ject' o r 'with a concept' at choice b ecause, when a practitioner is gazing at the letter A or any other object her intention is to fix on the obj ect, and this is connected with the concept of having 'something to do'.

As regards the second manner of fixation, 'without an object' or 'without a concept', there are two kinds, that will be described below. The best way is to train in fixation with the letter A. In the various contemplative traditions, in this practice various objects are used to fix one's gaze, such as a candle flame, a sacred image, or a blue flower. In any case, as regards the specific way in which Shine is practised according to the Dzogchen teaching, the letter A is most used.

There are many reasons for this. The A is also used in the night practice, it is used for going to sleep and waking up, it is used in Phowa and in many other p ractices, as the princip al symbol of the primordial state of consciousness. It is used also because A is a neutral sound that 'rules' o r 'generates' all other sounds. When you practise p rono uncing A with your voice, your mind, breath and gaze converge on the A.

First of all, then, fix your gaze on the letter A as indicated: Controlling your body posture 7 12 gnaspa. Fixing and stabilising Relaxing breath and mind, but Concentrating somewhat sharply on the point where you are fixing your gaze. It is important that throughout the time that you practise fixation all the sensefunctions should always be present. Even when a practitioner is fixing very sharply and not actively 'attending' to all that is happening around him, everything should be clearly present to his sense perception.

Otherwise it means he has strayed from fixation, sliding into a state of torpor. There are two different ways to ftx on an object. You concentrate all your attention to focus on that object. This is also called 'triangularfixation'8: two 'angles' are at the practitioner's end while the third points at the object. Our side has two 'angles', that is a larger space the 'base of the triangle' , because it represents the multitude o f o ur thoughts; all our thoughts, all our confusion, are like the space contained between the two 'angles' that we now concentrate as much as we can, forcing them all to converge on a single point, the third 'angle', that is on the object on which we are fixing our gaze.

Concentrating all our attention on the obj ect in this way our thoughts block themselves; b ut take care - do not think that they no longer exist, that they have been destroyed: they do not arise simply because in this way they are blocked. In general, as soon as your attention is relaxed thoughts arise again; if you fix more sharply, they disappear.

The image is only a metaphor. If you notice that thoughts no longer disturb you very much, you should gradually relax your concentration. If you find that you are still frequently disturb ed by thoughts, you should relax more gradually, whereas if they no longer disturb you then you can relax more swiftly. I f, after having relaxed, there are not too many thoughts present, or if the thoughts that arise do not disturb you, that is, if presence isfound by means o f fixing on the obj ect naturally when you practis e fixation you should not follow the train of your thoughts , then you can pass immediately to fixation without the obj ect.

Practising fixation using this method it becomes possible to start to find within yourself the state of calm called nepa in Tibetan.

Nepa means 'still, quiet'. For example, at times it may occur that immediately after the extinction of a thought others do not automatically follow it, as usually happens9, but we are able instead to recognise a 'space', a gap where there are no thoughts.

This is the effect that ensues from fixing the gaze on an object sharply enough. Practising fixation by applying this method, do not follow thoughts or try to stop them.

In fact, there is ac tually nothing you have to do with thoughts. All you have to do is to fix your gaze quite intensely on the letter A. There is always a gap between one thought and the next, but usually 9 we do not notice it.

This is what in general is called Shine. The name Shine derives from this state in which thoughts do not arise, that is called nepa. At the beginning it is necessary to start from thought, from mental concepts. So inevitably the first phase of this practice is recognition of the object which is a function of the mind.

Nevertheless, it is not necessary to think: "That is the A". Simply remain present in the attention of fixation, paying attention to it. Paying attention to the simple act of fixation, thoughts disappear. In this case it is not enough to attain the calm state, nepa, where thoughts are not present, but it is necessary instead to proceed until gradually you thoroughly relax the mind and the attention.

Which, as you will discover, are two different things. At this point there is something very important that you should know. While you are fixing in the first way 'triangular' fixation , you may notice some changes in your perceptions, for example changes in the appearance of the letter A where you are fixing your gaze.

Maybe as you stare at it the white A may appear yellow or black, or it may turn into a face or a mask, or become gigantic, or disappear, or turn into moving flames. It can also turn into many other things. When the object on which you are fixing your gaze seems to transform before your eyes, this means you are fixing too sharply.

It does not mean that you have already accomplished realisation, or that you are beholding some miracle, it 15 Part one simply means that your fixation is too intense and that you should relax it a bit. In any case when you fix on an object you cannot relax your attention completely, otherwise you will not achieve the goal of your practice. The aim of fixation on an object that is, in our case, on the letter A is to attain a state of mind in which thoughts are not present.

This state cannot arise unless you have trained for a certain amount of time fixing your gaze intensely; however, if you have fixed your gaze too sharply and your perception undergoes deformations you should try gradually to relax the intensity of your gaze in order not to block progress. It is useful to remember that Shine is not achieved by fixation alone; this is j ust a preparation.

Furthermore it may happen that when you are practising Shine even though everything seems to be going well you experience a sense of sleepiness. This is a symptom of lack of attention , in which case it is necessary to engage in fixation with more vigilant attention.

Sleepiness happens fairly frequently, and if you cannot shake it off engaging a sharper and more wakeful attention, then it is useful to do some breathing exercises or movements. One movement in particular is very helpful. This exercise is very effective. In fact if you do it too much it can also cause insomnia; if this happens, you should do the opposite movement, that is tilting your head forward.

In this way you can actually understand what is meant by the 'calm state of nepa'. To practise this fixation it is useful to keep your eyes still, without blinking too often, and not letting your gaze wander to the left or right.

It is also useful to try to 16 Fixing and sta? If, however, you succeed fairly easily in entering this state, such that as soon as you sit down you already enter the state free of thoughts, undistracted and with your senses present, then it is not necessary to engage for a long time in fixation with an object. You should not think that in this practice there is an inexorable, 'bureaucratic', sequence of progressive stages, and that you must at all costs do this for three days, then that for seven days.

According to the Dzogchen teaching, if you see that a certain stage of the practice is not necessary then you can leave it out altogether! If on the contrary you are not succeeding in your practice with ease, then it is indispensable to 'conquer' the state of nepa by practising fixation as much as possible.

In any case, at the beginning it is advisable not to seek immediately to protract your practice sessions too long. It is b etter to start with brief sessions, two or three minutes at the most, and then have a short break, maybe doing some deep breathing, and then to resume, in this way alte rnating training and relaxation. I t is very important c onstantly to observe y ourself The training in fixation that I have explained serves to find the state of nepa, the state where no thoughts are present.

Initially, when you gaze at the A it may be easy to find this state, b ut subsequently it may seem 17 Part one that very 'strong' thoughts arise, that disturb the practitioner even more than at the start, and do not leave him in peace.

Or, at the beginning of the session the mind may resemble a restless horse that at first scrapes the ground wildly but then after a few moments starts gradually to calm down. There are at least two or three different ways this phase can manifest. It is necessary to attend carefully to the development of your practice and take note of any problems and disturbances that may arise. W hen fixing the gaz e y ou should pay attention to the way y ou start and the way y ou finish.

It may easily happen that at the beginning there immediately arises a very calm state, undisturbed by inner or outer events. But if you notice that you are not able to maintain this state for more than a few moments it means you have to persevere with fixation on the object. If conversely you notice that maintaining undistracted relaxed p resence seems more difficult at the beginning of a practice session, but if you continue for a few moments everything spontaneously becomes easier, then this may be repeated in other practice sessions.

If this always recurs it means that it is not necessary to continue with fixation on the object. To summarise, if at the beginning you are disturbed and then spontaneously you calm down, then you can practise Shine without an object. If nevertheless the problem persists, you can add sound to your fixation.

Firmly fixing your gaze on the letter A, pronounce its sound: A.. It is very useful for a practitioner who is restless or disturbed by many restless thoughts and who finds it difficult to abide in the calm state to pronounce the sound A while fixing her gaze on the A. In this way, in fact, everything, including the breath, converges on the A. Automatically the letter is associated with the sound and your attention and intention are directed there. In this way all of your inner and outer condition becomes more harmonious, so that you can gain control over the state of nepa.

In conclusion, the goal of fixation with an object is to become able to govern the state of nepa. It is very important to practisefixation with an object.

Many tend to practise it in summary fashion, and even thou gh at times it is not necessary to practise for a long time nevertheless you should try; it is not merely an optional step. Those who make a habit of practising Shine, even though they may have reached p ractice without the o bj ect, may find it necessary and helpful occasionally to resume fixing their gaze and mind on an object.

Those who have too hastily passed on to fixation without 19 Part one an obj ect may experience sundry difficulties and disturbances caused by the mind, and should take note that this means they have not adequately trained in fixation with an object. Those who do not practise ripening in the right way, instead merely experimenting without making any progress, gradually get rigid and become 'seasoned' , unable to develop any further.

S uch a person, who may have practised for a long time but without right diligence, would find it very useful to return to fixing on the A. Only in this way can he or she start to progress again.

In the Dzogchen tradition you need to know how to use all the means that can be of help, according to how you are getting on.

Methods are said to be like patches on clothes; after a while, when they are worn out, they fall off by themselves. F ix your gaz e on any point in th e space in fr ont ofyou. When you start to practise fixation without an obj ect you should direct your attention in the same way as when you started fixing on the object.

For this practice the letter A is no longer used, nor any other obj ect as support; instead you fix your gaze in the empty space in front of you, always keeping gaze, mind and breath united, in the same way as when you were fixing on the letter A.

There is no longer a support for your gaze, a 'target' to aim at, but you act as if there were. At th e beginning of th is ph ase it is important not to relax th e attention too much , or th e body posture; everyth ing sh ould be well controll ed Even though there is no object on which to fix your gaze you must act as if there were in order to prevent a sudden and spontaneous proliferation of thoughts.

Subsequently you will be able to start gradually to relax your attention too. As the mental tension is gradually relaxed, control of the body and the breath also relax; that is, all your tensions relax, and then thoughts start to arise again.

You have to notice as soon as possible when you have 10 gyu ba. At times it may seem you are in the calm state whereas in fact you are distracted; and you can continue i n this way for a long time without recognising it.

You must be vigilant about this with great care, because for us distraction is a habit; it is like letting yourself fall asleep. In this case you should do some breathing exercises. And above all, do not force yourself to do practice sessions that last too long. When we practise together, in a group, there is no opportunity to take a break and you always have to go on. On the other hand when you are practising on your own, after a while, say after about three minutes, you can take a break for a minute; move about, take a deep breath, relax your mind, touch something, do something, then resume your p ractice.

In this way gradually you can make your practice session longer and longer. If you do this, and relax your attention more and more, you will clearly notice that the 'calm state' that we encountered doing fixation with an object, and 'movement' , that is the arising of thoughts, co-exist simultaneously.

While we are doing the fixation we certainly do not pursue thoughts that is we do not let them distract us , however it is as if the thoughts were 'around' the 11 During the teaching the Master returned to this problem three times, describing it in three slightly different ways. As the three different perspectives they offer are so useful, instead of being spread through the text the three passages are brought together here.

If, while we are practising with an obj ect 'the bee leaves' that is, if we let thoughts wander freely as they are accustomed to do then this will damage the calm state; that is, we lose the experience of nepa.

In the same way, at the start of the practice without an obj ect thoughts arise more abundantly: why? Because concentrating the fixation acutely on the obj ect causes thoughts to stop by themselves, automatically. Whereas now, in the absence of this support the fixation 'relaxes' and naturally the occurrence of thoughts intensifies.

It may then happen that, noticing the greater flow of moving thoughts a practitioner accustomed to the calm state of nepa may feel disturbed and may think his meditation is getting worse.

This is because usually we are very conditioned to think that 'meditation' means being in a state of calm, of quietude that excludes all movement. Instead what is happening now is that our comfortable state of calm starts again to be disturbed by a swarm of thoughts that spring forth without cease! When this happens, do not worry, you should be in the state ofmovement itself.

That is, when thoughts arise do not attempt to block them, but try instead to b e present in the very thought that arises. This is the way to continue 23 Part one developing your practice. When thoughts come do not get discouraged and do not fear that you are regressing.

Observe the thoughts without j udging or following them, try instead to be present in the thoughts. This is a method for discovering what the actual condition of movement is. The calm, deep, ocean of the state of nepa now has its wave, its movement, but fundamentally quiet and movement are the same.

We aren't accustomed to abiding naturally in a state of presence, and usually we live in a condition in which the states of mind are all mixed together, all confused.

When you start to practise, as soon as you relax a bit you find the calm state and immediately think: "So, this is meditation".

When we only do fixation with an object, thoughts are hidden because our fixation blocks them. But then when there is no longer this support and the movement increases it seems we are disturbed again, that we have relapsed into confusion. In fact we have not at all regressed, and there is no need to worry, instead we must be able to observe the movement itself.

Why do more thoughts arise at this time? Because our body and breath are more relaxed, and when everything is more relaxed thoughts are more exposed. So now we are just rec ognising the presence of thoughts, that previously we were unable to notice.

When the water in the sea or in a lake is stirred we cannot see what is underneath, but when the movement calms all the impurities sink down and the water becomes limpid again, and at last we are able to see all the small fish moving underneath. Just as when water, that by nature is pure and transparent, is calm it lets everything it contains appear, so when we are in a relaxed state, that by nature is more limpid and clear, we have the impression that thoughts arise in greater numbers.

The truth is that they have not increased, they are simply more visible. Furthermore, the practice of Shine gives us the opportunity to observe how the mind consciousness, due to our ingrained conditioning, continues mechanically to produce judgements also when it comes inro contact with a thought that arises, as if it were an object of the physical senses.

And in doing this, it is sustained by a hoard of ready-made judgements, 'sound' and accepted as true, such as, for example, regarding the existence and reality of the sense perceptions or the irrefutable relation of subject and object, etc. Discernible within it, are three distinct fundamental elements ne-gyu- rig : 1 nepa, the calm state, like a still sheet of water; 2 gyuwa, the movement of thoughts, like a wave; 3 rigpa, the recognition of the presence of this wave.

These three elements, however, are all present simultaneously in the same condition. Only by being in the state of Shine can you ascertain this concretely. I n this state there is nothing to seek and nothing to relinq uish.

Typically, b eginners think that the calm state of Shine is something to pursue, and that, conversely, the arising of thoughts is an obstacle that can disturb the calm state, which must thus be avoided.

In this way you discover that quietude, nepa, and the arising of thoughts, gyuwa, are both present. A practitioner should not stray into judgement13 but instead, remaining in the state of presence see arising 13 26 See previous note.

Fixing and stabilising thoughts as fish leaping from the surface of the sea, or perceives this state as an ocean in which both characteristics are evident. The depths are still, yet the surface ripples as waves form. In this case, too, you should not make a distinction between the two aspects, or deem one a good state and the other a state of disturbance.

Rather y ou should seek to be p resent. Acting in this way you should gradually relax the attention more and more; if you don't relax, this perception of simultaneity will not occur any more. As I explained at the start, when you fix your gaze and attention intensely on an obj ect, what happens? All your thoughts are blocked automatically and it seems they can no more arise, it seems that you have found the state of nepa. To browse Academia. Log in with Facebook Log in with Google.

Remember me on this computer. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. The Practice of Contemplation. Eric Fallick. A short summary of this paper. Download Download PDF. Translate PDF. The Practice of Contemplation by Eric S. Fallick The formal practice of contemplation is the central transformative practice of the Path to liberation. This is especially so in a spiritual system based on an idealist metaphysic.

Since all is mind or spirit or thought, experience without referent; since Reality is, in fact, contemplation, and knowing or experience is not possible without the Absolute, the absolutely essential practices of moral discipline, renunciation, and asceticism, and the necessary ancillary study and reading and thought and reflection may all be taken as also being forms of contemplation. In this short essay, I would like to try and present a very brief discussion of Platonist contemplation practice.

Plato and Plotinus were the greatest of mystics, contemplatives, and spiritual teachers. It has, however, happily, never become an organized, institutional religion for the many, never has had an organized, ritualized monastic order, etc. This has allowed it to retain its purely transcendent, spiritual nature and great liberating power, but perhaps has led many moderns to overlook its actual nature and content. Similarly, the dialectical form and, in the case of Plato himself, often symbolic, allegorical, and anagogical form of presentation used may lead to a lack of understanding or appreciation.

Platonism requires of the individual practicer, contemplative ascetic, or philosopher in the original Platonic sense of the term considerable intelligence, discernment, and self-reliance.

The goal or aim of the Platonic teaching, with, of course, its own uniqueness in various respects, is, like the allied systems mentioned above, liberation from the endless miserable cycle of repeated birth and death, of individuated existence in space-time, and, like at least some of the other systems, re-union with the Absolute.

This should be obvious from, for example, an unbiased and informed reading of Plato's Phaedo, perhaps the core dialog for the Platonist practitioner and the key to understanding the rest of the Platonic corpus. As indicated above, real contemplation practice is based on, and in turn reveals, a particular metaphysic or understanding of Reality.

Some of these, in some traditions, assume a central role whereby they become the core meditation practice. Meditations and other activities are often considered interdependent: from early times, the absorption and investigation of theory, sitting meditation, walking practice, chanting, and rituals aimed at stilling and clearing the mind were designed to support and complement one another.

Meditation and its associated exercises are often selected and taught with careful consideration of individual needs. Many require continued guidance by more experienced practitioners: mixes of practices are often suggested to individuals according to their temperament and stage of practice. Forms of Buddhism are quite distinct; but practices are usually seen as graduated, requiring patient training before the next stage of teaching is reached, and mutually supportive.

Historically, Buddhism has also often tended to adapt in a creative and flexible manner according to local customs, variations, and belief systems.

These features can be seen in the great diversity of Buddhist meditative practice. You do not currently have access to this article.

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