If love and light are seen as a transcendent feature of existence, what could be the role of contemplation in linking with this awareness?
Mindfulness meditation as a type of contemplation
mindful meditation can be seen as an indirect way of connecting with love and light.
This tradition of contemplation cultivates the habit of simply being in the moment. Those who meditate notice sensory perceptions, images and thoughts within their consciousness. They try not to allow anything that enters their awareness to stimulate the mind into any chain of reactive judgment. Such practice leads to insight free from the influence of natural feelings of anxiety, impatience, or discontent. Those who do it regularly report a greater sense of calm, patience, and tolerance.
One hope of meditation is the appearance of healthy qualities at the expense of harmful ones.
It is difficult to disagree with the point that there are latent tendencies of the mind towards unhealthy mental states. The principle of anusayas in Buddhist texts it is similar to the Western concept of the unconscious. It is also like spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg’s idea (not of original sin) but of inherited negative tendencies, eg, complacency, greed, sloth, aversion, vanity, pride. Inclinations would say missing love and light.
These unhealthy tendencies lie dormant in the mind of the individual. Then they suddenly emerge when the opportune moment arises for them to show themselves. We vary as to which of these are closer to the surface. Who is not trying to keep at least one of those inclinations a secret?
Healthy factors as a by-product of meditation
The person who uses mindfulness as a form of contemplation is not working towards a conscious generation of healthy factors per se. Think of yourself trying to be happy. This doesn’t seem to work. Rather, happiness often comes as a byproduct of something elseāfor example, personal fulfillment comes from striving to be useful in whatever job or interest one pursues. Likewise, as I understand it, in mindfulness meditation, the person is not trying to be modest, restrained, calm, etc. Instead, he or she is simply trying to bring awareness to what comes up during the meditation.
The meditator takes a neutral stance towards everything that comes and goes in their stream of consciousness. This means not jumping to make a value judgment on anything that comes to mind. Healthy mental factors, such as calmness and equanimity, are seen as the byproduct of regular meditation rather than the states of mind one strives to achieve.
This practice is gaining a large following in the western world and for good reason. It is turning and opening to the light of intuition. Mindfulness can be seen as a form of contemplation that is linked to the power of light.
Mindfulness equals clear self-observation. A revelation of inner states of mind. A crucial step in the process of personal growth. Although sometimes practiced as a secular activity, this form of meditation has its roots in one wing of most religions, including devotional Buddhism. Most spiritual traditions recognize the need for a higher transpersonal power to act to save us from our egocentric state of mind.
Other forms of contemplation
I would suggest that the following practices are intended to produce a more direct link with love and light.
metta(also know as loving kindness) meditation is the practice of developing positive feelings, first towards oneself and then towards others. It is often said that put Increases positivity, empathy, and compassionate behavior.
Conscious Christianity it is the practice of learning to live consciously in the fullness of the moment. This is understood as awakening to the presence and following the path of the Christ within..
This is related to the biblical text:
“Jesus answered: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’.” (John 14:6)
In confessional prayer the individual seeks to focus on any misconduct. One also asks for forgiveness and help to change their ways for the better.
self discipline
We need self-discipline to maintain any form of contemplation practice, be it meditation or prayer. How many of us start but don’t continue?
We often find regular practice difficult and even uncomfortable. The mind is not used to the kind of mental discipline required. Meditation is the constant attempt to pay attention to something. During meditation, one spends most of the time trying to remember to return the wandering mind to the object of concentration. With all the distractions of life, how many religious people maintain the self-discipline of daily prayer?
One can only get better at playing a musical instrument through regular practice. The student probably needs a teacher to correct mistakes and encourage him. But where is the necessary commitment and self-discipline to be found? We need to devote the time and effort necessary for regular practice. What happens when some concussion disturbs us, or one temporarily loses interest, or other things tempt us to overindulge in them?
Fight with contemplation
Sooner or later, we struggle to maintain our chosen practice of contemplation even when there are no external problems in our situation. When things are going well, we may not get upset, although regular practice is the way to build resilience. When things are out of control it becomes more difficult. Life can accumulate too many difficulties at once. Circumstances can change suddenly. Anyone can lose their livelihood or suffer from a prolonged or difficult illness. Even a less serious change in your external circumstances can easily snap you out of any rut.
Contemplation practices are not without their challenges. They say that “when the going gets tough, then the tough gets going.” But there are times when we can’t rely on ourselves alone to find the necessary resistance: when we just can’t get up on our own. At first it seems like you can, but sooner or later you find that you need help: some form of guidance and encouragement, for example from a teacher, coach or book.
It could be said that part of personal growth is experiencing an internal conflict: for example, a clash between our conscience and our lower nature. I would suggest that in this state, people may experience a sense of disconnection or imbalance. They may have a sense of alienation in relation to the universe. They may also feel that the vital force that gives energy to life is being blocked in some way.
Swedenborg writes that these internal struggles (he calls them fight against spiritual temptation) are not all the same. Sometimes we feel two opposite feelings at a sudden moment and find ourselves under immediate stress and confusion. Sometimes the effect is a gray period of life in which we experience the loss of our usual hopes and confidence. We may be slowly reaching a crisis point where a new direction must be chosen.
self confidence
Can we trust ourselves to deal with the problems of living without wavering? Can you always bounce back when you’re down?
In my life I have discovered that I cannot do everything alone. I really can’t handle this thing we call being alive with its setbacks, disappointments, problems, and temptations. Without a spur to determination, strength, endurance, and courage, how could I deal with what life throws at me? So I feel like I need encouragement from others, not to mention inspiration from above.
When we are confronted with factors beyond our own influence, they can cause a personal crisis. The burdens of reality and a feeling of helplessness drive us crazy. They challenge our complacency and sense of self-sufficiency to resolve ourselves. We discover that we cannot overcome some undesirable weakness in our character. Many of us come to realize our inadequacy to do this in our own strength.
The alchemists of the Middle Ages found the limits of their ability to turn base metals into gold. They were aware of the symbolic meaning of their art in terms of human transformation. Some sought a higher power through meditation and prayer to make personal changes regarding, for example, envy, pride, selfishness, and acquire an attitude of kindness towards others.
In the process of contemplation, you discover that when you look at yourself, you find changing images, thoughts, ideas and feelings. Therefore, any reality about yourself cannot be any of these fleeting thoughts, etc. Surely the higher mind that can observe such transitory elements of consciousness must be something deeper. Perhaps something that has universal permanence: some higher power or Higher Self. maybe it is love and light present in your soul. If so, you have the option to go to the source of it for help.
the world of appearance
I have been arguing that the source of spiritual life within us is transcendent. If so, our finite minds have a hard time understanding it. It is that we do not notice it because our senses immerse us in the world of appearances.
Consequently, we naturally make a mistake. It seems to us that all desires, thoughts and actions originate in ourselves. You notice your good intentions, good drive, and positive traits like patience and generosity. You assume that you will do, think and then do good for yourself instead of some universal power flowing to you from somewhere else.
This should not be surprising. The world of appearances has trapped me in my ego state. In most schools of Hindu philosophy Maya it refers to the illusion of the reality of sensory experience. This does not mean that the external world is illusory in the sense that it has no existence, but rather that the way the ego sees it is fallacious. Anyway, the result is that I have been imagining that I live by myself. But this way of looking at things doesn’t help. I think I need to wake up to the inspiration that what is good and true comes from something greater than the little me of my ego.
Don’t we need to recognize our insufficiency in our own strength to use contemplation to change our self-centeredness? Don’t we need to notice the illusions that support the desires of the lower self? Putting hope in one’s ego is not enough. When we feel desperate, we feel strongly that we need something powerful that is stronger than ourselves to effect change and connect us with love and light.