Contemplation is an ancient spiritual practice. In the teachings of Zen, mystical contemplation is the basis on which all spiritual development of a person is based. The ability to contemplate is an art that not everyone can comprehend. Contemplation is not for beginners, only an experienced seeker can contemplate.
Experienced Seeker
Who is an experienced seeker? This is the person who has already rejected or comes close to rejecting his ignorance - the night time. This is the one who constantly asks God for his sleepless smile. An experienced seeker forms within himself an unquestioning love for God, surrendering to his will.
Philosophical meaning of the concept of "contemplation"
In a philosophical sense, the contemplation of the world has many meanings, which sometimes even contradict each other.
- Visual contemplation with a special meaning.
- Contemplation as a general perception of the world.
- Irrational, non-conceptual perception of reality.
But there is another group of meanings in which contemplation is something direct, not related to feelings. Here, contemplation involves the perception of the world by nonsensory meanings, values, and so on. This group includes the following:
- Contemplation as an analysis of the meanings of a mathematical or logical nature.
- The internal process of the direct formation of ideas, that is, contemplation in the spirit of Plato.
- Contemplation in the Kantian sense, as a moral awareness of norms and ethical principles.
- Contemplation as the perception of the perfect, God himself is an intellectual form of contemplation in the style of German idealism.
Practice of contemplation
Contemplate means to know the world and its beauty without words. A person who constantly practices this teaching does not become more intellectually developed or professionally fit. Nevertheless, the ability to contemplate can make a person calmer, teach him to correctly apply the knowledge that he already has. Spiritual practices are a direct path to the development and advancement of a person to what is called the spirit. Through the practice of contemplation, the seeker seeks a direct path to get rid of the emotions of the past and worries about the future.
It is impossible to contemplate the world without activating the internal dialogue, and this takes a lot of time. The contemplation of the beautiful is the direction of attention not only to external, but also to internal objects. This is a skill that is available for development only to a narrow circle of people. Therefore, you should not expect that you will be able to quickly master thispractice - it is not given to anyone immediately. Only by practicing regularly, you can free yourself from the power of obsessive thoughts and ideas and achieve inner balance and silence.
How to start practicing
Mastering this practice is best to start with the contemplation of nature. The main advantage of nature lies not in some of its spiritual advantages over everything else, but in the fact that the human mind least of all seeks to analyze and understand it. When a person looks at a stone, a tree or a river, his mind is silent. Communicating in society, we always notice and try to analyze all the details: we listen to sounds, peer into people's faces, read signs. To learn how to simply contemplate the beauty of nature, you need to go hiking, for example, in the mountains. Picturesque landscapes will be a great backdrop. Of course, later you still have to learn to contemplate the world in which you live.
Forms of contemplation
When mastering spiritual practices, in particular contemplation, one must also take into account the form, since it also matters. As mentioned above, there are external and internal forms of contemplation. However, any Zen master knows that the terms "inside" and "outside" are purely debatable. At the same time, inner contemplation requires more practice and training. An example of such a teaching is vipassana.
You need to understand that a person is a complex being, and the development of attention alone will not be enough to master the practice of contemplation. You will have to change your perception and attitude towards yourlife in general. First of all, you need to give up smoking, alcoholic beverages, drugs, adhere to a he althy diet and lifestyle. So you accumulate a huge amount of energy, which is necessary for contemplation. You should also pay attention to your mental state: get rid of obsessive thoughts and ideas that will prevent the mind from correctly perceiving the process of contemplation.
Contemplative practice implies direct visual perception of objects, the world in general or in general, the internal formation of forms in which everything material and meaningful is manifested.
Contemplation of form and essence
In the Kantian sense, the contemplation of form is the space and time in which sensations are analyzed. They are the essence of the data of the mind. These are ready-made forms of inner contemplation that do not depend on experience, but only make it possible to acquire it. Contemplation of the idea and essence is a spiritual process by which a person manages to comprehend the idea of an object. According to Plato, even before it moved into the body, the soul contemplated ideas. That is, in this case, the contemplation of the essence is understood as a logical value mediated by perception.
Zen Practice
The Zen practice of contemplation is called hwadu. Literally, the term means "head of speech". In this case, the “head” is the peak at which thoughts and speech are exhausted. Therefore, contemplation is bringing a person into a state of calmness and clarity of mind, in which the chatter that distracts and clouding perception subsides. In Zenthe main factor in contemplation is to maintain a constant sense of questioning.
When you begin your studies, try to always maintain the question: “What do you see? What do you hear? And before the initial interest fades, you need to ask a new question. Thus, the questioning process will not be interrupted, a new question will be superimposed on the previous one, and so on constantly. In addition, we must achieve that the overlay is regular and smooth, but it is not at all necessary to simply automatically repeat the question. This is not a mantra. Saying to yourself around the clock "What is this?" useless. The main task is not just to repeat words, but to maintain a sense of questioning. Once this process is established, the mind will become calm.
Advice to the Seeker
Contemplation is a battle between obsessive thoughts and sleepiness of the mind on the one hand and hwadu on the other. In contemplation, concentration and wisdom must be combined into one. Without concentration, it will be difficult to deal with false perception, and without wisdom, ignorance will increase. You are not the first nor the last to embark on this path. Therefore, do not stop, even if at times it seems to you that this practice is too difficult. Without exception, all mentors - both ancient and modern - experienced certain difficulties along the way.
You need to wake up every morning for the night. This intention must be strengthened every day until it becomes inexhaustible. Try to control your behavior, never neglect the moral precepts on whichthe practice of contemplation is founded. When hwadu begins to mature and the mind becomes sharper, it is extremely important not to stop and continue practicing. After all, the goal of this teaching is complete immersion in hwadu. Everything else must be excluded.
