Does contemplation link us with transcendence?
If love and light are considered a transcendent feature of existence, what could be the role of contemplation in connecting with this consciousness?
Mindfulness meditation as a type of contemplation
Mindfulness meditation can be seen as an indirect way of connecting to 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 consciousness to stimulate the mind into a chain of reactive judgment. This practice leads to an inner perception free from the influence of natural feelings of anxiety, impatience or discontent. Those who do it regularly report an increased sense of calm, patience, and tolerance.
One hope of meditation is the emergence of wholesome qualities at the expense of harmful ones.
It is difficult to disagree with the point that there are latent tendencies of the mind toward unhealthy states of mind. The principle of anusayas in Buddhist texts it is similar to the western concept of the unconscious. It is also like spiritually philosophizing Emanuel Swedenborg’s idea (not of original sin) but of inherited negative tendencies, eg complacency, greed, laziness, aversion, vanity, pride. Inclinations I would say missing love and light.
These unhealthy tendencies remain latent in the mind of the individual. They then suddenly emerge when an opportune moment arises for them to show themselves. We vary as to which of these are closer to the surface. Who isn’t 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 toward a healthy-conscious generation per se. Think of yourself trying to be happy. This doesn’t seem to work. Rather, happiness often comes as a by-product of something else – for example, personal fulfillment comes from putting in the effort to be useful in whatever job or interest one is pursuing. Similarly, as I understand it, in mindfulness meditation, the person is not trying to be modest, moderate, calm, etc. Instead, he or she is simply trying to create awareness of what comes up during meditation.
The meditator takes a neutral stance towards everything that comes and goes in his stream of consciousness. This means not jumping in to make a value judgment on anything that pops into your mind. Healthy mental factors, such as calm and equanimity, are considered the by-product of regular meditation rather than the states of mind that one strives to achieve.
This practice is gaining a significant following in the Western world, and for good reason. It is equivalent to turning to ourselves and opening ourselves to the light of insight. Therefore, mindfulness can be seen as a form of contemplation linked to the power of light.
Mindfulness equates to clear self-observation. A revelation of inner states of mind. A crucial step in the personal growth process. Although sometimes practiced as a secular activity, this form of meditation has its roots in one wing of most religions, including devotional Buddhism. The need for a higher transpersonal power to take action to save us from our egocentric state of mind is recognized in most spiritual traditions.
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 metta 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 inner Christ..
This is related to the biblical text:
“Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life'” (John 14: 6).
On confessional prayer the individual seeks to focus on any misconduct. You also ask for forgiveness and help to improve the way you act.
Self discipline
We need self-discipline to maintain any form of contemplation practice, be it meditation or prayer. How many of us started but didn’t continue like this?
Regular practice is often difficult and even uncomfortable for us. The mind is not used to the kind of mental discipline that is 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 in life, how many religious people maintain a daily prayerful self-discipline?
You can only improve the performance of a musical instrument with regular practice. The student will likely need a teacher to correct mistakes and encourage them. But where do you find the necessary commitment and self-discipline? We need to put in the time and effort necessary for regular practice. What happens when a concussion disturbs us, or one temporarily loses interest, or when other things tempt us to overdo it?
Fight with contemplation
Sooner or later, we struggle to maintain our chosen contemplation practice, even when there are no external issues in our situation. When things are going well, we may not bother, 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 a long or difficult illness. Even a less serious change in your external circumstances can easily divert you from any routine.
Contemplation practices are not without challenges. They say that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But there are times when we cannot solely rely on ourselves to find the necessary resistance: when we simply cannot stand up for ourselves. At first it seems like you can, but sooner or later you’ll find that you need help – some kind of guidance and encouragement, say, from a teacher, coach, or book.
It could be said that part of personal growth is suffering an internal conflict: for example, a clash between our consciousness 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 energizes life is blocked in some way.
Swedenborg writes that these infighting (he calls them fight against spiritual temptation) are not all the same. Sometimes we feel two opposing feelings at a sudden moment and we find ourselves under immediate stress and confusion. Sometimes the effect is a gray period of life in which we suffer the loss of usual hope and confidence. We may slowly reach a critical point where a new direction must be chosen.
Self confidence
Can we trust ourselves to deal with the problems of living without faltering? Can you always recover when you are depressed?
In my life I have discovered that I cannot do it alone. I really can’t handle this we call being alive with its setbacks, disappointments, problems, and temptations. Without a drive for 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 faced with factors that are beyond our own influence, they can cause a personal crisis. The burdens of reality and the feeling of helplessness put us on alert. They challenge our complacency and sense of self-reliance to fix us. 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 alone.
The alchemists of the Middle Ages found the limits of their ability to convert 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 gaining 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 you 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 a higher self. Maybe it is love and light present in your soul. If so, you have the option of going to the source of this for help.
The world of appearances
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’s just that we don’t notice it because our senses plunge us into the world of appearances.
Consequently, we naturally make a mistake. It seems to us that all desires, thoughts and actions originate from ourselves. You notice your good intentions, kind impulses, and positive characteristics like patience and generosity. You assume that you will think, and therefore do good for yourself rather than for a universal power flowing to you from elsewhere.
This should not be surprising. The world of appearances has trapped me in my ego state. In most schools of Hindu philosophy Maya refers to the illusion of the reality of sensory experience. This does not mean that the external world is illusory in the sense of having no existence, but 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 higher than the little me of my ego.
Don’t we need to acknowledge our inadequacy in our own strength to use contemplation to change our egocentricity? 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 strongly feel that we need something powerful that is stronger than us to effect change and connect us with love and light.
