Contemplation is an ancient spiritual practice. In Zen doctrine, mystical contemplation is the foundation upon which the whole spiritual development of man is based. The ability to contemplate is an art that not everyone can understand. Contemplation is not for beginners; only an experienced seeker is able to contemplate.
Experienced Finder
Who is an experienced seeker? This is the person who has already rejected or has come close to rejecting his ignorance - night time. This is one who constantly asks God for his sleepless smile. An experienced seeker forms within himself an unquestioning love of God, renouncing his will.
The 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 of special significance.
- 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 insensible meanings, values, and so on. This group includes the following:
- Contemplation as an analysis of values 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
To contemplate is 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 more calm, 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. By practicing 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, but this requires a lot of time. Contemplation of the beautiful is a 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 this practice - it is not given to anyone right away. Only by regularly practicing can one free oneself from the power of obsessive thoughts and ideas and achieve inner balance and silence.
Where to start the practice
The development of this practice is best to begin with the contemplation of nature. The main advantage of nature is not in some of its spiritual advantages over everything else, but in the fact that the human mind least strives to analyze and understand it. When a person looks at a stone, tree or river, his mind is silent. Communicating in society, we always notice and try to analyze all the details: we listen to the sounds, peer into the faces of people, read the signs. To learn how to simply contemplate the beauty of nature, you need to go camping, 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 concepts “inside” and “outside” have a purely debatable meaning. At the same time, internal contemplation requires more practice and training. An example of such a teaching is vipassana.
It must be understood that man is a complex being, and the development of attention alone will not be enough to master the practice of contemplation. Will have to change the perception and attitude to his life in general. First of all, you need to give up smoking, alcohol, drugs, adhere to a healthy diet and lifestyle. So you accumulate a huge amount of energy, which is necessary for contemplation. Attention should be paid to your mental state: get rid of obsessive thoughts and ideas that will interfere with the mind correctly perceive the process of contemplation.
Contemplative practice implies directly the 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, 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 internal contemplation, which do not depend on experience, but only provide an opportunity to acquire it. Contemplation of an idea and essence is a spiritual process by which a person manages to comprehend the idea of an object. According to Plato, even before its transfer to 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
Zen practice of contemplation is called hwada. Literally, this 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 calm and clarity of mind, in which the distracting and clouding perception of chatter subsides. In Zen, the main factor in contemplation is maintaining a constant sense of interrogation.
When starting classes, always try to support 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. In addition, we must ensure that the overlay is regular and smooth, but there is no need at all to simply repeat the question automatically. This is not a mantra. Say to yourself around the clock, “What is it?” useless. The main task is not just to repeat the words, but to maintain a sense of interrogation. Once this process is established, the mind will become calm.
Tips for the seeker
Contemplation is a battle of obsessive thoughts and the drowsiness of the mind on the one hand and bragging on the other. In contemplation, concentration and wisdom should be combined into one. Without concentration it will be difficult to cope with false perception, and without wisdom, ignorance will increase. You are not the first and not the last to take this path. Therefore, do not stop, even if at times it seems to you that this practice is too complicated. Without exception, all the mentors - both ancient and modern - experienced certain difficulties along the way.
You need to wake up every morning for the night. This intention should be strengthened every day, until it becomes inexhaustible. Try to control your behavior, never neglect the moral commandments on which the practice of contemplation is based. When the bosom begins to mature, and the mind becomes sharper, it is imperative not to stop and continue to exercise. After all, the purpose of this teaching is complete immersion in hwad. Everything else should be excluded.