Be Present, be aware, be open

Numerous books have been written on Contemplative practices. Not just for the Eastern faith traditions, the Judean - Christian faith also has a long history of contemplative practices. The purpose of these practices are slightly different in their focus. In the Eastern traditions, the main focus is on Enlightenment for an individual. Every person is responsible for their spiritual journey. Whereas the emphasis in the Judean - Christian religion the purpose is union with the Divine. In my understanding, the Christian perspective is universal and reaches further than just the individual.

 

Meditation is an ancient practice that is still relevant today. Maybe not as a religious practice, it surely has found merit in healthcare and well-being. The positive sides of meditation are the ability to calm the mind and reduce stress, with an increase of self- awareness. These benefits are, in general, not the reason spiritual people engage with these practices.

 

Unfortunately, there is no clear definition for Christian contemplative prayer or Christian meditation. The earliest Christian writings that talk about contemplative prayer come from John Cassian, a 4th- Century monk.

 

Contemplation and meditation are closely related. Let me try to explain the different terms. Contemplation, for most people, refers to thinking and reflecting. In a Christian religious context, contemplation refers to 'seeing beyond the intellect'. It is about the inner vision or experience. A contemplative person is someone whose life is devoted to prayer, and although initially referred to those living in a monastery/convent; nowadays, a contemplative person can live in the world and engage in contemplative practices like mediation, prayer, yoga etc. 

Whereas, meditation is understood to be the practice of concentration. The word meditation comes from the Latin meditari, which means to concentrate, or reflect. 

 

The contemplative practices, as we know them, could be categorised either as meditation practice or as a contemplative practice.  In my understanding, we can distinguish between two main types or streams of meditation. 

 

The first stream use the focused method. Focused meditation, involves the use of any of the senses or simply breathing. Sometimes people use a combination of these tools. The use of prayer beads in conjunction with prayer/mantra or 'sacred word', is quite common, in both the Eastern and Western traditions. 

 

The second stream is about the use of movement. Yoga, walking meditation, or Qui Gong, to name a few. Again the use of breath helps the practise as they follow the breath in movement.

 

Over the years, I have engaged in a variety of meditation practices. My journey has included yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation inspired by the Christian tradition. They were disjointed for quite some time, because initially my practice started for health reasons. As I have developed my spiritual practice, I use some form of meditation to enter into contemplation. Which means that, I light my candle and focus on my breath; sometimes counting the 'in' and 'out' breath. If my mind is wandering a lot, I also use a sacred word to remain focused on the Divine Presence.