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I return to the vital subject of meditation, which leads into contemplation. Meditation is the root practice of OneLife Ministries. Readers who have been with OneLife for a considerable time are aware of this priority on meditation. Often, Christians do not even admit the viability of meditation in the Christian path. Generally, others ignore it or consider it one spiritual discipline among others. OneLife considers it one practice among others, but the root practice, or core spiritual discipline. This means daily meditation is the priority among all other spiritual disciplines.
Meditation and contemplation are not the same. Meditation is any number of methods that lead to the meditative calm essential for contemplation. Contemplation is the state of quiet being in being with Being. Meditation is a method toward a goal, contemplation. Contemplation is the fruit of meditation. Meditation is a technique, while contemplation is beyond technique. Contemplation is the experience of communion and union with Being. When you are in contemplation, you are experiencing pure, naked Isness. We can describe meditation, nothing can be said to describe contemplation.
Essential to contemplation is meditative calm. Over time, with consistent daily meditation practice, mind will become naturally calmer. Without calmness, one cannot practice contemplative prayer, only meditative forms of prayer.
Meditative calm we can call meditative stabilization (Traleg Kyabgon, Mind at Ease) or quietude. Tibetans call it samatha, “calm.”
In regard to meditative calm, I often recall a story from the Gospel.
35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" (Mark 4, ESV)
“Peace” and “Be still” are words bringing quietude to a boisterous lake. “Peace,” the Greek siopao, fundamentally refers to an unchosen muteness or involuntary stillness (Strong's Concordance). This contrasts with sige, which refers to chosen silence. However, the two words are used interchangeably. The context of Mark 4 shows the literal sense of “unchosen quiet, silence, stillness” is the meaning. Phimoo, “be still,” means “to muzzle.” “Ceased” is kapazo, literally “to tire” and, thus, figuratively “to relax.” “Great calm” has the noun galene, “calm, tranquility.” Reading the passage with these meanings in mind highlights how this Gospel narrative is figurative of the calming of unruly mind through meditation.
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When we go into meditation, we find mind can be like an animal needing muzzling or like a turbulent stream in need of silence and stillness. A meditation technique, like a prayer word or phrase, or following the breath, or doing breath prayer, is a means to help calm mind. We can call this meditation technique for calming a “calming mechanism.”
We do not deal harshly with mind. Otherwise, the agitation of mind will only be increased and we will have more turbulence, not less. One does not calm a stream by jumping in and flapping the hands all over the place. Rather, we use a calming mechanism (prayer word, prayer phrase, Jesus Prayer, breath, breath in consort with beads) to calm mind with compassion and gentleness. If we are gentle with mind, then, it, of itself, will naturally calm and we will be in meditative quietude.
Then, we can remain with the calming mechanism or let it go. Even if we seek to continue with it, we will forget to use it and have to return to it. When mind wanders off, we bring it back with the calming mechanism. And, with either a continuous or discontinuous use of the calming mechanism, mind will wander off.
Next writing, I will continue this subject. I will explore the states of mind that have to be remedied in order to enjoy meditative calm. For, meditative calm arises from opposite expressions of energy. I will name each and, later, provide means to return mind to equipoise.
Spiritual Exercise
1. Do you recall a time when you found yourself in a state of total relaxation, feeling that you were fully in the moment, without any effort on your own evoking that state? What was it like? Was there a site or something else that led you into that in-the-moment tranquility? How long did it last? What led you out of it? Have you tried getting back “there”? How? Did it work? Would you like to know disciplines to enable you to experience that blissful detachment and loving awareness more often?
2. Try meditating for twenty to thirty minutes, without getting up. For details on preparing to meditate or choosing a meditation technique, write Brian K. Wilcox, at briankwilcox@bellsouth.net or refer to the web sites given in the last Path of Spirit writing.
3. Why do you think that I would have chosen "mind" rather than "the mind" throughout the above writing?
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