Comparative — The Contemplative Life.

Comparative — The Contemplative Life.




The Perennial Tradition and Comparative Mysticism


Mystic or contemplative strands of the world's religious traditions are sometimes grouped together and categorized in what has been called "The Perennial Tradition." The term perennial refers to the fact that the ideas associated with these contemplative versions of faith continue to arise, and show themselves throughout history, independent of religious tradition. 

 On this theory, the perennial contemplative tradition is embedded within each individual religion – it is the "common denominator" among the diversity of religious thought.










The most famous treatment of the Perennial Tradition comes from Aldous Huxley. In his The Perennial Philosophy he defines the concept as follows:





"Philosophia Perennis: the phrase was coined by Leibniz; but the thing — the metaphysic that recognizes a divine Reality substantial to the world of things and lives and minds; the psychology that finds in the soul something similar to, or even identical with, divine Reality; the ethic that places man's final end in the knowledge of the immanent and transcendent Ground of all being — the thing is immemorial and universal."


Or, put in more simplified terms: 

(1) There is a Spiritual Reality that is the Source and Ground of Existence, 

(2) this Spiritual Reality can be directly experienced as the Ground of each created being, and 

(3) our ultimate destiny, if we choose it, is to experientially know or unite ourselves with the Source, and reflect this union in our lives.

One of the primary debates surrounding the Perennial Tradition is just how unified world mysticism actually is. 

 On one hand, there are those who argue that Huxley and others create a false synthesis. That the mystic strands of each religious tradition are far more diverse than they are similar and can't reasonably be boiled down to a lowest common denominator. 

 On the other hand, there are those who, along with Huxley, see more unity than diversity and believe that we can fairly speak of "a mystic philosophy" or some kind of synthesis between traditions. The content on this site leans towards seeing unity among the traditions.

[Spiritual Practice] Zazen — The Contemplative Life.

Zazen — The Contemplative Life.



Zazen


“Your body-mind of itself will drop away and your original face will appear.”

– Dogen, Recommending Zazen to All People


Traditionally, individual Zen practice is a guided process between roshi (almost always a teacher who has been certified in a particular lineage) and student, who periodically have meetings (dokusan) to discuss issues of progress. Each student’s progression toward enlightenment is thus unique, based on the observations and recommendations of their guide. A roshi can be thought of a master who uses a variety of tools – formal teaching, zazen, and individual guidance – to lead their students toward enlightenment. The fundamental tool in the roshi’s toolkit is instruction in zazen – sitting meditation.

Zazen

In initial zazen practice, modern students are most often instructed to sit in a traditional meditation posture (usually the “full-lotus” or “half-lotus,” coupled with distinctly Zen hand and spinal positions) and bring their attention to the breath. When the mind inevitably wanders, students are simply instructed to return their attention to the breath. An alternative, sometimes considered an initial aide to this type of meditation, is to have a student “count breaths” from 1-10. Maintaining attention on the breath is the most basic form of zazen, but is often considered an effective method of bringing a student to realization, in and of itself. Many roshis instruct their students to remain with a simple breath meditation for the entirety of their journey.

Although Zen teachers often emphasize that any interpretations or conceptualizations of zazen are “going beyond zazen itself,” maintaining attention on the breath is often conceptualized as a way of bringing the mind to stillness and thereby directly realizing one’s True or Original Nature.




Another, less common, form of zazen involves the use of a koan. In koan practice, a student is given a paradoxical saying or phrase designed to snap the mind out of its ingrained way of operating and into a direct experience of True/Original/Buddha Nature. One way of thinking about a koan is as a saying which only makes complete sense from the perspective of Original Nature. After being given a koan, a student seeks to “penetrate” or solve the paradox, both in periods of official sitting zazen and during daily activities. Traditional koans include, “What is your original face before your parents were born?,” and “What is Mu (emptiness)?” Koan practice is associated with the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism.

Finally, sometimes considered the highest or final form of zazen, is shikantaza – ”just sitting.” Shikantaza involves neither explicit attention on the breath, nor the use of a koan, but simply sitting in correct zazen posture with the faith that enlightenment will unfold naturally of itself. Practitioners of shikantaza typically draw their understandings from Dogen, who describes posture, moving “beyond thinking,” the “dropping away of body and mind,” and the natural unfolding of enlightenment:








“In an appropriate place for sitting, set out a thick mat and put a round cushion on top of it. Sit either in full- or half-lotus posture. For the full-lotus posture, first place the right foot on the left thigh, then the left foot on the right thigh. For the half-lotus posture, place the left foot on the right thigh. Loosen the robes and belts and arrange them in an orderly way. Then place the right hand palm up on the left foot, and the left hand on the right hand, with the ends of the thumbs lightly touching each other.

Sit straight up without leaning to the right or left and without bending forward or backward. The ears should be in line with the shoulders and the nose in line with the navel. Rest the tongue against the roof of the mouth, with lips and teeth closed. Keep the eyes open and breathe gently through the nose. Having adjusted your body in this manner, take a breath and exhale fully, then sway your body to left and right.

Now sit steadfastly and think not thinking. How do you think not thinking? Beyond thinking. This is the essential art of zazen. The zazen I speak of is not learning meditation. It is simply the dharma gate of enjoyment and ease. It is the practice-realization of complete enlightenment. Realize the fundamental point free from the binding of nets and baskets. Once you experience it, you are like a dragon swimming in the water or a tiger reposing in the mountains. Know that the true dharma emerges of itself, clearing away hindrances and distractions.”

“Your body-mind of itself will drop away and your original face will appear. If you want to attain just this, immediately practice just this.”

“This broad awakening comes back to you and a path opens up to help you invisibly. Thus, in zazen you invariably drop away body and mind, cut through fragmented concepts and thoughts from the past, and realize essential buddha-dharma.”

“Now sit steadfastly and think not thinking. How do you think not thinking? Beyond thinking. This is the essential art of zazen.”




Philip Kapleau, a modern Zen teacher, adds the following description of shikantaza:


















“The very foundation of shikan-taza is an unshakable faith that sitting as the Buddha sat, with the mind void of all conceptions, of all beliefs and points of view, is the actualization or unfoldment of the inherently enlightened Bodhi-mind with which all are endowed. At the same time this sitting is entered into in the faith that it will one day culminate in the sudden and direct perception of the true nature of this Mind – in other words, enlightenment.”













Students, both lay and monastic, are nearly always encouraged to engage in daily sitting zazen, often coupled with periods of more intensive group practice at sesshin.


Active Zen

In addition to sitting zazen, Zen teachers often emphasize “practicing Zen” in daily life by maintaining full attention on the task at hand. In a traditional breath meditation, when one realizes they are lost in thought, attention is returned to the breath. In active Zen, when one realizes they are lost in thought, attention is returned to the task at hand. Thus, a pattern of daily action while practicing active Zen may look as follows:


Notice the thought,
return to cooking,
notice the thought,
return to cooking,
notice the thought…


Notice the thought,
return to sweeping,
notice the thought,
return to sweeping,
notice the thought…


Notice the thought, return to ______.


When performed at sesshin, this type of active Zen is often practiced using the act of walking as the focus of attention, and is there referred to as kinhin.

Interpretations


True Nature and Identification With “Mind Beyond mind”

A wide array of language is used to describe the effects of zazen meditation, all of which seems to point to the experience of identification with “Mind beyond mind.” This identification is sometimes spoken of as the experience of Pure Existence in stillness of mind (similar to descriptions of meditative practice from the Christian, Vedanta, and Yoga traditions), but more often emphasis is put on descriptions of Mind as it actively observes interior and exterior phenomena from its broader, unifying perspective. This “Mind Beyond mind” – variously referred to as True Nature, Essential Nature, Buddha Nature, Bodhi Mind, Big Mind, Original Nature, Original Face, the “Non-dual” Mind, Emptiness, Suchness – is posited by the Zen Tradition as the inheritance of all sentient beings, in fact already existing as the ground of each individual consciousness, if they can only learn to see it. Correlations could conceivably be drawn between this concept and those of Atman, Purusha, the Seat of Consciousness, the Indwelling Spirit of God, etc. from other traditions.


Satori / Kensho

Direct experience of One’s True Nature and/or the Nature of Existence is sometimes spoken of as happening in a flash, in one moment which drastically and unmistakably changes one’s outlook on the world. This experience of “sudden enlightenment” is referred to in the Zen Tradition as Satori or Kensho.







“Satori may be defined as an intuitive looking into the nature of things in contradistinction to the analytical or logical understanding of it. Practically, it means the unfolding of a new world hitherto unperceived in the confusion of the dualistically-trained mind. Or we may say that with satori our entire surroundings are viewed from quite an unexpected angle of perception. Whatever this is, the world for those who have gained a satori is no more the old world as it used to be; even with all its flowering streams and burning fires, it is never the same once again. Logically stated, all its opposites and contradictions are united and harmonized into a consistent organic whole...Its semblance or analogy in a more or less feeble and fragmented way is gained when a difficult mathematical problem is solved, or when a great discovery is made, or when a sudden means of escape is realized in the midst of most desperate complications; in short, when one exclaims ‘Eureka! Eureka!’”

“But this refers only to the intellectual aspect of satori, which is therefore necessarily partial and incomplete and does not touch the very foundations of life considered one indivisible whole. Satori as the Zen experience must be concerned with the entirety of life. For what Zen proposes to do is the revolution, and the revaluation as well, of oneself as a spiritual unity. The solving of a mathematical problem ends with the solution, it does not affect one’s whole life. So with all other particular questions, practical or scientific, they do not enter the basic life-tone of the individual concerned. But the opening of satori is the remaking of life itself. When it is genuine – for there are many simulacra of it – its effects on one’s moral and spiritual life are revolutionary…”

“This is a mystery and a miracle, but according to the Zen masters such is being performed every day. Satori can thus be had only through our once personally experiencing it.”


There are tensions in the Zen tradition both between sudden vs. gradual enlightenment and a “one time experience” which permanently changes one’s being vs. the need for ongoing meditative practice, with various teachers putting more or less emphasis on one aspect or the other.


Absolute Samadhi

Although many descriptions of the effects of zazen focus on the change in the way consciousness operates “while active in the world,” there are also accounts which describe the experience of absolute consciousness in stillness of mind – pure consciousness aware only of the Ground of Being Itself. This experience is referred to variously as Absolute Samadhi, Pure-Existence, Nothingness, Emptiness, or as “contact with the Void.”







“...we concentrate inwardly and there develops a samadhi in which a certain self-ruling spiritual power dominates the mind. This spiritual power is the ultimate thing that we can reach in the innermost part of our existence. We do not introspect it, because subjectivity does not reflect itself, just as the eye does not see itself, but we are this ultimate thing itself. It contains in itself all sources of emotion and reasoning power, and it is a fact we directly realize in ourselves.”

“Now, when one is in absolute samadhi in its most profound phase, no reflecting action of consciousness appears… In a more shallow phase of samadhi, a reflecting consciousness occasionally breaks in and makes us aware of our samadhi. Such reflection comes and goes momentarily, and each time momentarily interrupts the samadhi to a slight degree. The deeper the samadhi becomes, the less frequent becomes the appearance of the reflecting action of consciousness. Ultimately the time comes when no reflection appears at all. One comes to notice nothing, feel nothing, hear nothing, see nothing. This state of mind is called ‘nothing.’ But it is not vacant emptiness. Rather is it the purest condition of our existence.”

“In this state the activity of consciousness is stopped and we cease to be aware of time, space, and causation. The mode of existence which thus makes its appearance may at first sight seem to be nothing more than mere being, or existence. However, if you really attain this state you will find it to be a remarkable thing. At the extremity of having denied all and having nothing left to deny, we reach a state in which absolute silence and stillness reign, bathed in a pure, serene light. Buddhists of former times called this state annihilation, or Nirvana…”

“... if we were to try to describe it [absolute samadhi], it would be as an extraordinary mental stillness. In this stillness, or emptiness, the source of all kinds of activity is latent. It is this state that we call pure existence. This, perhaps, is the most simplified form of human existence.”


















“...with enlightenment, zazen brings the realization that the substratum of existence is a Voidness out of which all things ceaselessly arise and into which they endlessly return, that this Emptiness is positive and alive and in fact not other than the vividness of a sunset or the harmonies of a great symphony. This bursting into consciousness of the effulgent Buddha-nature is the ‘swallowing up’ of the universe, the obliteration of every feeling of opposition and separateness. In this state of unconditioned subjectivity I, selfless I, am supreme.”












Ox-Herding

Many contemplative traditions have one or more well-known “maps of spiritual development,” which detail the path a soul must take on its journey. In the Zen Tradition, the stages of spiritual development are classically represented by the “Zen Ox-Herding Pictures,” sometimes referred to as In Search of the Missing Ox. In this series of drawings, a man sets out to find and tame an Ox – the Ox most often interpreted as representing one’s True Nature. In the final stage of development, the man “returns to the marketplace,” now living authentically and naturally from True Nature, simply seeking to help his fellow man. The Zen Ox-Herding pictures are themselves open to multiple interpretations and are popular objects of commentary in the tradition.




Historic Descriptions of Zen



Direct Pointing at the Soul of Man


“A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence upon words and letters;
Direct pointing at the soul of man;
Seeing into one’s nature and the attainment of Buddhahood.”

– Unattributed Summary of the Teaching of Bodhidharma



Inherent Nature Originally Complete


“...he [Hung-Jen, then current Grand Master] explained the Diamond Sutra to me. When he came to the point where it says ‘You should activate your mind without dwelling on anything,’ at these words I had the overwhelming realization that all things are not apart from inherent nature. I then said to the Grand Master, ‘Who would have expected inherent nature to be intrinsically pure? Who would have expected that inherent nature is originally unborn and undying? Who would have expected that inherent nature is originally complete in itself?’...”

– Sutra of Hui-Neng


Original Face


“Stop searching for phrases and chasing after words. Take the backward step and turn the light inward. Your body-mind of itself will drop away and your original face will appear. If you want to attain just this, immediately practice just this.”

– Dogen, Recommeding Zazen to All People



Beyond Thinking, The True Dharma Emerges of Itself


“In an appropriate place for sitting, set out a thick mat and put a round cushion on top of it. Sit either in full- or half-lotus posture. For the full-lotus posture, first place the right foot on the left thigh, then the left foot on the right thigh. For the half-lotus posture, place the left foot on the right thigh. Loosen the robes and belts and arrange them in an orderly way. Then place the right hand palm up on the left foot, and the left hand on the right hand, with the ends of the thumbs lightly touching each other.

Sit straight up without leaning to the right or left and without bending forward or backward. The ears should be in line with the shoulders and the nose in line with the navel. Rest the tongue against the roof of the mouth, with lips and teeth closed. Keep the eyes open and breathe gently through the nose. Having adjusted your body in this manner, take a breath and exhale fully, then sway your body to left and right.

Now sit steadfastly and think not thinking. How do you think not thinking? Beyond thinking. This is the essential art of zazen. The zazen I speak of is not learning meditation. It is simply the dharma gate of enjoyment and ease. It is the practice-realization of complete enlightenment. Realize the fundamental point free from the binding of nets and baskets. Once you experience it, you are like a dragon swimming in the water or a tiger reposing in the mountains. Know that the true dharma emerges of itself, clearing away hindrances and distractions.”

– Dogen, Recommeding Zazen to All People



Full Rapport With Life, Sitting and Mobile Zazen


“For the ordinary man or woman, whose mind is a checkerboard of crisscrossing reflections, opinions, and prejudices, bare attention is virtually impossible; one’s life is thus centered not in reality itself but in one’s ideas of it. By focusing the mind wholly on each object and every action, zazen strips it of extraneous thoughts and allows us to enter into a full rapport with life. Sitting zazen and mobile zazen are two functions equally dynamic and mutually reinforcing. Those who sit devotedly in zazen every day, their minds free of discriminating thoughts, find it easier to related themselves wholeheartedly to their daily tasks, and those who perform every act with total attention and clear awareness find it less difficult to achieve emptiness of mind during sitting periods.”

– Philip Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen



Emptiness


“The uniqueness of zazen lies in this: that the mind is freed from bondage to all thought-forms, visions, objects, and imaginings, however sacred or elevating, and brought to a state of absolute emptiness, from which alone it may one day perceive its own true nature...”

– Philip Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen



Working In The Mill


“I said to him, ‘My own mind always produces wisdom. Not being alienated from one’s own essential nature is itself a field of blessings. What work would you have me do?’ The Grand Master said, ‘This aborigine is very sharp! Don’t say any more. Go work in the mill.’ So I retired to a back building, where a worker had me splitting firewood and pounding rice. I spent over eight months at this…”

– Sutra of Hui-Neng


Extinguishing Self-Centered Ego, Pure-Existence as One’s Being


“In Zen training we seek to extinguish the self-centered, individual ego, but we do not try to do this merely by thinking about it. It is with our own body and mind that we actually experience what we call ‘pure existence.’

The basic kind of Zen practice is called zazen (sitting Zen), and in zazen we attain samadhi. In this state the activity of consciousness is stopped and we cease to be aware of time, space, and causation. The mode of existence which thus makes its appearance may at first sight seem to be nothing more than mere being, or existence. However, if you really attain this state you will find it to be a remarkable thing. At the extremity of having denied all and having nothing left to deny, we reach a state in which absolute silence and stillness reign, bathed in a pure, serene light. Buddhists of former times called this state annihilation, or Nirvana...

In ordinary daily life our consciousness works ceaselessly to protect and maintain our interests. It has acquired the habit of utilitarian thinking, looking upon the things of the world as so many tools – in Heidegger’s phrase, it treats them ‘in the context of equipment.’ It looks at objects in the light of how they can be made use of. We call this attitude the habitual way of consciousness. This way of looking at things is the origin of man’s distorted view of the world… Zen aims at overthrowing this distorted view of the world, and zazen is the means of doing it.

On coming out of samadhi it can happen that one becomes fully aware of one’s being in its pure form; that is, one experiences pure existence. This experience of the pure existence of one’s being, associated with the recovery of pure consciousness in samadhi, leads us to the recognition of pure existence in the external world too. Discussion of these topics inevitably leads us into epistemological tangles, but let us proceed for the moment, granting that such recognition of pure existence is possible. To look at oneself and the objects of the external world in the context of pure existence is kensho, or realization.

This experience, as we have stressed, is attained by the training of body and mind. Reason comes later and illuminates the experience, and thus the two wheels of the cart of cognition are completed.”

– Katsuki Sekida, Zen Training







Zen instruction and/or sitting groups can be found in the United States through the American Zen Teachers Association (see their list of Centers and Instructors here) among other avenues.






Resources

Print
D.T. Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism. New York: Rider & Company, 1949.
Bodhidharma (attr., Red Pine, trans.), The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma. New York: North Point Press, 1987.
Hui-Neng (attr., Thomas Cleary, trans.), The Sutra of Hui-Neng. Boston: Shambhala, 1998.
Dogen (Kazuaki Tanahashi, ed.), Beyond Thinking. London: Shambhala, 2004.
Philip Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen. New York: Random House, 2000.
Katsuki Sekida, Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy. Boston: Shambhala, 2012.
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Boston: Shambhala, 2011.
Thomas Merton, Zen and the Birds of Appetite. New York: New Directions, 1968.
William Johnston, The Still Point. New York: Fordham, 1989.
Kim Boykin, Zen for Christians. San Fransisco: Ixica, 2018.

Audio/Video
Introduction to Zazen by “Hazy Moon”
Orientation to Zen Buddhist Practice: Victoria Zen Center
Zen Buddhism Basics
The Void and Satori: Alan Watts

[Spiritual Practice] Yogic Meditation — The Contemplative Life.

Yogic Meditation — The Contemplative Life.



Yogic Meditation



"Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind. When that is accomplished, the seer abides in its own true nature."

– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:2-3


The term Yoga has a variety of meanings within Hindu religious thought. In the context of the Yogic Tradition, Yoga refers primarily to a meditative practice of concentration which leads to the stilling of the mind. During Yogic Meditation, one choses a proper object of concentration (most popularly, as in Vedanta, the symbol om), then “fixes the mind” on this object, until a final state is achieved. Traditionally understood through the philosophical system of Sankhya, the resulting state is conceived of as pure consciousness – purusa – resting in itself.

Meditation in the Yoga Sutras


Yogic Meditation is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the first chapter of his Sutras, after stating that the states of mind can be stilled by “practice and dispassion,” Patanjali goes on to define practice:




“From these, practice is the effort to be fixed in concentrating the mind.” (1.13)




Later in the chapter, Patanjali specifies that the mind should be fixed on one object and elaborates on possible objects of concentration.




“Practice of fixing the mind on one object should be performed in order to eliminate these disturbances [of mind].” (1.32)

“[The syllable om]’s repetition and the contemplation of its meaning should be performed. From this comes the realization of the inner consciousness and freedom from all disturbances.” (1.28-29)

“Or stability of mind is gained by exhaling and retaining the breath.” (1.34)

“Or else, focus on a sense object arises, and this causes steadiness of mind.” (1.35)

“Or the mind becomes steady when it has one who is free from desire as its object.” (1.37)

“Or steadiness of mind is obtained from meditation upon anything of one’s inclination.” (1.39)


Edwin Bryant, the foremost western authority on the Yogic Tradition, comments as follows:




"Sutra 1.32 indicated that the obstacles to yoga can be overcome by fixing or concentrating the mind on an object, and the next few sutras outline various options and methods for accomplishing this. Patanjali has already presented Isvara as an object of concentration in the form of recitation of the sound om, and by placing Isvara first on the list of options and dedicating so many sutras to him, Patanjali has clearly prioritized an Isvara-centered form of meditation. The following sutras up to 1.39 all also contain the particle va, or. Thus they are all alternative and optional techniques for fixing the mind and, as with the Isvara verses, are to be read as referring back to 1.32, that practice on one object eliminates the distractions to yoga. One or more of them might be more suitable to a particular person, time, and places, says Sankara, hence the options."


Yogic meditation is thus a concentration practice. The most common object of concentration is Isvara (“God’) represented by the repetition of the symbol om, but other objects may be used, depending on the inclination of the meditator.

Most broadly, “yoga” can be thought of as an end state, that of the stilled mind. Any practice which leads to the stilling of the mind could conceivably be considered a yogic practice.


Interpretations


Yoga is traditionally interpreted through the philosophical system of Sankhya. Although Sankhya and Yoga would eventually develop into independent philosophical traditions (each is now considered one of the six darsanas – orthodox schools – of Hinduism), at the time of the Yoga Sutras this distinction did not exist. Thus Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras share the philosophical outlook of Sankhya.


Purusa Resting in Itself

The system of Sankhya is fundamentally dualistic, and divides all that exists into two classes: Prakrti – the matrix of the material world, and Purusa – pure consciousness or awareness. In contrast to the typical Western dualistic conception of mind/matter, the dualism of Yoga and Sankhya ascribes all that is not pure consciousness into the category of prakrti (roughly “matter”). In this division, the functions/fluctuations of the mind itself are considered part of the physical matrix of which purusa is aware.

Interpreted through this metaphysic, the end state of Yoga can be conceived of as the separation of purusa from its immersion in prakrti. The school of Sankhya attempts to attain this goal through reasoning (roughly equivalent to the jnana –”knowledge” – yoga of Vedanta) while the Yogic school attempts to attain the goal through meditative practice. Patanjali’s “Seer abiding in its own true nature” is therefore traditionally interpreted as purusa resting in awareness of itself.



Samadhi Without Seed

Another description used in the Yoga Sutras for the end state of Yoga is Samadhi without seed. Samadhi is a somewhat generic term for “meditative absorption” used in the eastern traditions. Although the term is often used as a stand-alone description of “the stilled mind,” it is also sometimes further classified into “types of samadhi.” This has the tendency to lead to (seemingly overly) esoteric descriptions of meditative states, both in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. In the Yoga Sutras, scholars identify seven total types of samdhi spoken of by Patanjali. Some of these types of meditative experiences contain “seeds,” or external references to prakrti in the mind. An example of samadhi with seed would be an intense focus on an object leading to a state in which only “the object itself shines forth” (i.e. it is the pure and unmixed object of awareness). An analogy used in the Sutras for this state is a transparent jewel which reflects only what is placed before it. This meditative state still has reference to something external to consciousness itself. In the final state of samadhi – variously referred to as nirbija-samadhi (samadhi “without seed”)or asamprajnata-samadhi (“abstract samadhi”) – there is no external reference. Consciousness is purely aware of itself.




The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali


The following are excerpts from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and several well-known Commentaries.



The Seer Abides in Its Own True Nature



“Now the teachings of yoga are presented. Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind. When that is accomplished, the seer abides in its own true nature.”

– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1


Practice and Dispassion, Established Over a Prolonged Period of Time


“The states of mind are stilled by practice and dispassion. From these, practice is the effort to be fixed in concentrating the mind. Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time. Dispassion is the controlled consciousness of one who is without craving for sense objects...”

– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1



OM, Objects of Meditation



“[The syllable om]’s repetition and the contemplation of it’s meaning should be performed. From this comes the realization of the inner consciousness and freedom from all disturbances. Or stability of mind is gained by exhaling and retaining the breath. Or else, focus on a sense object arises, and this causes steadiness of mind. Or the mind becomes steady when it has one who is free from desire as its object. Or steadiness of mind is obtained from meditation upon anything of one’s inclination.”

– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1



Seedless Samadhi



“The above-mentioned samapatti states are known as samadhi meditative absorption ‘with seed.’ Upon attaining the clarity of nirvicara-samadhi, there is lucidity of the inner self. In that state, there is truth-bearing wisdom... The samskaras born out of that truth-bearing wisdom obstruct other samskaras from emerging. Upon the cessation of even those truth-bearing samskaras, nirbija-samadhi, seedless meditative absorption, ensues.”

– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1



The Eight Limbs of Yoga



“The eight limbs are abstentions, observances, posture, breath control, disengagement of the senses, concentration, meditation, and absorption.”

– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2



The Final Goal of Yoga






"According to Patanjali's definition in the second sutra, yoga is the cessation of the activities or permutations (vrttis) of the citta. The vrttis refer to any sequence of thought, ideas, mental imaging, or cognitive act performed by the mind, intellect, or ego as defined above – in short, any state of mind whatsoever. It cannot be overstressed that the mind is merely a physical substance that selects, organizes, analyzes, and molds itself into the physical forms of sense data presented to it; in and of itself it is not aware of them. Sense impressions or thoughts are imprints in that mental substance, just as a clay pot is a product made from the substance of clay, or waves are permutations of the sea. The essential point for understanding yoga is that all forms or activities of the mind are products of prakrti, matter, and completely distinct from the soul or true self, purusa, pure awareness or consciousness.

The citta can profitably be compared to the software, and the body to the hardware. Neither is conscious; they are rather forms of gross matter, even as the former can do very intelligent activities. Both software and hardware are useless without the presence of a conscious observer. Only purusa is truly alive, that is, aware or conscious. When uncoupled from the mind, the soul, purusa, in its pure state, that is, in its own constitutional, autonomous condition – untainted by being misidentified with the physical coverings of the body and mind – is free of content and changeless; it does not constantly ramble and flit from one thing to another the way the mind does. To realize pure awareness as an entity distinct and autonomous from the mind (and, of course, the body), thought must be stilled and consciousness extracted from its embroilment with the mind and its incessant thinking nature. Only then can the soul be realized as an entity completely distinct from the mind (a distinction such cliches as "self-realization" attempt to express), and the process to achieve this realization is yoga...

Through grace or the sheer power of concentration, the mind can attain an inactive state where all thoughts remain only in potential but not active form. In other words, through meditation one can cultivate an inactive state of mind where one is not cognizant of anything. This does not mean to say that consciousness becomes extinguished, Patanjali hastens to inform us (as does the entire Upanishadic/Vedantic tradition); consciousness is eternal and absolute. Therefore, once there are no more thoughts or objects on its horizons or sphere of awareness, consciousness has no alternative but to become conscious of itself. In other words, consciousness can either be object-aware or subject aware (loosely speaking). The point is that it has no option in terms of being aware on some level, since awareness is eternal and inextinguishable. By stilling thought, meditation removes all objects of awareness. Awareness can therefore now be aware only of itself. It can now bypass or transcend all objects of thought, disassociate from even the pure sattvic citta, and become aware of its own source, the actual soul itself, purusa. This is self-realization (to use a neo-Vedantic term), the ultimate state of awareness, the state of consciousness in which nothing can be discerned except the pure self, asamprajnata-samadhi. This is the final goal of yoga and thus of human existence."

– Edwin Bryant Commentary on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, liii-lvii



Vyasa Introduction to the Yoga Sutras







“Atha denotes Adhikara, the commencement of a topic. The treatise on the Teaching of Yoga is to be understood to be begun here. Yoga here stands for Samadhi, Communion; and this Communion stands for that character of the Mind which pervades over all its various states. The states of Mind are: (1) Fickle, (2) Dull, (3) Distracted, (4) One-Pointed, and (5) Inhibited. When the Mind is in the distracted state, the Communion that may appear becomes subordinated to the distraction; and such Communion is not what is Yoga. That Communion however which appears in the one-pointed state of mind, illumines the true nature of things, destroys afflictions, loosens the karmic bonds, and brings one face to face with Inhibition proper, such Communion is called Concrete (Samprajnata) Yoga. This Yoga is attended by perception, conception, joy, and self-consciousness...The entire subjugation of all the functions of the Mind, including even these latter, constitutes what is called Abstract (Asamprajnata) Yoga.”




– Vyasa Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:1










Resources


Print
Edwin Bryant (Translator and Commentator), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. New York: North Point Press, 2009.
Sri Swami Satchidananda (Translator and Commentator), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Buckingham: Integral Yoga, 2012.
Ganganatha Jha (Translator), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Vyasa Commentary. Madras: Asian Humanities Press, 1934.
Swami Vivekananda, Raja Yoga. Public Domain, 1896.
Pramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 2007.
Stephen Cope, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self. New York: Bantam, 2018.

Audio/Video
Edwin Bryant on the Yoga Sutras (also can be found on this site’s Blogcast)
The Eight Limbs of Yoga


For local Yogic Meditation groups and teaching, see the Integral Yoga Institute Center Directory. Most local yoga studios also have teaching and/or meditation offerings based on their unique lineage.

[Spiritual Practice] Mantram —Vedanta The Contemplative Life.

Mantram — The Contemplative Life.



Mantram


“In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self reveals itself.”
“Mantram is the bow…”

– Bhagavad Gita, 6:20; Mundaka Upanishad, 2:2:4


Mantram or mantra is a form of meditation practiced within a variety of traditions, but most associated with Vedic religion, and specifically with Vedanta – one of the six orthodox schools of Hinduism. The Vedantin texts repeatedly encourage devotees to “seek the Self” through the practice of meditation, and often associate meditation with the attainment of a stilled mind. The use of a mantram is specifically mentioned in several of the principal Upanishads and, as a result, has become a dominant form of meditation in Vedanta and Hinduism more widely.

Vedantin Understandings of Mantram






“Seek the Self in inner solitude through meditation” (Bhagavad Gita 6:10) is perhaps the best way to sum up the attitude of the meditative strands of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. It is this attitude, and not necessarily a particular form, that can be said to be core to what the Vedantin texts teach about meditation. When the principal Upanishads do speak of something approaching methodology, they tend to focus on the use of a mantram.

Because the goal of all spiritual practice in the Vedantin tradition is Self-Realization, there is a theistic element to mantram meditation as it is traditionally practiced. One modern Vedantin teacher defines mantram as a form of sacred utterance, like the repetition of a name of God, used to still the mind and become aware of the divine Reality to which it refers. Stemming from its prominence in the Upanishads, the most common mantram is aum, which can be thought of as “the sound which represents Brahman,” although many varieties of mantrams – various names of God, short phrases, some with meaning, some without explicit meaning – have been and are used today. In some strands of modern Vedanta, the importance of the handing down of a mantram from guru to disciple is emphasized, while in others, practitioners are encouraged to choose a personal mantram which is meaningful to them. Mantrams can be chanted aloud, although verbal mantram practice is usually seen as a precursor to silent practice. In a typical mantram practice, the word or phrase is repeated as a means of stilling the mind, the mantram “falling away” as the mind reaches stillness.

Two popular Vedantin interpretations of what takes place in the still mind achieved through meditative practice are Union with Brahman and Turiya.

Union With Brahman

Union with Brahman, which can be considered synonymous with “Self-Realization,” is the most common way the Vedantin texts speak about the final experience of meditative practice. Union with Brahman can be thought of primarily as the experience of Pure Consciousness/Being in the depths of meditation, but also extends to the experience of Union with Brahman as the Ground of Being in all things. This is expressed in the Chandogya Upanishad as the famous formula Tat Tvam Asi – Thou Art That. At the same time one realizes the nature of the Ground of their own being, they also realize the same Ground is shared by all things.

In the Vedantin texts, Union with Brahman / Self-Realization also has the connotation of a heart made pure. The aspirant who has attained the unitive state in fullness no longer craves anything for self, but lives as a channel of the Good.

Turiya

Another way that the still mind achieved through meditation is sometimes described is as Turiya – “the Fourth.” This interpretation stems from the Mandukya Upanishad which explores four states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and “the Fourth” – what might be described as waking up in dreamless sleep. Turiya can be thought of as the experience of pure, undifferentiated consciousness.


Transcendental Meditation




One modern manifestation of mantram practice is represented by the Transcendental Meditation movement in the United States. Associated with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation can be thought of as a translation of Vedantin understandings of mantram into a slightly more secular paradigm. In Science of Being and Art of Living, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi describes the technique as follows:




"The process of bringing the attention to the level of transcendental Being is known as the system of Transcendental Meditation. In the practice of Transcendental Meditation, a proper thought is selected and the technique of experiencing that thought in its infant states of development enables the conscious mind to arrive systematically at the source of thought, the field of Being. Thus, the way to experience transcendental Being lies in selecting a proper thought and experiencing its subtle states until its subtlest state is experienced and transcended."


Those from the TM movement typically use secular terminology when describing the method, although descriptions of “Transcendental Being” clearly resemble Vedantin conceptions of Brahman.





The Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads




The following are quotations from The Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads, from which mantram and other forms of Vedantin contemplative practice are drawn.


Seek the Self in Inner Solitude





"Those who aspire to the state of yoga should seek the Self in inner solitude through meditation. With body and mind controlled they should constantly practice one-pointedness, free from expectations and attachment to material possessions.

Select a clean spot, neither too high nor too low, and seat yourself firmly on a cloth, a deerskin, and kusha grass. Then, once seated, strive to still your thoughts. Make your mind one-pointed in meditation, and your heart will be purified. Hold your body, head, and neck firmly in a straight line, and keep your eyes from wandering. With all fears dissolved in the peace of the Self and all desires dedicated to Brahman, controlling the mind and fixing it on me, sit in meditation with me as your only goal. With senses and mind constantly controlled through meditation, united with the Self within, an aspirant attains nirvana, the state of abiding joy and peace in me.

Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation. Through constant effort they learn to withdraw the mind from selfish cravings and absorb it in the Self. Thus they attain the state of union.

When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place. In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, an aspirant knows the joy and peace of complete fulfillment. Having attained that abiding joy beyond the senses, revealed in the stilled mind, he never swerves from eternal truth. He desires nothing else, and cannot be shaken by the heaviest burden of sorrow.

The practice of meditation frees one from all affliction. This is the path of yoga. Follow it with determination and sustained enthusiasm. Renouncing wholeheartedly all selfish desires and expectations, use your will to control the senses. Little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become stilled in the Self.

Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the Self. Abiding joy comes to those who still the mind. Freeing themselves from the taint of self-will, with their consciousness unified, they become one with Brahman.”

– The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6




Selfless Service


“Selfish action imprisons the world. Act selflessly, without any thought of personal profit. At the beginning, mankind and the obligation of selfless service were created together. ‘Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfillment of your desires’; this is the promise of the Creator.”

“Every selfless act, Arjuna, is born from Brahman, the eternal infinite Godhead. Brahman is present in every act of service. All life turns on this law O Arjuna. Those who violate it, indulging the senses for their own pleasure and ignoring the needs of others, have wasted their life. But those who realize the Self are always satisfied. Having found the source of joy and fulfillment, they no longer seek happiness in the external world. They have nothing to gain or lose by any action; neither people nor things can affect their security.”


– The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3



Brahman The Fulfillment of Desire











“As a man in the arms of his beloved is not aware of what is without and what is within, so a person in union with the Self is not aware of what is without and what is within, for in that unitive state all desires find their perfect fulfillment. There is no other desire that needs to be fulfilled, and one goes beyond sorrow…

...where there is unity, one without a second, that is the world of Brahman. This is the supreme goal of life, the supreme treasure, the supreme joy. Those who do not seek this supreme goal live on but a fraction of this joy.”

– Brihadaranyaka Upanishad










Draw the Bowstring of Meditation


“The mantram is the bow,
The aspirant is the arrow,
And the Lord is the target.
Now draw the bowstring of meditation,
And hitting the target be one with him.”

– Mundaka Upanishad



Mantram as Firestick


“Fire is not seen until one firestick rubs against another, though the fire remains hidden in the firestick. So does the Lord remain hidden in the body until he is revealed through the mystic mantram. Let your body be the lower firestick; let the mantram be the upper. Rub them against each other in meditation and realize the Lord.

Like oil in sesame seeds, like butter in cream, like water in springs, like fire in firesticks, so dwells the Lord of Love, the Self, in the very depths of consciousness. Realize him through truth and meditation. The Self is hidden in the hearts of all, as butter lies hidden in cream. Realize the Self in the depths of meditation, the Lord of Love, supreme reality, who is the goal of all knowledge.”


“Be seated with spinal column erect and turn your mind and senses deep within. With the mantram echoing in your heart, cross over the dread sea of birth and death…

...As a dusty mirror shines bright when cleansed, so shine those who realize the Self, attain life’s goal, and pass beyond all sorrow. In the supreme climax of samadhi they realize the presence of the Lord.”

– Shvetashvatara Upanishad




Aum


“The mantram aum stands for the supreme state of turiya, without parts, beyond birth and death, symbol of everlasting joy. Those who know aum as the Self become the Self; truly they become the Self.”


– Mandukya Upanishad




Tat Tvam Asi, “You are That”



“In the beginning was only Being,
One without a second.
Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos
And entered into everything in it.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.
He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that.”


“As the rivers flowing east and west
Merge in the sea and become one with it,
Forgetting they were ever separate rivers,
So do all creatures lose their separateness
When they merge at last into pure Being.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.
He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu, you are that.”


“‘Please, Father, tell me more about this Self.’
‘Yes, dear one, I will,’ Uddalaka said.
‘Bring me a fruit from the nyagrodha tree.’
‘Here it is, sir.’
‘Break it. What do you see?’
‘These seeds, Father, all exceedingly small.’
‘Break one. What do you see?’
‘Nothing at all.’
‘That hidden essence you do not see, dear one,
From that a whole nyagrodha tree will grow.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.
He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that.’”

– Chandogya Upanishad


Resources

Print
Eknath Easwaran (Translator and Commentator), The Bhagavad Gita. Tomales: Nilgiri Press, 2007.
Eknath Easwaran (Translator and Commentator), The Upanishads. Tomales: Nilgiri Press, 2007.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy. New York: Oxford, 2009.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, An Idealist View of Life. New York: HarperCollins, 2015.
Swami Tadatmananda, Meditation. Somerset: Arsha Bodha, 2012.
Jack Forem, Transcendental Meditation. Carlsbad: Hay House, 2012.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Science of Being and Art of Living. Ontario: Penguin, 1995.
Norman Rosenthal, Transcendence. New York: Penguin, 2001.
Norman Rosenthal, Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through TM. New York: Tarcher, 2017.
David Lynch, Catching the Big Fish. New York: Tarcher, 2017.

Audio/Video
Mantram Explanation from Vedanta Society of Southern California
Swami Sarvapriyananda (Vedanta Society New York) | Aum
An Explanation of TM from TM.org
Maharishi on TM
More Maharishi
Jerry Seinfeld on TM

For local TM groups and teaching, visit TM.org. Larger Vedantin communities in the United States are represented by the Vedanta Society of New York and the Vedanta Society of Southern California.

[Spiritual Practice] Centering Prayer — The Contemplative Life.

Centering Prayer — The Contemplative Life.




Centering Prayer


“A naked intent toward God, the desire for him alone, is enough.”
“He is your being and in him you are what you are.”

– The Cloud of Unknowing and Book of Privy Counsel, 7:36-38, 34-35



Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer based on an anonymous 14th Century text called The Cloud of Unknowing, and has roots even further back in the writings of the Desert Fathers of Egyptian Monasticism. It has recently been popularized by the Trappist monk Thomas Keating. In The Cloud of Unknowing, the spiritual advisor describes a type of contemplative prayer in which one seeks to open themselves to the presence of God “beyond thought.” He believes that this "contemplative work of love" is the way to authentic inner transformation – and thereby the spiritual fruits of love, joy, and peace.

When practicing Centering Prayer, the goal is to calm the mind so that one can simply enter and remain in the presence of God, who is experienced within, at the deepest level of one's being. The method is designed to help take the practitioner to this deeper level of awareness, moving beyond the distracting and often chaotic stream of surface-level thoughts which are experienced in day-to-day life. In its deepest form, the prayer is apophatic, having no "content" and making no use of words, symbols, images, or ideas. The practice is often conceptualized as "resting in God."


Method





The method of Centering Prayer is unique when compared to most meditation techniques in that instead of working with the power of attention, the mind’s ability to focus intensely on one object, Centering Prayer works with intention – our willingness or desire to be open to the presence of God.

Thomas Keating describes the method as follows:



1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.


Thus one simply sits, introduces their sacred word, eventually gets caught up in their thoughts, and then uses the word to release each thought, returning again and again to an openness to God. By this process the mind quiets, and eventually becomes stilled. What happens in that stillness is open to a variety of interpretations.


The Divine Therapy


Different authors have different conceptual models for understanding what happens during Centering Prayer. One of the most famous models is Thomas Keating's Divine Therapy.

Keating's understanding of the Divine Therapy begins with the assumption that we all come to the practice with some form of emotional trauma in our past. For Keating, these traumas are anything that have threatened or wounded us in areas of our core psychological needs. As we experience wounding in these areas (for Keating, our psychological needs are summarized in the categories of power/control, esteem/affection, and security/survival), we develop attachments to people, places, and situations that bring us comfort, and aversions to people, places, and situations that lead to discomfort in the light of these wounds.

This collection of attachments and aversions results in what Keating calls "emotional programs for happiness."

A typical example:

A young child overhears his father saying, "I wish he was more like his brother," which attacks his core psychological need for esteem/affection. The incident then becomes buried in the boy's subconscious. He may not even remember the incident in adulthood, but, on a subconscious level, part of him continues to want to imitate his brother to achieve his father's affection. The emotional program for happiness of "needing to be like my brother" becomes a deep part of who he is. As a result, he develops attachments to things that make him more like his brother, and aversions to things that make him different. These attachments and aversions, at least in part, continue to drive his behavior throughout life.

On this model, each human being has a host of emotional programs for happiness running at the same time, each based on our unique traumas. These programs create anxieties as we interact with the world, and may even conflict with each other.








When we enter into deep states of meditation through Centering Prayer, Keating believes that these traumas are released from the subconscious and ultimately healed by God. He calls this process the Archaeological Dig. Thus, by the ongoing practice of Centering Prayer, one finds emotional healing as core needs become fulfilled in the presence of God.

Keating's Divine Therapy is one of several ways to conceptualize the effects of Centering Prayer. The translation of traditional "spiritual development language" into psychological terms makes this model popular and accessible to a wide audience. Others may interpret Centering Prayer as leading the practitioner through the traditional purgative, illuminative, and unitive spiritual stages and refer to the apex apophatic meditative experience as “Union with God.” Still others may view the technique from agnostic or even atheist viewpoints and refrain from using any theological language at all. As with all contemplative practices, any intellectual conceptualizations are tentative and one's understanding of the prayer may change over time.



Natural Effects




Whether or not one chooses to use theological language to describe Centering Prayer, there are several natural effects that many practitioners report after taking up the practice:


1. Control of the Mind: During the prayer time, one learns to recognize thought patterns and let them go, always coming back to God using the sacred word. Instead of being carried away by thought chains and ruminations, the ability to choose thoughts is developed and more control is gained over the mind. This ability continues in the course of day to day life.


2. Distance Between Core Identity and Thoughts: When developing the practice of recognizing thoughts and letting them go, a natural distance opens between "You" and your thoughts. You are not your thoughts. You have thoughts. This realization leads to an expanded sense of self.


3. Less Worry and Anxiety: This expanded sense of self and increasing ability to control the mind, coupled with the feeling of an inner-calm during the prayer, generally leads to less worry and anxiety in day to day life. During the prayer, one experiences that "everything is okay" despite outward circumstances. This feeling can continue, to varying degrees, in day-to-day activities. This effect, however, can come and go. Periods of intense inner turmoil, conceivably the result of what Keating calls "the unloading of the subconscious" as part of the Divine Therapy, are also often part of the Path of Centering Prayer.


4. Non-Attachment: Because core personal identity is no longer identified completely with experienced thoughts, one can become less attached to the content of those thoughts. Personal opinions, desires, and cravings can be held more loosely and can lose some of their force or power. Felt personal needs and desires can be experienced as "lighter."


5. Present Moment Awareness: Practicing the skill of returning to the most important thing (God) during prayer naturally leads to returning to the most important thing (the present moment) in daily life. Being trapped in one's thoughts a little less leads to living in the moment a little more.


The natural effects of Centering Prayer overlap significantly with other forms of meditation including Mantram, Zazen, and Vipassana.


The Cloud of Unknowing


The following are several extended excerpts from The Cloud of Unknowing, from which Centering Prayer is based:


The Contemplative Work of the Spirit





“This is what you are to do: lift your heart up to the Lord, with a gentle stirring of love desiring him for his own sake and not for his gifts. Center all your attention and desire on him and let this be the sole concern of your mind and heart. Do all in your power to forget everything else, keeping your thoughts and desires free from any involvement with any of God’s creatures or their affairs whether in general or particular. Perhaps this will seem like an irresponsible attitude, but I tell you, let them all be; pay no attention to them.

What I am describing here is the contemplative work of the spirit. It is this which gives God the greatest delight. For when you fix your love on him, forgetting all else, the saints and angels rejoice and hasten to assist you in every way – though the devils will rage and ceaselessly conspire to thwart you. Your fellow men are marvelously enriched by this work of yours, even if you may not fully understand how; the souls in purgatory are touched, for their suffering is eased by the effects of this work; and, of course, your own spirit is purified and strengthened by this contemplative work more than by all others put together. Yet for all this, when God’s grace arouses you to enthusiasm, it becomes the lightest sort of work there is and one most willingly done. Without his grace, however, it is very difficult and almost, I should say, quite beyond you.

And so diligently persevere until you feel joy in it. For in the beginning it is usual to feel nothing but a kind of darkness about your mind, or as it were, a cloud of unknowing. You will seem to know nothing and to feel nothing except a naked intent toward God in the depths of your being. Try as you might, this darkness and this cloud will remain between you and your God. You will feel frustrated, for your mind will be unable to grasp him, and your heart will not relish the delight of his love. But learn to be at home in this darkness. Return to it as often as you can, letting your spirit cry out to him whom you love. For if, in this life, you hope to feel and see God as he is in himself it must be within this darkness and this cloud. But if you strive to fix your love on him forgetting all else, which is the work of contemplation I have urged you to begin, I am confident that God in his goodness will bring you to a deep experience of himself.”



Be Passive: "Let That Mysterious Grace Move in Your Spirit"



“Contemplative prayer is God’s gift, wholly gratuitous. No one can earn it. It is in the nature of this gift that one who receives it receives also the aptitude for it. No one can have the aptitude without the gift itself. The aptitude for this work is one with the work; they are identical. He who experiences God working in the depths of his spirit has the aptitude for contemplation and no one else. For without God’s grace a person would be so completely insensitive to the reality of contemplative prayer that he would be unable to desire or long for it. You possess it to the extent that you will and desire to possess it, no more no less. But you will never desire to possess it until that which is ineffable and unknowable moves you to desire the ineffable and unknowable. Do not be curious to know more, I beg you. Only become increasingly faithful to this work until it becomes your whole life.

To put it more simply, let that mysterious grace move in your spirit as it will and follow wherever it leads you. Let it be the active doer and you the passive receiver. Do not meddle with it, but let it be for fear you spoil it entirely. Your part is to be as wood to a carpenter or a home to a dweller. Remain blind during this time cutting away all desire to know, for knowledge is a hindrance here. Be content to feel this mysterious grace sweetly awaken in the depths of your spirit. Forget everything but God and fix on him your naked desire…”





Resources

Print
Anonymous (William Johnston ed.), The Cloud of Unknowing. New York: Doubleday, 2005.
Cynthia Bourgeault, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening. United Kingdom: Cowley, 2004.
Thomas Keating, Intimacy With God. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1994.
Thomas Keating, On Divine Therapy. New York: Lantern, 2012.
Murchadh O Madagain, Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious. New York: Lantern, 2007.
Basil Pennington, Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form. New York: Image Books, 2001.
David Frenette, The Path of Centering Prayer. Boulder: Sounds True, 2012.
Anthony Coleman, An Introduction to Centering Prayer. Seattle: KDP, 2016.

Audio/Video
David Frenette on the Path of Centering Prayer
Cynthia Bourgeault on the Heart of Centering Prayer
Cynthia Bourgeault on Centering Prayer and Non-Dual Awareness
Thomas Keating on the Guidelines of Centering Prayer
James Wilhoit: Finding Quietness of Heart in Centering Prayer


For Centering Prayer workshops, retreats, groups, and events, visit Contemplative Outreach or find your local State Chapter.

[Spiritual Exercise] Lectio Divina Catholic — The Contemplative Life.

Lectio Divina — The Contemplative Life.




Lectio Divina


Lectio Divina is a method of prayer that uses Sacred Scripture to facilitate one's relationship with God. This form of spirituality is distinctly Catholic, but similar methods are found in other theistic religions. Traditionally, there are four steps in the process – lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio. Each step is often thought of as "rungs on a ladder" leading up to the pure "experience of God" in contemplatio. The process is also sometimes conceptualized as circular, with each step enhancing the experience of the others.





Lectio


The first step in the process of Lectio Divina is lectio – a slow, prayerful, deliberate reading and re-reading of Scripture. The passage used is generally a small section of Scripture, perhaps one verse or even part of a verse. In this step, the key is to slow down and focus fully on the passage at hand. The passage is read and re-read until one has entered fully into the text. An example of a short verse from the Christian Scriptures which may be used comes from Galatians 5:22-23:



"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."


Meditatio


After one slowly and deliberately reads and re-reads the text, they move to the next step – mediatio, or "meditating" on the text. In this step, one continues to "chew on" the text, pondering its meaning. In the passage above, one may meditate on the true meaning of "patience" or “goodness.” The practitioner focuses on whatever part of the text they are drawn to, and the specific section which grabs their attention is often thought of as being guided by the Holy Spirit. Throughout the entire process, one strives to be open to how the Spirit leads them through the text.


Oratio


Meditatio naturally leads to oratio – "praying the text." This step of Lectio Divina is often conceptualized as “having a conversation with God” about the text. The goal of this part of Lectio Divina is to discover what the text means to me, or how God addresses the individual through the text. Oratio is thought of as being deeper than simply thinking about a passage, and is conceptualized as a true relationship with God.


Contemplatio


The final step of Lectio Divina is contemplatio – "contemplation." In the Christian tradition "contemplation" doesn't mean "thinking deeply about something," but rather the opposite – moving beyond thought to an experience at a deeper level than the mind. In the process of Lectio Divina, contemplatio is often referred to as resting in God, beyond thoughts, beyond words, beyond images. One can dispose themselves to contemplatio by willingly opening themselves to the experience, but the experience itself is seen as a pure gift of God, which He gives at the times and in the measure He chooses.

Lectio Divina is often associated with the Benedictine monastic tradition of Catholicism. Although sometimes thought of as a method only suitable for monks, there has recently been a strong push in Catholicism to bring this type of prayer to all within the faith.




Resources



Print
Tim Gray, Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2009.
Stephen Binz, Transformed by God’s Word. Notre Dame: Ava Maria Press, 2016.
Thelma Hall, Too Deep for Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1988.
Basil Pennington, Lectio Divina. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1998.
Michael Casey, Sacred Reading. Liguiri: Liguiri Press, 1996.

Audio/Video
James Martin on Lectio Divina
Friar Mark Toups on the Four Steps of Lectio Divina
Thomas Keating on Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer

[Spiritual Practice] Jhana samatha meditation— The Contemplative Life.

Jhana — The Contemplative Life.



Jhana


Jhana meditation, sometimes referred to as samatha meditation, is a concentration practice in which one moves through various mind states, called "jhanas," in a progression that leads to deeper and deeper absorption. The jhana states are sometimes referred to as "meditative absorptions," or simply "absorptions." This practice is notoriously esoteric and difficult to understand for the lay practitioner. Jhana meditation is the practice associated with "Right Concentration," which is the eighth branch of the traditional Buddhist Eightfold Noble Path.





Method


The initial instructions for Jhana meditation are fairly straightforward. After taking a traditional meditation posture, one chooses an object of concentration, often times the feeling of the breath flowing over the upper lip. When the attention wanders away, the meditator simply brings it back to the object of concentration – in this case the sensation of the breath.

One simply repeats this procedure, focusing the attention on the feeling of the breath on the upper lip, over and over again, reaching deeper levels of concentration. In this process, the jhana states are said to arise.


The First Four Jhanas (The "Material Jhanas")


Each jhana has its own "feeling" and is a distinct state of absorption. Traditionally, these states are deliniated by the presence or absence of what are called "jhana factors." The jhana factors include:



vitakka: initial attention or the willful act of bringing the attention to the object


vicara: sustained attention, more or less uninterupted attention on the object


piti: a feeling of joy or happiness in the body/consciousness


sukha: bliss, or a more refined state of happiness than piti – sometimes thought of as "gentle contentment"


ekaggata: "one-pointedness of mind" – complete, uninteruped unification of mind on the meditative object


upekkha: equanimity or calmness within sensation


First Jhana: All jhana factors are present. This is described as an excited and pleasant state. Piti is said to be the primary marker of this state.

Second Jhana: Piti, sukha, and ekaggata are present. Sukha is said to be more prevalent than piti in the second jhana, and the experience begins to calm.

Third Jhana: Sukha and ekaggata are present. Piti disappears and this jhana is marked by a calm contentment.

Fourth Jhana: Ekaggata and upekkha are present. Emotion disappears altogether and the mind is one-pointed and calm.


The jhanas are said to be successive and one must "master" each jhana (holding the state continuously, sometimes for several hours) before moving on to the next. In one sitting, the meditator has to enter the lower jhanas before reaching higher levels (i.e. you have to enter first jhana, then second jhana, to get to third jhana). As one continues their practice, they are said to have the ability to move through each state more quickly.


The Last 4 Jhanas (The "Immaterial Jhanas")


After a meditator has achieved the first four jhanas, they are sometimes led through a complex series of sequences in which they move through the first four jhanas using the breath as the object of meditation and then switch the object of meditation to certain elements of the body (there are 32 unique body parts that one must progress through) or kasinas (mental images of colored disks).

After completing this complex series of meditations, the meditator is ready to experience Jhanas 5-8, the "Immaterial Jhanas."


Fifth Jhana: The base of boundless space.

Sixth Jhana: The base of boundless consciousness.

Seventh Jhana: The base of nothingness.

Eighth Jhana: The base of neither perception nor non-perception.


The jhana states are not always described in the same way which leads to a lot of confusion in this practice. It is also not always easy for the meditator to recognize the jhana factors or what state they are in (i.e. "Am I experiencing piti or sukha?", etc.). Even more so than in other practices, the specific instructions for jhana meditation will differ based on the teacher. If a meditator is interested in this practice, they will likely need to seek our a teacher who is certified in a particular lineage.




Resources


Print
Stephen Snyder and Tina Rasmussen, Practicing the Jhanas. Boston: Shambhala, 2009.
Richard Shankman, The Art and Skill of Buddhist Meditation. Oakland: New Harbinger, 2015.
Leigh Brasington, Right Concentration. Boston: Shambhala, 2015.
Bhante Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2009.

Audio/Video
Stephen Snyder and Tina Rasmussen on Jhana Meditation
Concentration as One Path of Meditation: Richard Shankman
Shane Wilson on Jhana Meditation
Leigh Brasington on the Jhanas

[Spiritual Practice] Dhikr —Sufism- The Contemplative Life.

Dhikr — The Contemplative Life.


Dhikr


Outside of daily ritual prayer, Dhikr is the primary spiritual practice of Islam, and is practiced especially within Sufism, the contemplative strand of the faith. The term itself means "remembrance" or "recollection," and the methods associated with Dhikr are used to bring the practitioner to remembrance of God.


Core Dhikr Practice


The fundamental practice that is typically associated with Dhikr is the repetition of a name or attribute of God. This practice is also sometimes called tasbih, and can be done audibly or silently, individually or collectively.

When performing Dhikr, the participant chooses a name of God, which has a specific meaning relating to one of His attributes. Traditionally, in Islam there are 99 names of God, each describing Him in a unique way. Examples include Huwa Allah alladhi la ilaha illa hu ("He is God, there is no God but He" – conveying God's uniqueness), al-Rahman ("Merciful"), al-Mu'min ("Faithful"), al-Rahim ("Compassionate"), etc. When picking a name to use for Dhikr, the meditator may choose a specific name that speaks to their current situation. For example, if someone feels the need for forgiveness, the may use the name al-Ghaffar ("Forgiver"). They then "invoke" the name (and thereby God's presence) by repeating it audibly or silently. A famous description of Dhikr comes from Muhammad al-Ghazzali, a famous 11th Century Muslim theologian and Sufi*:






"Let your heart be in such a state that the existence or non-existence of anything is the same – that is, let there be no dichotomy of positive and negative. Then sit alone in a quiet place, free of any task or preoccupation, be it the reciting of the Qur'an, thinking about its meaning, concern over the dictates of religion, or what you have read in books – let nothing besides God enter the mind. Once you are seated in this manner, start to pronounce with your tongue, 'Allah, Allah' keeping your thought on it.

Practice this continuously and without interruption; you will reach a point where the motion of the tongue will cease, and it will appear as if the word just flows from it spontaneously. You go on in this way until every trace of the tongue movement disappears while the heart registers the thought or the idea of the word.

As you continue with this invocation, there will come a time when the word will leave the heart completely. Only the palpable essence or reality of the name will remain, binding itself ineluctably to the heart. Up to this point everything will have been dependent on your own conscious will; the divine bliss and enlightenment that may follow have nothing to do with your conscious will or choice. What you have done so far is to open the window, as it were. You have laid yourself exposed to what God may breathe upon you, as He has done upon his prophets and saints.

If you follow what is said above, you can be sure that the light of Truth will dawn upon your heart..."



* Quotation attributed to Muhammad al-Ghazzali, from The Knowing Heart


Thus Dhikr is a way of bringing the mind to remembrance of God, and possibly leads the practitioner to an experience of God at a deeper level of consciousness. The description above is similar to how many describe both Transcendental Meditation and (especially) Centering Prayer.


Muraqaba


The term Muraqaba is often used to refer to a range of additional Islamic meditative practices. Muraqaba is sometimes spoken of as a form of Dhikr and sometimes spoken of as encompassing a group of practices preformed in addition to Dhikr.

The category of "Muraqaba" includes disciplines that are described as being similar to Lectio Divina, Vipassana, or even concentration practices such as Jhana meditation. Sufism is far from a unified movement within Islam and each particular Sufi order has their own unique practices, especially relating to Muraqaba (i.e. anything in addition to Dhikr). Dhikr is the most widely used practice across Islamic sects.


Fana


One way to look at the ultimate aim of practices such as Dhikr and Muraqaba over extended periods of time is in terms of the experience of fana – the complete annihilation of the ego in a state of "Union with God." Contemplatives from a variety of theistic traditions see this experience, and its effect on the character and inner-being of the experiencer, as a principle aim. Famous mystics such as Jalal ad-Din Rumi from the Sufi tradition are said to have reached this state.

Although the typical non-monastic practitioner may not reach the ecstatic states described by the mystics, these practices are often seen as ways to "polish off the rust on the heart," and slowly form a more God-honoring character.




Resources



Print
Kabir Helminski, The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation. Boston: Shambhala, 1999.
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart. Point Reyes: Golden Sufi Center, 1995.
Carl Earnst, Sufism: An Introduction to the Mystical Tradition of Islam. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.
Robert Frager and James Fadiman, Essential Sufism. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.

Audio/Video
Shankar Nair on Sufi Meditation
”The Two Dimensions of Islam”
Muraqaba