The Art of Contemplation

From the Lesson

In the fourth century, in the Egyptian desert, a young seeker arrived at the cell of Abba Poemen, a renowned Desert Father. "Tell me," the young man said, "how should I pray?"

The old monk was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke: "Prayer is not for those in a hurry."

The seeker waited.

"Sit with one phrase from Scripture," Poemen continued. "Not the whole book. One phrase. Let it descend from the head to the heart. Wait. When you no longer need to think about it because it has become part of you, you have begun to understand contemplation."

This is the art that has been called many names: lectio divina in the Christian West, hitbonenut in Jewish mysticism, muraqaba in Islamic tradition, dhyana in Eastern paths. Beyond thinking, beyond analysis, beyond even ordinary meditation—contemplation is the practice of letting truth work on you until you become it.

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Contemplation Distinguished

Study gathers information. You read, learn facts, accumulate knowledge. The result is understanding about something.

Reflection processes information. You think about what you've learned, make connections, form opinions. The result is your perspective on something.

Meditation quiets the mind. You release thoughts, rest in awareness, cultivate stillness. The result is peace and presence.

Contemplation is different from all of these. It is neither gathering nor processing nor releasing. It is receiving—allowing a truth, a question, or an image to penetrate beyond the thinking mind, to work in the depths, to transform you from within.

In contemplation, you hold without grasping. You wait without demanding. You open without controlling what enters. The result is not information but formation—not knowing about but becoming.

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The Contemplative Tradition

Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)

The Christian contemplative practice, developed in medieval monasteries, follows four movements:

1. Lectio (Reading): Read a short passage slowly, attentively, listening for the word or phrase that speaks to you.

2. Meditatio (Meditation): Repeat that word or phrase, letting it echo in consciousness. What does it evoke? What emotions, memories, responses arise?

3. Oratio (Prayer): Let the response become prayer—not formal prayer but the spontaneous movement of the heart in response to what has been received.

4. Contemplatio (Contemplation): Release words and thoughts. Rest in simple presence with what is beyond words. Be with God, with truth, with reality—without the mediation of concepts.

Jewish Contemplation (Hitbonenut)

In Hasidic and Kabbalistic traditions, hitbonenut means "self-understanding" through deep meditation on divine concepts. The practitioner takes an attribute of God—Chesed (lovingkindness), Gevurah (strength), Tiferet (beauty)—and contemplates it until the quality is internalized.

Sufi Muraqaba

Islamic mystics practice muraqaba—watchfulness—observing the heart while contemplating divine attributes. "He who knows himself knows his Lord," the tradition teaches. Contemplation of the divine and contemplation of the self are ultimately one practice.

Eastern Dhyana

The Sanskrit dhyana (from which Zen derives) refers to the deepening stages of meditative absorption. In the Yoga Sutras, contemplation moves through: - Dharana: Concentration, one-pointed focus - Dhyana: Sustained attention, unbroken flow - Samadhi: Absorption, subject-object dissolution

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How to Contemplate

Choose Your Object

Anything can be contemplated, but some objects are more fruitful:

- A teaching or question: "Who am I?" "What is aware?" "Be still and know that I am God." "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

- An image: A sacred painting, a mandala, a natural object, a candle flame.

- A quality: Love. Compassion. Impermanence. Presence.

- A mystery: Death. Time. The origin of consciousness. Why there is something rather than nothing.

Prepare the Container

Contemplation requires protected time and space. You cannot contemplate in five minutes while checking your phone. Choose a quiet place. Set aside at least 20 minutes. Settle the body. Calm the breath. Let ordinary concerns fade.

Engage the Object

Take your chosen teaching, image, or question. Hold it lightly in awareness. Not thinking about it—that's reflection. Not focusing on it as a concentration object—that's meditation. Holding it as you would hold something precious and mysterious, attending to it with your whole being.