Contemplation

Contemplation is from the Latin contemplatio, meaning attentive observation or thoughtful regard, originally referring to the area marked off for augury (a templum)[1]. The semantic root is in marking out a space for sustained attention. In religious usage the term names disciplined, reflective, or prayerful attention oriented toward spiritual transformation[2].

contemplation differs from study alone because it aims at interior formation and presence.

Christian contemplative tradition is extensive. The Desert Fathers in the early centuries, monastic communities throughout the Middle Ages, and figures including Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Thomas Merton in modern times all develop contemplative practice. Specific methods include Lectio Divina (slow reading of scripture with contemplation), the Jesus Prayer in Eastern Orthodox hesychasm, centering prayer in modern Catholic practice, and various forms of silent prayer.

Outside Christianity, contemplative practice appears in Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, and other traditions under different names. Buddhist meditation, especially in its more open-awareness forms (shikantaza, Mahamudra, Dzogchen), has contemplative dimensions. Hindu dhyana practice, Jewish hitbonenut, Sufi muraqaba, and various Indigenous contemplative practices all engage similar territory.

Contemplation is often distinguished from meditation. While both involve disciplined attention, contemplation in the classical Christian sense often emphasizes presence with God in love and silent attention rather than specific techniques of mental training. The boundary between the two is not sharp; many traditions use the terms with overlapping meanings.

The Christian contemplative tradition emphasizes that contemplation is gift more than achievement. The practitioner cultivates the conditions for contemplation (silence, attention, openness) but the experience of contemplation as transformative encounter with the divine is held to be God's gift rather than the result of technique. This distinguishes classical Christian contemplation from purely psychological practices.

Modern contemplative practice has spread well beyond formal religious settings. Centering prayer workshops, mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, secular meditation movements, and various contemplative retreat centers serve large audiences[3]. The relationship between traditional contemplative tradition within its religious framework and modern secular contemplative practice is a topic of ongoing conversation.

Contemplative studies has become a significant academic field. The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, Mind and Life Institute, and various university contemplative studies programs have built the field. Comparative work has engaged contemplative practice across religious and secular contexts[2].

• The Cloud of Unknowingby Anonymous (14th century)
  primary source
• New Seeds of Contemplationby Thomas Merton
  book