Contemplation
discovering wisdom
Contemplation can often be confused with Inquiry or considered the same practice. This is not the case.
The greatest teacher you will ever meet is yourself. Everyone has a deep inner wisdom, a wisdom that is guided by the soul and connects to all of life. However in society we are quick to get answers. We now live in a world that you can get the answer to any question simply by using the internet.
Contemplation is when we contemplate a word or phrase in stillness, which opens a doorway to consciousness and transcends the intellectual mind. As Consciousness opens up to truth, the wisdom that is received can be experienced as a revelation. Often hard to express with words, but a deep knowing has been experienced. Some may experience it as a download of information without the ability to verbalise it.
In Zen they have what they call Koans, which are statements that don’t make sense to the mind. Such statements as
All true knowing arises out of the unknown
or
The only thing that realises being is being itself
Contemplation that happens within stillness and silence can sometimes spark an awakening to truth. However, as a continued ongoing practice it can take you deeper and deeper into the nature of your being.