CONTEMPLATION CHANGES US!

By Dr. Jim David

Contemplation is used here as an umbrella term that encompasses any form of deep relaxation that produces enlightened, joyous realizations that are life changing. Meditation of any type is a prime form of contemplation. Other forms could be yoga, daydreaming, resting, tai chi, or praying.

For thirty of my fifty years of practicing psychotherapy, I taught each of my patients to meditate. A small percentage, 10 to 20 percent, began to meditate daily. I find it interesting and frustrating how few people respond enthusiastically to this life changing invitation. The ones who meditated daily quickly viewed life with fresh eyes.

Core Secret

What is so important about developing a “Contemplative Worldview?” A Contemplative Worldview, in its essence, begins with taming the mind’s worrisome thinking. The more we tame or quiet the mind, the more we experience ourselves as OK just as we are. The more we live in the certainty of our goodness, our “okayness” just in being, the greater our freedom from outcomes. For example, whether a given event happens or does not happen, does not change our living in intrinsic goodness. Being content with ourselves frees us to experience the love, peace, and joy already inside of each of us. Keep in mind, this is experiential, it is beyond words, beyond thinking.

Core Gifts

Contemplation changes everything. We become much more centered, connected to our Inner Self, and much more observational or aware of the thoughts that arise and the feelings that occur. With time, negative or fearful thoughts do not surface. They are replaced with new, even greater sensibilities for beauty, truth, and goodness. Creative insights flourish. Spontaneous gifts of compassion arise with startling clarity. Anger or violence becomes repulsive and is replaced with kindness, gentleness, generosity; a mental plexiglass shield protects and repulses slights, rejections and unkindness.

Albert Einstein advised us that, “No problem is ever solved with the same mind that produced it.” He also said that “Imagination is more important than intelligence.” He certainly had both in abundance and, synergistically, integrated his left and right brains with an enlarged corpus callosum. He had a contemplative mind.

Fritz Perls, the father of Gestalt Therapy, urged us to get out of our minds and into our bodies. The feelings in our bodies cannot lie but our thoughts can deceive us, torture us and ruin us. But it is either/or thinking to denigrate either cognitions or emotions, both are essential. In contemplation we acknowledge and respect both.

Contemplation accelerates our evolutionary growth by noticing our more habitual, primitive world of non-dualistic, black/white, good/bad thinking and switching to both/and cognitions. This recognition leads to realizing that in most conflict, parties contribute equally but differently. This is a truth most difficult to comprehend and accept.

Recap

Upon reflecting about how contemplation changes us, the first awareness that bubbled up for me was staying centered throughout the day. “Staying centered” means to be connected to our core self, the center of our being. It entails observing without judging. It means experiencing the now fully, like drinking in a painting without thinking. 

Next, I realized that staying centered rests upon the foundation of experiencing yourself as OK just as you are. The more you experience your core “okayness,” the more you stay centered throughout the day.

Of course, the train goes off the tracks for all of us at times. With a contemplative mind the train wreck is less severe and of shorter duration.

Then I remembered the evolutionary gift of non-dual, both/and thinking. This frees us from blaming, scapegoating, hating, and denigrating others. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools.”

Love gets manifested in being accepting. Until we are totally self-accepting (A daunting task!), we will not be totally accepting and understanding of others. The contemplative mind effortlessly, unthinkingly unleashes acceptance.

Eckhart Tolle’s many books speak the language of staying in the present moment, “the now.” Quieting our minds in any form of contemplation opens the door to being fully present to ourselves and others.

Resting deeply unlocks the power of our creative minds. By moving facilely from Beta brain waves to Alpha, Theta, and Gamma brain waves we enter a new realm of fresh imaginings. Marcel Proust perceived that “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with fresh eyes.” The ship that delivers new vision is Theta. Right next to Theta is Delta, which is peaceful, rejuvenating sleep.

Developing a contemplative mind strengthens our sensibilities for greater abhorrence of lies, ugliness, and violence with greater attraction and enjoyment of truth, beauty, and goodness. I am repulsed by gun violence and uplifted by James Heriot’s “All Creatures, Great and Small.”

Upon reflecting about how contemplation changes us, the first awareness that bubbled up for me was staying centered throughout the day. “Staying centered” means to be connected to our core self, the center of our being. It entails observing without judging. It means experiencing the now fully, like drinking in a painting without thinking. 

Next, I realized that staying centered rests upon the foundation of experiencing yourself as OK just as you are. The more you experience your core “okayness,” the more you stay centered throughout the day.

Of course, the train goes off the tracks for all of us at times. With a contemplative mind the train wreck is less severe and of shorter duration.

Then I remembered the evolutionary gift of non-dual, both/and thinking. This frees us from blaming, scapegoating, hating, and denigrating others. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools.”

Love gets manifested in being accepting. Until we are totally self-accepting (A daunting task!), we will not be totally accepting and understanding of others. The contemplative mind effortlessly, unthinkingly unleashes acceptance.

Eckhart Tolle’s many books speak the language of staying in the present moment, “the now.” Quieting our minds in any form of contemplation opens the door to being fully present to ourselves and others.

Resting deeply unlocks the power of our creative minds. By moving facilely from Beta brain waves to Alpha, Theta, and Gamma brain waves we enter a new realm of fresh imaginings. Marcel Proust perceived that “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with fresh eyes.” The ship that delivers new vision is Theta. Right next to Theta is Delta, which is peaceful, rejuvenating sleep.

Developing a contemplative mind strengthens our sensibilities for greater abhorrence of lies, ugliness, and violence with greater attraction and enjoyment of truth, beauty, and goodness. I am repulsed by gun violence and uplifted by James Heriot’s “All Creatures, Great and Small.”

Conclusion

By this time, you might have gotten the impression that a contemplative mind creates passivity, contentment and peace without much worldly benefit. The truth is far from that. Contemplation also moves us into action. We effortlessly receive new thoughts about how and where to put our values into action. It may help us to remember the words of Henry David Thoreau, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

Dr. Jim David is a retired psychotherapist in Silver Spring, MD, who adheres to positivity in all areas of life. Currently he does Personal, Spiritual and Executive Coaching. Visit his website at www.askdrdavidnow.com or email [email protected].