By Stephen Russell-Lacy.
This is the third script of a series of 6 podcasts asking how we can link ourselves with love and light. One of the great questions of life. In this episode the question arises, if love and light are seen as a transcendent feature of existence, what might be the role of contemplation in linking with this awareness?
Mindfulness meditation as a type of contemplation
Mindfulness meditation can be seen as an indirect way of connecting to love and light.
This contemplation tradition cultivates the habit of simply being in the moment. Those meditating notice sensory perceptions, images, and thoughts within their consciousness. They try not to allow whatever comes into their awareness to stimulate the mind into any chain of reactive judgment. Such a practice leads to insight free of the influence of natural feelings of anxiety, impatience or discontent. Those regularly doing it report increased feelings of calm, patience, and tolerance.
One hope of meditation is the appearance of wholesome qualities at the expense of unwholesome ones.
It is difficult to disagree with the point that there are latent tendencies of the mind towards unhealthy mental states. The principle of anusayas in Buddhist texts is similar to the Western concept of the unconscious. It is also like spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg’s idea (not of original sin) but of inherited negative tendencies e.g. self-indulgence, greed, laziness, aversion, vanity, pride. Inclinations I would say that lack love and light.
These unwholesome tendencies lie dormant in the individual’s mind. Then they suddenly emerge when an opportune moment arises for them to show. We vary as to which of these are closer to the surface. Who isn’t trying to keep at least one such inclination under wraps?
Wholesome factors as a bi-product of meditation
The person using mindfulness as a form of contemplation is not working towards a conscious generation of healthy factors per se. Think of yourself trying to be happy. This doesn’t seem to work. Rather, happiness often comes as a bi-product of something else e.g. personal fulfillment comes from putting the effort in to be useful in whatever job or interest one is pursuing. Likewise, as I understand it, in mindfulness meditation, the person is not trying to be modest, moderate, calm, etc. Instead, he or she is simply trying to build awareness of what is arising during meditation.
The meditator adopts a neutral stance towards whatever comes and goes in his or her stream of awareness. This means not jumping to make a value judgment on whatever arises in the mind. Wholesome mental factors, such as calmness and equanimity, are seen as the bi-product of regular meditation rather than states of mind one strives to attain.
This practice is gaining a significant following in the western world and for good reason. It amounts to turning towards and opening ourselves to the light of insight. Mindfulness can thus be seen as a way of contemplation linking to the power of light.
Mindfulness amounts to clear self-observation. A revealing of inner states of mind. A crucial step in the process of personal growth. Although sometimes practised as a secular activity, this form of meditation has its roots in one wing of most religions including devotional Buddhism. The need for a higher transpersonal power to take action to save us from our self-centred state of mind is recognised in most spiritual traditions.
Other forms of contemplation
I would suggest that the following practices are intended to produce a more direct link with love and light.
Metta, (also known as loving-kindness) meditation is the practice of developing positive feelings, first toward yourself and then toward others. It is often said that metta increases positivity, empathy, and compassionate behaviour.
Mindful Christianity is the practice of learning to live mindfully in the fullness of the moment. This is taken to mean becoming awake to the presence, and following the way, of the Christ within.
This is linked with the biblical text:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’. ” (John 14:6)
In confessional prayer the individual seeks to focus on any misconduct. Also one asks for forgiveness and help to change one’s ways for the better.
Self-discipline
We need self-discipline to maintain any form of contemplation practice, whether it be meditation or prayer. How many of us start but don’t keep it up?
We often find regular practice difficult and even uncomfortable. The mind is unaccustomed to the kind of mental discipline demanded. Meditation is the consistent attempt to attend to something. During meditation, one spends most of one’s time trying to remember to return the wandering mind to the object of concentration. With all the distractions of life, how many religious people keep up a self-discipline of daily prayer?
One can only improve playing a musical instrument by regular practice. The student probably needs a teacher to correct mistakes and provide encouragement. But where does one find the commitment and self-discipline required? We need to dedicate time and effort required for regular practice. What happens when some commotion disturbs us, or one temporally loses interest, or other things tempt us to over-indulge in them?
Struggle with contemplation
Sooner or later, we struggle to keep our chosen practice of contemplation going even when there are no outward problems in our situation. When things are going okay we may not bother even though regular practice is the way to build resilience. When things are out of control it becomes harder. Life can pile on too many difficulties at once. Circumstances can suddenly change. Anyone can lose their livelihood, or suffer a prolonged or difficult illness. Even a less serious change to your external circumstances can easily throw you off any routine.
Contemplation practices are not without their challenges. They say that “when the going gets tough, then the tough get going.” But there are times when we cannot rely solely on ourselves to find the endurance needed: when we just can’t lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. At first it seems that you can but you sooner or later find out you need help: some form of guidance and encouragement say from a teacher, coach, or book.
Arguably, part of personal growth is to undergo inner conflict: for example, a clash between our conscience and our lower nature. I would suggest that in this state, people can experience a sense of disconnection or imbalance. They might have a sense of alienation in relation to the universe. They might also sense that the vital force that energises life is being blocked somehow.
Swedenborg writes that these inner struggles (he calls them spiritual temptation combats) are not all the same. Sometimes we feel two opposing feelings in a sudden moment and find ourselves under immediate stress and in turmoil. Sometimes the effect is of a grey period of life in which we suffer loss of usual hopes and confidence. We may slowly reach a crisis point when a choice of a new direction must be made.
Reliance on self
Can we rely on ourselves to deal with problems in living without floundering? Can you always pull yourself together when you are down?
In my life I have discovered I can’t do it all by myself. Can’t really manage this thing we call being alive with its setbacks, disappointments, troubles and temptations. Without a boost to determination, fortitude, endurance, and courage, how could I deal with what life throws at me? So I feel I need encouragement from others, not to mention inspiration from above.
When factors confront us, that are beyond our own influence, they can cause a personal crisis. The burdens of reality and a sense of helplessness, bring us up sharp. They challenge our complacency and sense of self-reliance to sort ourselves out. We find we cannot conquer some undesirable weakness in our character. Many of us come to realise our insufficiency to do this in our own strength alone.
Alchemists in the middle ages found the limits of their ability to turn base metals into gold. They were aware of the symbolic meaning of their art in terms of human transformation. Some sought a higher power through meditation and prayer to make personal changes regarding e.g. envy, pride, egoism, and gain an attitude of kindness to others.
In the process of contemplation, you discover that when you look into yourself, you find changing images, thoughts, ideas and feelings. Therefore, any reality about yourself cannot be any of these fleeting thoughts etc. Surely the elevated mind that can observe such transitory elements of consciousness, must be something deeper. Perhaps something that has universal permanence: some higher power or higher Self. Perhaps it is love and light present in your soul. If so, you have the option of turning to the origin of this for assistance.
The world of appearance
I have been making the case that the source of spiritual life within us is transcendent. If so, our finite mind is in difficulty comprehending it. It’s just that we don’t notice it because our senses immerse us in the world of appearance.
Consequently, we naturally make a mistake. It seems to us that all desires, thoughts, and actions originate in ourselves. You notice your good intentions, kind impulses, and positive characteristics like patience and generosity. You assume that you will, think and thence do good from yourself rather than from a universal power flowing into you from elsewhere.
This should not be surprising. The world of appearance has caught me up in my ego state. In most schools of Hindu philosophy maya refers to the illusion of the reality of sensory experience. This does not mean that the external world is illusory in the sense of having no existence, but that the way in which the ego sees it is fallacious. Anyway the upshot is I have been imagining I live from myself. But this way of seeing things is unhelpful. I believe I need to wake up to the inspiration that what is good and true comes from something higher than the little me of my ego.
Don’t we need to recognise our inadequacy in our own strength to use contemplation to change our self-centredness? Don’t we need to notice the illusions that support the desires of the lower self? Putting hope in ones’ ego isn’t enough. When we feel desperate, we strongly feel we need something powerful that is stronger than ourselves to effect change and connect us to love and light.
In the 4th podcast in this series I will be asking whether there is a human side to transcendence?
Copyright 2021 Stephen Russell-Lacy
Author of Heart, Head & Hands Swedenborg’s perspective on emotional problems
