By: Bob Zeglovitch
We’ve been slowly working our way through Shitou’s Harmony of Difference and Equality, reciting one line and then some commentary by Shohaku Okumura at each of our sessions before sitting. On Friday, we began to play with a somewhat more extended practice of contemplation, an intermediate space between study and meditation. For more context on this practice, see the entry on the Readings page of this website from March 23, 2025 titled “Contemplation as Practice.” For those who would like to explore contemplation by themselves, this posting summarizes some of the recommendations made by Andy Karr, a senior teacher in the Tibetan tradition, in his book Contemplating Reality.
Karr recommends that you contemplate in the place where you meditate, sitting upright on a cushion or seated in a chair, with a table in front of you to hold the text that you are working with. As in meditation, maintain a relaxed and upright posture, so that you can stay alert but not agitated. Contemplation is different from reading. Karr makes the point that in reading, we can move quickly through material without allowing doubt or uncertainty to surface. We can all too easily just go along with what is written even when we don’t understand it. He calls this giving the text “the benefit of the doubt.” In contemplation practice, one works with a relatively short amount of textual material, perhaps just a few verses and no more than half a page. Couple this with allowing a good bit of time to allow the mind to settle and the material to sink in.
While contemplating may involve “thinking” as we normally conceive that process, i.e., proceeding with logic and verbal/linguistic analysis, it can be broader than that. As we contemplate a text, images or associations may arise, or we may get an intuition or have a bodily sensation that can guide us. It can be helpful to open ourselves up to different ways of knowing, either because those are more suited to how we can learn or because they expand our potential. This is an arena where we can utilize our imagination. Karr emphasizes that it can be helpful to try to visualize what is being described.
Here are some of Karr’s further guidelines:
Begin the session by arousing your bodhicitta aspiration—the wish to develop understanding and realization for the benefit of all beings.
Take a bit of time to allow the mind to settle some. Then read the verse or paragraph a couple of times. Then rest again. Then reread.
Make sure you understand the meaning of the words. You may need to read the selection several times. The meaning may not be obvious. Interestingly, Karr observes that you might feel a little panic that you can’t understand what is being contemplated. He reassures us that this is okay, and advises to rest with that panic.
I would add that although Karr is suggesting that we “make sure” we understand the meaning—and of course this is the purpose of contemplation practice—this may not happen in a single session, despite our best intentions. Buddhist texts can often be quite enigmatic. We may need to return to them many times. We may need to do some studying to learn more about cultural context, concepts, and metaphorical meanings. We may simply more practice to inform our understanding. And, we may have an initial and partial understanding that will deepen and mature over time. So, I would say do your best to understand the meaning and don’t gloss over the words, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t succeed in a given session.
Karr suggests beginning with what jumps out at you, noting that this may cut through any anxiety about “doing it right.” Ask yourself questions like, “What does this really mean?” or “How does this relate to my experience?”
After a couple of minutes, read the text again, asking yourself further questions.
Rest with the meaning for a few more minutes. Conclude by letting your mind rest again, and then dedicate the merit of your practice to all beings.