Contemplative practice is, for the most part, a wonderful, relaxing, and peaceful endeavor. Engaging in it makes us feel refreshed and rested. This is wonderful, but can be a trap. We can use it as another in our arsenal of tactics to escape from a reality. This is a mistake and a lost opportunity.

Our live are generally full of problems, from work, to family, to relationships, to health, to the challenges of getting it all done in a 24 hour day. In addition, we bring baggage from the past in the form of unresolved issues from childhood, or traumatic experiences, or deep emotional hurts. We also are confronted with fears and anxieties about an uncertain future. The totality of all of these problems can be overwhelming.

A frequent response is to try to escape them through various distractions such as the media, the internet, sports, alcohol and drugs, etc. It is useful to give ourselves a break once in a while and relieve some of the stress. But, if this is all we do, then it prevents us from addressing the problems and these distractions become a an additional problem.

Our contemplative practice should not be added to the list of escape tactics. Instead it should be employed to quiet the mind and allow for space for the emotions to be fully and honestly experienced. This sets the stage for being able, outside of contemplative practice, to confront our problems, contemplate resolutions, and work through unresolved issues with a calm clarity. With the mind’s incessant chatter at least slightly muted and the emotions reduced to manageable intensity, we have to opportunity to honestly address our problems.

Contemplative practice is not the time to address the problems. It is the time to set the stage for addressing the problems. So, do not enter contemplative practice with the intent of thinking about the issues. Enter it as a time to allow the mind and physiology to settle and to enter into a present moment mindset.

Hence, contemplative practice is not another escape but a means to get us prepared to fully address them.

So, engage in contemplative practice and engage in dealing with the problems of life. The two endeavors complement each other.

CMCS