Contemplation

One of the aids to meditation is Contemplation.
Osho Rajneesh in one of his books tells the story of
contemplation regarding the Buddha. It is a famous story and
very meaningful. The Buddha was born a prince and he was so
brought up that he had no conception of the suffering that
exists in this world. His father arranged it so that he
should not know that in life people fall sick, that they grow
and old and that they die. The father wanted the Buddha to never
meet anybody old or sick, to never be informed of suffering.
But when he was 29 the Buddha toured the kingdom around his palace
and saw one after the other, a sick man, an old man and a dead
man. He asked his charioteer what these men were suffering from
and for the first time in his life learned that there exists
death in the world and that even he was not exempt and would
die one day.
The Buddha”s father wanted to do everything to prevent contemplation
from arising in the Buddha. I am telling you the exact opposite.
Contemplate on life, how everything is subject to change, how death
is inevitable and life is fleeting.
This chance encounter changed the Buddha”s life and he resolved
to seek the path to the end of suffering and became enlightened.
It is a Buddhist tradition that a junior monk when he first joins
the order – he is sent to the crematorium for 3 to 6 months and
told to observe and meditate on all that takes place there. The
Buddhists place a high emphasis on the contemplation of death
because they know that to do so bring out a zest for life, a
longing for truth, for religion and for the ultimate experience
– enlightenment.
I do not advocate that you go to a cemetery for 3 months. Indeed I
have not done so myself. But at stray moments during the day, observe
what is going on around you and it”s implications. When you visit your
parents observe how they have aged and consider whether or not you will
also age and grow old. When you read the newspaper and are informed of
the many tragedies and deaths taking place in the world, contemplate as
to whether or not you will also die.
This flies in the face of current culture and habits. We habitually ignore
the fact that one day we will also die. We are trained to ignore this very
important fact. We avoid thinking of death, we consider it unpleasant and
frightening. Yet this is something that none of us can avoid. And
contemplation on the fact that we will die can help us to learn how to
truly live.
There is a beautiful novel written by Paul Coelho – Veronika decides to
die. In the novel, Veronika, a young woman, who is leading an ordinary
life suddenly, decides to take her own life. She is rescued and sent to
a mental hospital. The director of the hospital decides to try out a
certain technique, which will rid Veronika of her suicidal tendencies. He
informs Veronika that due to the pills that she had taken, her heart is
irreparably damaged and that she will die of a heart attack after 5 days.
Veronika lives the next 5 days of her life with the shadow of death
looming over her. And she then begins to appreciate life. She lives each
day with zest and enthusiasm and roots out the demons within her by the
awareness that she brings to the present moment. At the end of the 5 days
she escapes from the mental hospital, finds the love of her life and
begins to live life anew. Paul Coelho is a talented novelist and I
recommend that you read this book.
These are the sorts of changes that you can expect through contemplation.
It will yield you a passion for the truth, a zest for life. You will be
more serious about meditation and spiritual practices. You will find that
you have a direction in your life instead of drifting aimlessly.
Make contemplation regarding the larger issues of life a part of your life
and watch the changes that take place.