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Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry: When Knowing Becomes Love
“Contemplative practice means, among other things, becoming practiced in solitude. This does not mean brooding or self-indulgent musing, but instead practicing a special form of recollection of the past, mindfulness for the present, and envisioning of the future in a manner that is enlivening, clear, and insightful. We learn to be properly solitary, and to carry the depth of our solitude into the world with grace and selflessness.” ― Arthur Zajonc When we turn to meditation, we are turning toward renewal, peace, and insight. Initially, we may take up contemplative practice as a means of tapping into the abundant resources of the mind and heart that bring serenity, but the meditative journey leads further―to the place where wisdom and love unite. In Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry, Arthur Zajonc offers an overview of the meditative life, weaving practical instruction together with the guidance and inspiration of the world’s great teachers, from Rudolf Steiner to Rumi, and from Goethe to the sages of Asia. Zajonc reminds us that an ethic of humility grounds all practice, and that care of the soul is the basis for sound spiritual reflection and understanding. The author carefully describes each stage of the path and includes many recommended practices. Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry is the fruit of many years of personal practice and teaching. Arthur Zajonc developed his orientation toward meditation through working with hundreds of university students and professors, as well as with contemplative groups in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.
220 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 2, 2011
It's rare for me to finish a book and immediately think I need to start over at the beginning and read it again. Yet that's the case here. I found this book engaging and compelling yet increasingly challenging. I'm convinced there is real value here, but I am equally convinced that I have not assimilated it wholly.
Zajonc begins with some persuasive arguments in favor of contemplation, urging us to take (or make) the time for daily practice. He then gives an overview of the path as he sees it. This is given in simple terms so that even people unfamiliar with meditation can follow it. (By way of reference, perhaps I should mention that I have practiced only the simplest sort of breathing meditation, very erratically, for many years.) That accounts for the introduction and the first chapter. The remainder of the book is devoted to examining steps along the path in greater detail. Perhaps it is unavoidable that each chapter is more esoteric than the one before it. It is a credit to Zajonc's lucid writing style that this never lapses into incomprehensibility, despite the increasing subtlety of the subject matter.
One of the most praiseworthy aspects of this book is the care the author takes to distinguish the essential nature of his subject from various religious traditions. This is a delicate balancing act. Zajonc connects various aspects of meditation to explicitly spiritual perspectives from around the world, including the "usual suspects" such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, but also Native American spirituality and anthroposophism — without ever committing to one of them. Zajonc also notes that religion "has become an obstacle to many." It is left to the reader to locate his or her practice within a religious context — and a thoroughly secular reading is also possible.
I also appreciated the many connections drawn between contemplation and social justice. King, Mandela and Gandhi are cited repeatedly. Zajonc is a physicist, and we get some Einstein quotations as well. These were amongst my favorites.
I feel compelled to offer some sort of criticism so this review doesn't seem overly gushing. All I can say is that, from my personal standpoint, Zajonc seems to articulate a very "solar" perspective. I feel that I need something somewhat more "lunar," if that makes any sense. I'm sorry I can't express it better than that. I don't really know what I mean, as it's just something I intuitively feel. But perhaps that's just a matter of locating my practice in my proper religious context — once I figure out what that is.
Perhaps most importantly, this book is convincing. I am both persuaded and inspired to incorporate some form of contemplative practice into my daily life. I look forward to reading this book again.
Zajonc begins with some persuasive arguments in favor of contemplation, urging us to take (or make) the time for daily practice. He then gives an overview of the path as he sees it. This is given in simple terms so that even people unfamiliar with meditation can follow it. (By way of reference, perhaps I should mention that I have practiced only the simplest sort of breathing meditation, very erratically, for many years.) That accounts for the introduction and the first chapter. The remainder of the book is devoted to examining steps along the path in greater detail. Perhaps it is unavoidable that each chapter is more esoteric than the one before it. It is a credit to Zajonc's lucid writing style that this never lapses into incomprehensibility, despite the increasing subtlety of the subject matter.
One of the most praiseworthy aspects of this book is the care the author takes to distinguish the essential nature of his subject from various religious traditions. This is a delicate balancing act. Zajonc connects various aspects of meditation to explicitly spiritual perspectives from around the world, including the "usual suspects" such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, but also Native American spirituality and anthroposophism — without ever committing to one of them. Zajonc also notes that religion "has become an obstacle to many." It is left to the reader to locate his or her practice within a religious context — and a thoroughly secular reading is also possible.
I also appreciated the many connections drawn between contemplation and social justice. King, Mandela and Gandhi are cited repeatedly. Zajonc is a physicist, and we get some Einstein quotations as well. These were amongst my favorites.
I feel compelled to offer some sort of criticism so this review doesn't seem overly gushing. All I can say is that, from my personal standpoint, Zajonc seems to articulate a very "solar" perspective. I feel that I need something somewhat more "lunar," if that makes any sense. I'm sorry I can't express it better than that. I don't really know what I mean, as it's just something I intuitively feel. But perhaps that's just a matter of locating my practice in my proper religious context — once I figure out what that is.
Perhaps most importantly, this book is convincing. I am both persuaded and inspired to incorporate some form of contemplative practice into my daily life. I look forward to reading this book again.
August 28, 2015
Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry by Arthur Zajonc (finished August 16, 2015)
I’m a beginner in the practice of meditation and mindfulness, but I could relate to the first few chapters of Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry in which Zajonc established a moral foundation for contemplative inquiry and outlined practices to strengthen attention and resolve, and to promote a healthy emotional life. However, as I read further, I felt as if I were a third-grader trying to make sense of a graduate text. The remainder of the book could be providing the key to World Peace, or it could be hogwash. I’m not in a position to judge at this point. I’ll keep Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry on my shelf in case I ever feel better prepared to understand it in the future. Meanwhile, it’s enough to remember and affirm Zajonc’s belief that “…the true goal of contemplative practice, indeed of life, is the joining of insight and compassion, wisdom and love.”
I’m a beginner in the practice of meditation and mindfulness, but I could relate to the first few chapters of Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry in which Zajonc established a moral foundation for contemplative inquiry and outlined practices to strengthen attention and resolve, and to promote a healthy emotional life. However, as I read further, I felt as if I were a third-grader trying to make sense of a graduate text. The remainder of the book could be providing the key to World Peace, or it could be hogwash. I’m not in a position to judge at this point. I’ll keep Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry on my shelf in case I ever feel better prepared to understand it in the future. Meanwhile, it’s enough to remember and affirm Zajonc’s belief that “…the true goal of contemplative practice, indeed of life, is the joining of insight and compassion, wisdom and love.”
June 8, 2020
This really picks up after the first two chapters (they cover old ground but are also necessary reminders for me). I almost reached a hasty conclusion about this, and I’m glad I held off. As an anthropop-adjacent text, I appreciated the breadth of his ideas; Steiner’s only mentioned a few times in each chapter, I think. It started out a bit self-helpy, which I recently learned is bothersome to me, but it leaves that behind and transcends quickly enough. The warp and weft is familiar, but the whole is a refreshing weaving together of mindfulness practices with nods to philosophy, religion, and science (and more name drops and block-quote epigraphs than you could shake your prayer beads at—full-on Rumis himself into an Emerson–Rilke whirlwind that ends with a Steiner–Buber-Barfield-Goethe-Novalis-Merton Celebrity Death Match).
I’ll be using this in my MEd work in the fall (for a practicum and self-selected research project), and I’m excited to continue figuring out how to more intentionally move in the contemplative direction to deepen my work with colleagues and students. Die and become.
I’ll be using this in my MEd work in the fall (for a practicum and self-selected research project), and I’m excited to continue figuring out how to more intentionally move in the contemplative direction to deepen my work with colleagues and students. Die and become.
January 17, 2025
Much philosophy of science and mind and a practical handbook for certain forms of meditation. The author leans toward meditation with content, which is not my style. I enjoyed his discussions of the difficulty in finding means of expression of ineffable experiences. This quote in particular:
“As soon as one uses language, one is already using a dualistic mode of expression. Representation of any type is the negation of pure participation, which is the proper modality for non-dual awareness.”
“As soon as one uses language, one is already using a dualistic mode of expression. Representation of any type is the negation of pure participation, which is the proper modality for non-dual awareness.”
November 9, 2017
A few spelling mistakes that shot me out of the blue of reading I was in but all in all a wonderful book about meditation and finding an inner self for contemplative inquiry and contemplation.
May 7, 2015
As I continue to dig deeper into Contemplation and Meditation, I was recommended to read Arthur Zajonc from listening to an interview he did on a podcast. This book is choked full of fantastic insight and specific advice on how to move thru the nine phases of contemplation. In all honesty, at times if was beyond my level of understanding. I think I need to focus more on a base level before moving to this level. But it was beautiful - at times strikingly so. If you Meditate on a regular basis, I believe you will find some very useful advice in these pages.
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January 5, 2022I came to know about the author after diving into contemplative education. As a practitioner myself (in the tradition of Buddhism) I find the opening chapter very valuable, because Zajonc reminds us of the deep spiritual roots and consequences of mindfulness (as opposed to only reducing stress o becoming productive).
I will update the review as I complete the work, but for now, beautifully written work.
I will update the review as I complete the work, but for now, beautifully written work.
April 4, 2013
The first three chapters were wondeful. I will come back later for the rest of the book
March 9, 2013
Very well done
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews