Contemplation

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter takes contemplation as a practice that can lead to unity with God. It starts with Aristotle, because the high theology of all three of the major Abrahamic faiths has tried to integrate his views with their sacred texts. It asks three questions: What place does Aristotle allow for desire in contemplation? Is it is we who contemplate or the divine which contemplates itself in us? How is contemplation integrated into the rest of life? Answers to these questions alter when the sacred texts are taken into account. In relation to the first question the chapter discusses Augustine, Bonaventure and Scotus. It endorses the tradition that emphasizes the centrality of the heart in contemplation. In relation to the second question it discusses Ibn Tufayl, Maimonides, and Meister Eckhart. It argues for a retention of the identity of the contemplator in the act of contemplation even when filled with the Spirit. In relation to the third question the chapter discusses Kierkegaard’s views of mysticism, and it distinguishes different ways in which contemplation, like prayer, can be integrated into the rest of life.