I reference ‘The Mind Illuminated’ by Culadasa (shortened by me to ‘TMI’) because it’s the book I’ve been reading and referencing on meditation for the past 6 months or so. Its terminology is clear and its goals via increasing stages of concentration clearer. However, I’ve read plenty of books on the subject and have conversed with other meditators over the years too. In addition to Buddhist literature I’m also capably versed in Christian Mysticism, Nondual Hinduism, and Western Esotericism.

In ‘TMI’ he describes the overall practice as called Samatha-Vipassana. Samatha is the practice of concentration (“samadhi”) and Vipassana the practice of insight (“vipassana”). In the Western world we’d call this Meditation-Contemplation. I’ve only been talking about Meditation: the practice of concentration. I’d like to “level up” our discussion.

Contemplation is a meditative art blossoming with deeper and more awesome unitive milestones. As one learns to “let go” of control, the sense of self corrals for itself, the contemplator finds themselves experiencing spaciousness, timelessness, and selflessness. This can be quite disturbing but as one embarks on this journey, development in the practice one finds stages of freedom beyond the sense of self. This process can be described as “mystical union with the divine”. I here reference St. Teresa of Avila’s ‘Interior Castle’, St. John of the Cross’ ‘Dark Night of the Soul’, and the unknown author of ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’.