Success in leading a contemplative life
The superior fruit (maha-phala) of the contemplative life reflects success in leading a contemplative life. Success in leading a contemplative life requires leading a rigorous, self-aware and disciplined contemplative life.
Being rigorous in the contemplative life is about being disciplined. Discipline in the contemplative life is about avoiding addictive behaviors, which are known in Christianity as the 7-deadly sins, or the 10 fetters in Buddhism. Discipline in the contemplative life is also about practicing meditation every day, several times a day, and being mindfully self-aware, and present in every moment.
Practicing meditation in the contemplative life is not just about taking up some mind-game, and practicing that for 20-minutes a day, and embracing some belief system and worshiping some personality. The practice of meditation in the contemplative life is learning to be mindfully self-aware and focused, while learning to relax deeply.
A successful contemplative life requires a radical lifestyle change, which is not about changing one’s eating habits and clothing style. The radical lifestyle change that is required of leading a rigorous contemplative life is about leading a rigorous, self-aware and disciplined contemplative life; as well as restructuring one’s lifestyle to reduce stress and anxiety, while maximizing one’s meditation time.
Being self-aware is being mindful and present in every moment. The reason why a contemplative needs to be self-aware, and mindful, and present in every moment, is so that one maintains discipline; which is avoiding addictive behaviors, while maintaining a stress-free and anxiety-free life, which involves being present in the moment, while maintaining a still mind. One cannot be mindfully self-aware, and present in every moment, when the mind is running amuck. This is why the mind of the contemplative needs to be disciplined, and stilled.
