Centre for Contemplative Learning and Research
We, humans, are born curious. We have always known that there is a lot more to the outside world than what meets the eye. As such, our scientists of antiquity, like those of modernity, used to inquire about the objectivity of truths hidden behind the apparent which are perceptible with our organs of cognition.
They understood that the gateways of knowledge, our organs of perception, were not fully dependable. Their sensitivity limited their scope. Besides they made errors in perception due to the natural attention deficit of the mind subject to the high frequency of random oscillations during cognitive and reflective learning in the waking state.
How do we know the underlying truths shaping natural laws of behaviour? How do we know the truth about tiny objects invisible to our sight? How do we know humongous objects the size of which we cannot imagine let alone see?
Humanity came up with a system of learning termed contemplative. It is a three-step system. The first two steps are the same as ordinary learning adequate for survival. Human ingenuity lies in devising the third step called contemplative by which this learning system is known. Contemplative learning happens in three steps:
- Gathering information through sense perception in a teaching-learning process and observation of existence;
- Reflective revisiting of information gathered by the senses to process it into knowledge and understanding;
- Further processing of the collected sense information and the understanding resulting from the reflection in periods of one-pointed focus of attention by systematically putting our body and mind in a contemplative state.