The first time I heard the notion of centering prayer it was in connection to the notion of contemplation leaving me to wonder what the difference was between Meditation, Contemplation, Prayer – Centering prayer.

I haven’t found clear answers however my thoughts are that the general difference between meditation and contemplation is that meditation is a emptying (decent) that can creates space for the state of contemplation which isn’t so much as about thinking and words but a non-dual listening – Which is similar to a state centering prayer leads to which is a prayer that we don’t make happen, No intention other then having eyes to see and ears to hear, no ego or beseeching...)  but a happening resting in and arising from stillness/silence.

My experience has been that centering prayer often transitioned to contemplation which transitioned to meditation then back to contemplation and centering.  The Common thread being a emptying and ungrounding which paradoxically lead to experience of being centered.

A Zen master might say nothing was attained. Not that the experience was not experienced only that the experience was is  always present… for those with eyes to see and ears to hear…  put another way we return home to see it for the first time, and that we work for that which no work is required,  nothing is attained because each of us have always had and are it.

But another way, Einstein noted that the same level of consciousness that notices a problem won’t be the same level of consciousness that solves it. The tenancy is to try to ascend our way out of the problem by thinking our way into a new level of consciousness, to use the mind to grasp the mind, the eye to see the eye. However new levels of consciousness can not arise from ascending but only from first descending of which meditation, contemplation and centering prayer are aids.

In the end language is problematic. I appreciate the space to wonder. 🙂