Contemplation
Contemplation is a form of questioning. Usually when we ask questions, it is to seek information, for example, “how old are you?” or “where is the bathroom?”. Contemplation is a different type of questioning. Contemplation is to ask a question like “What is Life?” so that we become directly conscious or have a "direct experience" of what we are questioning. A direct experience is sometimes called an enlightenment experience. It is a very liberating experience that can change our relationship with life.
To contemplate, not knowing is essential. We must let go of any way we are holding our "object of contemplation". This is paradoxical. Our minds must hold our object as being a certain way to “lock onto it”. When we give up holding it to be anyway, only then can we truly not know what it is and really begin to question!
Generally, we are not accustomed to holding our attention on something without a break. A sustained period of attention directly on a question every moment is difficult but gets easier the more we contemplate.
Contemplation is by nature a solo activity. However most people find it hard to maintain a high intensity by themselves. A contemplation intensive is an environment structured to increase the possibility for participants to have enlightenment experiences.