What is contemplation? How do different contemplative traditions – religious and secular, historical and modern – understand practices and experiences of contemplation? Given the incredible diversity of contemplation in the historical record and the capacious use of the term in English and native languages of contemplative traditions, the question about what defines contemplation spurs research and scholarship.

This Currents series weaves together multivalent perspectives in a tapestry of responses to this question. We invite you to read and explore the many meanings of contemplation.