Understanding the Tree

On the Tree of Contemplative Practices, the roots symbolize the two intentions that are the foundation of all contemplative practices: cultivating awareness and developing a stronger connection to God, the Divine, or inner wisdom. The roots of the tree encompass and transcend differences in the religious traditions from which many of the practices originated, and allow room for the inclusion of new practices that are being created in secular contexts.

The branches represent the different groupings of practices. For example, Stillness Practices focus on quieting the mind and body in order to develop calmness and focus. Generative Practices come in many different forms (i.e. prayers, visualizations, chanting) but share the common intent of generating thoughts and feelings of devotion and compassion, rather than calming and quieting the mind. Please note that these classifications are not definitive. For example, mantra repetition could be considered a Stillness Practice rather than a Generative one.

What About My Practice?

We understand that your personal practices may not appear on this illustration. The particular practices on this Tree were mentioned by members of our network as being particularly useful to them in organizational and classroom settings. This does not mean that practices which don't appear on the illustration aren't "contemplative." A more comprehensive representation might have thousands of branches!

Any activities not included on this Tree (including those which may seem more mundane, such as gardening, eating, or taking a bath) may be considered a contemplative practice when done with the intent of cultivating awareness or developing a stronger connection with Divinity or one's inner wisdom.

We offer a download of a blank Tree so that you can customize it and include your own practices.

Downloading and Reprinting the Tree

Need high resolution? Here is the tree as a 300dpi .jpg file.

Yes, you may use the tree for personal, educational, and commercial purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For example, please feel free to use it as an illustrate in your academic paper, dissertation, or publication; pass it out during a meeting or workshop; post it on your blog or social media account; or display it in your organization's meditation room.

Please give credit to "CMind" and/or "The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society." For academic use, you can also cite the image like this (with APA style as the citation example):

CMind. (2021). The Tree of Contemplative Practices [Illustration]. The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. https://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree

Update, October 2022: CMind is in the process of closing. Pending final approval from the MA State Attorney General's Office, the Tree will become part of the CMind Special Collection at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. Future questions regarding usage not covered by the Creative Commons licensing information may be directed to the special collections staff: scua@library.umass.edu

Thank you!