From the book
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volumes I–II
Joseph Joubert · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meditation and contemplation
méditation; contemplation
Méditation and contemplation are related modes of inward engagement.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMéditation and contemplation are related modes of inward engagement.
- In JoubertThe idiom of profound souls can combine assiduous meditation with experience of civil life.
- In this editionThe English translation keeps both nouns and the movement/rest vocabulary.
- A place to beginMeditative depth can coexist with civil experience.
- English renderings
- meditation; contemplation
Meaning
Méditation and contemplation are related modes of inward engagement. The witnesses distinguish their movement, rest and participation rather than treating them as one fixed devotional technique.
Use in the book
The idiom of profound souls can combine assiduous meditation with experience of civil life. Contemplation involves the soul at least through pleasure. True meditation alternates movement and rest, while the search for divine wisdom is assigned rest or meditation rather than the movement of human inquiry. The unfinished ascent fragment then pairs contemplation with intellect, prayer with the entire soul, and sacrifice with will. These pairings articulate different participation, not a complete hierarchy of exercises.
Places to read
- I, p. 39, entry 1, ¶1Meditative depth can coexist with civil experience.
- I, p. 392, entry 7, ¶1The soul participates in contemplation through pleasure.
- I, p. 429, entry 12, ¶1Rest follows movement in true meditation.
- II, p. 593, entry 3, ¶1Meditation is related to the search for divine wisdom.
- II, p. 677, entry 2, ¶1Different practices are paired with different faculties.
Translation in this edition
The English translation keeps both nouns and the movement/rest vocabulary. It leaves the ascent conditional incomplete and its two damaged French residues visible. The article does not silently supply those letters or infer a named school of spiritual practice.
Source note
Beaunier 1938, I, pp. 39, 392, 429; II, pp. 593, 677.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meditation
meditation; meditating; serious consideration
Meditation is sustained, purposeful thought that draws its object into the active life of the soul.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMeditation is sustained, purposeful thought that draws its object into the active life of the soul.
- In TraherneI.8 starts with an apparent contradiction: thinking is easy, but thinking well can be difficult.
- In this editionThe text supplies no single mechanical meditation technique.
- A place to beginGood meditation answers nature but must overcome acquired habits of thinking.
Meaning
Meditation is sustained, purposeful thought that draws its object into the active life of the soul. It is not confined to silence or withdrawal from visible creation.
Use in the book
I.8 starts with an apparent contradiction: thinking is easy, but thinking well can be difficult. The difficulty comes from corrupt habit, not from a natural hostility between thought and happiness. Meditation retrains attention toward thoughts whose truth and goodness can be enjoyed.
Its movements can be inward journeys to the Cross or careful attention to the providential histories recorded in the Psalms. III.92 insists that such earthly matters are divine and celestial when rightly considered. To meditate is to see excellence, taste sweetness, admire, rejoice, and praise. The sequence makes it more than extended analysis, while its requirement of rational knowledge prevents it from becoming ungrounded emotional absorption.
Places to read
In this edition
The text supplies no single mechanical meditation technique. Its recurring structure joins considered understanding with affection, enjoyment, and praise.