Concentration

[Unseeking Seeker]

Wise words, Starman. I readily admit that there are multiple approaches available. Leaving aside for the moment the chakras and kundalini (also called Chi and Holy Spirit) or what they represent, if we look at any tradition, there is a huge quanta of time devoted to preparation, which is essentially purification, before any kriya yoga or tantric or any other practice is adopted. This basically means becoming mindful, gentle, as we go about in our daily lives.

The purification of heart signals our intent to retrieve baton of awareness from the ego or lower mind and shift to heart. Or we may say, we choose to live internally.

When we walk the talk, so to say, the instruments in body-mind, the energy field and whatever else goes with it, all align with our intent, which is rooted in purity. Thereafter, if a practice is adopted or no practice adopted, in my view, those who engage, let us say in meditation or worship or mantra chanting or whatever, they do so with the background of the preparatory work, surrendering the practice itself to universal consciousness, while those who do not practice anything, their existence itself is immersed in the current and so no doing is necessary because there is no one here, metaphorically speaking.

The danger of kundalini yoga in any form without purification preceding it is obvious. Blockages in the system can result in trauma, extreme trauma, because we have forced the process when the nervous system, the pranic field is not ready to receive the high intensity of divine magnetism. There are so many examples of people suffering, those who did this or that or took shaktipat, which boomeranged.

[Starman]

Unseeking Seeker, you share wise words as well. I went through preparatory training for both of my main spiritual paths, which I combined into one path along with a sprinkling of other traditions.

I went through an “aspirant program“ with a satguru back in the 1970‘s. The aspirant program was all about humbling my ego before I learned how to meditate and quiet my mind. The aspirant program was a different length for different participants, mine lasted about 3-months. During that time I did selfless service and listened to lots of satsang, and the mahatmas decided when I was ready to learn how to meditate.

The other major endeavor was taking a 13-year curriculum of courses on the Qabbalah as taught by Jewish Rabbis. There was an initiation process in the beginning, and then there were written tests at the end of each course. If you failed the test you had to retake the course; 16-courses in all with lessons every week. These courses were on “practical occultism” and they had exercises which rendered experiences. I am not, nor have I ever been Jewish, but I was allowed to take these courses anyway.

I think people do what they do, and hopefully they will learn whether it was or is, right or wrong for them. Although the human mind may be fraught with comparing and contrasting differences. What I did was right for me but may not have been right for others. In my opinion it is not about following the crowd. My relationship with the Divine is just too intimate for that. The seeds I planted almost 50-yers ago have bought forth incredible fruit. Our path is the way which we have chosen to unfold ourselves, and often a path may choose us.

Although I do embrace preparation when consciously embarking on a spiritual path. Many religions have preparatory rituals, like baptism, etc. I agree that raising kundalini, and even other spiritual experiences, can cause mental and emotional trauma for those who rush the process. It is important, in my opinion, to first build a foundation. There is a saying, “that which comes to us quickly may leave quickly but that which we nurture and build a foundation for may stay with us longer.”

[Gem]

You generally find that purification and kandalini go hand in hand rather than one after the other, but I think this misses the underlying point because the desire for 'energies', and indeed, the aversion toward impurity, and later down the road, intensity, can make things messy, so what we're really going for is a stable balance in mindful equanimity to allow everything to be 'as it is'.

I don't quite where to put concentration because there's different aspects to it, but the balanced mind is concentrated, and I think if you use concentration as examination, that can be better than trying to 'hold focus'. If breath awareness is an example, rather than holding focus on it, examine the sensation of it ever more closely to become aware of more detail in subtler aspects of that feeling.

[Starman]

Again, there are varying methods and practices involved with concentration. Samadhi is an example of holding concentration intensely until that concentration is holding you. But if we are just focusing on breath then there is no need for intense concentration. Practicing concentration is really only for those who have trouble focusing or feel they need to learn how to concentrate more. In my opinion Samadhi is not something which should be attempted until a strong spiritual foundation has been established.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Starman

Samadhi is an example of holding concentration intensely. If we are just focusing on breath then there is no need for intense concentration.

We usually look toward 'right concentration'. It generally refers to looking as closely as you can at an object which exists IRL (such as a sensation). Breath awareness is intense concentration (as much as you can) under these conditions. If it's 'just' breath awareness, it wouldn't be regarded as 'right concentration' (samma samadhi) per-se.

The reasons behind it are not just the cultivation of attention span and concentration, but also deepening perception to subtler layers of the life form. The open or non-volitional aspect of it is the allowance (as opposed to resistance, clinging etc) that enables the aforementioned purification to proceed, while the subtler perception allows conscious awareness to pervade more deeply into the subtle-body.