Concentration

[Starman]

The practice of concentration involves the packing together of a force, an energy which we all project through our eyes, often called attention. Our attention is a force which we project and when that force is packed or compressed it becomes concentrated.

There are people who say they can not concentrate but everyone can concentrate. When a person is very angry they are very concentrated, even fixated, on whatever they are angry about. Some are so concentrated in their anger, fear, or even joy, that they can not take their mind off of whatever it is they are focused on.

An advanced stage of concentration is know as “Samadhi,” which is an intense state of concentration. In Samadhi you can pierce this physical existence and see into other non-physical dimensions. In Samadhi you can get to a point where you are no longer concentrating, rather your concentration is holding you instead of you holding it.

It takes practice to develop an advance state of concentration but in my opinion all of us can develop our attention to the point of an advanced state of concentration. Attention is one of the most powerful tools all of us have, but for many their attention wanders. Some will say it is “attention deficit disorder” which I do not embrace. Too many people think they have something which they may not have, in my opinion.

It is not a label which is to be pursued rather it is an experience. Anyone can increase the strength and intensity of their concentration. It takes consistent practice. The benefits of developing a strong focused concentration are very powerful. It goes far beyond this world. Consider that God is concentrating on you; in some Vedic literature we are considered a projection from God.

All physical substance are different modes of the one thing. In doing meditation people want to focus their mind but actually focusing our breath can be better. Focus is another term for concentration. A spiritual teacher; Swami Vivekananda, often stated that prana is the energy manifested in all modes of force; from thought-force down to the lowest physical activities.

Chitta is one of the four aspects of consciousness and it allows us to have a subjective experience, an experience of “me, or “I.” It allows us to have emotional reactions, it is a Sanskrit word which when translated means “mind.” Our emotions influence our mind, and our breath or prana influences our emotions, or vice versa. Its’ a two way exchange.

Concentration can influence our entire being. From the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: “Concentration is the hindering of the modifications of the thinking principle.” We all have this physical force which we call “concentration,” it begins with our attention and is entered into by our breathing. A person may be able to heal their physical body, their mind, improve their outer physical life, and also spiritually raise their consciousness by developing their concentration.

Just thought I’d share this here……

[FallingLeaves]

Originally Posted by Starman

A person may be able to heal their physical body, their mind, improve their outer physical life, and also spiritually raise their consciousness by developing their concentration.

and more???? Personally I like a less confrontational description of what to do (or should I say not do) than 'concentrate' but I guess some people love altercations

[Starman]

It is so simple, we all have it, and it makes cosmic power available to us. What we consistently give our attention to will grow and what we concentrate on will reveal its’ true nature. There is no right or wrong in this; it is a gift which we all were born with, yet many are unaware that they possess this power. The power of concentration.

[Starman]

I was going to start a new thread on “vibration,” but felt I could tie it into this subject on concentration. We are all light workers, constantly manipulating light and vibration. The vibrations we are experiencing often effect our ability to concentrate fully.

Vibrations are an alternating activity, a reciprocal ebb and flow of energy between two elements. Thus the Hermetic principle of polarity, which creates duality. Knowledge of the law of vibration or polarity, and skill in applying it are the basis of practical work in spiritual development.

The apparent setbacks, and moments of depression following a period of exaltation are often a product of alternating vibrations. A bad day may be seen as a day where you may be gathering your forces to seek balance once again.

It is not that we should ignore the vibrations of what we may call a bad day, rather we can transmute harsh, heavy, or sharp vibrations with our attention or concentration. The purpose of concentration is to expose perfection; but people may also concentrate on the negative.

Remember, what you constantly give your attention to, good or bad, will grow. Of course, in non-duality, there is no “good” or “bad,” in my opinion.

[Gem]

It's not really that paying attention makes bad things grow or get worse, but investing importance in them could. The underlying issue is the craving for good vibes and aversion toward the bad. The best approach is to see it as it is and be like, doesn't last long and soon it will pass.

In my practice there are hard feelings, unpleasantry and dischord that accumulate from the different stresses in my life, but I don't mind, so there is no averse feeling that could perpetuate the negativity. From my perspective it's more like, "This is how it is".

The concentration comes in in a different way because when you look closely at the rough things that occur, you start to notice how they exist on a quite superficial level. On a more intricate level, they are made up of more refined vibrations and waves. It's OK if the feeling becomes dense, uncomfortable and dischordant when you understand that it's natural, passing, and made of finer stuff.

[Starman]

Gem, I concur, investing or showing an interest does intensify things. Generally people do not give attention to things they are not interested in. Interest or investing brings intent; so we often have attention coupled with intention, regardless whether it is a conscious intention or not.

I had a vision about this thread before I even started it. Lately it seems I am developing clairvoyance, either intuitively or in visions about my immediate future. I do not have clairvoyance about other people, just about myself and events or outcomes; its‘ amazing to me to see things unfold as I saw them before they started.

I begin to once again question, how much of our lives are pre-destined and how much is based on the decisions we make. I feel my clairvoyance is growing because I do concentration techniques. What I am sharing here largely comes from my Qabbalistic studies from decades ago. I also know that there are a lot of different perspectives on this subject.

[Unseeking Seeker]

I’ll go with the opening post extract as below:

you can get to a point where you are no longer concentrating, rather your concentration is holding you instead of you holding it

Perhaps we may say then that we do not meditate, rather we are being meditated upon. Thus, perhaps I’d say, not concentration but a silent mindfulness continuum, effortlessly flowing without resistance, without seeking, without negating, simply present, attention animated agendalessly in an aspect of stillness.

There are of course different points of reference wherefrom we speak. In my case, what happened was that the kundalini energisation progressed swiftly, leading to bliss in permanence, just like the breath. Now, if there is a benign but compelling magnetic rapture-pulse renewing within, it is obvious that attention will be internalised automatically. So, no effort. Then, as we progress, the bliss in duality becomes ineffable peace in singularity. But that’s another story.

[Starman]

A very astute post Unseeking Seeker, I was feeling what you shared as I read your post. Very beautiful and deep sharing; thank you.

Yes, I embrace that God does my meditation for me but is God also doing my concentration for me? I feel in entering non-duality we leave the choices made by ego behind, and the flow becomes evident to be in control.

I have no power of my own, accept to look inside of myself, and even that effort is by God‘s Grace. I believe that God‘s Grace is always with us, and even the ego choices we make serve a greater purpose.

In my opinion it is the force of kundalini that bought us into this world, is with us now, and will carry us when we leave this world. We are growing our perception of what is and has always been.

[Redchic12]

Starman. I really enjoyed your comments about vibration and would be interested in hearing more.

Can you give us a simple technique to use to improve our concentration?

[Starman]

Redchic12, its’ almost 1a.m. where I am at and I am ready to hit the sack, but I will share more on vibration tomorrow. I have a lot of information from a Jewish mystical point of view as well as vibration as viewed in Hinduism. They are both talking about the same thing, in the same way, using different words. Judaism uses Gematria and the Hebrew language while Hinduism uses the Sanskrit language. I will share more on vibration tomorrow.

There are many concentration techniques; candle flame meditation, you put a lit candle in front of you and concentrate on the flame; it just may hypnotize you but the flame is attractive enough to hold our attention.

You can put a little dot on the wall and practice staring at that dot, but in true concentration it is a single point focus and if you are talking to yourself while looking at a dot on the wall or a flame, then you are not concentrating.

A powerful technique is putting your thumbs in your ears and concentrating on the sound within your body. The sound within your body will help to quiet your mind and develop concentration by silently focusing on inner sound. Do it consistently and it can be very powerful.

It can be more difficult to concentrate after you have eaten something; your vibration, or energy level changes, and most people just want to take a nap. The best time for me to meditate or concentrate is when I have just awakened from sleep and are well rested. Turn the phone off, no distractions, watch what you eat or drink, maybe even take a relaxing bath before hand.

Practice regularly and the experience of concentration will not only grow but it will stay with you throughout the day. With practice you can get to a point where concentration comes easy. The human mind can scatter us and leave our attention all over the place. Concentration comes when we give all of our attention, that is our un-divided attention, to a single thing and only a single thing. In my opinion. I will share some more tomorrow my friend, on both subjects.