The Power of Concentration
The man who has daily inured himself to habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition and self-denial in unnecessary things will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him and when his softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast.
William James
Concentration on your Higher Self (the soul within) will encourage detachment and detachment will lead to power.
Everything in creation (as we understand it) is influenced by the law of magnetism. The law of magnetism teaches us that whatever we concentrate upon, we draw to ourselves. If we focus on goodness, our life can be a garden of happiness; if we concentrate on wealth, we will draw wealth to ourselves.
Success in life presupposes the power of concentration. Just as a magnet draws to itself iron filings and no trice grains, so too, the quality of our focused thoughts will create a dynamic but silent power within that will find us placed in situations akin to the nature of our thoughts. If we think ' good health ' and with faith and belief embed this deeply within our minds over a sustained period of time, we will gradually create for ourselves situations and an environment, which will be conducive to good health .Yet as we understand the workings of this power , it is essential that we not misuse power and that we be more involved in purifying our desires so that all that we seek only be bathed in the hue of wisdom and righteousness. Before we choose we always have an option, but once chosen, each action will bring forth a concomitant reaction.
Each of us is born with a certain degree of latent developed concentration,but the more we are aware of the existence of this power, and the more we seek to consciously use it, the more will we actually develop it.Men of success are men of concentration. Nothing of essence in life is achieved without concentration.
Be it in prayer, business, sport, art, or healing,concentration is the real key which helps one harness one's inner divine potential. Concentration aids you in drawing more of the life energy into your physical self and thereby raising your level of existence to higher layers of awareness. As you spiritualize your conciousness through Guru-channeled techniques of concentration, your energy pattern becomes more vibrant and pure, ushering all round tranquility and calmness into the temple of your mind.
With good concentration one can fulfill a task in virtually half the time and with double the accuracy of an average person. Paramahansa Yogananda said that we should do our interesting and enjoyable duties with all our heart and the uninteresting ones with our deepest attention.
As we concentrate with will power on the task at hand, we learn to shut out unnecessary disturbing thoughts, doing nothing haphazardly. The mind thereby attains the ability to be one-pointed.The greatest power, remember always, is lodged in the fine, never in the coarse.
When one is able to lift a heavy object with muscles flexing, we appreciate the physical strength and the look and feel of the muscular part, but we must remind ourselves that the power to lift comes not from the muscles but from the life energy within, which in turn is drawn by the power of will and concentration. The greater the will and the more focused one's thoughts, the greater will be the inflow of the life force.
Each thought that we think forms a pattern in our brain cell grooves. These patterns then determine what our future patterns of existence will be. If we wish to change the nature of the existent (past) patterns or if we seek to create desired patterns (circumstances) it is vital to understand the workings of the science of concentration. Though any sincere practice in concentration may seem arduous and boring at the outset, after some time, internal interest is definitely developed.
The platitude before the flowering is only natural as new forms of mental thought seek to erase typical thought habits of the past. Evil and harmful habits are what we have gifted ourselves through concentrating repeatedly on the wrong thought patterns and now if we are to be rid of them, it is necessary to concentrate on the opposite. For example, if we have a habit of biting our nails,we must concentrate on seeing ourselves as living without any trace(even in imagination) of that habit. We must see only the goal, and the obstacles will fall off by themselves. With the coming of His Divine light, the darkness of eons can melt away.
As one advances in one's realization and experiences the benefits of concentration, one hardly wants to abandon its practice. Spiritual techniques in concentration take one to the threshold of supreme joy,divine strength, deeper knowledge, and high levels of intuition.Ultimately success in profound concentration is a pre-requisite for success in communion with the omniscient Spirit.
Through concentration, one can draw to the surface, the repository of experiences submerged in the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is our most obedient serf and carries experiences not only of this life but also of the entire past. Swami Sivananda explained "when we are unable to solve a problem, be it personal or scientific,we should tell our subconscious mind to do it for us. Approached with trust and confidence, it will provide the right answer. The command must be couched in very clear, explicit terms with no ambiguity. If the solution is not elicited after a night's sleep, we may repeat the command at the same time each day, until the response is forthcoming."
Comprehensive development of the subconscious mind will relieve some of the pressure of the conscious mind, enabling it to concentrate more easily on noble and wise objectives and practices.
We oft complain about the traumas and trials that manifest in our lives. But very conveniently we forget that deep down we ourselves are responsible through our own thoughts and actions for these traumas. We have either been lazy or then simply over-enthusiastic in our uncontrolled thoughts and actions. Increased practices in techniques of concentration will manifest in us the ability to arrest the seed of unwanted thought is right at the outset and also to skillfully guide the raft of our new thoughts. Only then will we be able, with the help of God and Guru to have control over our destiny and over our own mind; and one who has control over one's own mind can very definitely also relate with and manifest control over every other mind.
Concentration implies great self-control, especially over one's emotions and true concentration endows great strength-of mind and of character. It awakens within us an innate capability to withstand life's sudden and unexpected shocks, be it depression, chaos or other uncertainties. This strength, we must realize, depends not on material power but on mental caliber and poise. To acquire real mental poise, you have to attain wisdom. To acquire wisdom, you have to develop the mind, which is to develop the power of super concentration, whereby will flow from within the all-conquering power of wisdom.
The main idea of concentration, explained Swami Paramananda (Ramakrishna Mission) "is to make our ourselves a channel, so clear, so direct, so unbiased, that through our instrumentality the power of Divinity can flow and accomplish Its great end. Keep this always in mind." In the Bhagavad-Gita, the concentrated mind of the Yogi is compared to the flame of a lamp that does not flicker. "When the mind is completely subdued by the practice of Yoga, and has attained serenity, in that state, seeing Self by the self, he is satisfied in the Self alone."
A mind that becomes concentrated enters a new province. Like one who has discovered a chest full of treasure, it can think of nothing else."Seeing Self by the self, we are satisfied in the Self alone." Like a musician wholly absorbed in his notes forgets all about food, drink and bodily needs, a man of single focus is able to harness all his energy to the one most essential objective. Concentration is a tremendous force in society. Through its right use, one is successful in whatever one chooses to do. But concentration should not be consciously practiced only during times of need; one should constantly keep developing the powers of the mind at all times.
SriRamakrishna Paramahansa, the great Master of modern India gives in his teachings a very vivid illustration. Every man, he said, should make a legitimate effort to keep his mind in a good, clean, concentrated condition; otherwise it grows unsightly-like a metal vessel, which becomes tarnished if it is not polished every day.
A golden vessel,however, does not have to be polished so frequently. So too with our mind. Once it mingles with the Supreme, it becomes like the vessel of gold and retains its splendor even when it is not given any special care.
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