EXPLORING THE PATH OF CONCENTRATION
Finding a suitable place to practise, adopting a posture that is comfortable to us and bringing to our meditation the spirit of patience and acceptance, we can begin to explore some of the paths of concentration that are widely taught. Don’t be tempted to rush or be overly ambitious, every moment of cultivating attention and oneness is worthwhile. The fruits of our meditation may not be immediately visible to us in the form of tangible results or grand experiences and breakthroughs. Yet every moment we are engaged in bringing our attention back to clarity and single pointedness we are directly engaged in the transformation of our being. We are following the pathways of patience, dedication, clarity and compassion rather than the familiar pathways of resistance, distractedness and reaction.
Initially as you practise you will find that your attention repeatedly wanders away from your chosen subject, becoming lost in memories of the past, plans for the future or preoccupations in the present. We may no sooner return our attention to the present than it departs once more remembering a conversation we had yesterday. We may be tempted to try and analyse the thoughts that present themselves, wonder at their hidden meaning or try to evaluate our progress. It is not uncommon to feel that meditation has produced even more thoughts than before we began to practise. It is more likely we are simply becoming aware of the relentless nature of thought, produced by the mind untrained in attentiveness. Distractedness is a habit of the mind – we are gently learning to disentangle, training the mind in simplicity and clarity. The moment you notice that your attention has wandered away is a moment of returning to attentiveness. Don’t judge or become frustrated with your wandering, simply anchor your attention once more in your meditation subject and begin again. Learning to be attentive you need the patience of a child learning to walk.
CONCENTRATION WITH VISUAL SUBJECTS
A candle flame, a shape, a symbolic object, a mandala or a colour can all serve equally well as a focus for developing attention. The concentration cultivated in relationship to these subjects may serve as a foundation for other devotional and visualization practices later on in the path but initially the objective is to develop a sustained and steady attentiveness. We are integrating our mind and body with the subject of our meditation through sustained attention.
CONCENTRATING ON A VISUAL SUBJECT
Settle yourself in a relaxed and alert posture then place your chosen visual meditation subject just in front of you and bring your eyes to rest upon it.
Gently settle your gaze and allow your mind and body to relax. Don’t let your eyes wander around the room but simply fasten your attention upon the object in front of you. Whatever thoughts or bodily sensations arise, give them minimal attention – simply let them flow through you and pass away.
As you begin to feel connected with your visual subject, let your eyes close and sustain the visual impression of your subject in your mind. In the beginning you may only be able to do this for a few moments before the visual impression becomes vague or lost. When this happens, open your eyes once more and bring your gaze to rest again upon the object in front of you. You may need to do this many times before you find you are able to retain the visual impression of your subject within your mind for longer periods.
As the concentration deepens, you will find it less necessary to revert to the external visual connection with your subject as its image becomes more clearly imprinted upon your consciousness in an increasingly sustained way. The image will become increasingly clear in detail and vividness and there will be a greater ease in holding it in the forefront of your consciousness. The thoughts or images that previously appeared to clamour for your attention will begin to quiet and become like whispers arising and passing in the background of your consciousness. This is a sign that your concentration is deepening. Whenever you become distracted, know that you can always open your eyes and return to the direct visual connection with your subject.
CONCENTRATION WITH SOUNDS
Within every spiritual tradition the use of sound plays a central role in cultivating both concentration and devotion, whether we chant the name of God or use the repetition of classical phrases or prayers to collect our attention. Again a vast variety of sounds can serve as an object of concentration upon which to focus our attention. Mantras, prayers, phrases, chants and the repetition of symbolic religious words are all sounds that are adopted as a basis for collecting our attention. Some styles of meditation will encourage the verbal repetition of the sounds, others will promote a silent rendering of the sound. There are schools of meditation that encourage the continued repetition of the sound throughout all of our daily life activities and others that encourage its cultivation only in times of formal meditation.
The objective is the same in both schools of emphasis – the attention is turned inward and focused wholeheartedly upon the sound. The intention is to cultivate a direct connection and eventually an absorption into the sound. Once more the repetition and resultant concentration serve as a foundation for further devotional or contemplative practices where there is equally an absorption into the spiritual qualities represented by the sound, phrase or prayer.
In choosing a sound to serve as a central anchor for your concentration the principles of simplicity and familiarity again hold some significance. Whether we choose the sound of OM or a simple prayer or inspirational quote, the practice begins with the slow and consistent repetition of it. Some people choose simple statements such as ‘May I be filled with compassion’ or ‘May all beings live in peace’ as a focus that is both evocative and symbolic. A single word such as ‘peace’ or ‘calm’ will serve. Through our sustained focus it becomes more prominent to us than any of the other mental or physical events that are occurring. It is important that the repetition doesn’t become mechanical or habitual but through giving each utterance of the sound our wholehearted attentiveness, it is an expression of sensitivity and meaning. Through repeating the sound we become increasingly attuned and close to it. Again many times our attention will depart to become entangled elsewhere, the cultivation of concentration occurs through the same gentle returning of attention to our primary object of focus. As we continue with the practice, our attunement with the sound deepens and it becomes an integral part of our consciousness, easily accessible to us. In the deepening of the practice the level of attunement with the sound becomes so profound that it saturates our being and we are absorbed in it. The characteristics of absorption are always joy and oneness. Even on more surface levels of connection with our chosen sound it offers us a refuge of calm and focus that we are then able to bring to the variety of circumstances in our lives where there is turmoil or confusion. The chosen sound, mantra or phrase provides a tangible place to anchor our attention in times of stress or even in the midst of activities that require little attention.
CONCENTRATION ON BREATHING
The practice of focusing upon our own breathing process as a means of cultivating one-pointedness and concentration is found within a variety of schools of meditation practice. This widely cultivated practice is adopted for a number