Concentration of attention and transition to contemplation. Is this meditation right for you? Logic and lateral thinking exercise

During concentration, attention is kept on the object of concentration by force of will. Partial or complete distraction of attention to thoughts or other sensations may occur. This should not be allowed. As soon as the distraction is fixed, attention also, through an effort of will, returns to object of concentration. At first, for most practitioners, concentrating attention seems almost impossible because... being distracted by thoughts due to deep-rooted habit happens all the time. Attitude is important here. It is worth remembering what you are doing and no matter how important the thoughts may seem, it is worth giving yourself the attitude: “I will think all this after practice, but now – just practice.”

During the first months, and sometimes even years, everyone faces resistance from an ever-distracted mind. There is a feeling that the flow of thoughts simply cannot be interrupted, and deliberate fixation of attention for a long period of time on the same object is impossible. In reality, concentration is difficult only for the mind, and is accomplished easily when the consciousness penetrates into the realm of the mind, which makes final decisions.

The mind may want to turn the world upside down today, but the next day you won’t even remember about it. The mind is unstable, it constantly rushes about, changing dozens of desires in a short period of time, therefore the mind is responsible for all important decisions, especially those related to changes in personality.

Over time, penetrating deeper into the nature of mental activity, you become more and more accustomed to a state of continuous attentiveness. Attention flows by itself continuously; it does not need to be developed or strengthened in any way. The main task is to make attention subservient, to learn to direct your own potential in a single direction. Swami Vivekananda, speaking about concentration, cited the example of the phenomenon of lightning, which occurs when many particles are concentrated in a single stream. A similar effect is achieved by concentration of attention, thanks to which the consciousness awakens with a bright flash of insight.

As you progress in practice, concentration smoothly turns into spontaneous contemplation, that is, into real meditation. It is impossible to say objectively where concentration stops and meditation begins, because... there is no clear boundary, and the transition from one state to another usually occurs smoothly. Spontaneous contemplation differs from concentration in the absence of volitional efforts. This happens when the mind recognizes the nature of contemplation and is imbued with it. In meditation, contemplation of an object occurs easily, without any effort.

The psyche, freed from thoughts during meditation, remains in its natural state. Such an experience is characterized by deep tranquility, blissful non-interference in the spontaneity of mental processes, ease and freedom. As the mind calms down, bliss and delight increase. In yoga, this state is called savikalpa samadhi. Don’t let your mind be confused by foreign words - the techniques are universal, and they do not depend on words in any way. Each person is pure consciousness in which life occurs.

To enter into meditation, you should not suppress thoughts, you just need to leave them as they are. The mind still reflects for some time, and thoughts become less and less coherent. It doesn’t matter what images appear in the mind, what language he speaks, poetry, or prose, sings praises, or scares - all this in meditation is left as it is, without intervention, then over time the mind calms down completely.

A beginner practitioner can try to immediately enter meditation, bypassing concentration, if there is an appropriate mood and calmness. Efforts and will, which can help with concentration, only interfere with meditation. In meditation, it is important to completely relax the body and mind while maintaining alertness. There is no need to remain vigilant by force of will; attention is already always active, so you just need to stop making efforts without falling asleep - allow attention to intuitively spontaneously pour out onto the object of perception.

When efforts or efforts begin, vigilance is lost because the active subject turns on, and consciousness becomes clouded with its activity, filling itself with its vibrations. With such efforts, the focus of perception slides from the subtle intuitive sphere of existence associated with perception - to the coarser sphere of thought.

In fact, the state of absolute alertness is the goal of practice. This elusive state appears (Atman in the teachings of Advaita, Purusha in yoga) without any characteristics. It can be conditionally characterized as an empty feeling of being.

When meditation is so deep that nothing remains except the object of contemplation, consciousness completely merges with the object and samadhi occurs. At this time, only the object of contemplation exists, immersed in the pure existence of the “I”.

The object of meditation can be anything: any sensation, external form, or thought. Meditations on breathing, internal sound and light, chakras, mantras, etc. are popular. In my opinion, the best practice is meditation without an object, which is relaxation in natural presence.

The next step is to divert attention even from the only remaining object of contemplation. It is believed that this step cannot be completed with any effort, because... effort is the sphere of the active subject. When consciousness is prepared, the step of diverting attention from any objects of perception occurs spontaneously, as a transition to an absolutely natural state of pure being outside of any objects. A similar state in yoga is called nirvikalpa samadhi, and in Buddhism it is the well-known nirvana.

Concentration is an arrow. Meditation is a bow.

When we concentrate, we focus all our energy on some subject or object in order to remove its veil of mystery. When we meditate, we rise from our limited consciousness into a higher consciousness where the vastness of silence rules the supreme.

Concentration wants to master the knowledge it aims at. Meditation wants to identify itself with the knowledge it seeks.

Concentration does not allow worry, the thief, to penetrate its fortress. Meditation lets him in. For what? Just to catch the thief by the hand.

Concentration is the commander who commands the distracted consciousness to become attentive.

Concentration and absolute perseverance are not only inseparable, but also interdependent divine warriors.

Concentration challenges the enemy to a duel and fights with him. Meditation with its silent smile weakens the challenge of the enemy.

Concentration says to God: “Father, I come to You.” Meditation says to God, “Father, come to me.” The aspirant has two true teachers: concentration and meditation. Concentration is always strict with the student, meditation is strict at times. But both of them are seriously interested in the development of their student.

The power of concentration

Concentration means inner alertness and vigilance. Thieves are all around us and inside us. Fear, doubt, worry and worry are internal thieves trying to steal our inner balance and peace of mind. When we learn to concentrate, it will be very difficult for these forces to penetrate us. If doubt enters our mind, the power of concentration will tear it to pieces. If fear enters our mind, the power of concentration will drive it away. Now we are victims of unenlightened, dark, destructive thoughts, but the day will come when, thanks to the power of our concentration, the disturbing thoughts themselves will fear us.

Concentration is the driving force of the mind that works within us to perceive light and dispel darkness. She is like the divine warrior in us. It is impossible to even imagine what concentration can do in our aspiration-life. She can easily separate heaven from hell, so that we can live in the constant delight of heaven, and not in the eternal worries, worries and torments of hell while we are here on earth.

Concentration is the surest way to achieve our goal, whether our goal is the realization of God or simply the fulfillment of human desires. A true aspirant will sooner or later acquire the power of concentration either by the grace of God, through constant practice, or through his own aspiration.

The indomitable will of the soul

When we concentrate, we are like a bullet hitting something, or a magnet attracting the object of concentration towards us. At this time we do not allow any thoughts to enter our mind, be they divine or undivine, earthly or heavenly, good or bad. In concentration, the entire mind must be focused on a specific object or subject. If we concentrate on the petal of a flower, we try to feel that nothing else exists in the whole world except the petal. We look neither forward nor backward, neither in nor out, we only try to comprehend the object of our one-pointed concentration. This is not an aggressive way of getting into anything. This concentration comes directly from the soul's indomitable will, or willpower.

When you want to practice focusing on an object, you should choose something that gives you immediate joy. If you have a spiritual teacher, his portrait will give you immediate joy. If you don't have a teacher, choose something beautiful, divine and pure, like a flower.

We concentrate with an illuminating one-pointedness of mind. We meditate with the expanding vastness of the heart. We contemplate with the realized unity of the soul.

Concentration coming from the heart

Very often I hear aspirants say that they cannot concentrate for more than five minutes. After five minutes they get a headache or feel like their head is on fire. Why? This is because the power of their concentration comes from the intellectual mind, or we can say the disciplined mind. The mind knows that it should not wander; He already knows that. But if the mind is used correctly, achieving its enlightenment, then the light of the soul should enter into it. When the light of the soul has entered the mind, it becomes extremely easy to concentrate on anything for hours. During this time there will be no thoughts, no doubts, no fear. No negative forces can enter the mind if it is filled with the light of the soul.

When we concentrate, we should feel that our power of concentration comes from the heart center and then rises to the third eye. The heart center is where the soul is. When we think about the soul at this time, it is better not to form any special idea about it and not to try to think what it is like. We will think of her only as the representative of God or as infinite light and delight. When we concentrate, we try to feel that the light of the soul comes from the heart and passes through the third eye. Then, with this light, we enter into the object of concentration and become identified with it. The final stage of concentration is the discovery of the hidden, ultimate Truth in the object of concentration.

Touching Infinity: Meditation

When we concentrate, we focus our attention on a specific object. But when we meditate, we feel that deep within us there is the ability to see many things, deal with many things and accept many things at the same time. When we meditate, we try to expand ourselves, like a bird spreading its wings. We are trying to expand our finite consciousness and enter into the Universal Consciousness, where there is no fear, envy or doubt, but only joy, peace and divine power.

Meditation means our conscious growth towards Infinity. In fact, during meditation we enter into a free, calm, silent mind and allow the Infinity itself to nurture and grow us. When we are in meditation, we only want to communicate with God. Now I speak your language and you can understand me, since you know your language well. Likewise, if we know how to meditate properly, we will be able to communicate with God, because meditation is the language we use to talk with God.

Sea of ​​tranquility

Meditation is like diving to the bottom of the sea, where everything is quiet and calm. There may be a lot of waves on the surface, but deeper the sea is calm. In its deepest depths the sea is silence itself. When we begin to meditate, first we try to reach our inner essence, our true essence, so to speak, the bottom of the sea. If the waves come from the outside world, they do not affect us. Fear, doubt, anxiety and all the dark vanity will simply be washed away, since there is indestructible peace within us. Thoughts cannot disturb us, since our mind is peace itself, silence itself, unity itself. Like fish in the sea, they jump out and swim, but leave no trace. So when we are in our highest meditation, we feel that we are the sea and the animals in the sea cannot disturb us. We feel that we are the sky and all the flying birds cannot disturb us. Our mind is the sky and our heart is the endless sea. This is meditation.

Becoming Truth: Contemplation

With the help of concentration we focus on one point. Through meditation we expand our consciousness into the Vastness and enter into its consciousness. But in contemplation we turn into the Vastness itself, and its consciousness becomes truly our own. In contemplation we are at the same time in our deepest concentration and in our highest meditation. In contemplation we move towards the truth that we saw and felt in meditation, we become completely one with it. When we concentrate on God, we can feel God right in front of us or next to us. When we meditate, we will definitely feel Infinity, Eternity and Immortality within ourselves. But when we contemplate, we will see that we ourselves are God, that we ourselves are Infinity, Eternity and Immortality. Contemplation means our conscious unity with the infinite eternal Absolute. In contemplation, the Creator and the creation, the lover and the Beloved, the knower and the known become one. At one moment we are the divine lover and God is the Beloved Supreme. The next moment we switch roles. In contemplation, we become one with the Creator and see the entire Universe within ourselves. While we look at our own existence, we do not see a human being. We see something like a source of light, peace and bliss.

Concentration conveys the message of alertness. Meditation conveys a message of vastness. Contemplation gives an idea of ​​an indivisible unity.

Meditation versus contemplation

If we meditate on a specific divine quality such as light, peace or bliss, or if we meditate abstractly on Infinity, Eternity or Immortality, then all the time we will feel within us a fast train moving forward. We meditate on peace, light or bliss while the fast train is moving non-stop. Our mind is quiet and calm in the vastness of Infinity, but there is movement; the train moves endlessly towards its goal. We imagine a goal, and meditation takes us there.

Not so in contemplation. In contemplation we feel the whole Universe and the most distant Goal deep within ourselves. When we contemplate, we feel that we contain the entire Universe with all its infinite light, peace, bliss and truth. There are no thoughts, no forms, no ideas.

In contemplation, everything merges into one stream of consciousness. In our highest contemplation we feel that we are nothing other than consciousness itself; we are one with the Absolute. But in our highest meditation there is a dynamic movement going on in our consciousness. We are fully aware of what is happening in the inner and outer world, but what is happening does not affect us. In contemplation, too, we are not influenced by what happens in the inner and outer world, but our entire existence has become an integral part of the universe, which we contain deep within ourselves.

Concentration exercises

1. Point
If you want to develop your concentration power, here is an exercise you can try. First, wash your face and eyes thoroughly cold water. Then make a black dot on the wall at eye level. Face it about 10 inches (25 cm) away and concentrate on it. After a few minutes, try to feel that when you inhale, your inhalation is actually coming from a point, and that point is also inhaling, receiving its breath from you. Try to feel that there are two of you: you and the black dot. Your breath comes from the point, and its breath comes from you.

After 10 minutes, if your concentration was very strong, you will feel that your soul has left you and entered the black dot on the wall. At this time, try to feel that you and your soul are changing places. The soul takes you into its world for realization, and you bring the soul into the physical world for manifestation. In this way you can develop the power of concentration very easily. But this method requires practice. There are many things that come very easily with practice, and just because we don't practice, we don't get results.

2. Vision and reality
Another exercise you can try is the following. First, make a very small circle on the wall at eye level and place a black dot inside it. It must be black; not blue or red or any other color. Then stand facing a wall 3.5 feet away and focus your attention on the circle. Your eyes should be relaxed and half-open. Let the power of your concentration come from the middle of your forehead. After 3-4 minutes, open your eyes completely and try to feel that from head to toe you are eyes. Your entire physical being becomes nothing more than a vision, and that vision is focused on a point within the circle. Then begin to make the object of your concentration smaller. After a few seconds, try to feel that your entire body has become as small as a point on the wall. Try to feel that the point is another part of your own being. Then enter the point, go through it and end up on the other side. On the other side of the point, turn around and look at your own body. Your physical body is on one side, but thanks to the power of your concentration, you have sent your subtle body to the other side of the point. Through your subtle body you see your physical body, and through your physical body you see your subtle body.

I concentrate for the sake of success in the journey of my life. I meditate for the sake of progress in my life's journey. I contemplate for the sake of the Divine process in the journey of my life.

When you began to concentrate, your entire physical body became one vision. At this time, the point was your reality. When you entered the point, then vision and reality became one. You were a vision, but you were also a reality. When you looked back at yourself from the point, the process was reversed. At that moment, you became a vision outside of yourself, and the place you turned to - your body - became a reality. Then vision and reality became one again. When you are able to perceive vision and reality in this way, your concentration is absolutely perfect. When your power of concentration can take you to the other side of the point that you called reality, at that time your entire being will be far beyond both vision and reality. And when you can feel that you have transcended your vision and your reality, you will receive limitless power.

If you are my disciple, then when you concentrate on the black dot inside the circle, you can try to see yourself there - your own face of aspiration. Feel that you exist here and nowhere else. Then try to feel that your being, your face, your consciousness - everything completely - has been replaced by mine. Someday you will feel that your former being has been completely replaced by mine, and then you will establish your inseparable unity with me, and the power of my will will definitely enter into your life.

3. My heart friend
Just as you can concentrate on the tip of your finger or on a candle or some other material object, you can also concentrate on your heart. You can close your eyes or look at the wall, but always think of your heart as a dear friend. When such thinking becomes most intense, when it completely absorbs your entire attention, then it means that you have gone beyond ordinary thinking and entered into concentration. Physically you cannot look at your spiritual heart, but you can focus all your attention on it. Then gradually the power of your concentration enters the heart and takes you completely out of the realm of the mind.

If you do not have purity to a very high degree, if your heart is dominated by dark desires, then before concentrating on the heart you should invoke purity. When you feel the Living Altar deep in the most hidden corners of your heart, this is purity. When you feel the divine presence of the inner altar, you are immediately purified. At this time, your concentration on the heart will be most effective.

4. Pulse of life
Some seekers prefer to concentrate on the beating of their heart. If you want to do this, don't be afraid that your heart will stop and you will die. If you want to be a real hero in your spiritual life, you can practice focusing on your heartbeat. This is an invaluable opportunity for you to enter into endless life. Every time you hear the sound of your heartbeat, you will directly feel your endless, immortal life in it.

5. Inner flower
For this exercise you will need a flower. With half-open eyes, look at the entire flower for a few seconds. When you concentrate, try to feel that you are this flower. At the same time, try to feel that this flower is growing in the most remote corners of our heart. Feel that you are a flower and you are growing inside your heart.

Then gradually try to concentrate on one individual flower petal. Feel that this petal you have chosen is the embryonic form of your reality-existence. After a few minutes, concentrate again on the whole flower and feel that this is the Universal Reality. So move back and forth, concentrating first on the petal - the embryonic form of reality, and then on the whole flower - the Universal Reality. While doing this, please try not to let any thought enter your mind. Try to bring your mind to a state of complete peace, silence, silence.

After a while, please close your eyes and try to see in your heart the flower on which you were concentrating. Then, in the same way that you concentrated on the physical flower, gently, with your eyes closed, concentrate on the flower in your heart.

Meditation Exercises

1. Heart - rose
Please imagine a flower inside your heart. Let's say you prefer rose. Imagine that the rose is not fully bloomed; she's still a bud. After meditating for 2-3 minutes, please try to imagine that petal by petal a flower is blooming. Watch and feel the flower unfolding petal by petal within your heart. Then, after 5 minutes, try to feel that there is no heart at all, there is only a flower inside you, called the “heart”. You don't have a heart, you only have a flower. The flower has become your heart or your heart has become a flower.

After 7-8 minutes, please feel that this heart flower has filled your entire body. Your body is no longer here; You can smell the rose scent from head to toe. If you look at your feet, you will immediately smell the scent of roses. If you look at your lap, you will smell the rose. If you look at your hand, you will smell the scent of roses. Everywhere the beauty, aroma and purity of the rose filled your entire body. When you feel from head to toe that you have become only the beauty, fragrance, purity and delight of the rose, then you are ready to take your place at the Feet of your Beloved Supreme.

2. River of consciousness
When you meditate, try to make your mind accept 3 qualities: purity in your whole being, modesty in your whole being and gratitude in every member, in every cell. As you inhale and exhale, feel the river of divine consciousness flowing through you without any compulsion or effort. Feel this river of divine consciousness flowing in and out in constant unity with the Source, the Supreme.

3. Offer it to God
When you inhale, feel that you are breathing in the immortal qualities of God, and when you exhale, feel that you are offering your ignorance to God.

At present we feel that ignorance is our property. Although we say that ignorance is very bad, we do not want to give it up. But we must know that ignorance is not our true wealth, our true assets are peace, light and bliss. During meditation, offer your false possessions to God and accept your true possessions from God. Ask God to take what you have and what you are and give you what He has and what He is.

What you have is an aspiration, an inner call to become divine. What you are is ignorance. Ask God to take both your aspiration and your ignorance and give you what He has and what He is: Infinity, Eternity and Immortality.

4. Golden creature
Try to feel that you are in the heart of God, the Inner Pilot. Although you have not seen the Almighty, still mentally imagine a human being, all made of gold. Imagine that He is right in front of you, and you are inside His heart or in His arms or at His Feet. Don't think that you are 18 or 40 or 60 years old. Think that you are only a month old and that you are inside the very Heart of the Almighty or in His arms.

5. The expanse of the sky
Keep your eyes half open and imagine the vast sky. First try to feel that the sky is in front of you; then try to feel that you are as vast as the sky, or that you are the vast sky itself.

After a few minutes, please close your eyes and try to see and feel the sky inside your heart. Please feel that you are the universal heart and that within you is the sky that you have meditated on and identified yourself with. Your spiritual heart is infinitely more spacious than the sky, so you can easily contain the sky within yourself.

Exercises in Contemplation

1. Hide and seek game
Try to imagine the golden being and feel that It is infinitely more beautiful than the most wonderful child you have ever seen on earth. This being is your Beloved Lord Supreme. You are the divine lover and the golden being is your Beloved Lord Supreme.

Now try to imagine that your own existence, like the existence of your Beloved, is on the top of a mountain in the Himalayas or at the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean, whichever is easier for you. As soon as you feel it, smile internally.

After a few seconds, please feel that you yourself are the Beloved Supreme and that the golden being is a divine lover. It's like a divine game of hide and seek. When you become the Beloved Supreme, the divine lover seeks you, and when you become the divine lover, you seek your Beloved Supreme. One moment you are a divine lover, and the next moment you are the Beloved Supreme.

At first, please do the exercise with your eyes half open. When you become proficient in it, you can close your eyes.

Question answer

Question: When I sit down to meditate, I have to concentrate, quieting my mind, with such tension that I cannot get in touch with my inner self.
Answer: You may not know it, but you are doing the right thing. When you try to keep your mind calm and quiet, you concentrate. In concentration you try to control your thoughts and emotions. Concentration must pave the way for meditation. To meditate, you must have already disciplined your emotional life and restless mind to some extent. When you succeed in driving away all the thoughts that trouble your mind, sooner or later your inner self will come to the fore, like the brightly burning sun dispelling the curtain of clouds. Currently, the inner sun is obscured by clouds of thoughts, ideas, doubts, fears, and so on. When you can drive them away, you will see that your inner self shines, shines and radiates right in front of you.

Question: How can you tell if you are concentrating or meditating?
Answer: When it is concentration there is great tension; it is like an arrow entering a target. If you feel the intense force energizing you, then this is the result of your concentration. But in meditation there is peace and a sense of spaciousness all around, especially in the mind. If you feel deep within you an immense sea of ​​peace, light and bliss, then this is the result of your meditation. Meditation is all about peace, balance and vastness. There is tension here, too, but tension bathed in a flood of light. The highest light is not necessary in concentration and often does not occur.

In addition, concentration requires immediate results. She is ready to do anything to achieve her goal. Meditation feels like it has infinite time at its disposal. This does not mean that meditation neglects fleeting time. No, she appreciates fleeting time, but in the current time she sees endless time. That is why in meditation there is infinite peace.

Don't give preference to any of these experiences. If the Supreme wants to concentrate in and through you, then you allow it. Again, if He wants to meditate in and through you, then you allow that too.

Question: Once we have learned to meditate, should we continue to practice concentration?
Answer: As a general rule, seekers who are just entering the spiritual life should begin with concentration for at least a few months. Once they learn to concentrate, meditation becomes easy. But even when you are able to meditate, it is advisable to concentrate for a few minutes before starting your daily meditation. If you are concentrated, you are like a runner clearing the path of obstacles before starting to run. Once the track is clear you can run very fast. At this time you become like an inner express train that stops only at your destination.

Question: How do we approach contemplation after finishing meditation?
Answer: Contemplation comes after many years, when a person has greatly advanced in spiritual life. Contemplation is the highest rung of the inner ladder. Very, very few spiritually aspirated people have the ability to carry out even limited contemplation and they certainly cannot do it of their own free will.

Contemplation must be mastered before realizing God, so contemplation cannot be ignored or avoided. In your case there is no need for contemplation because your concentration and meditation are not yet perfect. When your concentration is perfect and your meditation is perfect, it will be necessary to perfect your contemplation. Then you will truly be able to enter into the Supreme.

How can you succeed in outer life if you do not have the power of concentration? How can you progress in the inner life when you have no peace of meditation?

During concentration, attention is kept by force of will on the object of concentration; partial or complete distraction to thoughts or other sensations can often occur. This should not be allowed. As soon as the distraction is fixed, attention also, through an effort of will, returns to the object of concentration.
At first, for most people, concentration seems almost impossible to accomplish, because... Thought distraction, due to deep-rooted habit, happens all the time. Attitude is important here. It is worth remembering what we are doing and no matter how important the thoughts may seem to us, we need to give ourselves the mindset that I will think all these thoughts after practice, and now - only practice.
In the first months, most people, as a rule, do not yet have noticeable results. You seem to be faced with the reluctance of the mind to obey your will. There is a feeling that the flow of thoughts simply cannot be interrupted, and deliberate fixation on the same object for a long period of time is impossible. In reality, concentration is both very difficult and very simple. This is difficult for the mind, but it is quite easy when your consciousness penetrates into the realm of the mind that makes the final decisions.
The mind may want to turn the world upside down today, but tomorrow you won’t even remember about it. The mind is not stable, it constantly rushes about, changing dozens of desires in a short period of time. Therefore, the mind is responsible for all important decisions, especially those related to changes in your personality.
Over time, penetrating deeper into the nature of mental activity, you become more and more accustomed to a state of continuous attentiveness. Attention flows by itself continuously, but your task is to make it subservient, to be able to learn to direct your potential in a single direction. Swami Vivekananda, speaking about concentration, cited the example of the phenomenon of lightning, which occurs when many particles are concentrated in a single stream. The same is true with the power of kundalini, which often awakens suddenly for the practitioner himself, when his attention is one-pointed.
As you progress in practice, concentration will gradually turn into meditation. It is impossible to say objectively where concentration stops and meditation begins, because... This process is most often gradual. Meditation differs from concentration in the absence of volitional effort. This happens when your mind recognizes the nature of contemplation and becomes imbued with it. In meditation, natural spontaneous contemplation of an object begins, everything happens easily, without any effort.
A person freed from thoughts during meditation remains in the natural state of his consciousness. Such an experience is characterized by deep tranquility, bliss, ease and freedom. In yoga, this is the first level of samadhi - savikalpa samadhi. As the mind calms down, bliss and delight increase.
You shouldn't suppress your thoughts, you just need to leave them as they are. The mind will continue to reflect for some time, and thoughts will become less and less coherent. It doesn’t matter what images appear in the mind, what language he speaks, in poetry or prose, sings praises, or scares - all this is not important, you must leave all this as it is, without interference, then over time the mind calms down completely. If you have learned not to react to thoughts, your consciousness rises to the realm of the intuitive mind.
A beginner practitioner can try to immediately enter meditation, bypassing concentration, if there is an appropriate mood and calmness. Efforts and will, which can help with concentration, will only interfere with meditation. In meditation, it is important to completely relax the body and mind while maintaining vigilance and awareness. You shouldn't try to preserve it, you just need to let it happen as something natural. After all, your attention is always with you, so you just need to stop making efforts without falling asleep, allow your attention to intuitively, spontaneously pour out onto the object of perception.
When efforts or efforts begin, vigilance is lost, because... the ego, the active subject, turns on and consciousness becomes clouded with its activity, filling itself with its vibrations (vritti). With such efforts, you slide from the subtle, intuitive sphere of existence associated with perception to the coarser sphere of thought.
In fact, a state of absolute alertness is the goal of practice. This elusive state is the pure Self (Atman, Purusha), without any characteristics. It can be conditionally characterized as an empty feeling of being.
When meditation is so deep that nothing else remains except the object of meditation, consciousness completely merges with the object and is imbued with it. During such samadhi, only this object exists, immersed in the pure Self.
The next step is to divert attention even from this object. It is believed that this step cannot be completed with any effort, because... effort is the sphere of the active subject. When the consciousness is prepared, the step of diverting attention from any objects of perception occurs by itself, as a transition to an absolutely natural ideal state of pure being, outside of any objects. This state is called nirvikalpa samadhi.
Here, a lot also depends on the object of meditation, which can be anything: any sensation, external object or thought. Meditations on breathing, on internal sound and light, on chakras, mantra techniques, etc. are very popular. In my opinion, the best meditation is meditation without an object, which is relaxation in natural presence.
Meditation is relaxation in natural presence. To switch to meditation, we need to learn to relax our entire existence and stop trying to do anything, because... attention is a spontaneous and natural thing. This process is very individual and even intimate. It is almost impossible to describe all stages in detail, because... There may be hundreds of them and each has their own, but in general terms the following happens.
First, we relax the body, leaving slightly tense only those parts that we need to maintain the posture necessary for meditation. At first it is almost impossible to distinguish the thought that you are observing from the observation itself. If you seem to be meditating, it means that you are most likely just thinking about it. Meditation is a purely intuitive process, like a spontaneous dance, beyond thoughts. You may think of clouds moving, but they do not require any mental effort to move. You don't need thoughts to raise your hand. Osho, during one of his lectures, gave an example of a centipede, which one day, suddenly, thought about how it moves all its legs. And when she thought about it, she tripped.
One of the most effective meditations is meditation on thoughts that arise in the spectrum of our awareness. As you practice observing thoughts, you will begin to distinguish different aspects, or facets, of thoughts. It will become clear that thought is not only that which is alive, my personality, ego, etc., but it is also energy, and it cannot be called objectively alive - it is a certain type of tension against the general background of consciousness. When the tension is recognized, a period of relaxation begins.
You let go of all the concepts of “yourself”, everything that you associated with yourself, not falling asleep, but being in continuous, eternally natural attention. It will become clear that thought is even a kind of effort, we are just used to making it and at first relaxation seems something unnatural. But this is just another thought. We relax the brain, head, let go of all impulses arising on the periphery.
At this time, the distinction gradually appears that hundreds of thoughts are always circling around us in this mental field of perception, and we are actually conductors of these substances. Our mind unconsciously picked them up from there. As you relax, you penetrate more and more into the unconscious, endowing it with the light of your attention, ordering and expanding your consciousness. The expansion of consciousness is characterized by the experience of lightness, freedom, happiness. You seem to blur into space, and your self is no longer that compressed bundle of thoughts.
As you progress in meditation practice, expressing your thoughts in an internal monologue will begin to seem somewhat rude. Thoughts begin to be felt in the form of impulses, and the original taste of the thought is immediately recognized. Even before you let the thought into yourself, you already discern whether this thought is negative or harmonious, whether this thought is worth paying attention to, feeding it, giving it a go, or not.
I believe that this is the best way to stop indulgence, self-indulgence, whining, ridding the brain of the burden of chaos of useless information that wastes our attention and energy. Other everyday methods are often associated with suppression, or playing the role of a detached person, but rarely provide real freedom from negative experiences.
As already mentioned, one can meditate without an object, simply by relaxing the mind, remaining alert, tuning directly to the untainted aspect of existence as such, which is a direct way of recognizing one's essence. But this is an advanced practice, and in most cases the object is useful and necessary, at least as a point of reference, or as a pointer so as not to go astray. For example, when it is not entirely clear what is happening in consciousness, you simply remember: “I am contemplating this object,” be it the tip of the nose, breathing, sound, mantras, or others.
As the relaxation of mental activity progresses, attention becomes more and more unfixed. Having detached ourselves from such sharp details as thoughts and become more refined, we feel attention as a kind of vibrating being similar to space. This is not the final goal yet, because... there is still a certain energy that we feel, and which fixes us on a certain plane, albeit broader than private thoughts.
In meditation, as tension is relieved, all accumulated stress (karma) is released. The discerning ability of the mind becomes more refined. There is an opportunity to work with the subtlest reasons for what happens to us.
You can begin the practice of meditation with twenty minutes twice a day, gradually increasing to an hour or more. On free days, you can arrange retreats for yourself, when meditation takes place for 5-8 hours a day. Such a retreat can last from one day to several years, depending on the conditions of practice. Retreat is the most powerful means of realizing enlightenment.
If meditation doesn’t work out and you feel something like attempts at concentration, you can try giving yourself different settings (sankalpas).
1.) I hold on to the object of meditation at all costs, without distraction.
2.) Now there is not a single important thought, I will think about all this later, but now it’s just practice.
3.) Everything happens by itself, I don’t do anything, the choice happens automatically, I am free from choice.
4.) The object of meditation is already here and now, no amount of effort will help to perceive it. You just need to relax.
5.) I let go of thoughts “as is”, let there be any thoughts, I don’t pay attention to them.
6.) How can I not control my own mind. If I don't control something, maybe it's not mine?
7.) I have always been here, it has always been what is right now and nothing else is needed - there is nothing to strive for.
Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to objectively describe these subtle processes in words, and it is worth, by practicing every day, to consciously get used to the intuitive awareness that most people nowadays are dormant.
© Igor Satorin

Many people who begin spiritual practice believe that there is nothing in common between meditation and concentration, since the first activity implies relaxation, and the second, on the contrary, concentration.

In fact, these are very similar concepts, and there is even a special meditation on concentration, which allows you to dive most deeply into your inner world.

In this article we will look at the most popular meditative concentration techniques, each of which is effective in its own way.

Meditative concentration - what is it?

To understand what concentration meditation is, you must first understand the concept of concentration. When a person concentrates on some object, it becomes the center of attention for him, but everything else seems to cease to exist.

Meditation at its core is immersion in a relaxed state, but at the same time the practitioner not only distracts himself from the outside world, but also focuses on the inner. During meditation, a person removes unnecessary thoughts from his head and thinks only about what interests him at the moment.

It turns out that meditation is essentially pure internal concentration.

There are special techniques of meditative concentration that help a person tune in to the right mood, catch the inner wave and achieve the desired result. All this is very important for those who want to learn not only to relax internally, but also to solve certain problems in this state.

Meditation on the tip of the nose

The sages of the ancient East claimed that meditation on the tip of the nose helps a person open his own third eye. It is not known for certain whether this is true, but many spiritual practitioners claim that this technique really works.

How to do meditation for concentration

In order to open the third eye, you just need to focus both eyes on the tip of your own nose. It sounds quite simple, but in reality many people have difficulty with this.

The fact is that the third eye itself is located slightly above the tip of the nose, but on the same line, and during the exercise you need to try to catch and fix exactly this position.

If the eyes are open too wide, then the gaze will run into the distance, but if, on the contrary, they are too lowered, then the nose will again be lost from sight.

Try doing this technique several times a day, sitting in a comfortable position but with a straight spine. Concentrating on the tip of the nose is a real meditation for concentrating attention, so during it you need not just perform a mechanical action, but also mentally imagine how the light of your eyes connects at the very point where the “divine eye” is located.

Meditative Focus Techniques

In order to learn concentration meditation, you need to practice, practice and practice again. To do this, you need to master some technique of meditative concentration. There are several of them, and you can choose the ones you like best, or alternate them.

Exercise with a visible object

• Take a comfortable position and focus all your attention on any object around you. It doesn’t matter what size the selected object is, the main thing is to focus your gaze only on it and, without blinking, hold it for ten seconds.
• This is followed by a relaxation pause of two minutes, where you simply do nothing.
• After this, close your eyes and imagine the same object, but in your mind.

Do this exercise five times a day in the first week, ten times in the second, and fifteen times in the third. It will be easier for beginners to concentrate if the selected item is small in size and has a pleasant color.

Exercise with sounds

One of the most interesting ways to meditate on concentration is through sound. This method works best for auditory people, who better remember information spoken out loud.

• To complete the exercise, you just need to choose a word or phrase and repeat it many times in a row, focusing as much as possible on the sound.

You should not choose very long phrases or complex words; it is better to pay attention to pleasant, beautiful-sounding or simply interesting ones.

Breathing exercise

Breathing is something that we practically don’t pay attention to in everyday life.

• Try to focus all your attention on how you breathe, and you will be fascinated by this process.
• You can concentrate on the full breathing cycle, or you can only concentrate on inhaling or exhaling. The main thing is not to be distracted by anything extraneous and think only about the breathing process itself.

Repeat this exercise several times a day and you will see that your concentration has improved significantly.

Exercise with an imaginary object

This technique is suitable for those who like to visualize.

• Mentally imagine any object and focus all your attention on it. It could be a babbling brook, a burning candle, or anything else. The main thing is to imagine the object in all details, to feel it.

If you imagine a candle, strive not only to see how its flame sways, but also how the wax crackles as it flows, and how much heat it emits. If your object is a river or stream, imagine how pleasantly the water murmurs in it, how small fish scurry about in it, how the sun’s rays are reflected.

Logic and lateral thinking exercise

This method of concentration will appeal to those who like to solve puzzles and riddles. You have to focus on an unusual solution to an abstract problem.

For example, all people are familiar with the sound of applause. With this clap, one palm hits the other. Now imagine what the clap of just one hand would sound like! For such a task, you can take any non-standard situation, the main thing is to fully concentrate on the solution and mentally imagine, see, hear the result of your mental activity.

Movement exercise

This method is popular with those who usually find it difficult to sit still.

• Turn off the lights or close your eyes, then turn on any music and start dancing.
• Do it freely and simply enjoy the dance, but focus on the direct interaction between sounds and movements.

As you have already seen, meditation on concentration can be absolutely anything. All the techniques presented here work flawlessly if performed regularly.

Meditation a very powerful practice that gives many positive effects. The main positive effects are rapid mental recovery after stress, restoration of physical strength, powerful growth of will, awareness, increased work efficiency, especially intellectual. Strengthening human energy, developing intuition, self-control, memory and various extrasensory abilities are also a natural result of concentration practice.

The easiest way to understand what meditation is is practice. You can use an effective technique for this, the name of which is concentration.

Concentration makes it possible to enter a state of meditation quite quickly, and a minimum of explanation is required. After some time, concentration automatically turns into meditation, which is why it is easiest to start meditation exercises with the practice of concentration.

Concentration represents the complete concentration of consciousness on any object. At the same time, other objects seem to be relegated to the background and receive a minimum of attention.

Objects of concentration can be very different:

• Point on the wall;
• Symbol;
• Small item;
• Element (water, earth, fire, air);
• An energy center in the human body or any of its organs;
• Sound;
• Light;
• Breath;
• Event;
• Human;
• Situation;
• Abstract concept.

The choice of object of concentration directly affects what result you will get from practice. What I mean is that with different objects of meditation, different specific abilities will be developed. But common to all objects will be a significant increase in the efficiency of any type of activity, in other words, human efficiency. In my deep conviction, concentration is also the shortest way to develop psychic abilities.

Concentration technique

One of the simplest and most effective concentration exercises is working with a point on the wall. Take a large white piece of paper and draw a black circle in the middle, about 5mm in size. Completely fill in the circle. This sheet should be at a distance of 0.5-1 meter from you, and the point should be approximately at eye level or slightly lower. The most ideal option is a quiet, peaceful place. Warn your family in advance so that you will not be disturbed during class and turn off your phone.

The pose should be comfortable and stable, but the spine must be straight. It is best to use the Vajrasana yoga asana for this, but if you cannot sit in it for a long time or the pose is uncomfortable for you, you can sit on a chair or armchair. In this case, it is advisable not to cross your legs and, leaning on your back, keep your spine straight.

Initial class time is about 10 minutes. Do not rush to increase it, it may stop you almost at the very beginning, because... a persistent aversion to exercise may appear.

Look at a point on the wall without blinking or being distracted by extraneous thoughts and objects. In just 10-20 seconds, attention will be intensely distracted by the most inappropriate objects and events. The gaze will begin to wander. Thoughts will constantly bother you, and their behavior will be like a pack of maddened rats. 🙂 Just keep bringing your attention back to the point on the wall.

Try not to blink during the exercise, as it becomes increasingly difficult after a while. The eyes begin to “sore”, but this, nevertheless, is absolutely not dangerous for health. Some time after performing the exercise and minimal rest (usually no more than 5-7 minutes), the unpleasant sensations completely disappear without any consequences.

Sometimes it will seem that the wall is “floating” in front of your eyes, your vision will become blurred, and there may be slight lighting effects. These are not glitches, not crazy, and you weren’t visited by a squirrel, with your “roof” - full order.:) Don't be afraid of this, it happens to everyone. It's just a little different for everyone.

The effect of concentration practice appears gradually, but after 2 weeks your ability to concentrate will increase very significantly, you simply cannot help but notice it. The first serious result can be considered the fact that the changes were noticed by people around you who know you quite well.

Any work will be done much faster and better, and much less effort will be required to complete it. This also opens up opportunities for faster professional growth. You will be more valued as a specialist, which means you will be able to claim a corresponding increase in your pay. This may be too pragmatic, but it is a real fact.

And yet the most important result that you can get by practicing concentration is an increase in awareness and a higher level of control over your own life, the growth and development of will and intellectual abilities.

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Esotericist
Thank you very much for this post... are there any other energy-building practices?

There will definitely be, there’s just really not enough time for everything. I'll post it soon.

Esotericist, can I use this technique to change myself, for example, I want to become a more confident and strong person, just this image and that’s all? Is that all it takes?

You can, it works great. Just choose the image you want and concentrate on it regularly and as often as possible, and you will gradually change.

In my opinion, not the best best view meditation...
It’s NOT REAL to fight pain in the eyes, it’s better to close them :)

Concentration and meditation, with regular practice, lead to the development of psychic abilities. Additional effects of meditation and concentration - general health improvement associated with the removal of muscle tension and psychological problems, as well as higher mental stability.

Regarding open eyes. I definitely won’t be able to stop blinking for long. Constant pressure affects. Does this come with practice? Maybe there is another technique with closed eyes?

With practice, you will be able to avoid blinking for much longer. Just pay attention! The eyes should not strain! If there is severe redness of the whites of the eyes, then you need to reduce the load! There is no need to rush, each time the threshold moves further.

There are other techniques... Including with your eyes closed. The object of concentration can be sound, breath, energy center. IMHO, the third eye is optimal.

The coolest thing is that after writing a post about how I became aggressive, I became terribly calm :)

I’m in a very harmonious state, and even the things that used to infuriate me don’t really irritate me :)

Apparently I was simply impressed by your words then :) And I became a psycho :) And now it’s all gone.

In general, in order to balance the energies, I began to practice Nadi-Shodhana - alternating breathing through the left and right nostrils, so that Ida and Pingala were in harmony.

And to me this concentration technique is very reminiscent of the state when you “stare”, well, you sit without blinking, looking at one point until someone starts waving in front of your nose. I wonder if these are different states or not?

I remember when I was 15-16 years old, I constantly had these kinds of jumps, when I was alone at home, I just got stuck in some ridiculous position, halfway and couldn’t move.

I also predicted to myself various events that interested me, concentrated on them, and received an answer whether it would happen or not. It was convenient because there were no phones, and it was more difficult to communicate and connect.

And to me this concentration technique is very reminiscent of the state when you “stare”, well, you sit without blinking, looking at one point until someone starts waving in front of your nose. I wonder if these are different states or not?

These are different states. The state you described spontaneously “turns on” after you can no longer concentrate.

It's like an automatic safety valve. The tonal "gets tired" and "releases the resources it has usurped."

It also looks like freeing up cache or RAM on a computer. Once a resource is free, it can automatically be used by another software process that is queued for the machine's resource. 🙂

At this very moment, the internal dialogue stops - this is one of the doors to magic...

If this state was preceded by serious concentration on something, it is possible to obtain information about the object of concentration in an “alternative” way - clairvoyance, direct knowledge, glimpses of intuition. At least that's how it is for me.

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