Chapter XIII
Cultivate good habits before concentration
Form (rupa) is fundamental for concentration and meditation.
Even in the absence of the form in front of you, you should have the capacity
to visualize it. This is not so difficult for those whose concentration is
correct. But some practise concentration without first cultivating good habits
and right conduct.
That is a sign of
incomplete knowledge. Concentration must have the pure qualities (sathwa-gunas) as the basis. The mind has to be purified
by proper treatment of the character through good habits. Concentration must
follow this purification process, not precede it. All effort for concentration
without cleansing the mind is a sheer waste of time. Many great men have ruined
their careers by aspiring early for concentration, without the discipline of good
habits.
Make slow but steady progress
Again, in concentration
you must be careful not to have as the object something your mind does not
like, for however hard you try, your mind will not stay on it. Therefore, in
the beginning, have some object that is a source of joy.
Sit in the lotus (padmasana) pose and fix your eyes on the tip of your
nose. In the beginning, for a minute; then for three minutes; some days later,
for six; and after some time, for as long as nine minutes. Thus, the
concentration must be strengthened gradually, without undue hurry. In this way,
it can be held for even half an hour, with the lapse of time. But do not force
the pace. Slowly and steadily, the discipline must be developed.
Concentration, according
to yoga scriptures, is the fixing of the mind on one object, without any
deviation. Concentration alone can make meditation successful. Its very nature
is one-pointedness; its power will negate hesitation. It is caused by spiritual
bliss. The name is essential for meditation, for that alone can ensure quick
success. Even if complete faith is not forthcoming quickly, the practice must
not be given up or changed, for practice will certainly yield victory.
Meditation is spiritual strength, the strength that will keep off the disease
of worldliness (samsara).
Introspection
A follower of Paramahamsa Yogananda writes,
Concentration Is
Everything
The mind, in meditation must be so
perfectly still that not a ripple of thought enters it. God, the Subtlest
Reality, cannot be perceived except in utter silence.
Perfect peace requires perfect stillness
of mind, just as the surface of a mountain lake requires complete calm if it is
to reflect the sky. Only in deep concentration can you discover the hidden
depths of your spiritual nature.
Fortunately, concentration is like a
muscle — the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes. To increase your
ability to concentrate, strive to make each meditation deeper than the one
before. When you meditate with this kind of intensity, you will find your
practice helped tremendously.
Simple techniques can
help you concentrate more deeply
Knowing how important concentration is,
people sometimes become discouraged over their inability to hold their minds
steady in meditation.
We need to realize, however, that
completely quieting the mind is the goal of meditation, and not something we
will necessarily experience right away.
No one expects to master the guitar the
first time he plays, and this is true for meditation, whose very mastery
reveals Infinity to us.
For countless lives we have allowed our
minds to run free and undisciplined, like unruly children. How do badly behaved
children act when you try to discipline them? They rebel, just as the mind does
when we first try to meditate.
So, we shouldn’t feel surprised if we
experience a sense of restlessness or rebelliousness in the beginning. Our
mind, however, will learn to behave — just like children do — once it realizes
we’re serious.
Meditation Tips for Concentration
Swami Kriyananda offers the following
suggestions on concentration from his book, Rays of the One Light:
The devotee, to protect the candle flame
of his concentration from the gusts of restlessness, must try to banish from
his mind all images, all worldly scenes, the words of others, the remembered
episodes in his life, all thought of physical pleasures, his plans for the
future. Nothing must tempt him to stray from his fixed purpose while his soul
calls to God.
To protect his concentration from sensory
invasion, he must first control his response to outward stimuli. He should
train his will not to respond to sensations of heat or cold, comfort or
discomfort, restlessness, or fatigue.
With a little discipline of the body at
the beginning of meditation, and with the strong determination not to move or
fidget about, the body’s demands will grow weaker. After even five minutes of
this discipline, one may find it easy to sit for a long period without even
wanting to move.
Most of the difficulty encountered in
meditation is due to physical tension. Once tension is removed by the practice
of deep relaxation, one finds meditation itself becoming increasingly
enjoyable.
Again, with a little mental
self-discipline at the beginning of meditation, one finds it increasingly easy
to remain without thought.
Tell your mind firmly the moment you
become settled on your seat to meditate, “This is my time for God.” If restless
thoughts try insistently to engage your attention, reassure them, “We’ll
discuss these things later!”
Love.
