We always hear about the importance of concentration. From an early age people keep telling us to concentrate on what we are doing. We recognize its importance, yet few do something to develop or strengthen this ability. Very few really possess strong powers of concentration Parents, teachers, people who work with us, all tell us to concentrate when our mind is not on the job. But are they able concentrate? Do they really know what concentration is? Concentration is the ability to think on one object or thought to the exclusion of everything else. It is the ability to focus the mind on one single point. It means paying attention exclusively to what we are doing at the moment.
Most people, when doing something, think about something else at the same time. Any action, when performed while the mind is not focused on it, is not done well.
Suppose you get out of home and arrive to your destination. Then your mind starts to wonder whether you locked the door of your house, switched off the lights, closed the windows etc.
You may have locked the door, switched off the lights etc, but as your attention was not focused on your actions at that moment, you are not sure whether you have actually done so. You become worried and tense, and your mind starts engaging in guesses and negative visualization of what might happen. If you had concentrated on your actions before leaving home, nothing like that would have happened.
A lot of mental energy is wasted because the mind is always in a state of thinking, does not concentrate on one thought for any length of time, and does not pay attention to the job at hand. In such a state, each thought comes up and is replaced by another after a while. We are at the mercy of these thoughts, which consume our time and energy.
Concentration has a great value as it strengthens the memory and helps us to study and comprehend faster. Actions, tasks and work are performed better, quicker, and with fewer errors.
Concentration is necessary for creative visualization, telepathy and psychic powers, healing and magic. It is important for meditation. It brings peace of mind and freedom from nagging thoughts.
When concentration becomes easy and natural, fewer thoughts try to intrude into our minds without being asked. Then we begin to experience moments of inner calm and bliss. The mind stops for a while its feverish activity, and we live in inner joy and bliss.
This bliss does not necessarily come during the concentration or meditation session, but spontaneously during the day. These are great moments. The strange thing about them is that the one who experiences them, continues to function in a normal way. All the five senses are open as usual, and yet there is a different consciousness from the ordinary one.
You see, concentration is a must, whether you wish to conduct effectively your daily affairs of life, to succeed materially, or if your goal is spiritual. Concentration can be improved by proper exercises. It is very similar to sport. If you train with weights, you strengthen your bodily muscles. If you train with concentration exercises you strengthen your concentration muscles. Concentration is very simple, though not so easy to practice. The mind is very much accustomed to running here and there, resisting any effort to control and calm it down. Yet, by proper exercises it is possible to train it and develop concentration.
The more time you devote to training and exercising the mind, and the more sincerely you practice the exercises, the stronger the concentration you will develop.
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