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A classic yogic exercise
in concentration is tratak, or steady gazing. It can be done
with a candle flame, an OM symbol, a picture of one's favorite
deity, or any other suitable object or symbol. Sit in front
of it. Concentrate on it with open eyes until tears come.
Then close the eyes and visualize the object. Repeat and gradually
increase the period of time for the gazing and visualization.
It should be possible to visualize the object of concentration
very clearly, even in its absence. With practice comes the
ability to conjure up the mental picture at a moment's notice.
Tratak and visualization steady the wandering mind and help
greathy in concentration.
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Failure is a stranger
to work done with perfect attention. When one sits for meditation,
there should be no thought of office work. When doing office
work, household chores never enter the mind. In training
the mind to attend only to the work at hand, there will
be a development of will power and memory.
A person with good
concentration can accomplish a task in half the time and
with twice the accuracy of the average person. It is easy
to pay attention to what is pleasant; the mind is naturally
attracted to what pleases it. A more difficult but highly
beneficial exercise is to fix the attention on unpleasant
tasks. Under scrutiny, they become more interesting and
interest reduces the unpleasantness. Many mental weaknesses
and blocks vanish. The mind and will power become stronger.
As a preliminary exercise in concentration,
retire to a quiet room and sit in a comfortable cross-legged
position. Sitting on a pillow helps to bring the knees to
the floor so that the body may relax properly. Chose the
eyes and notice what occurs when concentrating on an apple.
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At first, there may
be thoughts of its color, shape, size and different parts
such as stem, skim, pulp and seeds. Next, think of its effects
on the digestive system and blood. Through the law of association,
ideas of other fruits may also try to enter the mind. The
point of the exercise is to follow a definite line of thought,
without any break in it. Extraneous thoughts, not connected
with the object at hand, are to be banished. This demands
persistence. The mind will try its best to run in the old
familiar grooves.
Just as laws of gravitation, cohesion,
etc., operate in the physical world, so also do laws of thought,
such as the law of continuity, operate on the mental plane.
Those who practice concentration should thoroughly understand
these laws. They must be aware that when the mind thinks of
an object, it also thinks of its qualities and parts; when
it thinks of a cause, it thinks of its effects. |
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