A daily practice of any length can bring great fruits in concentration and wisdom. I recommend twenty to sixty minutes a day as the general guideline for a committed daily practice however, it is fine to do more or less as your lifestyle and interest allow. Please set some time aside each day to do this fundamental meditation exercise. This practice affects the conditioned tendencies of attention, diminishing habits of distraction and cultivating a peaceful and calm awareness. With this exercise you are cultivating your capacity to let go of distractions and strengthening your ability to direct attention. This simple practice of repeatedly directing the attention to the breath and letting it rest there forms the basis of this meditation. Attention becomes unwavering by the consistent willingness to gently begin again. Attention is not developed by riveting the attention to the breath with super glue or hammering it into the nostrils with nails. Without judging your capacity to meditate, simply return to the sensations. Your moment of choice is that precise instant when you wake up to the bare fact that thinking has subsumed the attention. When the mind is lost in thought and mindfulness is weak or absent, the conditions are not present to choose alertness. ![]() If the attention drifts off into thoughts, bring it gently back to the breath. Follow the sensations throughout the duration of inhale, exhale and pause inhale, exhale and pause. Attend to the breath as it is now, not as you think a breath should appear. Observe the sensations of breathing without altering or manipulating the breath. Then, settle the attention on the sensation of the breath at the very tip of the nostrils observe that initial point of contact with the breath. First feel the whole breath, and how the chest and abdomen expand and contract. With an established practice you will recognize the concentrated mind and the unconcentrated mind. You will recognize expressions of agitation, and the sublime beauty of a deeply settled state. As concentration grows you will notice when the mind is cluttered with extraneous concepts, and when it is in alignment with your aspirations. Narrowing the focus to a single object discards many of the stray thoughts that occupy and divert precious mental energy. We give ourselves the task of observing the sensations of the breath as it enters and exits at the nostrils. Although it could be anything: the sound of a mantra, the sight of a candle flame, a sensation in the body, or a thought of loving kindness, we generally use the breath as the initial focus for attention. A concentrated mind is steady, unified, one-pointed, and stable, regardless of uncomfortable or luxurious conditions.įor concentration meditation we establish a very simple task. The danger and intensity of the sport excludes all distractions, bringing a brightness to the eyes and mind, and a feeling of intense happiness. Kayakers are often enveloped in rapture even though their bodies are cramped in little boats and the water may be cold. A surgeon may love surgery, not because the operating room is a pleasant place to be, but because the task demands such complete attention that the mind is filled with the delight associated with concentration. Regardless what perception or activity the mind becomes unified through, the basic absence of distraction brings joy. ![]() Concentration brings with it a natural joy that arises as the mind settles. ![]() Learning or observing anything - whether a technical repair of a computer, a creative pursuit in art, a masterful move in dance, or simply quieting the mind in meditation - requires stability of attention. Concentration is a central feature of a contemplative life, cultivated through formal meditation practice and also through many daily activities such as drawing, kayaking, skiing, music, cooking and research.
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