Life Lesson #3 Transcendental Consciousness   Removing the Veils Objects of Meditation 1 - Concentration Mind Drift Focus on One Object Patient Practice Becomes Your Ally Beyond Words 2 - Contemplation Another View 3 - Continuation Magnificent Unity The Main Focus   Printer Version

Transcendental Consciousness

Focus on One Object

Now, in concentration you choose to patiently focus your mind until your mental content is only one object. That is, other objects are told not to interfere or enter your mental content for the period of your meditation. Of course, as your meditation becomes more subtle, you will be able to meditate in a much more discerning manner on much more refined objects — inner light, energy centers, and visions, for example. You will even become able to meditate without the need of an object; your mind will be perfectly focused and responsive without having to have an object. But, to develop the essential skills which enable you to have loftier meditations later, start with a simple object that is easy to view with eyes open, and easy to hold in the mind when you close your eyes. The object needs to have a unified look — too many features, or lines, encourage the mind to wander rather than focus.

Let's say, for example, that you choose to practice concentration on an apple which you set on the desk before you. The goal of a beginner in this practice is to hold the mind to the territory of "apple" thoughts. Your mind is allowed to wander or think about aspects of the apple but is not to stray into any mental content which is not directly related to the apple before you. At this beginning stage of the practice you are free to mentally reinforce what you are doing by chanting the words, "apple, apple, apple," or by reasoning about the apple, thinking of its kind and quality and freshness, for example.

Now your mind content may look something like this:

. . Apple, apple . . . McIntosh . . . . . . . apple tree . . . . . .
. . .the desk . . . . .the pen on the desk . . . . . . . the bills
that await my study and payment . . . . . errands I must do
tomorrow . . . . . . . . oh no! I want to pay attention to the
apple . . . . . . .this apple . . . . . . . apple, apple . . . . . .
. . . oh, I can't do this . . . apple, apple, apple . . . . . . . .

Patient Practice 
 

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