How to improve Concentration

[pari]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to start a new thread on concentration issues. Day by day there are a lot of members joining the forum with problems, many are advised with remedies which includes prayers to respective lords. Almost everyone do it, still only a few get the effect and others do not. What is the logic behind it?

I personally feel my problem is related to concentration. Concentrating while praying, many others would have the same problem. So would like to discuss how to improve concentration, so that everyone can benefit from the remedy?

Experts kindly take the discussion forward?

[Sunds]

Try out Vipassana......www.dhamma.org
-Sunder.

[Talib]

Hi Sunds,

Did u try vipassana?

Love

[Talib]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to start a new thread on concentration issues. Day by day there are a lot of members joining the forum with problems, many are advised with remedies which includes prayers to respective lords. Almost everyone do it, still only a few get the effect and others do not. What is the logic behind it?

I personally feel my problem is related to concentration. Concentrating while praying, many others would have the same problem. So would like to discuss how to improve concentration, so that everyone can benefit from the remedy?

Experts kindly take the discussion forward?

Hi Pari,

let me share how i came out of this problem of wondering and unfocused mind. Vipassana is the one of the best technique for meditaion but it may take you to path of spirituality moreover, unless one is very serious about meditation and spirituality he/she may not be able to complete the first mandatory course of 10 days. it is one of the toughest task of "complete sielence" for 10 days espeacially for women . personally, i recommend Vipassana to everyone. this course changes the whole life and the thinking process and helps in understanding many things including years old pattren of mind and the way it is desgined.

If your issue is more about concentration and not meditation, here are few tips which i did, and worked very well for me, you can also try.

before prayer, dance like mad, or do a sprint/jogging, jumping, or anythng which makes you tired and pump ur blood circulation. then sit for prayer or meditation(observing ur breath). This is sort of "sudershan kriya" which many modern day spiritual person or so called zen guide are using to impress people. people feel relax after this for somtime and get easily trap, thinking this as "meditation". It does help in improving concentration but dont get stuck in this kriya if you want to grow. I like doing sufi whilrling but it has also other scientific and emotional reasons attach to it. you can give a try to sufi whirling if you want.

This was my first step which also included lots of active meditation, after somtime i felt like one mind focusing and controlling the second(wondering) mind. then gradually i started few exercices on myself, like feeling water drops on my body during shower, writing slowly while looking at the nib of pen, eating and chewing slowly and feeling food passing through the food pipe, watching my footsteps, lots of reading etc.

Give it a go, i trust it will help in improving concentration.

P.S ..Honest prayers and remedies given by a bonafide person are the best way out.

Love

[kandhan]

many are advised with remedies which includes prayers to respective lords. Almost everyone do it, still only a few get the effect and others do not. What is the logic behind it?

While praying whats most important is your attitude of surrender to the lord and your faith in the remedy.

Effect of the remedy also depends a lot on the force of the affliction for which it has been prescribed. The more severe the affliction, the more strenous and timeconsuming will be the remedy for it to take effect.

[pari]

Thanks for the replies.

I checked out the website for Vipassana, in today's world it is really difficult to cut out of the world for specific duration. Atleast I cannot, not due to entertainment needs or I can't live without talking to others but just coz work and other responsibilities are hampered.

But this was really good, I will definitely go for it, whenever I have time.

[Sunds]

Hi Sunds,

Did u try vipassana?

Love

I am regular to Vipasanna.....I have done three 10 day coarse and also am a regular Dhamma sevak there.
-Sunder.

[Talib]

[quote="Sunds"]I am regular to Vipasanna.....I have done three 10 day coarse and also am a regular Dhamma sevak there.
-Sunder.
Nice to know that sir,

I have also done three 10 days course. Any plan for "satipathaana sutra"?.

i m happy to c another dhamma sevak in this forum.

keep in touch.


bhavtu sarv manglam
Love

[mannu21]

The best way to improve concentration is through meditation under the guidance of a Guru.

I agree

[R V RAMANAN]

dear all,

the easiest way to improve concentration is to pray to sun god who is the signifactor of will.if will power is increased the mind can be made to focus where it is necessary.

regards
ramanan

[pari]

Very true. I had experienced in most bad times, where I had strong will power due to which I used to get whatever I want after facing intial failures.

[Talib]

dear all,

the easiest way to improve concentration is to pray to sun god who is the signifactor of will.if will power is increased the mind can be made to focus where it is necessary.

regards
ramanan

Very true Ramanan Ji,

Also, Surya namaskar during sun rise is very useful both physically and mentally.

Love

[krishnagopal1968]

Talib Ji,

Why do we have to improve concentration?? or even surya namaskars??

May be to get more power and do more mischiefs!!

just a simple thing, when we watch movies (especially when our favorite actress or a mind boggling scene occurs) or cricket (when india plays!!), are we not concentrated?! we are hooked into it!!

So we all know what concentration is!!

May be the question is how to improve concentration towards good habits? Then my take is to look into our minds and know it's likes and wants. once we are interested in anything, then concentration is just a byproduct!

[pari]

We all know what concentration is, but not able to follow it when required. Though I agree, when I am work, I can be concentrated for hours with lot of chit chat going around. But can't work 24*7 so need to focus on other things also which are indeed some good habits.

I have asked this coz I can't concentrate on movies either or watch TV.

[krishnagopal1968]

Dear Pari,

My take is when we can't follow what we want, it means we don't want it!

or one part of our mind wants it and other part doesnt want it. And this other part is powerfull and it knows the reason why it doesn't want it. May be the needs are contradictory.

[Basab]

I feel one can focus best on that thing which he likes or enjoys doing. Pari, if you don't like watching TV/movies, you will not be able to focus on that, that easily. But then, some people are fickle minded. For them, getting focus on anything is difficult.

[sita]

Hello Liuminar,

Vipassana is a Pali word.It is one of the world's most ancient techniques of sitting meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha.

[Talib]

Dear Krishna Ji,

Why do we have to improve concentration??

I strongly believe in improving concentration the reason i will quote here from one of my previous post on this thread.

after somtime i felt like one mind focusing and controlling the second(wondering) mind.

.

i dont have to elaborate more to a person like you who is far ahead of me in understanding:). do you really think watching T.V OR India playing is concentration! or feeding our troublesome senses?

or even surya namaskars??

May be to get more power and do more mischiefs!!

when i refered "surya namskar" i wrote, it will help physically and mentally. let me share reason why i wrote this, in my teens i was regular member of RSS on a high rank for 8 yrs, my routine alwys used to start with surya namskar in early hours of mornings. i was physically very strong and muscular wd a strong will power. i always give credit to my RSS routine for a good natural physique which i am again shaping up these days

I understand what you mean by "more power" and "more mischiefs". i know a person who worships lord sun from ages, he is a very nice soul, a very dominating personality, super strong will power. but with all this he also got a "super ego" which never let him compromise with any situation, no matter what, no situation can make him bent and he keeps on creating problems in his own life and in lives of those who are attached to him. offcourse thats the negative side which will keep us in this vicious circle. but why to blame worshipping lord sun, while worshipping we can honestly pray the lord to not let us walk to negative side.

every one has their own definiton or understanding of things, depending on their needs and wants. WHen i think of concentraion and try to explain it, it may be totally different than what Pari wants to understand and think's of it. for someone concentration is watching a cricket match in excietment and praying for win, for me, it is watching every step of the bowler and every movement till next ball disregarding who is playing against who?. sometimes i live in "slow motion" but at the same time i am aware of the speed of time and I LOVE THAT.

Love

[krishnagopal1968]

Dear Talib ji,

Yes you are right. Everyone has their own way of understanding.

But please don't take me wrong. What my point was, for a understanding person like you, is to find out the reason behind the need for concentration.

And you said about one mind focusing and other part wondering, but both are the same mind, point is who is that watching both the minds or this scene?! ( I don't understand how concentration is linked to this, coz if u concentrate there would be a tension and naturally our mind is dual during that. But awareness is different which is just simple look but relaxedly, infact you don't effort to look even, it happens)

The reason I mentioned about cricket or picture is just because our mind which is nothing but controller of all senses (or mind itself is the 6th sense!) becomes quiet when we watch them because of our attention.

Concentration is nothing but a focused attention. But our mind cannot sustain one single thought for even one minute!, then how come concentration possible without attention? And how come attention is possible if our mind is not quiet?

But this point of attention was not mentioned but methods are prescribed. I am not against methods. But the reason behind anything, if worked out first, then our mind itself will give way and co-operates with what we do. otherwise mind won't allow us to do what we want.

Apologies if my earlier response was not proper.

love,

krishna....

[Basab]

Krishna ji,

I would like to share something here. I know this is a serious discussion going on here, and I am thought to be a light person, who is not qualified to enter this discussion, but still I would like to share my thoughts, which I feel has some similarity with yours, though I am not sure again as I may have not understood your point correctly.

I have many times thought the same way: why do we need to concentrate thinking about a deity or by chanting some mantra when we can achieve the same level of concentration reading a story book or watching a movie or thinking of our favourite actress. This thought has cropped in my mind many times, and many times I have told my friends jokingly also that I would be able to meditate more deeply if I think of my favourite actress than if I think of God or by chanting a mantra. And it was quite incredible that I did come across this point in the biography of Sri Ramakrishna, and it felt like God gave me a confirmation that I was thinking in the right direction. This is what I read:

Once a young girl, who was spiritual, came to Sri Ramakrishna and said that she was finding it difficult to meditate as her mind was wandering here and there. Sri Ramakrishna then asked her, whom did she love the most? The girl said that she loved her younger brother the most. Then Ramakrishna told the girl, then meditate thinking of your younger brother! And when the girl followed Sri Ramakrishna's advice, she got into deep levels of meditation.

So it is not the means, that is important, it is the goal that we should have an eye upon. I thought to myself, immediately after reading that, that way, my joking with my friends that meditating, with my mind focussed on my favourite actress, would get me into deep levels of meditation was not a joke, but it actually could be fruitful.

I have seen myself lost into another world, into another time, when I am reading a book, or even when I am watching a serial. That gives me the same concentration that sitting on meditation gives to another person. So I feel one should do what suits him/her.

[Basab]

Anupamji,

I do have the biography of Ramakrishna, where I read it. The name of the book is 'Life of Sri Ramakrishna' by Swami Nikhilananda. I did mention about this point a few months back to Dev also when I was reading that book. The book is of 494 pages, so you can understand that it is difficult to search for that story there. I will try to find it, and if I get it, I will tell you about it, surely. Otherwise, I do have a plan to re-read the book in the near future, so if I read the book, when I come across the story there, I will definitely make sure I quote it, here.

[Talib]

Dear Krishna Ji,
First of all a Joke,
A man inserted an advertisement in the classifieds "Wife Wanted".
The next day, he received hundreds of replies, all reading the same thing: "You can have mine."

I am in total agreement wd ur last post the process is definietly attention concentration meditation. concentration is focused attention and meditation is intense concentration. Now let me put my point, this thread started wd "how to improve concentration" specially while "praying" and please see my first reply

let me share how i came out of this problem of wondering and unfocused mind.

and

If your issue is more about concentration and not meditation, here are few tips which i did, and worked very well for me, you can also try.

Now, my reply was totally a personal view it wasn't a general statement neither it was something which i have read in books. i thought a member is asking a question, could be facing same problems which i did and i shld reply and share how i improved concentration. i only shared those tips which helped me improving concentration(focused attention) while my bad time of svere anxiety and depression.believe me during that bad time i didnt know wt is attention, concentration, meditation. i just knew wt i wanted, just started wd the tips i have given and then during taht experience i realised it all started wd "attention". Focused attention is definietly the right word but i am of the view that to a person who is starting something its better to tell the method and let him/her find out the definition or the right word as per their experience. i remember, when i asked my first question here on this forum "what is meditation", every definition/explanation was going on the top of my head simply because it wasnt my experience. the only line which hitted me hard was"i must have a goal, aim and proper understanding of why i want to do meditation" and when i experienced the process every single word of that thread became clear to me, i realised that what i was thinking of concentration wasnt actually concentration but attention. now take recent example some people think concentration and meditation is the same thing. u tell me is it the same thing? concentration is a tool and meditation is a happening, According to me we can concentrate but we can not meditate. is their any value of concentration or meditation or even talking or writing about it,when we dont have any aim or understanding of why we want it? so when people doesnt understand what is difference between concentration and meditation how wld they understand "attention", their is only one way out and that is self experience.

The reason I mentioned about cricket or picture is just because our mind which is nothing but controller of all senses (or mind itself is the 6th sense!) becomes quiet when we watch them because of our attention.

There is one thing which can help us in controlling mind, "our breath" to understand concentration we need to to know how to observe breath. whenever i concentrate on something i observe my breath, if my breath is not normal that clearly indicates me that i am not concentrated. say, i am watching a match and my team is loosing, my breath will go low or high, or i am watching a suspense movie there would be variance in breath always. yes, we can call it attention but does our mind can become quiet when we watch them? and can that sort of attention change in to concentration? My understanding is concenteration is possible when our breath is normal.

continued.....

[Talib]

But please don't take me wrong. What my point was, for a understanding person like you, is to find out the reason behind the need for concentration.

I am really sorry Krishna Ji, for not understanding your point. i got it now,i am aware of my reason behind the need for concentration and i agree that reason behind everything shld be worked out first. a teacher dont have to apologies its always fault of dumb student

And you said about one mind focusing and other part wondering, but both are the same mind, point is who is that watching both the minds or this scene?! ( I don't understand how concentration is linked to this, coz if u concentrate there would be a tension and naturally our mind is dual during that. But awareness is different which is just simple look but relaxedly, infact you don't effort to look even, it happens)

I think i was not clear in what i was trying to explain. i will send you a pm. but definietly the right word should have been attention. .

PANJABI or PATHAN Ki Larai Ho Rahi Thi

PANJABI:KHAN Hum Tera Kapra Phar k Tumko Nanga Kar Dega

PATHAN:KHOCHA Serious Larai Me ROMANTIC baat Mat Karo:)

Love

[krishnagopal1968]

Basab ji,

yes, you are right. That which we love, is a key to understanding.

[Basab]

Anupamji,

Yesterday when I was thinking about what I told you about what Sri Ramakrishna has said to the girl about meditating on her brother, I remembered something similar I had read in 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' (abridged), where M, asks Sri Ramakrishna if it is okay if he meditated on his mother, because he didn't believe in God with form, and Sri Ramakrishna said that he can do that, but again when I searched it in the book, I couldn't find the exact page where it's written. God is surely playing hide-and-seek with me.