The essence of this practice is to sharpen the fragmented mind into a point of concentrated singularity.
When we connect with our essence we find clarity, a sense of purpose and sense of focus. But when the light within shines through the mind it becomes fragmented due to the kaleidoscopic nature of the mind. The mind, with its tangled web of judgements, beliefs, hopes, fears and desires, takes the light and clarity from within and turns it into confusion and fragmentation.
When we connect with the Inner Being we have a sense of knowing, but when we return to take action in the outer world we can be beset by doubt, confusion and fear. To overcome this we need to develop a one-pointed focus.
In the so-called developed world we live our lives at a rapid pace. We feel that we have to fit so much into each day and this can lead us to think that we need to “multi-task”. In fact the ability to multi-task is often seen as an indication of how capable we are. With so much to do and so many distractions vying for our attention, it can be difficult to focus on any one area of our lives for the length of time we feel is required. We live in a world where many things are available at our fingertips – entertainment, communication and shopping can all be engaged with by pressing a few buttons. If we want to know something we can simply look it up online. All of this has undoubtedly had some effect on our dwindling attention spans – because we can look things up and access information so quickly and easily we have less of a need to store information in our memory. And in a world where so much information is delivered to us, without us having to expend much energy or invest much effort, a kind of laziness can develop in which we don’t bother to look deeply into anything. We believe what we hear or read without questioning and without enquiry.
But personal and spiritual growth requires that we focus our minds and develop the ability to concentrate. In energetic terms a one-pointed focus is very similar to determination and having an iron resolve. It’s about deciding on one destination, not many. It’s about saying “this is my goal” and not “well there are so many things I’d like to do”.
Whatever direction we choose, resistance is sure to present itself. If we are going to be able to overcome that resistance we will need to have developed a commitment and determination to reach our goal. This is where we need focus – if we encounter resistance and then say, “Oh I’m not so sure I really want to do that now”, we will find that resistance continues to get the better of us. Now developing a one-pointed focus can take time and can be aided by successive encounters with resistance. In the beginning we set off in a particular direction, resistance makes us question our resolve, we re-examine our intentions, sharpen our focus, and have another go. Each time we encounter resistance it tests our resolve. Resistance brings up our doubts and if we are not clear about what we are trying to achieve, these doubts will create confusion and we will once again feel lost.
Developing a one-pointed focus is one ingredient in becoming warrior-like in our pursuit of aligning our outer actions with our inner essence. Some people use mantras to develop focus whilst other people use meditation, affirmations, exercise or long walks. How you develop focus is up to you and ultimately whatever anyone else does in the outer world to develop focus is immaterial because it is the inner development within you which is most important.
*** This chapter is taken from my book The Light Within ***
