Proč jsem začal masírovat? ~ Osobní zkušenosti ~ Většina mých přátel bezesporu ví, že se poslední dobou vcelku intenzivně věnuji masážím. Je to vcelku zajímavé …
THE ART OF CONCENTRATION
~ Everyday wisdom ~
As we all know, the art of concentration is one of the most important aspects we can pursue in our lives. Yes, some learn it quite naturally through their own life development, while some dedicate themselves directly to the art of concentration, thus incredibly enhancing any expression of self into the most pure form they are capable of within their lives.
And so the question arises for everyone here as to whether it is worthwhile to give our attention to the art of concentration, or to continue to live in the qualities that we are experiencing right now without giving our time to this very art that is so important to each of us, for it is the art of concentration that determines the quality that we are experiencing at any given moment in our lives.
What does concentration actually mean for our lives? What does concentration affect? And what is concentration anyway? …. Yes, these are the basic questions that I will try to answer in the form of a short story that will illustrate what is important to understand.
And so let us go together to the mountains, where man is guided by his nature. Every man is a creature completely free and he has the right to experience whatever he sees fit. Yes, everyone on his life’s journey experiences the unique paths that life takes him through to understand why he is where he is right now. Many people love to travel, whether it be to other countries to experience different cultures, beautiful places, or perhaps just to explore the beautiful mountains just as the person we are about to turn our attention to.
And so this man sets out on his adventurous journey, choosing to carry nothing but his clothes, which provided the basis for his life’s journey of discovery in such mystical places, in such unexplored places, for mountains are not just about paths that are trodden and groomed, but also offer many places where much more significant aspects of life are shaped.
And so the man set out on that pilgrimage , planning only to travel “by chance” to places he would reach as a true pilgrim without a map, without friends, without navigation and without a telephone. He just set out and waited to see what life would bring to the pilgrimage he had just embarked on. So as he explored with childlike playfulness the various places that provided him with beautiful scenery of the landscape from a high altitude, he began to contemplate why it is actually so important for people to be in control and follow some rules and customs all the time, but they fall by the wayside when one is experiencing something as beautiful as he is here at this very moment, watching that magnificent landscape singing and playing in such peace and harmony, and so permeated with that peace which fills the heart of one who is open to it.
And as she contemplates these beautiful places, she begins to discover something mysterious within herself. That peace, that harmony of these places begins to enter so strongly into him and like a tremendous tidal force fills his whole being with that blissful state of consciousness where he simply is and enjoys all that surrounds him. Yes, it is a state of consciousness which is just experiencing a certain emotion, perceiving certain qualities of life which enter into its essence and fill it completely with the essence which it has allowed itself to experience.
He was experiencing something so intense, so undisturbed, so blissful, that he began to fall into states of utter euphoria, where tears began to flow down his face at the experience of that bliss, where he was really doing nothing but experiencing what life was offering him. Yes, he realised the splendour, he realised that he was experiencing what he was experiencing and he left the way open for it. This is the training of concentration, for letting that path completely free without control is the highest form that one can achieve in the course of one’s life. All that is connected with that experience completely fills his essence and thus moves that man undisturbed deeper and deeper until he reaches that essence which he can experience through it.
Are you now saying to yourself that what I am describing here is not considered concentration? Yes, certainly in your experience you are right, but if you were to experience what this man who has allowed life to fully manifest has experienced, then you will never achieve the true understanding of the art of concentration that is portrayed in this story.
You ask now whether I consider relaxation to be the highest states of co-contraction? … Oh, what a magnificent reflection! Let us now take a moment to tell another story that each one of us experiences, is it not true.
And so we now look at a young student who is now sitting in his school desk next to his friend, both of them preparing for a chemistry class that is about to begin. Yes, each of us in our childhood, and not only in our childhood, had certain moments when our attention was directed to what that teacher was supposed to teach them, was supposed to initiate them into the mysteries that chemistry, for example, brought into the lives of the students.
And so the student, completely unconcerned by the teacher’s explanation, sits and looks out of the window, thinking how he would like to be outside right now playing with his friends, or doing what he loves, like singing, or playing his drums, …
Yes, you are right to say that here we are already beginning to talk about what we consider to be that concentration, or the art of attention. However, in this example, the student, as someone who does not want to deal with chemistry at all at the moment, instead of paying attention to the explanation, he is paying attention to his fantasies and dreams, from which his teacher has to wake him up by throwing chalk at him, or he has to be nudged by his seatmate, because the teacher is looking at him and waiting for him to start paying attention to him and not to his dreams.
And so the student again starts listening to the teacher, who continues to explain the mystery of chemistry, which the student did not enjoy at all. “Dear student, tell me, why do you look like that, why don’t you listen to what I have been preparing for so long to teach you for your life, which will be fully manifested after school…” And our student says to him, “Dear teacher, I know that you are really trying, but I am wondering right now why I can’t do music because I have a very important competition tomorrow and instead of playing I am sitting here listening to an interpretation that has no connection at all with what I love…” And the teacher paused for a moment, thinking and searching for the right answer to help the student…
And so he says to him, “But that is not true at all! Chemistry affects everything in the very basis of life itself. If we look at chemistry as something that has no use in practical everyday life, even just playing, then it is useless to bother about it!” He smiled and continued, “Let’s look together at how that chemistry affects, for example, why people are so stressed before their performance, while some are filled with that euphoria and completely immerse themselves in that performance, playing the most beautiful speech they’ve ever been capable of…”
And so our student became completely immersed in the professor’s interpretation, which suddenly so captivated him, so connected his desires with what he was expounding, that he discovered a whole new level of knowledge that he had just begun to really give his full attention to, eager for real knowledge and understanding that could benefit him for tomorrow’s competition.
Do you already understand what concentration means? … Does it mean watching the teacher while you’re thinking about something completely different…? Does it mean to relax completely and let life manifest to fulfill our essence…? Or is it to allow life to manifest while we fully embrace that manifestation, and completely filled with curiosity and enthusiasm to discover what it is bringing to us at that very moment…?
Yes, it’s not that mindfulness is easy to define, like paying attention to something, like reading literature. Even reading literature can be superficial, if one does not immerse oneself in the story so much that one directly experiences the story of the main character and instead thinks about the fact that he has a big project ready for tomorrow that he has not yet finished, and so, after waking up to the fact that he is actually reading and does not even know what, he goes back a few pages when he was still paying attention to that book.
And that is what concentration is all about. It is total immersion in the activity one is doing, or letting it completely fill one’s being, whereby one discovers the true depth that that aspect of life brings. After all, if you dilute orange juice with plain water, only a certain “concentrate” is produced, but it is far from orange juice. It depends on how much we dilute the juice, doesn’t it? And that is what this article is about. Drink the undiluted qualities that are offered to you, don’t drink only concentrates all the time, which will never allow you to truly taste the fruits of a whole life.
Wisdom for the end
“Attention is like the scent of the most beautiful flower in the royal gardens. Unless one comes to be captivated by that flower and smells it, one will never fully comprehend the richness that fragrance can bring into one’s life.
That fragrance will be ever present in that royal garden, but only as part of all that makes up the garden as a whole. So smell it and discover the potential that concentration brings into our lives.”
Marek Szweda
