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Developing Concentration
Takuan
Veteran
Hello all,
I recently came across some meditation advice in a book entitled "The Chan Handbook" by Husan Hua. I highly recommend it as it's full of great information. I'd like to share two of the techniques for the development of concentration presented in the book.
The first is focusing on your body's center of gravity/spiritual center. In Chinese, this is called the "dan tien". It is located just behind the navel, according to the book. In stead of focusing on the breath at the nostrils or the upper lip, try focusing on your center. Let your breathing take care of itself, and simply focus on you dan tien/hara.
The second is reciting nienfo/nembutsu. In stead of focusing on the breath, simply recite "namo amitofo" or "namu amida butsu". I've been experimenting with this method for a few weeks now, and my powers of concentration during meditation have steadily grown. If you don't know how to say the nienfo, I have provided two videos.
How to achieve single pointed concentration via reciting Buddhas name
Reciting Buddhas name verbally or mindfully
Hope this helps!
What do you all do to develop concentration?
I recently came across some meditation advice in a book entitled "The Chan Handbook" by Husan Hua. I highly recommend it as it's full of great information. I'd like to share two of the techniques for the development of concentration presented in the book.
The first is focusing on your body's center of gravity/spiritual center. In Chinese, this is called the "dan tien". It is located just behind the navel, according to the book. In stead of focusing on the breath at the nostrils or the upper lip, try focusing on your center. Let your breathing take care of itself, and simply focus on you dan tien/hara.
The second is reciting nienfo/nembutsu. In stead of focusing on the breath, simply recite "namo amitofo" or "namu amida butsu". I've been experimenting with this method for a few weeks now, and my powers of concentration during meditation have steadily grown. If you don't know how to say the nienfo, I have provided two videos.
How to achieve single pointed concentration via reciting Buddhas name
Reciting Buddhas name verbally or mindfully
Hope this helps!
What do you all do to develop concentration?
0
Comments
I do a similar technique called 12
Fold body breathing. Its a mahamudra technique done sitting down and laying down.
One breathes and the navel jets forward and air fills up like a vase into the chest and throat. Then breathing out the throat and lungs clear and the navel point is pulled towards the spine and then the anal sphincter is clenched and all the air is squeezed out.
This is great to balance out the energies and when there is overall hinderances at play in practice.
No tricks, no fancyness, no energies, no complicated shite, just pay attention to one thing and stick with it.
I occasionally revert to the focusing on my breath in times when I feel consistently scattered. I'll do this in both formal meditation and daily life but I try to also remain mindful of the difference between concentration & meditation. While concentration is an essential aid to meditation, the control it offers has often been my back door invite to an ego party in spiritual attire.
That's an awesome point, how.
Some translate samadhi with 'stillness', which seems better to me. At the very least, it gets around some wrong ideas some people may have of meditation. To still the mind (rather than to concentrate it), yes, a mantra can help. Surely, following the breath at another point can too.
But to get to the question, another technique may be counting breaths or silently noting when the mind wanders. Just say to yourself 'thinking' or 'drifting' or whatever feels correct, and kindly let the mind get itself back to the meditation object. Or taking another object, like metta, or a body scan. Even reflection on the Dhamma. There are many different tools you can work with. I pick whatever tool fits the job at the time.
With metta,
Sabre
I tend to use the elemental meditation used in some esoteric schools
http://yinyana.tumblr.com/post/31454196568/elements
There are variations but all are available for study, much in the way some churches contain the 'invisible' transmission in the building itself, so stupas contain a meditation practice . . .
At the moment I am doing a free aro meditation course which uses the breath counting technique familiar as vipassana, very much a gentle reminding of the breath.
http://aromeditation.org/ :wave: