Paramita – Concentration 1

Now we begin our investigation and exploration of the next Transcendental virtue in our series: Meditative Concentration. We will engage with practices that reveal the innate stability found in the unconditional nature of everyone’s mind. The description below is the from the Source Point Global Outreach program for prisoners.

This virtue is the enlightened quality of concentration, meditation, contemplation, mindfulness, and mental stability. Our minds have the tendency to be very distracted and restless, always moving from one thought or feeling to another. Because of this, our awareness stays fixated in the ego, in the surface layers of the mind and emotions, and we just keep engaging in the same habitual patterns of behavior. The perfection of concentration means training our mind so that it does what we want it to. We stabilize our mind and emotions by practicing meditation, by being mindful and aware in everything we do. When we train the mind in this way, physical, emotional, and mental vacillations and restlessness are eliminated. We achieve focus, composure, and tranquility.

This ability to concentrate and focus the mind brings clarity, equanimity, illumination. Concentration allows the deep insight needed to transform the habitual misperceptions and attachments that cause confusion and suffering. As we eliminate these misperceptions and attachments, we can directly experience the joy, compassion, and wisdom of our true nature. There is no attainment of wisdom and enlightenment without developing the mind through concentration and meditation. This development of concentration and one-pointedness requires perseverance. Thus, the previous paramita of joyous effort and perseverance brings us to this paramita of concentration. In addition, when there is no practice of meditation and concentration, we cannot achieve the other paramitas, because their essence, which is the inner awareness that comes from meditation, is lacking. To attain wisdom, compassion, and enlightenment, it is essential that we develop the mind through concentration, meditation, and mindfulness.

We choose to engage in the foundational practices that train the mind focus and stability. As many of our group mentioned last week, these practices seem so simple and easy to engage with. However, their simplicity belies their power. Simple, not always easy, but always powerful. Practicing with these exercises of mindfulness will provide us with the level of awareness that we need to recognize when we are caught in habitual patterns of thinking and reacting and then give us the space and clarity to respond in skillful ways that reflect insights from our sitting practices together.