This thought occurred to me when I noticed the difference between my mind in a focused state, versus when my mind was dragging me everywhere. Have you ever been in a situation where you were trying to accomplish something subtle–to think, or read, or write–and then there was, perhaps, a child in the room who was against the idea of you having some quiet time? They might be bouncing around, pulling things down, anything but allowing you to focus your attention. You might notice a kind of a contrast.
The mind can be like an unruly child. Even if our intention is to focus on one thing, we get moved from one place to the next, it feels kind of desperate and torturous. Whereas through the practice of yoga, we come to the point of ekagrata, or one-pointedness instead of multi-pointedness. We can feel a sense of being; a sense that we exist.
In that state, we can appreciate an object for what it is in the present moment. Not projecting into the future, “What’s going to happen to it later?” Or the past, “Where did it come from?” In that ekagrata state, we’re fully appreciating it. The word eka means “one.” So, ekagrata means my mind has come to this focused position. Remember: focus is nectar, distraction is torture.
This excerpt is from Vaisesika’s upcoming book, Your Seven Spiritual Superpowers. Want more wisdom? Join his weekly zoom class here!
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