Concentration: The secret behind every success
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| fire with help of sun rays' concentration |
They are indeed wise, who know that the secret of success is
concentration. Concentration is an essential tool for every person.. Businessman, barber, blacksmith, student,
teacher or journalist needs concentration to succeed in their professions.
By concentration we mean, the concentration of mind. Sri Krishna regarded it as most restless as any other thing
in Bhagvad Gita. It is very surprising to know that 90 % of the thought force is
wasted by an ordinary human being in irrelevant and unnecessary
things. Hence, whatever we have achieved is the results of 10 % of the
thought force which we could able to utilize. Just imagine what would
happens if our mind utilized up to 100 % of mind’s faculties? If we look into
past history, we would find that no great discovery has been ever made
without concentrating the mind on a subject. Therefore, it becomes very
important to understand the power of concentration.
We know about the sun’s rays power to ignite
fire. How did the rays acquire this power? It was the result of making
them converge and thereby, ‘concentrate on a thing’. Our mind is also very
similar to a shining sun which can produce fire provided its energies are
concentrated and directed towards a single point.
Swami Vivekananda had also emphasized on
concentrating the mind which is reflected in his following quote,
The old idea was: ’Develop one
idea at the expense of all the rest’. The modern way is ‘harmonious development’.
A third way is to ‘develop the mind and control it’, then put it where you
will; the result will come quickly. This is developing your self in true sense. Learn
concentration and use it in any direction. One who gets the whole must
have the parts too.
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| famous story of Arjuna |
A well known story of aiming at bird eye
ofArjuna exemplifies his powers of
concentration. Arjuna concentrated so
deep on his aim that could see bird’s
eye only while all others were unable to see the aim clearly. The lesson here
is the power of focus. It was the power of concentration which made him a
peerless archer.
In continuation, we come across Dhruv who is known as ’parama-udharan’ of such determination and concentration. He impressed the lord Sri Krishna with his
power of concentration and devotion. Sri Krishna after being pleased
turned him into a little star and placed him high in the sky, above the
world, and away from all jealousy and evil. This little star never moves,
for it is Dhruv, who never moved from his meditation of Narayan. Unless
we master of our mind, our mastery is nothing more that a talent.
Interestingly, concentration is also one of
the path to attain self-realization — the ultimate goal of human life.
This goal has been stated in several ways such as Nirvana in Buddism, Achieving
Unwavering Intelligence in Bhagvad Gita and Attaining the State of Everlasting Bliss
Lastly concentration develops
unforgettable memory in man. He can remember whatever he sees and listens
forever. Just imagine what miracles can be performed after achieving
such a great power. And this power is not hidden anywhere in outside world
but within our own mind. A concentrated mind is like a search-light which makes it
possible for us to see even the objects lying in distant, dark corner.
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| Swami Vivekananda |
The following quotation made by Swami
Vivekananda sums up the whole thing. ‘Concentration is the essence of all
knowledge; the more the power of concentration, the more knowledge is
acquired, because this is the one and only method of acquiring knowledge. Even
the lowest shoeblack, if he gives more concentration, will black shoes
better; the cook with concentration will cook a meal all the better. In
making money, or in worshipping God, or in doing anything, the stronger
the power of concentration, the better will that thing be done. This
is the one call, the one knock, which opens the gates of nature, and lets
out floods of light. How has all the knowledge in the world been gained
but by the concentration of the powers of the mind? The world is ready to
give up its secrets if we only know to knock, how to give it the necessary
blow. The strength and force of the blow come through concentration.
There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The more concentrated it
is, the more power is brought to bear on one point; that is the
secret.’
We do not know exactly what we are capable of. It’s actually a strong commitment to
excellence that can manifest the perfection within. In words of Tiya (a metaphorical parrot on a
journey to self-discovery):
YOU are much more than what you
think YOU are, and You can achieve much more than you are achieving now
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