Point of Focus

For many of us that sit and meditate, one of the first obstacles to overcome is the activity of the mind. Even though we may intend to sit still, close our eyes, and enter into a peaceful state, the mind often continues to chatter. We may be thinking about our day, or what is next on our to-do list, or any of the countless things that run through our heads. By using a technique of giving the mind a point of focus can help overcome this obstacle and enter into a state of stillness and peace.

Our lives in this modern society are often quite busy. With places to go, people to see, and things to do, we are pushed into movement and activity. Our minds are always thinking about what comes next, or what happened earlier, or what might happen in the future for any number of scenarios. And when we get a few moments to ourselves, we often spend our time engaged in thought somehow. This continual activity builds a habit within us.

Our brains and intellect are constantly exercised by this habitual activity of thought. Sometimes this is likened to a wild horse running freely across the plains. It is powerful yet untamed. It goes where it wants, whenever it wants. While this activity is beneficial in certain aspects of our lives, it is a hinderance while sitting in meditation.

In meditation we are attempting to enter into a different mode of existence that is free from the continual stream of thoughts. Yet the wild horse of our awareness is still galloping across the field. For many it can seem like a difficult or impossible task to somehow calm this stream of thoughts running through our heads. But we can use the power of this wild stallion to our advantage when trying to turn it in the direction we desire.

The mind loves to focus on things. Just like the case of the wild horse, the mind choses things by itself. If the horse is grazing in a field of grass, it may stay in one place, or it may move from place to place as it goes about filling its hunger. This is the habitual operation of the mind.

So instead of fighting the wild horse, we give it what it wants. Our mind wants to focus on something, so we give it something. But we decide what that is. This meditative technique is called a "Point of Focus", in that we select a simple object for the mind to focus on.

This "Point of Focus" could be any number of things. In many meditations, the breath is used as a way to focus on the sensations of the breath moving in and out. We may even count these breaths as another way to focus the mind and give it a job. In other meditations we might select an object like a flower, or a stalk of wheat, or a blade of grass. Whatever it may be, we hold that in our awareness as we are seated in meditation. Anytime that our mind may stray, we simply bring it back to the object we selected for our "Point of Focus."

The more this is practiced, the easier it will be to hold our attention on the chosen point of focus for longer and longer durations. While at first it might seem that you can only seem to hold that object for a few moments, over time you will become able to increase the length of time culminating in unwavering attention. This is training the wild horse of the mind to accept our full conscious control over the placement of our mental perceptions.

Here we arrive at stillness in our meditation where the wandering mind now relaxes fully. We can sit here if we choose and just absorb what is available for us. The stillness, peacefulness, relaxation, and calmness are wonderful enough on their own to just soak into our whole being. In this state you may also experience other awareness that simply flows on its own. New realizations might flow, or new perspectives might be available, or you discover a piece of wisdom previously unknown. It is this shift in a state of perception that we are after through use of the point of focus technique.

Point of Focus - an Advanced Level

Thus far we have been discussing this technique as a method to train the mind and convince it to relax for our meditation. To that end, it doesn't matter that much what we choose as an object to use as our focal point. This object is like a carrot we use to attract the wild horse from the field and bring it into the corral. Once the horse is corralled, or in our case the mind becomes still and relaxed, the carrot has served its purpose.

But a more advanced approach is to intentionally select an object that we will continue to use once our meditative state has reached the shift in perception to stillness. In this manner, we can leverage the heightened state of awareness in our meditation to reveal something new or learn something deeper about our object of focus.

One way I like to practice this is to select a spiritual person as my point of focus in an effort to learn more about their qualities and how I can incorporate those into my life. I'll use the Dalai Lama in this example, but you could easily substitute anyone who is right for you. So I'd hold the Dalai Lama in my awareness as I begin my meditation and anytime my meditation wavered, I'd bring my attention back to him and continue my focus.

Once I feel the shift in my state of being that signals to me that I've reached a good meditative state, then I would continue to hold the Dalai Lama in my awareness and begin to pose questions to myself. What type of qualities does the Dalai Lama hold? Where does his level of spiritual enlightenment flow from? How can I align myself to his qualities and attributes? After each question, I would sit and await any understanding, realization, or awareness that comes to me.

In this way, the object of our focus becomes a very deep exploration with the aim of increasing our awareness. It can be quite powerful and opens the door to shifts in our being that carry through into our daily lives.

Opportunity for Practice

There is a free meditation program on the program page of this site that explores this technique and provides an outline for practice. You are welcome to check out Celestial Bodies - 3 Day Meditation Program to try it for yourself.