LOOKING DEEPLY

In meditation, we practice concentration, bringing everything into sharp, clear focus. This is called one-pointedness of mind. Only when there is concentration can the work of looking deeply take place. We use our breathing to bring all the energy of our mind consciousness to one point. Our confusion stops, and we are able to sustain the energy of our mind consciousness on one object. The object of our concentration—the queen bee around which our swarming thoughts can gather—may be our breathing, a leaf, a pebble, a flower, a situation we are in, a person we want to understand better, or whatever else we want to make the object of our meditative focus. It’s like putting a spotlight on the object of our concentration. Just as when a performer is on stage and the spotlight is focused only on them, we focus our mind intently on the object of our concentration. When we use a lens to focus sunlight on one point, its energy is concentrated so effectively that we can burn a hole in a piece of cloth. In the same way, we focus our mind consciousness on one point, on one object, in order to get a breakthrough and understand it better.