CONCENTRATION

As my mind contemplates aspects of God's truth, it may reach a next stage in the process, that of concentration. Here, there is a taste of real stillness and silence, as other thoughts subside. The mind is slowing down, and working in one direction, towards the being of truth whom we call God; and I am beginning to savour the experience of connecting with God.

Sometimes, I'll sit in meditation and instantly fly into the happiness of this experience, without intervening steps. At other times, it won't be so easy, but that is when an under-standing of the process becomes particularly valuable.

I may find that during the first two stages, meditation and contemplation, many stray thoughts are coming to distract me. That is not surprising, as the mind has been busy with many other concerns. Recognizing this, all I have to do in that moment is to tell the mind it can deal with those issues later, but right now I want it to take me to God, the being of light who has so much to offer me.

If I find that although my mind is moving in the right direction, my experience is still only at the level of thinking rather than feeling that is also OK. It's better to keep the mind occupied in thinking about the soul and the Supreme than in straying uselessly into other areas. In fact, to have come this far is a breakthrough, because relatively few people these days create space for thoughts of the divine.