To the group about silence and shouting => one-pointedness

[Guest guest]

Dear group ~ I have missed some digests again ... if anyone had a prayer

request in a digest, please send it to my private email to be sure I get it.

_Nierika_ (Nierika)

 

I don't know who said this below, but it looks like there has been a

conversation about one-pointedness going on. This is a key concept found in

Buddhism, however, in reading Amma's words, I have often found Her use of the

word,

"sraddha," to mean one-pointedness.

Here is a quote (Awaken Children, Part 1, p. 196):

 

"As the cooking was going on, the Mother told the bramacharini who was

assisting her, "By not putting enough water in the pot, you have burnt the mung

beans. While performing a task, your full attention should be only on that task.

Only then will you attain sraddha (alertness). Don't distract yourself by

eating things or talking while doing your work. Instead, you should be

chanting your mantra. Actually, you should always be chanting your mantra

within. We

should always be centered within."

 

Here is another gem from the same volume of "Awaken Children." Though not

specifically addressing one-pointedness as such, I believe Amma gives a

perfect example: "In this birth, in this very moment, those who fix their minds

on

the Lord are liberated. Nothing else is a problem."

 

Another quote from a website about Buddhism: "Right Effort and Right

Mindfulness lead to Right Concentration. It is the one-pointedness of mind,

culminating in the Jhanas or meditative absorptions."

 

On another website about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, I found more about

one-pointness. The verses are cited. This is from the website Yoga Meditation of

the Himalayan Tradition:

_http://swamij.com/index.htm_ (http://swamij.com/index.htm)

 

Obstacles are to be expected: There are a number of predictable obstacles

(_1.30_ (http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-13032.htm#1.30) ) that arise on the

inner journey, along with several consequences (_1.31_

(http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-13032.htm#1.31) ) that grow out of them. While

these can be a challenge,

there is a certain comfort in knowing that they are a natural, predictable

part of the process. Knowing this can help to maintain the faith and conviction

that were previously discussed as essential (_1.20_

(http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-11922.htm#1.20) ).

Predictable Obstacles (_1.30_

(http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-13032.htm#1.30) ) Illness Dullness Doubt

Negligence Laziness Cravings Misperceptions

Failure Instability

Companions to those Obstacles (_1.31_

(http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-13032.htm#1.31) ) Mental and physical pain

Sadness and frustration Unsteadiness of

the body Irregular breath

One-pointedness is the solution: There is a single, underlying principle

that is the antidote for these obstacles and their consequences, and that is

the

one-pointedness of mind (_1.32_

(http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-13032.htm#1.32) ). Although there are many forms

in which this one-pointedness can be

practiced, the principle is uniform. If the mind is focused, then it is far

less

likely to get entangled and lost in the mire of delusion that can come from

these obstacles (_1.4_ (http://swamij.com/yoga-sutras-10104.htm#1.4) ).

Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati would refer to this state of

mind/awarenesss/being as attention/respect.

All of the sources I looked at linked one-pointenedness with meditation. It

seems meditation is the path to one-pointedness. Jai Ma ~ Linda

Someone wrote:

 

what is one pointedness of mind?