Secret of Concentration by Swami Sarvapriyananda (PART_4)

The secret of Concentration by Swami Sarvapriyananda (PART_4)

Sri Sarada Devi

I've just there's no cognitive surplus to think about that when you come to the Gita and Swami Vivekananda says what does the Gita say the Gita teaches that all work should be done thus the way you are doing work in the lab or studying Krishna teaches Arjuna to do every work in this way being United with God all your true spiritual nature whatever you call it the Atman God or whatever through yoga you're united with your spiritual nature based on that perform all action by becoming immersed in concentration and add to that that you there is no self-seeking there are certain things which are here which you will not find they have not yet studied in positive psychology for example when there is too much focus on the result

I want something from this then somehow it prevents concentration I think it's somewhere in an interview Sachin Tendulkar says secrets of batting he says when I want to really want to do well I don't look at the scoreboard I focus on the game but as consciously avoid looking at the scoreboard especially 

when I am close to a sense I consciously about looking at the scoreboard because at that moment however much you want to concentrate on the game the feeling will come that now I must score just a few more runs I'll get the hundred and that's when most by a batsman get out they get bowled out so somehow seeking the result seems to create a division in consciousness seems to prevent full consciousness of full concentration seems to prevent your ability to put as much as you 

Swami Shivananda

want of that one twenty-six bits into the object of concentration and Swami Vivekananda says such a performance of work brings only good to the world no evil can come out of it mainly because I think there is no self-seeking involved in that those who work thus never do anything for themselves, they may do it for science or they may do it for welfare of others whatever but not this small individual self which is forgotten in concentration another thing positive psychology is necessary for concentration for flow is clear goals and feedback so in the work which you do studying or whatever you must have some kind of clear idea where you are going many people who do research they tell me that's precisely what is the research we don't know

what we are doing that's why we call it research but yes there is an element of the unknown but the thing which you are doing at a particular moment you must have clarity of what you are doing and what you are trying to do may not be about the whole thing where you are moving into the unknown so a clear goal and there must be some feedback here I want to add something often in research there is a long period where you don't get any clear feedback nothing is happening to see I'll tell you a little story last week I had gone to the Vivek on the university which is just outside Belliard mud where that Swami I told you about the mathematician Swami who work he works there in the mathematics the department there so had gone for tea around this time and he came for tea - we were sitting and having tea and he said that I'm in the middle of a class and his class is like it starts at 8 o'clock in the morning 

I said I've started eight eight eight did you break for lunch no, you're the only teacher yes and the same set of students yes and when will you end eight or ten in the night so ten twelve fourteen hours one class yes one class, of course, it's problems obvious not that he's lecturing all the time then I asked him why and he said something very interesting he said you see in research for most of the time the default value is zero for a long period of time the the gain you will get in research is nothing will be seemed to be happening if you're doing genuine research for a long time for he says that these boys who are working in the class now for they will have to hold on for days weeks months even years you know that person who solved the famous theorem, Andrew Wiley Wiley, a thing, Andrew Wiley Andrew Wiley whatever it took more than ten years he was working in private apart from his job secretly was working and through all sorts of frustrations I read the book on that I don't understand any of the mathematics but luckily the person who wrote the book also said in the very beginning

I also don't understand the mathematics you're going to tell this human story of the other person but the point to be understood there is for a long time in research you will not get any positive value and for that period of time that these boys they have to hold on they have to learn how to struggle for hours throughout the day for days and weeks and months throughout the year and maybe through four years together if they don't have that patience then it cannot be good researchers 

so one point about race you know mean when you say feedback its true feedback helps inflow but sometimes you may not have feedback and they're also that grit is necessary to hold on to the concentration without the feedback also without positive feedback and concentration fourth characteristic of flow is concentration itself where there is tremendous focus one sign of concentration is you forget all other problems in life it is true you may have lots of problems at home health-related issues maybe issues related to career