Note: this is a long blog but it pulls a lot of valuable information together
The topic of single-mindedness naturally follows from concentration; it is actually a specific case of concentration. Concentration gives us strength and the ability to hold focus but it is not "single-mindedness". For example, with our new found ability to concentrate, we might choose to focus on many things at once, we call this multi-tasking and it is considered a valuable skill. However, if do not also cultivate the quality of single-mindedness you will not have the depth of focus that allows you to pierce the veils of conditioned perception, these veils are what lock our thinking, feeing, and action into a limited scope of expression.
A person may practice concentration for a certain time in the day, and then if throughout the day he keeps on changing his mind from one thing to the other, he will not be able to accomplish concentration in a thousand years. Single-mindedness is the secret of concentration.
Inayat Khan
Further, as a knight of light, if you truly came up against a strong but confused or negative influence, whether it be a person, and elemental, a phantom or a general atmosphere; whether it be in business, family or in bringing light to the world; without single-mindedness you will not have the strength to work with it, you would likely become caught in its snare or at least neutralized. This is because of the law of the mirror nature of consciousness where the strongest focus or concentration prevails. For example, a negative atmosphere is often very strong because the focus of the person manifesting it is maintained by strong emotion, further, that negativity is mirrored, to one degree or another, by all the beings in the surrounding physical and emotional area. It will take either a distraction of the person creating the negativity or a stronger positive influence, such as light or love, brought into that atmosphere and held there until the negativity begins to diminish. Light meditations do this very effectively. This is one of the secret ways light bearers work inwardly in the world!
Single-mindedness in today's world is difficult to develop because everything is happening at once and multi-tasking is the norm and almost an essential skill, but mystically, it must be combined with single-mindedness. You may not even feel that single-mindedness is valuable but consider this analogy: what if you were locked in a steel container and you had to cut your way out; would you rather have a laser cutter or a flashlight? Obviously, a laser cutter – this is the difference between one-pointed concentration or single-mindedness and general concentration.
It is single-mindedness that allows a blade of grass to push through a block of concrete.
Single-mindedness as a nature becomes a great help to concentration. People with a great many responsibilities and people with a great many interests in life cannot keep up single-mindedness, which indeed is a great power. This nature can be developed by concentration, but one can develop this nature by a great many things in everyday life which help towards its development. Inayat Khan
Single-mindedness is actually best learned and practiced in everyday life. During the time I was being trained in Single-Mindedness, my teacher instructed me in several behaviors to use in everyday life:
(1) He would tell me that whatever I started I must finish, no matter what the cost or how long it took, otherwise don’t start it.
(2) He would tell me to do only one thing at a time. I was not to do multiple tasks at once, but focus on one thing at one time and give it my complete attention. This did not mean I could not do many things, it meant what I did had to have my complete focus at the time I was doing it.
(3) Finally, when communicating with others I was not to interrupt, pre-think answers, or change the subject willy-nilly. I was to pay complete attention to the other and let them finish before speaking in return.
Single-mindedness can be developed by dwelling on a subject until the thought be finished, and while thinking on the subject, not allowing the mind to take up another subject. The same law should be observed in speech. One must not change the topic in the midst of the speech. And the same law should be observed in action; one must busy oneself in action without taking up anything else until the action undertaken is finished. In this way one can develop concentration at every moment of the day and night. And by acquiring this one acquires mastery over his own life as well as over life in general. Inayat Khan
These may seem silly but they are powerful practices in concentration. These simple practices gave me wonderful skills that I could use over and over and helped me develop the power of one-pointed concentration in everyday life.
Today the need to develop single-mindedness is even greater due to the barrage of internet at our finger tips, email, instant messaging, text messaging, MP3 players, smart phones, etc. – these can be very bad for single-mindedness because they create a tendency to make the mind jump quickly and from one thing to another - to only see at the surface and not the depth of things. This is great problem of our youth; they bring many wonderful new and evolutionalry qualities to life but they also need to be taught the value of single-mindedness, depth of focus and follow through. Until the new qualities they bring are combined with single-mindedness the evolutionary leaps they are to usher in to the world will not occur. In the physical world, the laws are such that the ability of single-mindedness will always be what facilitates success. There is no debate that to move an inert object, to get something started, takes a single-minded focus of force.
There is one caveat however: multiple individuals, or a group, can focus completely for a much shorter period of time and with less individual force and achieve the same result as a single individual focusing with greater force for a longer period of time.
It is a first essential thing for one who practices concentration to allow one thought at a time, or one action at a time, and to keep mind and body busy together. When a person does something, she should not be thinking of another thing while doing it, and if one wishes to think out something she must not be doing something at the same time. Single-mindedness is complete absorption of one's whole being in a single thought, speech or action. - Inayat Khan
A few practices that help develop single-mindedness
One maintains and strengthens the practice of single-mindedness through ones behaviors in everyday life but there are also concentration practices specifically designed for developing single mindedness, they are called Trataka1 and Ekagrata practices in Yoga, below are a few powerful ones (there is no required order to these practices but each has a different effect, use your intuition and simply pick one or two you’d like to try).
Note: If you are new to the practice of trataka, please review the guidance from Swami at the end of this blog on how best to approach this form of practice.
Ekagrata - Practice: A Point (for power of mind and will)
Sit about 4 - 6 feet away from a wall, now pick a point on the wall about the size of pea. Next imagine that you eyes and third eye are beams of light focusing on that point with laser precision. Now imagine that point expanding as it fills with light, now withdraw the light of your gaze and imagine that point shrinking back to the size of a pea. Expand and contract that point, bring it closer to you, move it back again. Whenever you are tired quit.
Trataka - Practice: The Nose (for transcendent awareness)
Gaze at the tip of your nose without blinking for as long as you can - this is called Trataka in Yoga. AS soon as the eyes become tired, stop. You may move this point from the tip of the nose to the bridge of the nose if you'd like. Do not worry; this will not make you become cross eyed.
Trataka - Practice: Candle Flame (for illumination)
Nicely given by Natalya Podgorny, Yoga International Magazine
Though many objects can be used to focus your gaze during trataka, the most common is the flame of a candle. Assume a comfortable meditative posture with your head, neck, and trunk aligned. Set a candle two feet in front of you, with the flame positioned at eye level. Make sure the room is dark and draft-free.
Begin with your eyes closed, surveying the body and watching the breath until it becomes calm, regular, and even. Then open your eyes and rest your gaze on the middle part of the flame, right above the tip of the wick. Keep your eyelids slightly more open than usual, and maintain your gaze without blinking or blurring your vision for as long as possible. Observe any thoughts that arise, watching them come and go without becoming engaged.
Close your eyes only when they begin to strain and water, and you can no longer sustain the gaze. (You can cup your palms and place them gently over the eyes to ease the strain, but do not rub the eyes; because the tears you have shed are carrying away impurities, wipe them gently with a tissue.) Then find the afterimage of the flame in your mind’s eye, resting your awareness at the ajna chakra, or eyebrow center. If the image moves up and down or side to side, stabilize it by bringing it back to the center, and continue to fix your gaze until the impression disappears. To delve deeper into the mind, you can follow this practice with meditation.
Trataka - Practice: Darkness (for emptiness, stillness and the dissolution of self)
Sit by yourself in the dark and practice trataka on the darkness. The eyes should be open fully. Continue to see in the darkness without any light. Sit there daily and practice it steadily and firmly.
Trataka - Practice: Blue Sky (for expansion of consciousness)
Sit in an open place or on a terrace at the end of the day and gaze at the blue sky without blinking. Try to feel that you have become like the sky or that the sky has come nearer to you. In due course the consciousness of the practitioner becomes so transformed that even though the object is in front of your eyes, you are not aware of it. The consciousness which separates the seer and the seen does not remain separate, but identifies with the object.
Trataka - Practice: A Master (for developing the qualities of that master)
Have a photograph of your chosen deity, master, saint or prophet. The photo should be straight in front of the eyes at a distance of one and a half feet. Try not to take your vision away from the face, especially the eyes.
Trataka - Practice: Crystal (for clarity and transparency)
If you happen to have a crystal, practice trataka on it. This is an independent and important sadhana.
Ekagrata Practice (Advanced)
The tibetan point meditation
By Sufi Amin
1. Close your eyes. Feel a point in front of your eyes approximately sixteen to eighteen inches from the eyes. Imagine two lines that come from both eyes and converge upon that point, thus forming a triangle. Be aware of a third line coming from a point near the 3rd eye or pineal gland. This third line forms a pyramid. (do for several minutes.)
2. Become aware of the point moving away from the forehead, perhaps four or five more inches. Notice or be aware of the sides of the pyramid becoming longer. Hold for several seconds. Then project the point back towards the forehead and hold that position for several seconds. Then project back and forth. (do this about two minutes.)
3. Then draw the point very close to the forehead. Then slowly rotate the point above the head until the point is directly overhead. Note the same three sides of the pyramid converging at the point. It is like looking through the skull at this point. (do one or two minutes.)
4. Concentrate on the point directly overhead. Then during your inhalation, feel yourself pulled into that point. During the exhalation let your consciousness shift back to eye level. (One or two minutes.)
5. After inhaling and feeling yourself lifted into that overhead point about ½ inch above the top of the head, hold your breath momentarily as you retain consciousness at that point. Try to be aware of your body just below you. Continue this practice two or three more times.
Additional notes on and Ekagrata and Trataka
The practice of Trataka,
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika defines trataka as “looking intently with an unwavering gaze at a small point until tears are shed.” According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, “Trataka eradicates all eye diseases, fatigue, and sloth, and closes the doorway creating these problems.” In addition to improving concentration and memory, trataka cleanses both the eyes and the cerebral cortex, balances the nervous system, and relieves depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Another yogic text, the Gheranda Samhita, states that the practice cultivates clairvoyance and inner vision. Yoga International Journal
from Swami Satyananda (http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2005/cmar05/tratak.shtml)
The word trataka means to gaze steadily. Trataka is gazing without blinking at an object placed directly in front of the eyes. At the time of practicing trataka, the eyeballs should remain steady and the eyelids should not flicker. No object except the one on which trataka is to be performed should be seen, and the mind should not wander hither and thither but be merged in observation of the object.
Trataka is a simple practice, but in this sadhana one has to be very careful and alert as one’s vision and mental processes have to be watched. If the mind is slightly active, the vision wanders away from the object. At the time of gazing the eyes should not be opened very wide. In the first stage, trataka is practiced on an object without thinking of its form, steadily and devoid of any mental changes.
Beginners should practice trataka in such a way that the eyes are not strained. If gazing is done in a natural state of mind, strain will be avoided. It is difficult to explain this, but by practice this technique can be acquired automatically. When the gaze becomes fixed in a natural manner and the aspirant has success in practicing trataka continually for fifteen to twenty minutes, without any feeling of fatigue, for a few days, then another technique should be taken up.
In daily life trataka has many uses related to the power of healing and clairvoyance. Trataka can be utilized for curing eye diseases, spiritual healing, acquiring knowledge of certain events, detection of thieves, murderers, etc., acquiring knowledge of the future, tracing lost individuals and so on. Clairvoyance is a mysterious faculty that can be developed by the practices of trataka. Yogis who have attained this state are able to see things with the eyes open or closed which a normal person is not able to see.
On Ekagrata
Sarv-ârthata-ekâgrata-yoï kæaya--udayau cittasya samâdhi-pariñâmaï
By One-Pointed Focus, Consciousness is transformed toward Oneness, overcoming all distractions.
sarva = all
arthata = regarding the meaning of something
ekâgratayoï = one-pointedness, focus
kæaya = dwindling, decreasing
udayau = arising, appearance
cittasya = consciousness
samâdhi = oneness, integration
pariñâmaï = transformation
Tataï punaï-åânta-uditau tulya-pratyayau cittasya-ekâgratâ-pariñâmaï
The transformation of consciousness arising from one-pointedness integrates and thereby stills perceptions of duality.
tataï = therefore, from these, from that
punaï = again
åânta = quiescent, subsided
uditau = arisen
tulya = similar, equal
pratyayau = perception, thought, intention, representation
cittasya = consciousness
ekâgratâ = one-pointedness, focus
pariñâmaï = transformation
