Meditation is a purely mental activity, which only concerns the mental being. One can concentrate while meditating, but this is mental concentration; one can attain silence, but it is a purely mental silence, and the other parts of the being are kept still and inactive so as not to disturb the meditation. One can spend twenty hours a day in meditation and, for the remaining four hours, be a perfectly ordinary person, because only the mind is occupiedโthe rest of the being, the vital and the physical, is kept under pressure so as not to disturb the meditation. In meditation, nothing is done directly for the other parts of the being.
Certainly, this indirect action can have an effect, butโฆ I have known people in my life whose capacity for meditation was remarkable, but who, outside of meditation, were perfectly ordinary people, sometimes even unpleasant people, who became angry if their meditation was disturbed. Because they had learned to master only their minds, and not the rest of their being.
Concentration is a more active state. You can concentrate mentally, vitally, psychically, physically, and completely. Concentration, or the ability to gather oneself into a single point, is more difficult than meditation. You can gather a part of your being or your consciousness, or your entire consciousness, or even fragments of it; in other words, concentration can be partial, total, or complete, and in each case, the result will be different.
If you have the ability to concentrate, your meditation will be more interesting and easier. But one can meditate without concentrating. Many people follow a train of thought during their meditation; that is meditation, not concentration.
(Follow-up Question:)
Q. Is it possible to distinguish the moment when one reaches perfect concentration from the moment when, from that concentration, one opens oneself to Universal Energy?
Yes. You concentrate on something, or you gather yourself into a single point as much as possible. When you reach a state of perfect concentration, if you can maintain it long enough, a door opens and you transcend the limits of your ordinary consciousness: you access a deeper, higher knowledge. Or, you turn inward. You may then experience a kind of dazzling light, an inner wonder, bliss, complete knowledge, absolute silence. There are, of course, many possibilities, but the phenomenon remains the same.
(Follow-up Question:)
Experiencing this depends entirely on your ability to maintain your concentration at its highest level of perfection for a sufficient duration. – The Mother. Kindly Explain.
Yes, it is quite a comprehensive text. As to meditation being a mental process, the Mother is referring to the fact that most methods of meditation involve the thought. It is either contemplating upon an idea or an image, or a string of mantras. It may also be to simply enter a witness state in which the dynamic consciousness slowly enters into rest, since the mind is no longer supporting any activity. This can and does deepen into an inner Silence, a cessation from the chain of thought and will, eventually a deepening into the stillness of Nirvana.ย
Concentration, on the other hand, has to do with bringing together the threads of consciousness scattered outside and focusing them either on some state of consciousness, such as peace, compassion, love, or on the Divine Himself. It may also be a dynamic process involving an active aspiration for Peace and Light and Love, for contact with the Divine Presence within. It is like opening a door, an act of will rather than the thought or feelings.ย
What the Mother is saying here is closer to the truth of the Vedic yogas, where we see burning the fire of purification, the fire of aspiration, the fire of divinisation leaping from the heart. We can call it ‘dynamic meditation’ if we like, but essentially it involves, along with the mind, the heart and will of man that are seized by the force of concentration and turned consciously in the direction that the central will in us chooses.ย
This is the difference that the Mother is pointing out. Of course, both have their place and necessity, like waking activity and rest, both complement each other.ย
Affectionately,
Alok Da
