The Art of Concentration

Distraction is the enemy of meditation. It is because our minds are so distracted that our meditations lack the power to bring real and lasting change in our hearts. With an undistracted, single-pointed mind of concentration, our meditations on cherishing love, compassion and wisdom will bring about rapid and profound spiritual development, and we will naturally benefit in every other facet of our life also.

In this series we will follow the clear, step-by-step instructions for training in meditative concentration taught by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche in his books, Joyful Path of Good Fortune, Meaningful to Behold, Clear Light of Bliss and others, using the clarity of mind as our main object. The emphasis will be practical, with guided meditations in each session, and clear instructions for how to continue to train in between classes. The intention in this series is to empower practitioners to establish a clear and effective meditation practice in which they can journey at their own pace through the different levels of meditative concentration known as the nine mental abidings. The ultimate goal is the state of fully developed concentration, called tranquil abiding.