Increase Your Power of Concentration

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Stage 4

Increase Your Power of Concentration

Objectives

The value of concentration is obvious. This is a clear mark of success and achievement in all undertakings. Without concentration, nothing can be done on its merit or virtue. However power of concentration is depends on the peace of mind that involves the collaboration of the both brain and heart. This is therefore the fruit of the high co-ordination level between heart and brain. This is the time when the different types of selves finally become sub-merged to finally produce core-self or the actual personality with full consciousness of existence and perception capability. This part of training provides the guidance in this direction. It addresses the necessary issues by devising different initiatives by which students can uplift themselves to achieve this great virtue of self.

Workshop 13: Harmony Between Heart and Brain

Framework of Issues

Harmony between heart and brain is a vital source of concentration.
This harmony is the matter of the heart since heart is upon which all decision-making rests. Brain performs the thinking and pondering but heart guides that thinking and pondering to finally produce a decision to do or undo any piece of work.
This is the reason that the Holy Quran declares that their hearts are locked, so they are unable to understand.
So for the purpose of achieving this needed harmony and concentration, come to replace the brain-specific behaviour with Heart specific behaviour
First, learn about what is a heart-specific behaviour?
This is the type of behaviour which is produced when you are governed by an overwhelming consciousness that you are no more dependent on all worldly possessions, gains and interests since you belief that these possessions and interests and likewise all benefit and loss in your life is in the mighty hands of Allah the most powerful.
So go on learning the heart-specific behaviour in terms of your observations and experiences of the everyday life.
The above point of view also suggests that a heart-specific behaviour is one in which your primary consideration belongs to others instead of your own self or self-interests.
So a highest form of this type of behaviour is that when you submit to Allah for the sake of Allah by bowing down yourself and thus negating your proud self completely.
So the saying prayer with Khishaat (the awesome state of heart due to the presence before Allah, the Irresistible) is purest form of heart-specific behaviour. Therefore, Prophet (SAWA) held that the best in reward is such remembrance of Allah which doesn’t involve tongue but one’s deep core of heart.

Exercise

The best way of enhancing heart-specific behavior is to keep yourself do more and think little.
Don’t move to calculate your interests or benefits while engaging in any sort of activity no matter that activity is done with a view to promote yourself-interests.
Prepare yourself to develop the habit of shifting the burden of your desires and dreams to the Almighty Allah that every loss and benefit is in His powerful Hands
View your thinking, attitude and state of mind in solitude: does you enjoy the same level of sincerity to your family and friends as you show to them in their presence?
It is in this way that you can understand the condition of your heart
That person cannot be a hypocrite or Munafiq whose prayers in solitude are better in quality and taste than the prayers performed in the company of people—when others watch him or her. So the best way of cultivating heart-specific behaviours is to perform Tahajid prayer regularly in a manner cutting yourself off from all worldly thoughts and the matters of worldly loss and benefit. This causes to mitigate the difference between a person and his or her core-self.
This mitigation of difference increases the level of concentration in one’s life. Remember, the needed harmony between heart and brain in part inflows to a person able to view oneself. And, in part, this is the outcome of controlling one’s greed and pride.
These two diseases which you attempted to diagnose in the previous mega stages are still not easy to be remedied.
However, the grand and awesome experience of viewing your core-self is better likely to empower you to control and overcome these major vices of your core-self.
Note that when these two vices are uncontrollable, thisl causes the core-self to be “Nafas-i-Ammarrah”—a condition where one is unable to grasp and practice the needed harmony.

Workshop14: Realize, View or grasp Your Core-Self

Framework of Issues

The origin and development of concentration (and also the valuable human trait of determination) depends on your capability to realize, view or grasp your core-self. These three words i.e., realize, view or grasp indicate the steps which one takes to cover up the distance in the way of self-discovery.
After you have been exposed to the different states of self in the Mega stage 2, it is time that you can enable yourself to view core-self.
First, think and feel that there is no burden of responsibility upon your head.
To do so, try and try hard to get rid of all thinking, looming fears, greed for things, unfulfilled desires and all sorts of intentions and motifs; as you continue to remove such burdens, you feel yourself weightless, light, softened and cool.
Then gradually realize the presence of some vital force inside you— this is nothing but your core-self.
Now, don’t you feel that it is an entity composed of a sort of blazing light that keeps glowing, giving you the sense and feelings of your presence?
Remember, this glowing or shininess is there due to the mirror of the heart
Note that you are able to watch your core-self on this mirror of heart. For example, in sura Hujraat, Regarding faithful, Allah says that faith is decorated in their hearts; and, regarding the worship of the sheep by Bani-Israel, it was said that their hearts embraced the sheep

Exercise

Try to make a sense and attach meanings to this blazing entity you viewed on the mirror of heart. This is none except your own self.
There is no name for it, but one can simply feel and realize with all of its solemnity and dignity .this is like a driver (spirit) in a car (your skeleton or body).
More and more, it can be called as “consciousness upon consciousness” or “grace upon grace” that is permanent and a solid reality in itself.
So now question yourself: who is the creator of this blazing light or a “shining consciousness” in you?
This is so definite, so clear cut and proportionate, so graceful and beautiful, so permanent and stable—that it is impossible that it has come into existence automatically;
The grandeur of this blazing light sparkling in you indicates that yourself like this universe is the part of a grand design
This has all the chances to be doubted that it was the same what was told by the Prophets of Allah.
This assures you that you are among the created so the amazing light and consciousness—the “sense of being” or “presence” informs you about the ultimate truth—your creator
Here, you reach at the Haqul Yaqeen that you are one of the creatures of one who claims Himself as the Lord of the Worlds;
Human beings know Him on the name of Allah.
Another assurance that is spontaneous at that moment sweeps in you
Since the core-self or Nafas which you view as a blazing light is indivisible and viewed as one single whole in its existence,
How can the Lord of worlds be more than one?
The universe and life even it its tiniest form like the crawling insects exist as a single unified whole and thus witness the open reality of the oneness of Allah.
So the view of yourself helps you observe the oneness of your Creator
And, you develop the belief that your Creator is free from all partners, intercessors, descendents or any other sharers in His kingdom.

Workshop 15: Build a Strong Shield Against Constant Bombardment

Framework of Issues

Exercise

Analyze you behaviour and note down the moment when you slipped from your monotheism—deviation occurs due to greed, dreams, desires, fairs etc.
Though you know it, as have already been practice in these. But, this time, analyze more deeply trying hard to reach at the crux of the issue
The problem resides as the part of your core-self—still you have not been not be able to crush out the attraction or the joy attached with the things which you once thought that you were been removing them as your dreams, desires, greed, fair etc.
Actually, this fair occur because you did not pay due intention to change the fix position of your mind regarding the achievement of your dream, desires etc.
So there still need for you to go through further training which can help you to change your fix mind set or fixed position on the issues coming across in the different situation of daily life.

Workshop16: Towards a greater cleanliness of heart

Framework of Issues

Cleanliness of heart is the chief objective of Tazkia—the Islamic program of the complete purification of self for the purpose of achieving personality perfection.
By the cleanliness of heart, real beauty and truth can be preserved in life because human heart is the abode of all beauty and truth.
As mentioned earlier, heart is where a sound mind rests.
The significance attached to the observance of Halals and Harrams is solely due to achieving the great purpose of the cleanliness of heart.

Exercise

Make yourself fully determined on this point that you never exceed the Halal and Harrams as given by Islam.
Prepare a list of Halals and Harrams as given in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (AWA). Compare this list to the practices of your society and note down the violations, if any, due to the dominant modern Western type of personality and society.
Reach at decision in the core of yourself that they would be no compromise in any way on the question of Halal and Harrams since these reflect the boundaries prescribed by Allah on the earth