Request for Clarification by Course Facilitator LS to JT
JT, I don't quite understand why you say that the only principle of concentration is renunciation. Please explain.
Further Clarification by JT
There are two ways to look at concentration, in terms of principle. These two ways lead to the same principle.
One way is to concentrate through focus. Focus can be on an inner object. Or it can be on an outer object, like in the flame of a candle, a Mantra, a picture, or a symbol. Focus on inner objects would be -- focusing on sensation you are feeling in body, feelings of your heart, thoughts in your mind.
The other way of concentrating is exclusion. On the same lines, exclusion can be of inner objects, or it can be of outer objects. So, people can exclude external objects, like noises in a room, and then there comes a silence which makes you concentrate. People can also exclude internal objects, like thoughts in their mind and concentrate. They can also exclude emotions arising in the heart and concentrate.
Looking deeply at it we can see that in both cases there is the same principle which is working. In the first case, we can see that people become so intense on something or being, the other distractions automatically get dropped. In fact, this is the principle of renunciation.
Renunciation is growth -- growth from lower values to higher values. This growth will come when you intensify yourself and focus in higher values. This is way of concentration, which fits to the mental model of devotional people. They devote themselves to a higher ideal. And that's the way they practice renunciation. In the case of Integral Yoga, that higher ideal is Surrender. So you can see a lot of people move into perfect state of concentration by focusing on the higher ideal of surrender (inner object).
The other way of growth could be exclusion of lower values. Normally we see this tendency among the
people who practise austerities. They start excluding lower values. By this process of exclusion they reach to higher values.
Thus both ways of concentration follow the same principle of renunciation.
Comment by LS to JT
JT, I see your point now, and it is a very interesting observation.
