Concentration upon a Spiritual Image
In traditional Yoga texts it is said “the mind that meditates in continuous devotion upon a deity is transformed into the perfect copy of that deity, becoming as powerful and pure as Him”. This is a fundamental principle in the process of adoration, so familiar in the Orient.
How to do this:
- Get into a meditation position.
- Choose the image upon which you want to focus. It can be the image of a Hindu deity, of a Yoga master, of a saint or of Jesus.
- Go through all the specific steps in the concentration process as described in the previous section.
- During the concentration, try to subtly imbue yourself with the energy characteristic of the focused being.
At the beginning of the practice the mind is so unstable that once you have familiarized yourself with the image, it will immediately disappear from your field of attention. After a certain period of practice, you will reach such a state of mental stability that you can stay continuously focused for a short period (10-15 minutes). This stability will gradually increase to the point where the mind will not let the image disappear from the field of attention because its penetrating power is so strong. In this stage, you should make a consistent effort to increase mental clarity. Along with the focus upon the desired image you should then try to identify yourself with the being in this image and to feel what it represents from a subtle point of view. This exercise puts you in resonance with very elevated cosmic energies in the universe and therefore will greatly enrich you.
