Today Gurudeva answers a question about how to improve concentration so that one can learn to meditate bettter.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam, January 26th.

We have just experienced a two-day retreat reflecting on what we did and what we are going to do. A very inner time. We concentrated on the eternity of the moment. After all, that is the only real time that exists, isn't it? The eternity of the moment. The past you cannot do anything about and the future you are constantly creating. If you give a meal to a hungry person, you are feeding yourself in the future. For, one day down that road of time, you will be a hungry person and somebody will give you a meal, to satisfy that hunger. That is the way the Law of Karma works.

We have a question from Anil Bharadwaj, from Oslo, Norway, who is wondering about concentration.

Concentration precedes meditation, Anil. We have to concentrate on something that holds our attention. So attention precedes concentration. Attention, concentration, meditation, contemplation, samadhi. That is the way it works. If you are having problems concentrating, Anil, choose something that you are very interested in, and the concentration will be there. You will be enraptured and meditating upon that what you are concentrating upon.

I understand you are going to India, Anil. If you are going to South India, let me know. We have wonderful places to visit and we can supply some contacts of students all through South India. You can visit our temple site in Bangalore where we have created a village and are building the beautiful Iraivan temple which is nearly half finished. We open the doors to South India to you, Anil and family, and hope that you will walk through them.

We are going to have a wonderful five-day phase on our Vedic calendar. This is the first. We will open our doors of the ashram again to you tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the next day. The next day will be a very special time, Thai Pusam. We are having a beautiful fire ceremony. But since we are on retreat here, it is only for the Mathavasis. That means, it is only for the Swamis, and Yogis, and Sadhakas and our new Brahmacharis. Wonderful talking with you today in cyberspace. It is always a great pleasure to look out in cyberspace, out through your computer screen, into your eyes.

Aum Namah Sivaya.