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                   Letter #  30  -  Attention

For all the talk about the crucial role of consciousness in scientific

and medical research, and in spiritual circles, it is still hard to define

what exactly it is due to the limitations of language. One could simply

say that it is an enduring, unbroken quality independent of time and

space. The consciousness we ‘had’ as a child is the very same

consciousness in old age.

Added to that, diverse philosophies in traditional spirituality grant a

varied weight or definition to this term as indeed to many others. That

is why it is advised that after a search for a genuine tradition which

suits one’s temperament, one should adhere to its terminology. Mixing

terms and explanations can cause unnecessary confusion. Each path

has its own rationale. After a time, one can see affinities between

traditions which can reinforce the convictions gained through spiritual

practice but to begin with it is better to concentrate on that which

appeals to one’s heart and head and satisfies one’s craving for the

truth.

It may be better instead of arguing about what is consciousness or

what is real or unreal, we can emphasise the simple practical

application of attention which we all can do and see where it leads us.

When we are in a cinema hall that is on fire we do stop and consider

how it started or what type of materials are burning, we just want to

get out. Attention is the faculty that shows us what the possibilities

are to preserve ourself. It reveals what is the best way forward.

There are a number of qualifications required for the spiritual search:

sincerity; a recognition of one’s own ignorance; an urgency to resolve

the pain and suffering one experiences not just by thinking about it,

but by doing whatever it takes to transform one’s life to a subtler

plane of existence, free of misunderstanding.

The primary tool for this transformation is active attention, and is not

to be confused with the principle of consciousness, which is

unaffected or unmoved by action. Attention is the deliberate act to

concentrate the mind on one object to the exclusion of all else. The

yoga word for this is to hold or maintain (dharana). 1 Without

motivation, without concentration, that is, the sustaining of attention,

it is not possible to cut through the maze of contradictory thoughts

and emotions which beset us. Thus, the first major, practical step in

our journey is the development of the power of concertation so we

can naturally adhere to the spiritual path we have accepted and

affirmed for its power to deliver us from suffering and towards

enlightenment. To do this we should understand the possibilities and

limitations of our mind to concentrate on a specific purpose.

Firstly, we cannot do two things at once when our minds run rampant

without proper control or supervision. The mind in its natural state is

like a runaway horse, skittish, panicky, and living on sheer energy

without any real determination. Anyone who studies for an advanced

university degree or other affiliated accomplishment knows the

sacrifices required to grasp a subject. An aspirant also knows this and

is willing to give up any number of enjoyable activities to fulfil this

commitment. Above all the mind is an instrument for this

achievement. It has to be exclusive. Without it there is no point. To do

this requires the active capability of attention. Scattered fantasies get

one nowhere.

In the case of the sacred hill Arunachala, we are forced to constantly

bring our mind back to attention on what we know to be true but do

not yet understand. It is all very well to correctly intuit the truth but

we must eventually feel it in our bones.

When I first arrived at Arunachala there followed a period of severe

disorientation. My mind could not grasp the uncommon, pervasive

reality of Arunachala, which caught me in its net. It is said in scripture

that the radiance of Arunachala extends for three yojanas or roughly

thirty miles from its centre. 2 Many people experience this, at times

abrupt change of atmosphere, the closer they come to Arunachala by

car, bus or train. It never ceases to amaze those whose discerning

abilities have become more refined, who know when they enter the

zone. We are like hungry souls who look forward to feast of a refined

ambrosia.

What struck me during those first months was the lack of direction in

my daily activities. It was a type of dream with no defining cord

holding it together but a series of unrelated events and impressions.

Reflecting upon those times I now realise that Arunachala has the

power to plunge me into another dream where the rules and

parameters are radically different. It was similar to learning a new

language. My attention was shifted from a paradigm of inherited

genetic, cultural and educational patterns to a world of a timeless,

living myth that paradoxically, despite the visual evidence of

Arunachala as a stable hill of dense rock, was rather, a living

quicksand into which my thoughts and emotions disappeared.

The only way I could maintain some semblance of normality was by

deliberately shifting attention from the usual thought processes to

which I had become habituated over a lifetime, and leap into the

unknown and, by keeping as still as possible, trust that some higher

function was at work. A covert flood of energy built up momentum

and swept me away from the banks of safe familiarity. My world fell

apart like a fragile edifice that had only appeared strong and

unshakable. Sri Ramana wrote in his love song to Arunachala,

“[Arunachala]! (Thinking to consume you) as sustenance for myself, I

sought you out. The end result is that, becoming food for you instead,

I (will be consumed as your very Self) and thus meet my end.” 3

But where was my attention in the process of this demolition? How is

it that I was aware? Who is it who decides to be focused? On

reflection it is not possible to answer that question. Just as we are not

equipped to see ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma rays, there is a

plane of existence beyond our normal mind. The explanation that our

attention is dependent on a chemical or mechanical process begs the

question. We here enter the realm of infinite regression which

explains nothing in the end. By that we mean each explanation

depends upon a prior basis for its existence. A cause which in turn

requires another cause. In other words, there is no fundamental

starting point. Scientists are forever splitting elements only to find yet

another layer. Just as in viewing the cosmos there is no end but the

discovery of stars upon stars. The search for quantitative explanation

is not the answer.

We are asking about the original, untouched cause not the effects of

action which determine what we can see. In the vicinity of

Arunachala, we are confronted by a mystery that defies elucidation.

We cannot approach its essence. That is why one of the meanings of

Annamalai, the Tamil word for Arunachala, indicates that which

cannot be approached (by our mind).

The best we can do is to open ourselves up to this extraordinary

mystery and not try and find or manufacture answers. Undivided

attention is required.

When we are vigilant, we see the beginning, middle and consequent

end of a thought process. In doing so we have choice whether to

identify with this movement or not. We are no longer blind victims to

the process but active, clearsighted participants who can influence the

outcome. This is why attention is critical when viewing Arunachala or

by asking the question ‘who am I?’.

But how? Imagine attention as the act of squeezing a rubber ball in

the palm of one’s hand in order to keep absorbed in the moment. Our

hand, our arm, our general physical consideration of what is

happening around us, is relaxed and yet engaged. There is a single,

undiminished point of attention which has no name or form. It just is.

The moment we give it form, name and thus validation we become

engrossed and lose the thread of attentiveness. Like so with attention

properly mastered. Sri Ramana gave the example of women who

collect water with pots from a reservoir. They place the vessel on their

heads and return to their homes all the while chatting but very much

aware of the vessel balanced on their heads.

What the power of Arunachala does in conjunction with the question

‘who am I?’, is strip us of our clouds of wandering thoughts and

replace them with what seems at first, nothing, but with time and

application, becomes a compact core of peace that has no name or

form we can conventionally recognize. 4

The query arises that it is all very well to say that in the presence of

Arunachala, we spontaneously become more aware but what if we

cannot physically be there? The answer is simple, for once we are

irradiated by that mysterious presence it is impossible to disremember

it. It permanently hovers as a peaceful, discreet scent in our

awareness. Crudely speaking, it is like a computer chip inserted into

our metabolism.

The more we feed this inculcated peace with our attention the more

unruffled we are by external events. That is why the Ramana devotees

who were with Sri Ramana Maharshi, generally talked less unless

asked. They have been burnt crisp by the unrelenting pressure we call

Arunachala Ramana. Words are no longer essential as the silence of

Arunachala overwhelms us with its profundity. Instead of trying to

understand it, we become absorbed in it.

“Whatever name they give it, and in whatever form they worship it,

that constitutes a way of knowing the perfect Reality which is without

name or form. Nevertheless, you should know that the only true

knowing is to discern one’s own truth in the truth of that Supreme

Reality, to subside into it, and to merge as one with it.” 5

______________________

1 It is the sixth of eight progressive steps expounded in Patanjali & #39 ;is Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga.

2 Sri Arunachala Mahatmya (The Glory of Arunachala). Lord Siva stated: “I ordain that residence within a radius of three yojanas of this hill shall by itself suffice to burn off all defects and effect union with the Supreme (even in the absence of initiation).”

3  Aksharamanamalai (The Marital Garland of Letters), v.28.

4  The Cloud of Unknowing. Chapter six.” And therefore I would leave all that thing that I can think, and choose to my love that thing that I cannot think. For why, he may well be loved, but not thought. By love may he be gotten and holden; but by thought never.”

5  Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on Reality), v. 8. Arunachala Aksharamanamalai, A Detailed Commentary by Robert Butler.

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