Concentration to Quarry Stone - Yogi Explains

Summary

November 6, 2020, 17 min

Concentration that can "quarry stone" as two forces working together: firm foveal attention that keeps showing up, and relaxed, open peripheral attention. Draws on Bodhidharma's cave, a sticky knife grasp from martial arts, a foveal–peripheral switching exercise, and a glass of muddy water settling as an image of meditative progress.

In this video

Teaches

ConcentrationFoveal and peripheral attention

Discusses

BodhidharmaMartial artsPersistenceProgress in meditation

Mentions

Spiritual eyeT'ai ChiMedullaOM Japa in the ChakrasLeft and right brainHRV ResonanceSmall winsFour Proofs of MeditationParamahansa Yogananda

Key moments

00:00Concentration that can quarry stone: two things, not one 00:53Bodhidharma stares at a stone until a hole opens 02:32The knife flies out of his hand in Aikibudo practice 04:34A sticky grasp: firm and yet soft 05:11Two concentrations at once: cooking, racing, the freeway 05:53First principle: foveal attention, just showing up 08:45Second principle: relaxing, letting go, opening up 09:09Foveal alone turns you into the predator 10:30Exercise: switch between one point and peripheral vision 12:11Practice it in HRV and the spiritual eye for little gains 13:09A glass of muddy water slowly settling 15:28Yogananda's bulldog grasp that won't let go