Ritual

object of concentration. Meditation is a more intensified form,
characterized by voluntary control of the mind leading to a
condensed experience of a modality of being beyond our ordinary
state of mind.
Traditional symbols are aids to recollection and serve as
reminders of reality momentarily forgotten in the humdrum of
worldly distractions. There are several which are used as supports
to concentration, ranging from the frequently used concentrative,
absorbing visual objects such as simple graphic signs, dots and
concentric circles, to complex structural power-diagrams like the
yantras and mandalas. Others are sculptural forms such as the
Siva-linga and Salagrama, used as foci of concentration. Classical
yoga also describes focusing concentration on the exterior surface
of the body. A traditional method is to fix one's attention, with the
eyes half-closed, on the tip of the nose ('nasal gaze') or towards the
space between the eyebrows. Another simple method is to stare at a
candle flame. An object-centred meditation is simply an 'eyealogue'.
The adept maintains a steady gaze on the object. With the
control of concentration stray thoughts are eliminated and the
external world is temporarily shut out. This exercise is more
difficult than it first appears, and beginners find it very difficult to
concentrate on an object for a prolonged period of time; they are
distracted from the meditative object and invariably find their
attention shifting hither and thither. Each time it happens the
beginner must return his concentration to the meditative object
and start afresh.
Another common aid to meditation is to concentrate one's
attention on various sensory modalities such as the repetitive
mantras, or internally generated sounds. The sounds may be
natural, such as that of a waterfall, the roaring of the sea, the
Jagannath, the Lord of the
Universe. Midnapur, West
Bengal, contemporary. Lacquer
on sunbaked clay.
Necklace of Rudraksa beads for
japa, repetition of mantras. South
India, 19th century. Dried seeds.
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