30th December 2009
Close your eyes!
I think the one lesson I have learnt is that there is no substitute for paying attention.
-Diane Sawyer, Television Journalist
It may appear to be too trivial, easy and simple. But the most difficult thing to do is to close your eyes! It is not just closing and opening your eyes that I mean. What I mean is keeping your eyes closed for a pre-determined period of time. Just try doing this and you will know what I mean. Set a timer for just two minutes and tell yourself that you will not open your eyes until the timer goes off. You will be surprised to know how difficult it is to consciously keep your eyes closed. You will be tempted to open your eyes; you will become restless and impatient. You will even doubt whether the timer is defective and has stopped working. You will open your eyes to check if the two minutes are over. Some sound will distract you and you will open your eyes. Just try this and you will notice that all I said is true!
Experts say that 80% of the communication takes place through our eyes and we absorb most things through our eyes. Our mind is distracted first by what we see and only then by what we hear. So in order to control and focus our mind, we should first practice to control our eyes. That is why those who do meditation close their eyes. The sages and rishis who did thapas also did the same. Once you are able to control your eyes, it becomes very easy to concentrate your mind. We need concentration and the skill to focus to achieve what we want in life.
You can set aside a specific time and place as well as a duration for which you want to close your eyes. It could be two or three minutes to start with either in the morning or in the evening. Select a place where you will not be disturbed. Keep your phone off the hook and switch off your mobile phone. Let people know that you should not be disturbed for the next few minutes. If necessary wear a mask or a handkerchief around your eyes. The mask can preferably be black in colour. Then try this exercise and do it regularly. Do it for a month without a break gradually increasing the duration as you go along. It is not the number of minutes you can close your eyes on a day, but the number of days you can do it consistently, regularly and continuously over a period of days which is important.
You will have to do it to feel the experience!
N C Sridharan
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