Keep On Focusing On The Target

Right Concentration is the technique which can keep us focusing on our work when we learn and practise it. In Buddhism, the Buddha taught Right Concentration to his followers, saying, "Right concentration keeps the mind and body working together properly and can help the mind and body concentrate on their work. When they know what to do and concentrate on their work, the y can be successful. They will not miss the target, nor will they be deluded or distracted from the Right Path of Life." Today Right Concentration plays a large role in Buddhism. Every Buddhist tradition teaches its followers to practise Right Concentration to help them deal with the problems of daily living and to help them focus on their work. There is a Zen story which provides a good example of Right Concentration which can help a meditator focus on his work. Here is the story:

In Japan, people know a lot about Zen and conduct all their daily activity in accordance with its teachings, whatever that activity i.e. floral decoration, tea making, archery and so on. In the old days, there was a Japanese Zen Master who was very good at archery. When he shot an arrow, he never missed the target. This impressed his students who studied under him. When he was asked about the technique to shoot the arrow, he always said, "Concentration is the method to keep an arrow on the target".

One day the Zen master wanted to show his students a new technique of shooting an arrow. He told his students to cover his eyes with a cloth and then he shot his arrow. When he opened his eyes, he saw the target with no arrow in it and when he looked at his students, they looked embarrassed because their teacher had missed. The Zen master asked them, "What lesson do you think I intend to teach you all today?" They answered, "We thought you would show us how to shoot at the target without looking." The Zen master said, "No, I taught you that if you want to be successful in life, don’t forget the target. You have to keep an eye on the target, otherwise you may miss a good opportunity in life." They looked at each other, impressed with the lesson.

The moral of this story: keep an eye on the target and you won’t miss it! Yes, it is true if we want to be successful in life, we need to have a clear plan and focus on it. A clear plan is comparable to a target, or destination. Focusing on it is comparable to intending to do it, or to concentrate on it.

Concentration is a wonderful method to help us to focus on our life’s target. It is for this reason that the Buddha taught Right Concentration to the world. If you learn and practise it, I am sure that you won’t miss your target. In life many opportunities come and go. If we do not concentrate, we will lose a lot of good opportunities.

The more concentrated you are, the more successful you are. So keep on focusing on the target.