The Crown of Concentration 227 



surface clean of any object; literally to fix the at- 

 tention upon nothing. This is the " waveless 

 lake " of Swami Vivekananda, a clean tablet 

 upon which, having brought the mind-stuff into a 

 state of perfect quiescence, we can pursue a single 

 train of thought; each link in the chain, by the law 

 of causation which is also a law of rhythm, ris- 

 ing into consciousness and taking its place with the 

 precision of well-trained soldiers. 



Do not confound concentration with a state of 

 passivity. In order to reach the plane of pure 

 meditation which opens the channels for an influx 

 of divine power, where, as Annie Besant says : 

 " Peace and strength and force flow into the 

 soul," it is necessary to quell all the distractions 

 of irrelevant ideas with which the senses and un- 

 trained minds commonly make havoc of lives. 

 These most certainly must be reduced to a state of 

 passivity, hence the confusion; but if consciousness 

 be permitted to dwell upon this plane, the result is 

 not concentration but stupor! This is the mis- 

 take, the stumbling-block in many paths. 



Consciousness must ascend; through aspiration it 

 must be alert yet not anxious. It must concentrate 

 all effort to a single point. Thus it is a state of 

 highest activity. The master on duty cannot sleep ! 

 The only danger incurred in the exercise is from 

 excessive zeal. The subtle vibrations called into 

 activity work through the germs of the powers you 



