The Art of Attention

Image from Osho Zen Tarot

THE ART OF ATTENTION  by Sven Birkerts

“To pay attention, to attend.” 

“To be present, not merely in body – it is an action of the spirit.”

The  profound ‘ramblings ‘ as a man rides a stationary bike mirrored my own mind’s circuitous trips.  Initially,  I strive to stay present, then I find my mind wandering.  But, many times as my mind floats through free thinking associations, I stumble upon profound truths.  Removing the rigid restraints  I impose upon my mind allows it the freedom to create directed focus.  In this rare freedom, my mind is allowed to navigate to what it deems most important. 

“… recognitions often come during these trances,

when the mind is so susceptible.

I was… suddenly alert with the sensation of

“This is it ----this is my life!”

A multitude of gurus , philosophers, and spiritual leaders try to teach their followers to meditate, to extinguish the external cacophony so that one may hear the Soul speak.  Many times , their rhetoric results in a maze that leads to frustration rather than to peaceful exaltation.  The deep wisdom taught in this article is belied by the simplicity of its imagery. 

The author did not have to climb to the top of Everest to gain perspective of the beauty in his world.  He found it in the limited view afforded him as he rode a stationary bike, offering proof that beauty and wisdom is everywhere and anywhere.

“I know that there are insights so fundamental,

so close to our core, that we walk

in their vicinity seeing everything but.”

I have read tens of thousands of books in numerous genres.  Many I have forgotten, but many I treasure.  And every now and then a book sets off a Supernova Explosion that completely rocks my Universe.  And just as a supernova becomes a birthing place for new stars, these books become  fertile ground for my Soul to experience a rebirth.  Without a doubt, the most powerful book I have ever read is Eckart Tolle’s THE POWER OF NOW.  The book spoke to me on so many levels of my consciousness and subconscious that I was literally transformed from the inside out.   Now is ALL we have.  You cannot experience the future, you can only experience the now.  When we live in the past, we cannot live in the now and therefore cannot experience the life we are living right this moment.  When we worry about the future, we rob ourselves of living the life we have in this moment.  I cannot even begin to do justice to this book.  Just read it.  If you are worried, stressed, and your mind is in overdrive – read it.  If you are lethargic and can’t seem to care about your life – read it.  If you want a new perspective on this gift that is your life – read it.  It is not a religious text, but it is a spiritual light upon your path.

“What really compels, of course, is consciousness,

the mind’s movement through the world. 

Truly, where we direct our focus is the direction our life takes.  Life follows our eyes.  A hundred people can look at the same view, yet we each see something profoundly different. Why?  Because our perspectives are different.  Our histories, beliefs, and experiences create the filter through which we see life and all of its facets. 

“Staring at a canvas of an apple and a curl of lemon peel inevitably becomes a consideration of perception itself.”

I am grateful for this article because it has reminded me to ask myself, “What will you focus on?  What perspective will you look at your world with?  How will you filter your experiences?”  I am reminded to consciously walk through life choosing what to focus upon, all the while allowing my Soul enough freedom to perceive the connections and beauty that life brings.

“We can only distribute attention as we need to,

on what we deem to matter most.

And what we attend to gives a picture of who we are.”