Do you base your life upon focus, or do you base your life upon distraction?
 
Focus verses distraction, in some ways that is a complicated line of differentiation. Some people may believe they are very focused. And, in some cases they are. There are some people who only focus and think predominately about their job. This is particularly the case if they really like the job they are doing and they want to do it well.  
 
There is certainly nothing wrong with this mindset. We all need to survive and, “A Job,” is the way many of us make that happen.
 
In fact, when one is focused, very precisely, on something physical like, “A Job,” keeping one’s focus is much easier, as what they are doing, in that physical realm, constantly causes them to bring their mind back into focus whenever it drifts away.
 
There is a much deeper realm to focus than simply the physical level of human reality, however. That realm is defined by the true control of the Thinking Mind. It is at this level where an individual decides that they must enter into a deeper space of mental reality and, very consciously, stop their mind from racing from one thought onto the next.  
 
The Sanskrit term, “Vikṣepa,” describes the distracted mind. If one is living in the space of Vikṣepa, they are not able to truly focus. Thus, they prevent themselves from entering into a higher state of consciousness.
 
I get it, very few people care about reaching a higher state of consciousnesses. Do you? Their life is more defined by how they are feeling in any given moment of their existence. Most, give a focused mind very little thought. This is why, for those who become very focused on their job, or some similar physical action, though they may possess a very keen focus, that focus does not lead to any deeper meaning or understanding about the true reality of this reality.
 
In Buddhism, the process of both True Focus and the Lack of Focus are broken down into very definitive factors. For example, “Mūlakleśa,” defines the six unwholesome aspects which lead the mind to distraction. They are: attachment, anger, ignorance, conceit, self-doubt, and the wrong view of life and reality. These factors are broken down into many more sub-factors, but I won’t bore you with that here. The fact is, most people embrace one of those six influences and, from this, they and their mind are driven away from the ability to truly focus and thus embrace higher consciousness. All you have to do is to trace your own mental patterns, and you will easily see that your distractions, based upon one of those factors, keeps you from a truly focused state of mind.
 
But, why does any of this matter? In truth, for some/for most, it does not. They could care less about possessing a truly focused mind. They only want what is material. They only want what they want when they want it, on either the physical or on the emotional level. But here, in and of itself, we are guided towards understanding why these six points are so detrimental to finding a deeper space of understanding. For, if you are controlled by any one or all of them, higher consciousnesses cannot be found.
 
You must ask yourself, what does your life come down to? What are you motivated by? And who do you want to be? Do you simply want to be an average individual, controlled by all of the influential elements of life and human emotions and the desires and the emotions of those around you? Or, do you wish to find that space of true control leading to an enhanced mental understanding? If you do, then your pathway is obvious. You must choose to consciously not be dominate by worldly distractions. How do you do this? Well, there are many paths but the most obvious is to simply take the distraction(s) out of your life. When you find your mind being controlled by them, decide to consciously stop. Just do it! STOP. Take control over your thoughts. If you don’t do it, no one else can.
 
Once you begin to consciously remove the distractions of your life, and your mind finds a space of Wholeness where it is not controlled by your distractions, you will immediately understand the sublet reality of one-pointedness, leading to the enhanced understanding of a higher consciousness. But, here’s the catch, if you don’t do it, it can’t be done. If you don’t do it, if you’re not removing the distractions from your own mind, you can never even begin to understand what occurs at the other side of distraction. This is why so few people ever understand the true meaning of higher consciousness.
 
If you wish to understand what all of the sages throughout time have been speaking about, and why they teach that higher consciousness has so much more to offer than the simple reality of living just to live, then try removing your distraction. Then, you may understand.