Book by Sarthak Patel
Today we are much advanced in terms of technology and comfort. We also have access to all the resources we need. Yet, even after gaining all that, we are losing our fundamental abilities such as concentration, focus, awareness, and self-discipline. We allow the mind to attach to things and people too easily. We allow it to become distracted too quickly. All our technological advancements, comforts, and resources are of no use unless we can approach them with the proper, well-crafted tools of the mind.
An act of deep concentration is the demonstration of the intense fire that one carries within. To be immersed in the world and yet be perfectly detached is the demonstration of the wisdom of life. Yet we are never trained to develop such powerful abilities that we already have.
This book explores the subjects of ‘Concentration and Detachment’ in a fundamental way and gives practical insights on developing them. It turns out that by developing these two abilities at best, one can master the secret of work. We commonly see that work, for most people, leads to stress and frustration. But with concentration and detachment abilities work becomes an experience of joy and liberation. It gives inner happiness and an experience of the state of flow. With these perfect instruments, it becomes natural to create a work-life balance in a culture where work is too emphasized.
This book explores the subjects at a level of day-to-day life as well as at the level of the highest ideal, which leads to spiritual growth. Starting from psychological concepts, it leads to spiritual ideas which are connected to concentration and detachment.
In its basic form, deep concentration gives us inner happiness. But at the highest levels, concentration leads to the state of samadhi or super consciousness. In its basic form, detachment gives us the ability to separate from the unwanted feelings or thoughts that we have. But at the highest levels, it leads to freedom from everything that binds us.
Designed as a composition of words, Zen stories, quotes, graphics, scenarios, and my insights, this book is an enjoyable journey to understanding the most fundamental abilities of the human mind. Having so much variety of concepts, this book is a suitable read for anyone above the age of 13. Students can learn to enhance their concentration skills using the practical tools given in the book. Working individuals get a much better understanding of how to maintain a work-life balance by learning the secret of work. People of older age can extract the deep spiritual ideas related to concentration and detachment given in this book.
Well, this book is written on parallel lines and propounds on exactly what the title suggests: Concentration and Detachment.
These two phenomena are very crucial in one’s life and the author, dividing the book in two parts, has put forth his ideas and understanding about them in great detail.
He has provided practical exercises, his individual experiences, some insightful zen stories and a few thought-provoking lines by Swami Vivekanand. I absolutely loved them and the way they blend so very well with what the author is trying to convey.
The first part deals with the importance of concentration and how you should develop more focus and attention towards tasks that matter to you and how to avoid distractions that act as roadblocks.
As the author says: ‘There is a great power in ‘One’. It is the power of concentration.
The next part deals with detachment which I believe is more on the spiritual side as it talks about how you should do everything and yet detach yourself from it because whatever is done, it’s done by the identity associated with this body and the identity that you so very much consider as your true self is just temporary and thus anything attached to it is temporary and what is temporary isn’t meant to be attached to and thus you should simply do the job at hand and then immediately ‘Detach’ and ‘Witness’.
I personally connected a lot with this part because it expounded thoughts that match my thinking process alot!
All in all, I absolutely loved this book and I learnt so much from it.
Honestly, it is an amazing book and I’d genuinely suggest each one of you to read it.