------現代人的注意力與如何鞏固注意力------
練習者問：我們應如何鞏固我們的注意力(attention)? 我的注意力非常散漫(weak)。
Shri Mataji：你的注意力有問題，我一點都不訝異。因為這問題是源自這個國家(指英國)、源自西方世界的生活及種種。因為這西方世界的經濟發展就建立在破壞你的注意力。從發明機器開始，機器本身就像惡魔-----一個不得不製造產品的惡魔。當機器生產這麼多的產品，這些資本家必須吸引你的注意力來購買(消費)這些產品，所以他們發明了廣告，各式各樣的廣告來讓這些產品十分有吸引力，從而他們可以順利賣出這些機器製造的大量產品。慢慢地，他們發覺廣告的效果逐漸鈍化，於是他們就在廣告加上一些可怕的畫面，如裸体的男女或一些浴室内的鏡頭。這些都是為了吸引你的注意力。於是你内在的格涅沙(Ganesha) 開始變得對你生氣，你的注意力就受到干擾了。在西方文明中，為了產業的發展，多少類似的事都一再被推動，人的注意力當然被擾動了。這是一點都不奇怪的。
要使你的注意力回到正常，首先即是要反觀自己的注意力跑到那裏去了？
我過去常告訴人們走路時要看著大地的青草，要感謝大地母親給我們如此柔軟、美麗的草地。你也可以看樹、看小孩，但是不要將你的目光放於三尺之上的事物。你大可不必擔心這三尺的視野會看不見迎面而來的汽車或大象。在三尺高之下，你可以看到各式各樣漂亮的花朶及小孩，如此你的注意力就會慢慢鞏固下來。
我常常看見現代人持續不斷地東張西望，好像在找什麼似的，不斷地找，又不知道該做什麼。他們的注意力正被外面的事物抓著團團轉。有時我真會擔心他們的脖子是否會斷掉？這真是現代人的一大咀咒，他們的喉輪如何能好呢？
註一：Shri Mataji 在許多談話都常提及現代人的注意力問題，此段落的談話正好對此問題的來由做了一個簡潔的說明。Shri
Mataji 常用的
attention 不完全等於中文的注意力。中文的注意力常指眼光所及的外在之處，Shri
Mataji 的
attention 則更包括内在的思緒、想像、情緒等等，即泛指"腦筋轉到的那裏"。
註二：江瑞凱摘譯自Shri Mataji 的談話1988-06-19. JSM ! 敬請霎哈嘉兄弟姊妹們指正.
Shri Mataji: I’m not surprised, you see, that your attention is weak. The attention is weak because of this country, of this Western life, the all thing. You see, if you try to understand what is it : the all economic is based in spoiling your attention. First of all, the machinery started. The machinery is like a rakshasa, a devil which has to create. Now when they create, they have to attract your attention. If they don’t attract your attention, how will they sell? So they create advertising, this, that, all kinds of, they work it out. They make it very, very attractive, that they can sell their things. Then, they find you are insensitive to their attractions, so they put horrible things, like nude men and nude women, bathrooms, something. I mean, bathrooms should shock normally a person to vomit, but somehow or other, it’s very much appreciated, bathroom scenes, to attract your attention. So the Ganesha starts becoming angry with you and the attention gets disturbed. So many things are done all the time in Western culture, these days, because of the industrial values, that your attention gets disturbed. So I’m not surprised at that.
But to put the attention right, is to see for yourself where does your attention go. Where does it move?
I had told people that when you walk, look at the grass, thank the Mother Earth that she has given us such a soft, nice velvety grass, for us to see. Look at the trees and look at the children. But don’t raise your eyes beyond 3 feet [one meter]. In 3 feet you can see if there’s a car [which] is coming, elephant is coming and an ant is moving. So only up to 3 feet, you should keep your eyes. Try to keep it at 3 feet, and the best things you see are the children and the flowers. Most of the beautiful flowers are grown at the height of 3 feet. So you need not raise your eyes higher and your attention will settle down. It is very simple to do.
