What is focus?

[4201]

In the absolute, I can say there's what is focused on vs what is not focused on. But this doesn't say much about focus than it being a concept. There is more that can be understood about the concept of "arm" than it existing or being separate from "not arm". You can learn to use your arms. Likewise, I'm wondering whether focus maps to anything "real" in the body.

In the context of using your eyes in the material world, focus is just placing your eyes in some position to align the two images received by each image and produce and interpretable input. That's all fine.

But I'm mostly curious about it in the context of "focusing on thoughts vs focusing on consciousness/reality". Is focus something that can be trained? Worked on? Improved? 

On a similar note, why do meditation even works? Supposedly, by focusing on feeling/consciouness/present moment you stop focusing on identification thoughts. Why? Because focus is limited? Why can't you focus on both? You can only focus on one thing at once?

This understanding doesn't sit well with me because it implies some sort of limit we have and it implies meditation is exploiting this limit to achieve de-identification. I'm quite confident there exist a better understanding but it isn't immediately obvious to me. Any thoughts?

Edited January 19, 2022 by 4201

[BipolarGrowth]

Focus or attention is what sort of highlights parts of awareness. You can actually have attention on a number of things at once, but this is a skill which has to be developed. Most people struggle to keep attention on one object such as in most forms of meditation. 
 

Focus is very limited typically when most people start spiritual practice, but it can be increased quite a bit. 
 

For starters, you can keep attention on your breath during your daily life to see how your attention will dart around to various things. You’ll inevitably see how you can have attention on multiple things as you get more used to doing this.

[Focus]

Focus is seeing through

[Mosess]

to focus, is to zoom in on 1 or multiple things, out of infinite things in the present moment

Edited January 19, 2022 by Mosess

[Nahm]

13 hours ago, 4201 said:

In the absolute, I can say there's what is focused on vs what is not focused on.

But there isn’t what is not focused on. One’s focus, the other’s a thought about focus believed. But so to speak, you’ve got to include the fact there is no separate self, no “focuser”. 

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But this doesn't say much about focus than it being a concept. There is more that can be understood about the concept of "arm" than it existing or being separate from "not arm". You can learn to use your arms. Likewise, I'm wondering whether focus maps to anything "real" in the body.

Notice the ‘separate self’ which is only thoughts. The “one who learns”, the “one who is wondering”, the “one to whom focus is a concept”, the “understander” of “concepts”. 

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In the context of using your eyes in the material world, focus is just placing your eyes in some position to align the two images received by each image and produce and interpretable input. That's all fine.

The “one who uses eyes”, the “one who is in a material world”. All actually thoughts / there isn’t that “one”. 

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But I'm mostly curious about it in the context of "focusing on thoughts vs focusing on consciousness/reality". Is focus something that can be trained? Worked on? Improved? 

The “one who focuses on consciousness / reality”. 

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On a similar note, why do meditation even works?

It’s allowing the self referential thoughts to settle / come to rest. 

 

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Supposedly, by focusing on feeling/consciouness/present moment you stop focusing on identification thoughts. Why? Because focus is limited? Why can't you focus on both? You can only focus on one thing at once?

Because there is no such thing, as things. There is not two in any way. 

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This understanding doesn't sit well with me because it implies some sort of limit we have and it implies meditation is exploiting this limit to achieve de-identification. I'm quite confident there exist a better understanding but it isn't immediately obvious to me. Any thoughts?

There isn’t that “me”, and therein there is no “one” or “thing” to disidentify from. That “one” is thoughts. Disidentify is just another thought. 

[Gregory1]

Focus is THE OPPOSITE OF BEING ON THIS FORUM!