A Disciplined Mind: Finding the Path to Focus

The sights and sounds, a constant chorus
Competing for our finite focus
Each vying to commandeer our consciousness
As we drift on an ocean of restlessness

Yet we alone steer this ship called mind
Choosing where our attention we assign
For we possess the power to filter and refine
Our awareness, should we take the time

Why scold the world for being so loud?
This but a feeble excuse, my friend
The noise out there belies the silence within
Where calm and clarity wait to be found

Gently bring back the wandering mind
To the breath, the body, the present act
With patience and compassion, rewind
The tendency to mentally react

Blaming others never reveals the way
Only in looking within does truth stay
Distractions arise, this is nature's play
Our task is not to judge, but calmly survey

So breathe deep, let the tension unwind
Come back to this moment, lucid and kind
The path to focus reveals itself in time
If we persist with a disciplined mind

Stay vigilant but not with frustration
Judging the mind leads only to separation
Investigate with gentle observation
And focus arises free from expectation

We alone can improve how we see
By training the mind's stability
A distracted world need not trouble we
Who drop all resistance and just let be

Do not add to the ceaseless chatter
Simply allow thoughts to flow like water
Without grasping or pushing any matter
Attention abides in luminous nowness

Bliss waits in the spaces between thoughts
In pure awareness, no effort is sought
Stay open, receptive to all that is brought
By the play of consciousness, we are but taught

Do not blame the world for your distractedness
Distraction arises within consciousness
Bring forth bare attention with mindfulness
The focused mind revels in boundless richness

Limit not your vision to what's before your face
Expand your awareness to empty space
See what is with new eyes and grace
Focused equanimity sets a steadfast pace

Judgment and blame lead nowhere but downhill
Adding turbulence to life's churning mill
Step back from the mind's constant babble and drill
Open up to what is beyond your will

Train attention with consistent dedication
Not through frustration and indignation
Stay balanced, alert in observation
Focus flowers through patient cultivation

Do not trap the mind or force any matter
Trying to control thought creates inner chatter
Keep returning attention with gentle patter
What you resist persists, cause and matter

Blame no one, not even distraction itself
With clear comprehension, no help on the shelf
Mindful, compassionate, one taste, nothing else
This moment complete, no need to delve

Stay open, let thoughts move on their way
Neither grasping nor pushing, come what may
Allow attention to rest in its natural sway
Focused equipoise continues to have its say

Do not judge yourself or others, my friend
Compassion dissolves bias without end
Keep exploring these truths without pretense
And discover what pure presence presents

No more excuses, my dear, about noise
Outer silence means little, inner poise
Persist in training attention without pause
And attain unshakeable focus, a true cause.


























   The poem is part of a full version found in the book “Homo Sapiens” Part Part I - XVIII, written by Mawphniang Napoleon. This book is part of the popular “Homo Sapiens” book series, which can be purchased online at various online bookstores, such as Amazon. The book is available for purchase for those who are interested in reading the complete version of the poem. Remember to get all the books from the “Homo Sapiens” series, as well as other books by the same author.   So, don’t hesitate and get a copy today from one of the many online bookstores.   Khublei Shihajar Nguh,  (Dhanewad  )(Thank you )