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2. Definition
The definition of concentration was 'steady activity of the mind', but there is another factor; the steady activity must be instigated by the free will of the person concentrating; so that reverie, dream, trance, vacancy, abstraction, or the hypnotic state, though perhaps they might be activity along one line of thought, still they are not done by the free will of the person; the line of thought and purpose of the mental activity must be determined by the person concentrating.
In order to be able to keep the mind steadily active along a given line of thought for a given purpose the inflow of foreign thought must be prevented. Mind wandering must be overcome. One cause of mind-wandering is the not taking up of for definite pursuits at definite times so that when you sit down to concentrate there comes into the mind a host of
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