Acharya Prashant explains that the difference between attention and concentration is the difference in the center that concentrates. Attention is concentration from the right center. He clarifies that both attention and concentration begin with an object, but the distinction lies in the state of the one making the choice. In concentration, the one choosing to focus is afraid, for example, concentrating on someone who might cause harm. In attention, the one making the choice is alright and at peace. Thought is described as a form of work. Just as there is no inherently good or bad work, there are no good or bad thoughts. One cannot attend to something via thought, just as work cannot give you love. However, one can come to work in love. When you value what you are doing, which stems from a right valuation from the right center, then thinking becomes a sharp, clear, and honest tool. From this right center, when something is valued rightly, thoughts become like efficient servants that help accomplish the task. The speaker states that the choice to be in the right center is made by the same entity that makes all other choices. Just as one chooses fear, one can choose fearlessness. This choice is only meaningful if the alternative is also available. He refutes the idea that the quality of the body or brain determines the capacity for attention, citing the example of the realized sage Ashtavakra, who had a disabled body. The root of inattention, he suggests, is a vacant mind that one tries to fill, for example, by filling the stomach.
