This part of the mind also is the seat of the appetites ; passions; desires; instincts; sensations; feelings and
emotions of the lower order, manifested in the lower
animals; primitive man; the barbarian; and the man of
today, the difference being only in the degree of
control over them that has been gained by the higher
parts of the mind. There are higher desires, aspirations,
etc., belonging to a higher part of the mind,
which we will describe in a few minutes, but the "animal
nature" belongs to the Instinctive Mind. To it also belong the "feelings" belonging to our emotional
and passional nature. All animal desires, such as
hunger and thirst; sexual desires (on the physical plane);
all passions, such as physical love; hatred; envy;
malice; jealousy; revenge, etc., are part of this part
of the mind. The desire for the physical (unless a means of reaching higher
things) and the longing for the material, belong to this region of the mind.
The "lust of the flesh; the lust of the eyes; the pride of life,"
belong to the Instinctive Mind.
Take note, however, that we are not condemning the things belonging to this plane of the mind. All of
them have their placemany were necessary in the past,
and many are still necessary for the continuance of physical life. All are right in their place, and to those
in the particular plane of development to which they
belong, and are wrong only when one is mastered by them,
or when he returns to pick up an unworthy thing
that has been cast off in the unfoldment of the individual. This lesson has nothing to do with the right and
wrong of these things (we have treated of that
elsewhere) and we mention this part of the mind that you
may understand that you have such a thing in your
mental make-up, and that you may understand the
thought, etc., coming from it, when we start in to
analyze the mind in the latter part of this lesson. All we will ask you to do at this stage of the lesson is
to realize that this part of the mind, while belonging to you, is not You,
yourself. It is not the "I" part of you.
Next
in order, above the Instinctive Mind, is what we have
called the Intellect, that part of the mind that does
our reasoning, analyzing; "thinking," etc. You
are using it in the consideration of this lesson. But note this: You
are using it, hut it is not You, any more than was the Instinctive Mind that you considered a moment ago. You will begin to make the separation, if you will think but a moment. We
will not take up your time with a consideration of Intellect or Reason. You will find a good description
of this part of the mind in any good
elementary work on Psychology. Our
only idea in mentioning it is that you
may make the classification, and that we may afterward show you that the Intellect is but a tool of the Ego, instead of being the real "I"
itself, as so many seem to imagine.
The third, and highest, Mental Principle is what is called
the Spiritual Mind, that part of the mind which is
almost unknown to many of the race, but which has developed
into consciousness with nearly all who read this
lesson, for the fact that the subject of this reason attracts
you is a proof that this part of your mental nature
is unfolding into consciousness. This region of the mind is the source of
that which we call "genius,"
"inspiration," "spirituality," and all that we consider the "highest" in our mental
make-up. AH the great thoughts and
ideas float into the field of consciousness from this part of the mind.
All the great unfoldment of the race comes
from there. All the higher mental
ideas that have come to Man in his upward
evolutionary journey, that tend in the direction of nobility; true religious
feeling; kindness; humanity ;
justice; unselfish love; mercy; sympathy, etc., have come to him through his slowly unfolding Spiritual Mind. His love of God and of his fellow man have come in this way. His knowledge of the great
occult truths reach him through this channel. The mental realization of the "I," which we
are endeavoring to teach in these
lessons, must come to him by way of
the Spiritual Mind unfolding its ideas into hit field of consciousness.
But
even this great and wonderful part of the mind is but a toola highly
finished one. it is true, but still a toolto the Ego, or "I."
We propose to give you a little mental drill work, toward the end that you may be able more readily to distinguish the "I" from the mind, or mental states. In this connection
we would say that every part, plane, and
function of the mind is good, and necessary, and the student must not fall into the error of supposing
that because we tell him to set aside first this part
of the mind, and then that part, that we are undervaluing
the mind, or that we regard it as an encumbrance
or hindrance. Far from this, we realize that it
is by the use of the mind that Man is enabled to arrive at a knowledge of his true nature and Self, and
that his progress through many stages yet will depend
upon the unfolding of his mental faculties.
Man is now using but the lower and inferior parts of his mind, and he has within his mental world great unexplored
regions that far surpass anything of which the
human mind has dreamed. In fact, it is part of the
business of "Raja Yoga" to aid in unfolding these higher faculties and mental regions. And so far from decrying
the Mind, the "Raja Yoga" teachers are chiefly concerned in recognizing the Mind's power and possibilities, and directing the student to avail himself
of the latent powers that are inherent in his soul.
It is only by the mind that the teachings we are now giving you may be grasped and understood, and used
to your advantage and benefit. We are talking direct to
your mind now, and are making appeals to it, that
it may be interested and may open itself to what is
ready to come into it from its own higher regions.
We are appealing to the Intellect to direct its
attention to this great matter, that it may interpose less resistance to the
truths that are waiting to be projected
from the Spiritual Mind, which knows the Truth. Place
yourself in a calm, restful condition, that you may be
able to meditate upon the matters that we shall
place before you for consideration. Allow the matters
presented to meet with a hospitable reception from
you, and hold a mental attitude of willingness to
receive what may be waiting for you in the higher regions of your
mind.
We
wish to call your attention to several mental impressions
or conditions, one after another, in order that you may realize that they are
merely something incident to
you, and not YOU yourselfthat you may set them
aside and consider them, just as you might anything
that you have been using. You cannot set the
"I" aside and so consider it, hut the various forms of the "not I" may be so set aside and considered.
In the First Lesson
you gained the perception of the "1" as independent from the body,
the tatter merely being an instrument for
use. You have now arrived at the
stage when the "I" appears to you to be a mental creaturea bundle of thoughts, feelings, moods, etc.
But you must go farther. You must be able
to distinguish the "I" from these mental conditions, which are as much tools as is the body
and its parts.
Let us begin by considering the thoughts more closely connected
with the body, and then work up to the higher mental states.
The sensations of the body, such as hunger; thirst; pain; pleasurable
sensations; physical desires, etc., etc.,
are not apt to be mistaken for essential qualities of the "I" by many of the Candidates, for they have passed beyond this stage, and have learned to set aside these sensations, to a greater or lesser extent, by an effort of the Will, and are no longer slaves to them.
Not that they do not experience these sensations,
but they have grown to regard them as incidents of the
physical lifegood in their placebut useful to the
advanced man only when he has mastered them to the
extent that he no longer regards them as close to the "I." And yet,
to some people, these sensations are so closely identified with their
conception of the "I" that when they think of themselves they think merely
of a bundle of these sensations. They are not able to
set them aside and consider them as things apart, to
be used when necessary and proper, but as things
not fastened to the "I." The more advanced a man
becomes the farther off seem these sensations. Not that
he does not feel hungry, for instance. Not at alt,
for he recognizes hunger, and satisfies it within reason,
knowing that his physical body is making demands for
attention, and that these demands should be heeded.
Butmark the differenceinstead of feeling that the "I" is
hungry the man feels that "my body" is hungry, just as he
might become conscious that his horse or dog was crying for food insistently.
Do you see what we mean? It is that the man no longer identifies himselfthe "I"with the body,
consequently the thoughts which are
most closely allied to the physical
life seem comparatively "separate" from his "I" conception.
Such a man thinks "my stomach, this," or
"my leg, that," or "my body, thus," instead of " This," or "That." He is able, almost automatically, to
think of the body and its sensations as things of him,
and belonging to him, which require attention and care, rather than as
real parts of the "I." He is able to
form a conception of the "I" as existing without
any of these thingswithout the body and its sensationsand
so he has taken the first step in the realization of the
"I."
Before going on, we ask the students to stop a few moments,
and mentally run over these sensations of the body.
Form a mental image of them, and realize that they are
merely incidents to the present stage of growth
and experience of the "I," and that they form no
real part of it. They may, and will be, left behind in
the Ego's higher planes of advancement. You may have
attained this mental conception perfectly, long since, but we ask that to give
yourself the mental drill at this time, in
order to fasten upon your mind this first step.
In
realizing that you are able to set aside, mentally, these sensationsthat you are able to hold them out at
arm's length and "consider" them as an "outside" thing, you mentally determine that they are "not I" things,
and you set them down in the "not I" collectionthe first to be
placed there. Let us try to make this
still plainer, even at the risk of wearying you by repetitions (for
you must get this idea firmly fixed in your mind). To be able to
say that a thing is "not I," you
must realize that there are two things in question (1) the "not
I" thing, and (2) the "I" who is regarding the "not I" thing just as
the "1" regards a lump of
sugar, or a mountain. Do you see what we mean? Keep at it until you do.
Next, consider some of the emotions, such as anger; hate;
love, in its ordinary forms; jealousy; ambition; and
the hundred and one other emotions that sweep through
our brains. You will find that you are able to set each
one of these emotions or feelings aside and study it;
dissect it; analyze it; consider it. You will be able
to understand the rise, progress and end of each of these feelings, as they
have come to you, and as you recall them in your memory or imagination, just as readily as you would were you observing their occurrence
in the mind of a friend. You will find them all
stored away in some parts of your mental make-up,
and you may (to use a modern American slang
phrase) "make them trot before you, and show their
paces." Don't you see that they are not "You" that
they are merely something that you carry around with you
in a mental bag. You can imagine yourself as
living without them, and still being "I," can you not?
And
the very fact that you are able to set them aside and
examine and consider them is a proof that they are
"not I" thingsfor there are two things in the matter (1) You who are examining and considering them, and (2) the thing itself which is the object of the
examination and consideration at mental arm's length.
So into the "not I" collection go these emotions, desirable and
undesirable. The collection is steadily growing, and
will attain quite formidable proportions after a while.
Now, do not imagine that this is a lesson designed to teach you how to discard these emotions, although if it enables you to get rid of the undesirable ones, so much the better.
This is not our object, for we bid you place the desirable (at this time) ones
in with the opposite kind, the idea being
to bring you to a realization that
the "I" is higher, above and independent
of these mental somethings, and then when
you have realized the nature of the "I," you may return and use (as a Master) the things that have been using you as a slave. So do not be
afraid to throw these emotions (good and bad) into the "not I" collection. You may go back to
them, and use the good ones, after
the Mental Drill is over. No matter
how much you may think that you are bound by any of these emotions, you will realize, by careful analysis, that it is of the "not 1"
kind, for the "I" existed
before the emotion came into active play, and it will live long after the emotion has faded away. The principal proof is that you are able to hold
it out at arm's length and examine
ita proof that it is "not V
Run through the entire list of your feelings; emotions; moods; and what not, just as you would those of
a well-known friend or relative, and you will see that each
oneevery oneis a "not I" thing, and you will
lay it aside for the time, for the purpose of the scientific experiment, at
least.
Then
passing on to the Intellect, you will be able to hold
out for examination each mental process and principle.
You don't believe it, you may say. Then read and
study some good work on Psychology, and you will
learn to dissect and analyze every intellectual processand
to classify it and place it in the proper pigeon-hole.
Study Psychology by means of some good
text-book, and you will find that one by one every
intellectual process is classified, and talked about and
labeled, just as you would a collection of flowers. If that does not satisfy you, turn the leaves of some work
on Logic, and you will admit that you may hold these
intellectual processes at arm's length and examine them, and talk about them
to others. So that these wonderful tools of Manthe
Intellectual powers may be placed in the
"not I" collection, for the "I"
is capable of standing aside and viewing them it is
able to detach them from itself. The most remarkable
thing about this is that in admitting this fact, you realize that the
"I" is using these very intellectual
faculties to pass upon themselves. Who is the
Master that compels these faculties to do this to
themselves? The Master of the MindThe
"I."
And
reaching the higher regions of the mindeven the
Spiritual Mind, you will be compelled to admit that the
things that have come into consciousness from that
region may be considered and studied, just as may be
any other mental thing, and so even these high things must be placed in the
"not I" collection. You may object that this
does not prove that all the things in the Spiritual
Mind may be so treatedthat there may be "I"
things there that can not be so treated. We will not discuss this question, for
you know nothing about the Spiritual Mind except as it has
revealed itself to you, and the higher regions of that
mind are like the mind of a God, when compared to what you
call mind. But the evidence of the Illuminedthose
in whom the Spiritual Mind has wonderfully unfolded tell us that
even in the highest forms of development,
the Initiates, yea, even the Masters,
realize that above even their highest mental states there is always that eternal "I" brooding over them, as the Sun over the lake; and that the
highest conception of the
"I" known even to advanced souls, is but a faint reflection of the "I" filtering through the Spiritual Mind, although that Spiritual Mind
is as clear as the clearest crystal
when compared with our comparatively opaque mental states. And the highest
mental state is but a tool or instrument of the "I," and is not the
"I" itself.
And
yet the "I" is to be found in the faintest forms of consciousness,
and animates even the unconscious life. The
"I" is always the same, but its apparent growth is the result of the mental unfoldment of the individual. As we described it in one of the lessons of the
"Advanced Course" it is like an electric lamp that is encased in many wrappings of cloth.
As cloth after cloth is
removed, the light seems to grow brighter and stronger,
and yet it has changed not, the change being in the
removal of the confining and bedimming coverings. We
do not expect to make you realize the "I" in all its fullnessthat is far beyond the highest known to man of to-daybut we do hope to bring you to a realization of the
highest conception of the "I," possible to
each of you in your present stage of unfold-ment, and in the process we expect
to cause to drop from you some of the confining
sheaths that you have about outgrown. The sheaths are ready for dropping, and all that is required is the touch of a friendly hand to cause them to fall fluttering from you. We wish to bring you to the fullest possible (to you) realization of the "I," in order to make an Individual of you in order that you may understand, and have courage to take up the tools and instruments lying at your hand, and do the
work before you.
And now, back to the Mental Drill. After you have satisfied yourself
that about everything that you are capable
of thinking about is a "not I" thinga tool and instrument for your useyou will ask, "And now, what is there left mat should not be thrown in the "not I"
collection. To this question we answer "THE
I ITSELF." And when you demand a proof we say, "Try to set aside the T for consideration!" You may try from now until the passing away of infinities of infinities, and you will never be
able to set aside the real
"I" for consideration. You may think you can, but a little
reflection will show you that you are
merely setting aside some of your mental qualities or
faculties. And in this process what is the "I" doing? Simply setting aside and considering tilings. Can you not see that the "I" cannot be both the con-siderer and the thing consideredthe examiner
and the thing examined? Can the sun shine upon
itself by its own light ? You may consider the
"I" of some other person, but it is your "I"
that is considering. But you cannot, as an "I,"
stand aside and see yourself as an "I," Then what evidence have we
that there is an "I" to us ? This: that
you are always conscious of being the considerer and
examiner, instead of the considered and examined thingand
then, you have the evidence of your consciousness.
And what report does this consciousness give us?
Simply mis, and nothing more: "I AM." That is
all that the "I" is conscious of,
regarding its true self: "I AM," but that consciousness
is worth alt the rest, for the rest is but "not I" tools
that the "I" may reach out and use.
And
so at the final analysis, you will find that there is
something that refuses to be set aside and examined by
the "I." And that something is the "1" itself that
"I" eternal, unchangeablethat drop of the Great Spirit Oceanthat spark from the Sacred Flame.
Just as you find it impossible to imagine the "I" as dead,
so will you find it impossible to set aside the "I" for
considerationall that comes to you is the testimony: "I
AM."
If
you were able to set aside the "I" for consideration,
who would be the one to consider it ?
Who could consider
except the "I" itself, and if it be here, how could
it be there? The "I" cannot be the "not I" even in the wildest flights of the imaginationthe imagination
with all its boasted freedom and power, confesses itself vanquished when asked to do this thing.
Oh,
students, may you be brought to a realization of what
you are. May you soon awaken to the fact that you are sleeping godsthat you
have within you the power of the Universe, awaiting your word to manifest
in action. Long ages have you toiled to get this far, and long must you travel before you reach even the
first Great Temple, but you are now entering into the
conscious stage of Spiritual Evolution. No longer will your eyes be closed as
you walk the Path. From now on you will begin to see
clearer and clearer each step, in the dawning light of
consciousness.
You
are in touch with all of life, and the separation of your "I" from the great Universal "I" is but
apparent and temporary. We will tell you of these
things in our Third Lesson, but before you can grasp
that you must develop the "I" consciousness within you. Do not lay aside this matter as one of no importance. Do
not dismiss our weak explanation as being "merely words, words, words," as so many are inclined to do. We are pointing out a great truth to you. Why not follow the leadings of the Spirit which even now this moment while you readis urging you to walk The
Path of Attainment? Consider the teachings of this
lesson, and practice the Mental Drill until your mind has grasped its significance, then let it sink deep down
into your inner consciousness. Then
will you be ready for the next lessons, and those to
follow.
Practice this Mental Drill until you are fully assured of the reality of the "I" and the relativity of
the "not "I" in the mind. When
you once grasp this truth, you will find that you will be
able to use the mind with far greater power and effect,
for you will recognize that it is your tool and
instrument, fitted and intended to do your
bidding. You will be able to master your moods, and
emotions when necessary, and will rise from the position of a slave to a
Master.
Our
words seem cheap and poor, when we consider the
greatness of the truth that we are endeavoring to convey
by means of them. For who can find words to express the inexpressible? All that
we may hope to do is to awaken a keen interest and attention
on your part, so that you will practice the Mental Drill,
and thus obtain the evidence of your own mentality to the truth. Truth is not truth to you until you have proven it in your own experience, and once so proven you
cannot be robbed of it, nor can it be argued away from you.
You must realize that in every mental effort You the "I"are behind it. You bid the Mind work, and it
obeys your Will. You are the Master, and not the slave of your mind.
You are the Driver, not the driven. Shake
yourself loose from the tyranny of the mind that has oppressed you for so long.
Assert yourself, and be free. We
will help you in this direction during
the course of these lessons, but you must first assert
yourself as a Master of your Mind. Sign the mental
Declaration of Independence from your moods, emotions,
and uncontrolled thoughts, and assert your Dominion
over them. Enter into your Kingdom, thou manifestation of the Spirit!
While this lesson is intended primarily to bring clearly
into your consciousness the fact that the "I" is
a reality, separate and distinct from its Mental Tools, and while the control of the mental faculties by the Will forms a part
of some of the future lessons, still, we think
that this is a good place to point out to you the
advantages arising from a realization of the true nature of the "I" and the relative aspect of the Mind.
Many of us have supposed that our minds were the masters of ourselves, and we have allowed ourselves to be
tormented and worried by thoughts "running away" with us, and presenting themselves at inopportune moments. The Initiate is relieved from this annoyance, for
he learns to assert his mastery over the different parts of the mind, and controls and regulates his mental processes, just as one would a fine piece of machinery. He is able to control his conscious thinking faculties, and
direct their work to the best advantage, and he also
learns how to pass on orders to the subconscious mental region and bid it work for him while he sleeps, or
even when he is using his conscious mind in other matters.
These subjects will be considered by us in due time, during the course of
lessons.
In
this connection it may be interesting to read what Edward Carpenter says of the power of the individual to
control his thought processes. In his book "From Adam's Peak to Elephanto," in
describing his experience while visiting a Hindu
Gnani Yogi, he says:
"And
if we are unwilling to believe in this internal mastery
over the body, we are perhaps almost equally unaccustomed
to the idea of mastery over our own inner
thoughts and feelings. That a man should be a prey to
any thought that chances to take possession of his mind, is commonly among us
assumed as unavoidable. It may be a matter of
regret that he should be kept awake all night from
anxiety as to the issue of a lawsuit on the morrow, but that he should have the
power of determining whether he be kept awake or not seems an extravagant demand. The image of an impending
calamity is no doubt odious, but its very odiousness
(we say) makes it haunt the mind all the more
pertinaciously and it is useless to try to expel it.
"Yet
this is an absurd positionfor man, the heir of all the ages: hag-ridden by the
flimsy creatures of his own brain. If a pebble in
our boot torments us, we expel it. We take off the boot and shake it out. And once the matter is fairly understood it is just as easy
to expel an intruding and obnoxious thought from the mind. About this there ought to be no mistake, no two opinions. The thing is obvious, clear and unmistakable. It should
be as easy to expel an obnoxious thought
from your mind as it is to shake a stone out of your
shoe; and till a man can do that it is just nonsense to
talk about his ascendancy over Nature, and all the
rest of it. He is a mere slave, and
prey to the bat-winged phantoms that flit
through the corridors of his own brain.
"Yet the weary and careworn faces that we meet by thousands,
even among the affluent classes of civilization,
testify only too clearly how seldom this mastery is obtained. How rare indeed to meet a man! How common rattier to discover a creature hounded on by tyrant thoughts (or cares or desires), cowering, wincing under the
lashor perchance priding himself to run
merrily in obedience to a driver that rattles the reins and persuades him that he is freewhom we cannot converse with in careless tete-a-tete because that alien
presence is always there, on the watch.
"It
is one of the most prominent doctrines of Raja Yoga
that the power of expelling thoughts, or if need be, tailing them dead on the
spot, must be attained. Naturally the art
requires practice, but like other arts, when once
acquired there is no mystery or difficulty about it And it is worth
practice. It may indeed fairly be said that
life only begins when this art has been
acquired. For obviously when instead of being ruled by individual thoughts, the
whole flock of them in their immense
multitude and variety and capacity is
ours to direct and dispatch and employ where we list ('for He maketh the winds his messengers and the flaming fire His minister'), life becomes a
thing so vast and grand compared with
what it was before, that its former
condition may well appear almost antenatal. "If you can kill a thought dead, for the time being, you can
do anything else with it that you please. And therefore
it is that this power is so valuable. And it not only
frees a man from mental torment (which is nine-tenths
at least of the torment of life), but it gives him a
concentrated power of handling mental work absolutely
unknown to him before. The two things are co-relative
to each other. As already said this is one of the principles of Raja
Yoga.
"While at work your thought is to be absolutely concentrated
in it, undistracted by anything whatever irrelevant
to the matter in handpounding away like a great
engine, with giant power and perfect economy no wear and tear of friction, or
dislocation of parts owing to the working of
different forces at the same time. Then when the work
is finished, if there is no more occasion for the use
of the machine, it must stop equally, absolutelystop
entirelyno worrying (as if a parcel
of boys were allowed to play their devilments with a locomotive as soon as it
was in the shed)and the man must retire into that region of his consciousness where his true
self dwells.
"I say the power of the thought-machine itself is enormously
increased by this faculty of letting it alone on the
one hand, and of using it singly and with concentration
on the other. It becomes a true tool, which* a
master-workman lays down when done with, but which
only a bungler carries about with him all the time to
show that he is the possessor of it."
We ask the students to read carefully the above quotations
from Mr. Carpenter's book, for they are full of
suggestions that may be taken up to advantage by those who are emancipating themselves from their slavery
to the unmastered mind, and who are now bringing the mind under control of the
Ego, by means of the Will.
Our
next lesson will take up the subject of the relationship
of the "I" to the Universal "I," and will be called
the "Expansion of the Self." It will deal with the
subject, not from a theoretical standpoint, but from the position of the teacher who is endeavoring to make his students actually aware in their consciousness of the truth of the proposition. In this course we are not trying
to make our students past-masters of theory, but are endeavoring to place them in a position whereby they may know for themselves, and actually experience the things of which we teach.
Therefore
we urge upon you not to merely rest content
with reading this lesson, but, instead, to study and meditate
upon the teachings mentioned under the head of
"Mental Drill," until the distinctions stand out clearly in your mind, and until you not only believe them to be true, but actually are conscious of the "I" and its Mental Tools. Have patience and perseverance. The task may be difficult, but the reward is great. To become conscious of the greatness, majesty, strength
and power of your real being is worth years of hard study. Do you not think
so? Then study and practice hopefully,
diligently and earnestly. Peace be with you.