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Raja Yoga or Mental Development
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The Expansion of The Self.
In
the first two lessons of this course we have endeavored
to bring to the candidate a realization in consciousness
of the reality of the "I," and to enable him to distinguish between
the Self and its sheaths, physical and mental. In the
present lesson we will call his attention to the
relationship of the "I" to the Universal
"I," and will endeavor to give him an idea of
a greater, grander Self, transcending personality and the little self
that we are so apt to regard as the "I."
The keynote of this lesson will be "The Oneness of All," and
all of its teachings will be directed to awakening a realization in
consciousness of that great truth. But we
wish to impress upon the mind of the Candidate
that we are not teaching him that he is the Absolute. We are not teaching the "I Am
God" belief, which we consider
to be erroneous and misleading, and
a perversion of the original Yogi teachings. This false teaching has taken possession of many of the Hindu teachers and people, and with its accompanying teaching of "Maya" or the
complete illusion or non-existence of
the Universe, has reduced millions of people to a passive, negative mental
condition which undoubtedly is
retarding their progress. Not only in India is this true, but the same facts
may be observed among the pupils of
the Western teachers who have embraced this negative side of the Oriental
Philosophy. Such people confound the "Absolute"
and "Relative" aspects of the One, and, being unable to reconcile the
facts of Life and the Universe with their theories of
"I Am God," they are driven to the
desperate expedient of boldly denying the Universe,
and declaring it to be all "an illusion" or "Maya."
You will have no trouble in distinguishing the pupils of the teachers holding this view. They will be found to exhibit the most negative mental condition a natural result of absorbing the constant suggestion of
"nothingness"the gospel of negation. In marked contrast
to the mental condition of the students, however, will be observed the mental
attitude of the teachers, who are almost uniformly
examples of vital, positive, mental force, capable of
hurling their teaching into the minds of the pupilsof
driving in their statements by the force of an awakened
Will. The teacher, as a rule, has awakened to a
sense of the "I" consciousness, and really
develops the same by his "I Am God"
attitude, because by holding this mental attitude he
is enabled to throw off the influence of the sheaths of
the lower mental principles, and the light of the Self shows forth fiercely and strongly, sometimes to such
an extent that it fairly scorches the mentality of the less advanced pupil.
But, notwithstanding this awakened "I"
consciousness, the teacher is handicapped by
his intellectual misconception and befogging
metaphysics, and is unable to impart the "I" consciousness to
his pupils, and, instead of raising them up
to shine with equal splendor with himself, he really
forces them into a shadow by reason of his teachings.
Our students, of course, will understand that the above
is not written in the spirit of carping criticism or fault-finding. We hold no such mental attitude, and
indeed could not if we remain true to our conception of Truth. We are mentioning these matters simply that the student
may avoid this "I Am God" pitfall which awaits the Candidate just as
he has well started on the Path. It would not be such a
serious matter if it were merely a question of faulty
metaphysics, for that would straighten itself out
in time. But it is far more serious than this, for the
teaching inevitably leads to the accompanying teaching
that all is Illusion or Maya, and that Life is
but a dreama false thinga liea nightmare;
that the journey along the Path is but an
illusion; that everything is "nothing"; that
there is no soul; that You are God in disguise,
and that He is fooling Himself in making believe
that He is You; that Life is but a Divine masquerade
or sleight-of-hand performance; that You are God, but
that You (God) are fooling Yourself (God) in order to amuse Yourself (God). Is
not this horrible? And yet it shows to what
lengths the human mind will go before it will part
with some pet theory of metaphysics with which it has
been hypnotized. Do you think that we have overdrawn the picture? Then read some of the teachings of these schools of the Oriental Philosophy, or listen to some of the more radical of the Western teachers preaching this
philosophy. The majority of the latter lack the courage of the Hindu teachers
in carrying their theories to a logical conclusion, and, consequently they
veil their teachings with metaphysical subtlety. But a few of them are more
courageous, and come out into the open and preach their doctrine in full.
Some of the modern Western teachers
of this philosophy explain matters by saying that "God is masquerading
as different forms of life, including Man, in order that he may gain the
experience resulting therefrom, for although He has Infinite and Absolute
Wisdom and Knowledge, he lacks the experience that comes only from actually
living the life of the lowly forms, and therefore He descends thus in order to
gain the needed experience." Can you imagine the Absolute, possessed of
all possible Knowledge and Wisdom, feeling the need of such petty "experience,"
and living the life of the lowly forms (including Man) in order "to gain
experience?" To what depths do these vain theories of Man drive us?
Another leading Western teacher, who has absorbed the teaching of certain
branches of the Oriental Philosophy, and who possesses the courage of his
convictions, boldly announces that "You, yourself, are the totality of
being, and with your mind alone create, preserve and destroy the universe,
which is your own mental product." And again the last mentioned teacher
states: "the en-tire universe is a bagatelle illustration of your own
creative power, which you are now exhibiting for your own inspection."
"By their fruits shall you know them," is a safe rale to apply to all
teachings. The philosophy that teaches that
the Universe is an illusion perpetrated by you (God) to amuse, entertain or
fool yourself (God), can have but one result, and that is the conclusion that
"everything is nothing," and all that is necessary to do is to sit
down, fold your hands and enjoy the Divine
exhibition of legerdemain that you are performing for your own entertainment, and
then, when the show is over, return to your state of conscious Godhood and recall with smites the pleasant memories of the "conjure show" that
you created to fool yourself with during several billions of ages. That is what it amounts to, and the result is
that those accepting this philosophy thrust upon them by forceful teachers, and knowing in their hearts that
they are not God, but absorbing the suggestions of "nothingness,"
are driven into a state of mental apathy and negativeness,
the soul sinking into a stupor from which it may not be roused for a
long period of time.
We wish you to
avoid confounding our teaching with this just mentioned. We wish to teach you
that You are a real Beingnot God Himself, but a manifestation of Him
who is the Absolute. You are a Child of the
Absolute, if you prefer the term, possessed of the Divine Heritage, and
whose mission it is to unfold qualities
which are your inheritances from your Parent. Do not make the great
mistake of confounding the Relative with the Absolute. Avoid this pitfall into
which so many have fallen. Do not
allow yourself to
fall into the "Slough of Despond," and wallow in the mud of "nothingness," and to see no reality except in
the person of some forceful teacher who takes the place of the Absolute in
your mind. But raise your head and assert
your Divine Parentage, and your
Heritage from the Absolute, and step out boldly on the Path, asserting
the "J."
(We
must refer the Candidate back to our "Advanced
Course," for our teachings regarding the Absolute and the Relative. The
last three lessons of that course will throw light
upon what we have just said. To repeat the teaching at this point would be to
use space which is needed for the lesson before us.)
And
yet, while the "1" is not God, the Absolute, it is
infinitely greater than we have imagined it to be before
the light dawned upon us. It extends itself far beyond
what we had conceived to be its limits. It touches
the Universe at all its points, and is in the closest union with all of
Life. It is in the closest touch with all
that has emanated from the Absolute all
the world of Relativity. And while it faces the Relative Universe, it has its roots in the Absolute, and draws nourishment therefrom, just as does the
babe in the womb obtain nourishment
from the mother. It is verily a manifestation of God, and God's very essence is in it. Surely this is almost as
"high" a statement as the
"I Am God" of the teachers just mentioned,and yet how different. Let us consider the teaching in detail in this lesson, and in
portions of others to follow.
EXPANSION
OF THE SELF
Let
us begin with a consideration of the instruments of the Ego, and the material
with which and through which the Ego works. Let us realize that the physical body of man is identical in substance with all other forms
of matter, and that its atoms are continually changing
and being replaced, the material being drawn from the
great storehouse of matter, and that there is a
Oneness of matter underlying all apparent differences of form and substance. And then let us realize that
the vital energy or Prana that man uses in his life work is but a
portion of that great universal energy which
permeates everything and everywhere, the portion
being used by us at any particular moment being drawn
from the universal supply, and again passing out from
us into the great ocean of force or energy. And then
let us realize that even the mind, which is so close to
the real Self that it is often mistaken for it, even that wonderful thing
Thoughtis but a portion of the Universal Mind, the
highest emanation of the Absolute beneath the plane of
Spirit, and that the Mindsubstance or Chitta that
we are using this moment, is not ours separately and distinctly, but is simply
a portion from the great universal supply, which is constant and unchangeable. Let us then realize that even this thing that we feel pulsing within us that
which is so closely bound up with the Spirit as to be
almost inseparable from itthat which we call Lifeis
but a bit of that Great Life Principle that prevades
the Universe, and which cannot be added to, nor
subtracted from. When we have realized
these things,
and have begun to feel our relation (in these particulars) to the One Great
Emanation of the Absolute, then we may begin to
grasp the idea of the Oneness of Spirit, and the
relation of the "I" to every other
"I." and the merging of the Self into the one great Self, which is not the extinction of Individuality, as
some have supposed, but the enlargement and extension
of the Individual Consciousness until it takes in the Whole.
In Lessons X and XI, of the "Advanced
Course" we called your attention to the Yogi teachings concerning Akasa
or Matter, and showed you that all forms
of what we know as Matter are but different forms of manifestation of the principle called Akasa, or
as the Western scientists call it, "Ether." This Ether or Akasa is the finest, thinnest and most tenuous
form of Matter, in fact it is Matter in its ultimate or fundamental form, the
different forms of what we call Matter
being but manifestations of this Akasa
or Ether, the apparent
difference resulting from different
rates of vibration, etc. We mention
this fact here merely to bring
clearly before your mind the fact of
the Universality of Matter, to the end that you may realize that each and every particle of your
physical body is but a portion of this great principle of the, Universe, fresh from the great store-house, and
just about returning to it again, for
the atoms of the body are constantly
changing. That which appears as your
flesh to-day, may have been part of a plant a few days before, and may be part of some other living thing
a few days
hence. Constant change is going on, and what is
yours to-day was someone's else yesterday, and still
another's to-morrow. You do not own one atom of
matter personally, it is all a part of the common
supply, the stream flowing through you and through all Life, on and on
forever.
And so it is with
the Vital Energy that you are using every
moment of your life. You are constantly drawing upon the great Universal supply of Pram, then using what is given you, allowing the force
to pass on to assume some other form.
It is the property of all, and all
you can do is to use what you need, and allow it to pass on. There is but one Force or Energy, and that is to be found everywhere at all times.
And
even the great principle, Mind-substance, is under the
same law. It is hard for us to realize this. We are so
apt to think of our mental operations as distinctively
our ownsomething that belongs to us personallythat
it is difficult for us to realize that Mind-substance
is a Universal principle just as Matter or Energy,
and that we are but drawing upon the Universal
supply in our mental operations. And more than
this, the particular portion of Mind-substance that we
are using, although separated from the Mind' substance
used by other individuals by a thin wall of the very finest kind of Matter, is
really in touch with the other apparently separated
minds, and with the Universal Mind of which it forms
a part Just as is the Matter of which our physical
bodies are composed really in touch with all
Matter; and just as is the Vital Force used by us really in touch with
alt Energy; so is our Mind-substance really
in touch with all Mind-substance. It is as if the Ego in its progress
were moving through great oceans of Matter, Energy, or Mind-substance, making use
of that of each which it needed and which
immediately surrounded it, and leaving
each behind as it moved on through the great volume of the ocean. This
illustration is clumsy, but it may bring to your consciousness a realization
that the Ego is the only thing that is really Yours, unchangeable and
unaltered, and that all the rest is merely
tthat portion of the Universal supply that you draw to yourself for the
wants of the moment It may also bring more clearly before your mind the great
Unity of thingsmay enable you to see things as a Whole, rather than as
separated parts. Remember, Youthe
"I"are the only Real thing about and around youall that has
permanenceand Matter, Force and even Mind-substance, are but your instruments
for use and expression. There are great oceans of each surrounding the
"I" as it moves along.
It is well for
you also to bear in mind the Universality of Life. All of the Universe is alive,
vibrating and pulsating with life and
energy and motion. There is nothing dead in the Universe. Life is
everywhere, and always accompanied by intelligence. There is no such thing as a
dead, unintelligent Universe. Instead of being atoms of Life floating in a
sea of death, we are atoms of Life surrounded by an ocean of Life, pulsating,
moving, thinking, living. Every
atom of what we
call Matter is alive. It has energy or force with it,
and is always accompanied by intelligence and life.
Look around us as we willat the animal world at the
plant worldyes, even at the world of minerals, and
we see life, life, lifeall alive and having intelligence.
When we are able to bring this conception into the realm of actual
consciousnesswhen we are able not only to intellectually
accept this fact, but to even go still further and feel
and be conscious of this Universal Life on all
sides, then are we well on the road to attaining the
Cosmic Consciousness.
But all these things are but steps leading up to the realization of the Oneness in Spirit, on the part of
the Individual. Gradually there dawns upon him the real ization that there is a Unity in the manifestation of Spirit from the Absolutea unity with itself, and a Union with the Absolute. All this manifestation of Spirit on the part of the Absoluteall this begetting
of Divine Childrenwas in the nature of a single act
rather than as a series of acts, if we may be permitted to
speak of the manifestation as an act. Each Ego is a Centre of Consciousness in this great
ocean of Spiriteach is a Real Self,
apparently separate from the others and from its source, but
the separation is only apparent in both for there is the
closest
bond of
union between the Egos of the Universe of Universeseach
is knit to the other in the closest bond of
union, and each is still attached to the Absolute by
spiritual filaments, if we may use the term. In time we
shall grow more conscious of this mutual relationship, as the sheaths are outgrown and
east aside, and in the end we will be withdrawn into the Absoluteshall return
to the Mansion of the Father.
It is of the highest importance to the
developing soul to unfold into a realization of this relationship and unity, for
when this conception is once fully established the soul is enabled to rise
above certain of the lower planes, and is free from the operation of certain
laws that lind the undeveloped soul. Therefore
the Yogi teachers are constantly leading the Candidatej toward this goal. First by this path, and then by that one,
giving them different glimpses of the desired point, until finally the student
finds a path best fitted for his feet, and he moves along straight to the mark,
and throwing aside the confining bonds that have proved so irksome, he cries
aloud for joy at his new found Freedom.
The following exercises and Mental
Drills are intended to aid the Candidate in his work of growing into a
realization of his relationship with the Whole of Life and Being.
MENTAL DRILL.
(I) Read over what we have said in
the "Advanced Course" regarding the principle known as Matter.
Realize that all Matter is One at the lastthat the real underlying substance
of Matter is Akasa or Ether, and that all the varying forms evident to
our senses are but modifications and grosser forms of that underlying
principle. Realize that by known chemical processes all forms of Matter known
to us, or rather
all combinations resulting in "forms," may be resolved into their
original elements, and that these elements
are merely Akasa in different states of vibration. Let the idea of the Oneness of the visible Universe sink deeply into your mind, until it becomes fixed
there. The erroneous conception of diversity in the
material world must be replaced by the consciousness of UnityOneness, at the last, in spite of the appearance of variety and manifold forms. You must grow
to see behind the world of forms of Matter, and see the
great principle of Matter (Akasa or Ether) back
of, within, and under it all. You must grow to feel this, as well as to
intellectually see it.
(2)
Meditate over the last mentioned
truths, and then follow the matter still further. Read what
we have said in the "Advanced Course" (Lesson XI) about
the last analysis of Matter showing it fading away
into Force or Energy until the dividing line is lost,
and Matter merges into Energy or Force, showing them
both to be but the same thing, Matter being a
grosser form of Energy or Force. This idea should be impressed upon the
understanding, in order that the complete edifice of the Knowing of the Oneness
may
be complete in all of its parts.
(3)
Then read in the "Advanced
Lessons" about Energy or Force, in the oneness
underlying its various manifestations. Consider how one
form of Energy may be transformed into another,
and so on around the circle, the one principle
producing the entire chain of appearances. Realize that the energy within you by which you move and act, is but one of the forms
of this great Principle of Energy with which the
Universe is filled, and that you may draw to you the required Energy from the great Universal supply-But above all endeavor to grasp the idea of the
Oneness pervading the world of
Energy or Force, or Motion. See it in its entirety, rather than in its
apparent separateness. These steps may appear somewhat tedious and useless, but take our word for it, they
are all helps in fitting the mind to grasp the idea of the Oneness of All.
Each step is important, and renders the next higher one more easily attained. In this mental drill, it will be well to mentally picture
the Universe in perpetual
motioneverything is in motion all
matter is moving and changing its forms, and manifesting the Energy within it. Suns and worlds rush through space, their particles constantly
changing and moving. Chemical composition and decomposition is constant
and unceasing, everywhere the work of building up and breaking down is going
on. New combinations of atoms and worlds are constantly being formed and dissolved. And after considering this Oneness
of the principle of Energy, reflect that through
all these changes of form the Egothe Real SelfYOUstand unchanged and unharmedEternal, Invincible, Indestructible, Invulnerable, Real
and Constant among this changing world of forms and force. You are above it all, and it revolves
around and about youSpirit. (4) Read what we have said in the "Advanced Count" about Force or
Energy, shading into Mind-substance which is its parent. Realize that Mind is back of all this great exhibition of Energy and
Force that you have been considering. Then will you be ready to consider
the Oneness of Mind.
(5)
Read what we have said in the "Advanced Lessons" about
Mind-substance. Realize that there is a
great world of Mind-substance, or an Universal Mind, which is at the
disposal of the Ego. All Thought is the
product of the Ego's use of this Mind-substance, its tool and instrument.
Realize that this Ocean of Mind is entire
and Whole, and that the Ego may draw freely from it. Realize that You
have this great ocean of Mind at your
command, when you unfold sufficiently to use it. Realize that Mind is
back of and underneath all of the world of
form and names and action, and that in that sense: "All is
Mind," although still higher in the scale than even Mind are You, the
Real Self, the Ego, the Manifestation of the Absolute.
(6)
Realize your identity with and relationship to All of Life. Look around you at Life in all its forms, from the lowest to the highest, all being
exhibitions of the great principle of Life in operation along different
stages of The Path. Scorn not the humblest forms, but look behind the form and
see the reality-Life. Feel yourself a part of the great Universal Life. Let
your thought sink to the depths of the ocean,
and realize your kinship with the Life back of the forms dwelling
there. Do not confound the forms (often hideous from your personal point of view) with the principle behind them. Look at the plant-life, and the animal life, and seek to see behind the
veil of form into the real Life behind and underneath the form.
Learn to feel your Life throbbing and thrilling with the Life Principle
in these other forms, and in the
forms of those of your own race. Gaze
into the starry skies and see there the numerous suns and worlds, all
peopled with life in some of its myriad forms,
and feel your kinship to it. If you
can grasp this thought and
consciousness, you will find yourself at-one-ment with those whirling worlds,
and, instead of feeling small and insignificant by comparison, you will
be conscious of an expansion of Self, until you feel that in those circling worlds is a part of yourself that You are there also, while standing upon the
Earththat you are akin to all parts
of the Universe may, more, that they
are as much your home as is the spot
upon which you arc standing. You will
find sweeping upon you a sense of
consciousness that the Universe is your homenot merely a part of it, as
you had previously thought. You will experience a sense of greatness, and broadness and grandness
such as you have never dreamed of.
You will begin to realize at least a
part of your Divine inheritance, and to
know indeed that you are a Child of the Infinite, the very essence of your Divine Parent being in
the fibres of your being. At such times of realization one becomes conscious of what lies before the soul in
its upward path, and how small the
greatest prizes that Earth has
to offer are when compared to some of these
things before the soul, as seen by the eyes of the Spiritual
Mind in moments of clear vision.
You
must not dispute with these visions of the greatness
of the soul, but must treat them hospitably, for they
are your very own, coming to you from the regions
of your Spiritual Mind which are unfolding into consciousness.
(7) The highest step in this dawning consciousness of the Oneness of
All, is the one in which is realized that
there is but One Reality, and at the same time the sense
of consciousness that the "I" is in that Reality. It is most
difficult to express this thought in words
for it is something that must be felt, rather than seen by the Intellect. When the Soul realizes that the Spirit within it is, at the last, the
only real part of it, and
that the Absolute and its manifestation as Spirit is the only real thing
in the Universe, a great step has
been taken. But there is still one higher step to be taken before the full sense of the Oneness and Reality comes to us. That step is the one in
which we realize the Identity of the
"I" with the great "I" of the Universe. The mystery of the manifestation of the Absolute in the form of the Spirit, is veiled
from usthe mind confesses its
inability to penetrate behind the
veil shielding the Absolute from view, although it will give us a report of its being conscious of the presence of the Absolute just at the edge
of the boundary line. But the
highest region of the Spiritual
Mind, when explored by the advanced souls who are welt
along the Path, reports that it sees beyond the
apparent separation of Spirit from Spirit, and realizes
that there is but one Reality of Spirit, and that ail
the "I" 's are really but different views of that OneCentres
of Consciousness upon the surface of the One Great "I," the Centre of
which is the Absolute Itself. This certainly
penetrates the whole region of the Spiritual Mind, and
gives us all the message of Oneness of the Spirit, just as the Intellect satisfies
us with its message of the Oneness of Matter, Energy,
and Mind. The idea of Oneness permeates all planes of Life.
The sense of
Reality of the "I" that is apparent to
You in the moments of your clearest mental vision, is really the reflection of the sense of Reality
underlying the Wholeit is the
consciousness of the Whole, manifesting
through your point or Centre of Consciousness.
The advanced student or Initiate finds his
consciousness gradually enlarging until it realizes its identity with the Whole. Me realizes that
under all the forms and names of the
visible world, there is to be found
One LifeOne ForceOne Substance One
ExistenceOne RealityONE. And, instead of his experiencing any sense of the loss of identity or individuality, he becomes conscious of an
enlargement of an expansion of individuality or identityinstead of feeling himself absorbed in the Whole,
he feels that he is spreading out and
embracing the Whole. This is most
hard to express in words, for there
are no words to fit the conception, and all that we can
hope to do is to start into motion, by means of our
words, the vibrations that will find a response in the
minds of those who read the words, to the end that they will experience the
consciousness which will bring its own
understanding. This consciousness cannot
be transmitted by words proceeding from the Intellect, but vibrations may be set up that will prepare the mind to
receive the message from its own higher planes.
Even in
the early stages of this dawning consciousness, one
is enabled to identify the real part of himself with the real part of all the other forms of life that pass before his notice. In every other manin every animal-in every plantin every mineralhe sees
behind the sheath and form of appearance, an evidence
of the presence of the Spirit which is akin to his own
Spirit-yea, more than akin, for the two are One. He sees Himself in all forms
of life, in all time in all places. He realizes that
the Real Self is everywhere present and everlasting,
and that the Life within himself is also within all
the Universein everything, for there is nothing dead
in the Universe, and all Life, in all of its varying
phases, is simply the One Life, held, used and enjoyed in common by all. Each Ego
is a Centre of Consciousness in this great ocean of Life, and while apparently separate and distinct, is yet really in
touch with the Whole, and with every apparent part.
It is not our intention, in this lesson, to go into the details of this great mystery of Life, or to recite the comparatively
little of the Truth that the most advanced
teachers and Masters have handed down. This is
not the place for itit belongs to the subject of Gnani Yoga rather than to
Raja Yogaand we touch upon it here, not for the
purpose of trying to explain the scientific side of
it to you, but merely in order that your minds may be led
to take up the idea and gradually manifest it in
conscious realization. There is quite a difference
between the scientific, intellectual teaching of Gnani Yoga, whereby the metaphysical
and scientific sides of the Yogi teachings are presented to the minds of the
students, in a logical, scientific manner, and the
methods of Raja Yoga, in which the Candidate is led by
degrees to a consciousness (outside
of mere intellectual belief) of his real nature
and powers. We are following the latter plan, for this
course is a Course in Raja Yoga. We are aiming
to present the matter to the mind in such a manner
that it may prepare the way for the dawning consciousness,
by brushing away the preconceived notions and
prejudices, and allowing a clean entrance for the new
conception. Much that we have said in tin's lesson
may appear, on the one hand, like useless repetition,
and, on the other hand, like an incomplete presentation
of the scientific side of the Yogi teachings. But it
will be found, in time, that the effect has been that the mind of the student has undergone a change from
the absorbing of the idea of the Oneness of Life, and the Expansion
of the Self. The Candidate is urged not to
be in too much of a hurry. Development must not
be forced. Read what we have written, and practice the Mental Drills we have
given, even if they may appear trifling and childish
to some of youwe know what they will do for you,
and you will agree with us in time. Make baste slowly. You will find that the mind will work out the matter, even
though you be engaged in your
ordinary work, and have forgotten the
subject for the time. The greater portion of mental work is done in this way, while you are busy with something else, or even asleep, for the
sub-conscious portion of the mind works along the lines pointed out for it, and performs its task.
As we have said, the purpose of this lesson is to bring you in the way of the unfoldment of consciousness,
rather than to teach you the details of the scientific side of the Yogi teachings. Development is the keynote
of Raja Yoga. And the reason that we wish to
develop this sense of the Reality of the "I," and the Expansion of the
Self, at this place is that thereby you may
assert your Mastery over Matter, Energy and Mind. Before you may mount your throne as King, you must
fully realize in consciousness that you are
the Reality in this world of appearances. You must realize that
youthe real Youare not only existent, and real, but that you are in touch with all else that is real, and that the roots of your being are
grounded in the Absolute itself. You must realize that instead of being a separate atom of Reality,
isolated and fixed in a narrow space,
you are a Centre of Consciousness in
the Whole of Reality, and that the Universe
of Universes is your homethat your Centre of
Consciousness might be moved on to a point trillions of miles from the
Earth (which distance would be as nothing
in Space) and still youthe awakened
soulwould be just as much at home there as herethat even white you are here, your influence extends far
out into space. Your real state, which will
be revealed to you, gradually, throughout the ages, is so great and grand, that your mind in its present state of
development cannot grasp even the faint reflection of that glory.
We wish you to try to form at least a faint idea of your
Real State of Being, in order that you may control the
tower principles by the force of your awakened
Will, which Will depends upon your degree of consciousness of the Real
Self.
As man grows in understanding and consciousness of the Real Self,
so does his ability to use his Will grow. Will is the attribute of the Real
Self. It is well that this great
realization of the Real Self brings with it Love for all of Life, and
Kindness, for, were it not so, the Will
that comes to him who grows into a realization of his real being could be used
to the great hurt of those of the
race who had not progressed so far (their relative hurt, we mean,
for in the end, and at the last, no soul is
ever really hurt). But the dawning
power brings with it greater Love and Kindness, and the higher the soul mounts the more is it filled with the higher ideals and the more does
it throw from it the lower animal attributes. It is true that some
souls growing into a consciousness of their real nature, without an
understanding of what it all means, may commit the error of using the awakened
Will for selfish ends, as may be seen in the cases of the Black
Magicians spoken of in the occult writings, and also in the cases of well known characters in history and in
modern life, who manifest an enormous Will which they
misuse. All of this class of people of great Will have
stumbled or grown blindly into a consciousness (or
partial consciousness) of the real nature, but lack the
restraining influence of the higher teachings. But such misuse of the Will
brings pain and unrest to the user, and he is eventually driven
into the right road. We do not expect our students to
grasp fully this idea of the Expansion of Self. Even the highest
grasp it only partially. But until you get a glimmering of the consciousness you will not be able to progress far on the path of Raja
Yoga. You must understand 'what you are, before you are able to use the power that lies dormant within you. You must realize
that you are the Master, before you
can claim the powers of the Master, and expect to have your commands obeyed. So bear patiently with us, your Teachers, while we set before you the lessons to be learned
the tasks to be performed. The road is long, and is rough in placesthe feet may become tired and bruised, but the reward is great, and there are
resting places along the path. Be not
discouraged if your progress seem slow, for the soul must unfold naturally as
does the flower, without haste, without force.
And be not dismayed nor affrighted if you occasionally catch a glimpse of your higher self. As "M. C." says,
in her notes on "Light on the Path" (see "Advanced
Course," page 95): "To have seen thy soul in its
bloom, is to have obtained a momentary glimpse in
thyself of the trans6guration which shall eventually make
thee more than man; to recognize, is to achieve the great task of gazing upon
the blazing light without dropping the eyes, and not falling
back in terror as though before some ghastly phantom. This
happens to some, and so, when the victory is all but won, it is lost."
Peace be with thee.
MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).
FOR THE THIRD
LESSON.
There
is but one ultimate form of Matter; one ultimate
form of Energy; one ultimate form of Mind. Matter
proceeds from Energy, and Energy from Mind,
and all are an emanation of the Absolute, threefold in
appearance but One in substance. There is but One
Life, and that permeates the Universe, manifesting
in various forms, but being, at the last, but One. My body is one with
Universal Matter; My energy and vital force is one
with the Universal Energy ; My Mind is one with the
Universal Mind; My Life is one with the Universal
Life. The Absolute has expressed and manifested itself
in Spirit, which is the real "I" overshadowing
and embracing all the apparently separate 'I's.
"I" feel my identity with Spirit and realize the Oneness of All
Reality. I feel my unity with all Spirit,
and my Union (through Spirit) with
the Absolute. I realize that "I" am an Expression and Manifestation of the Absolute, and that
its very essence is within me. I am
filled with Divine Love. I am filled with Divine Power. I am filled with Divine Wisdom. I am conscious of identity in spirit, in substance; and in nature; with the One
Reality.
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