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Raja Yoga or Mental Development
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Mental Control.
in our first three lessons of this series, we have endeavored to bring
into realization within your mind (I) the consciousness of the "I"; its independence from the body; its immortality; its invincibility
and invulnerability; (2) the
superiority of the "I" over the
mind, as well as over the body; the fact that the mind is not the
"I," but is merely an instrument for the expression of the "I"; the fact that the "I" is
master of the mind, as well as of
the body; that the "I" is
behind all thought; that the "I" can set aside for consideration the sensations, emotions,
passions, desires, and the rest of
the mental phenomena, and still
realize that it, the "I," is apart from these mental manifestations, and remains unchanged, real and fully existent; that the "1" can set
aside any and all of its mental tools
and instruments, as "not I" things, and still consciously realize that after so setting them aside there remains somethingitselfthe
"I" which cannot be set
aside or taken from; that the "I" is the master of the mind,
and not its slave; (3) that the "I"
is a much greater thing than the little personal "I" we have been considering it to be; that the "I"
is a part of that great One Reality
which pervades all the Universe; that it is connected with all other forms of life by countless ties, mental and spiritual
filaments and relations; that the
"I" is a Centre of Consciousness
in that great One Reality or Spirit, which is behind
and back of all Life and Existence, the Centre of which Reality or Existence,
is the Absolute or God; that the sense of
Reality that is inherent in the "I," is really the reflection of the
sense of Reality inherent in the Wholethe Great "I" of the
Universe.
The underlying principle of these three lessons is the
Reality of the "I," in itself, over and above all Matter, Force, or Mindpositive to all of them, just as they arc positive or negative to each otherand negative only to the Centre of the Onethe Absolute itself. And
this is the position for the Candidate or
Initiate to take: "I am positive to Mind, Energy, and Matter, and control them allI am
negative only to the Absolute, which
is the Centre of Being, of which Being I Am. And, as I assert my
mastery over Mind, Energy, and Matter, and exercise my Will over them, so do I acknowledge my subordination to the Absolute, and gladly open my
soul to the inflow of the Divine
Will, and partake of its Power, Strength, and Wisdom."
In
the present lesson, and those immediately following
it, we shall endeavor to assist the Candidate or
Initiate in acquiring a mastery of the subordinate manifestations,
Matter, Energy, and Mind. In order to
acquire and assert this mastery, one must acquaint himself
with the nature of the thing to be controlled.
In
our "Advanced Course" we have endeavored to explain to you the nature of the Three Great Manifestations,
known as Chitta, or Mind-Substance;
MENTAL
CONTROL.
Prana, or Energy; and Akasa, or the Principle of Matter. We also
explained to you that the "I" of man
is superior to these three, being what is known as Atman or Spirit. Matter, Energy, and Mind, as we have explained, are manifestations of the Absolute,
and are relative things. The Yogi philosophy teaches that Matter is the grossest form of manifested substance, being below Energy and Mind,
and consequently negative to, and
subordinate to both. One stage higher
than Matter, is Energy or Force, which
is positive to, and has authority over, Matter (Matter being a still grosser
form of substance), but which is
negative to and subordinate to Mind, which is a still higher form of
substance. Next in order comes the highest
of the threeMindthe finest form of
substance, and which dominates both Energy
and Matter, being positive to both. Mind, however is negative and
subordinate to the "I," which is
Spirit, and obeys the orders of the latter when firmly and intelligently given. The "I" itself is subordinate only to the Absolutethe Centre of
Being the "I" being
positive and dominant over the threefold
manifestation of Mind, Energy, and Matter.
The "I," which for the sake of the illustration must be regarded as a separate thing (although it is really only a Centre of Consciousness in the great body of Spirit),
finds itself surrounded by the triple-ocean of Mind,
Energy and Matter, which ocean extends into Infinity.
The body is but a physical form through which
flows an unending stream of matter, for, as you know the particles and atoms of the body are constantly changing; being renewed; replaced; thrown
off, and supplanted. One's body of a few years ago, or
rather the particles composing that body, have passed off and now form new
combinations in the world of matter. And one's body of to-day is passing away and being replaced by new
particles. And one's body of next year is now occupying some
other portion of space, and its particles are now parts of countless other combinations, from which space
and combinations they will later come to combine and form the body of
next year. There is nothing permanent
about the bodyeven the particles of the bones
are being constantly replaced by others.
And so it is with the Vital Energy, Force, or Strength of the
body (including that of the brain).
It is constantly being used up, and
expended, a fresh supply taking its place. And even the Mind of the person is changeable, and the Mind-substance or Chitta, is being used up and replenished, the new supply coming from the great Ocean of Mind, into which the
discarded portion slips, just as is
the case with the matter and energy.
While
the majority of our students, who are more or less
familiar with the current material scientific conceptions, will readily accept
the above idea of the ocean of Matter, and Energy, and
the fact that there is a continual using up and replenishing of one's store of both, they may have more or less trouble
in accepting the idea that Mind is a
substance or principle
amenable to the same general laws as are the other two
manifestations, or attributes of substance. One is
so apt to think of his Mind as "himself"the "I."
Notwithstanding the fact that in our Second Lesson
of this series we showed you that the "I" is superior
to the mental states, and that it can set them aside and
regard and consider them as "not-I" things, yet the force of the habit of thought is very strong, and it may take some of you considerable time before you "get into the way" of realizing that your Mind is
"something that you use," instead of being You yourself. And yet, you must persevere in attaining this realization,
for in the degree that you realize your
dominance over your mind, so will be your control of it, and its
amenability to that control. And, as is the
degree of that dominance and control, so will be the character, grade and extent of the work that your Mind will do for you. So you see: Realisation
brings Controland Control
brings results. This statement lies at the base of the science of Raja
Yoga. And many of its first
exercises are designed to acquaint the student with that realization, and to
develop the realization and control
by habit and practice.
The Yogi Philosophy teaches that instead of Mind being the "I," it is the thing through and by means of which the
"I" thinks, at least so far as is concerned the knowledge concerning the phenomenal or outward Universethat is the Universe of Name and Form. There is a higher Knowledge locked up in the
innermost part of the "I," that far transcends any information
that it may receive about or from the outer
world, but that is not before us for consideration at
this time, and we must concern ourselves with the
"thinking" about the world of things."
Mind-substance
in Sanscrit is called "Chitta," and a wave in the Chitta (which
wave is the combination of Mind and Energy) is called "Vritta," which
is akin to what we call a
"thought." In other words it is
"mind in action," whereas Chitta is "mind in repose." Vritta, when literally translated
means "a whirlpool or eddy in
the mind," which is exactly what a thought realty is.
But we
must call the attention of the student, at this
point, to the fact that the word "Mind" is used in two ways by the Yogis and other occultists, and the student is
directed to form a clear conception of each meaning,
in order to avoid confusion, and that he may more clearly perceive the two
aspects of the things which the word is intended to express. In the first place the word "Mind" is used
as synonymous with Chitta, or
Mind-substance, which is the Universal
Mind Principle. From this Chitta, Mind-substance,
or Mind, alt the material of the millions of personal minds is obtained. The second meaning of the word
"Mind" is that which we mean when we speak of the "mind" of anyone, thereby meaning the mental faculties of that particular personthat
which distinguishes his mental
personality from that of another. We have taught you that this
"mind" in Man, functions
on three planes, and have called the respective
manifestations (I) the Instinctive Mind; (2) the Intellect;
and (3) the Spiritual Mind. (See "Fourteen
Lessons in Yogi Philosophy," etc.) These
three mental planes, taken together, make up the
"mind" of the person, or to be more
exact they, clustered around the "I" form the
"soul" of the individual. The word
"soul" is often used as synonymous with "spirit" hut those who have followed us will distinguish the difference. The
"soul" is the Ego surrounded by its mental principles, while the
Spirit is the "soul of the soul"the "I,"
or Real Self.
The
Science of Raja Yoga, to which this series of lessons is devoted, teaches, as its basic principle, the Control of the Mind. It holds that the first step toward Power consists
in obtaining a control of one's own mind.
It holds that the internal world must be conquered
before the outer world is attacked. It holds
that the "I" manifests itself in Will, and that that
Will may be used to manipulate, guide, govern and direct the mind of its owner,
as well as the physical world. It aims to clear
away all mental rubbish, and encumbrancesto conduct
a "mental house-cleaning," as it were, and
to secure a clear, clean, healthy mind. Then it proceeds to
control that mind intelligently, and with effect,
saving all waste-power, and by means of concentration
bringing the Mind in full harmony with the Will, that
it may be brought to a focus and its power greatly increased and its efficiency fully secured.
Concentration and Will-power are the
means by which the Yogis obtain such wonderful
results, and by which they manage and direct their
vigorous, healthy minds, and master the material
world, acting positively upon Energy and Matter. This
control extends to all planes of the Mind, and the
Yogis not only control the Instinctive Mind, holding
in subjection its lower qualities and making use of its other parts, but they
also develop and enlarge the field of their
Intellect and obtain from it wonderful results. Even
the Spiritual Mind is mastered, and aided in its
unfoldment, and urged to pass down into the field of
consciousness some of the wonderful secrets to be found
within its area. By means of Raja Yoga many of the secrets of existence
and Beingmany of the Riddles of the Universeare answered
and solved. And by it the latent powers inherent
in the constitution of Man are unfolded and brought
into action. Those highly advanced in the science
are believed to have obtained such a wonderful
degree of power and control over the forces of the
universe, that they are as gods compared with the ordinary man.
Raja Yoga teaches that not only may power
of this kind be secured, but that a wonderful field of
Knowledge is opened out through its practice. It holds that when the concentrated mind is focused upon thing or subject, the true nature and inner
meaning, of, and concerning, that
thing or subject will be brought to view. The concentrated mind passes through the object or subject just as the X-Ray
passes through a
block of wood, and the thing is seen by the "I" as it isin truthand
not as it had appeared before, imperfectly and
erroneously. Not only may the outside world be thus
explored, but the mental ray may be turned inward, and
the secret places of the mind explored. When it is
remembered that the bit of mind that each man possesses,
is like a drop of the ocean which contains within its tiny compass all the elements
that make up the ocean, and that to know perfectly the drop is to know
perfectly the ocean, then we begin to see
what such a power really means.
Many in the Western
world who have attained great results in the intellectual and scientific fields
of endeavor, have developed these powers
more or less unconsciously. Many
great inventors are practical
Yogis, although they do not realize the source of their power. Anyone who is familiar with the personal mental characteristics of Edison, will see
that he follows some of the Raja
Yoga methods, and that Concentration
is one of his strongest weapons. And from
all reports, Prof. Elmer Gates, of Washington, D. C, whose mind has unfolded many wonderful discoveries and inventions, is also a practical Yogi
although he may repudiate the
assertion vigorously, and may not
have familiarized himself with the principles of this science, which he has
"dropped into" unconconsciously.
Those who have reported upon Prof. Gates'
methods, say that he fairly "digs out" the inventions and discoveries from his mind, after
going into
seclusion and practicing concentration, and what is known as the
Mental Vision.
But we have given you enough of theory for one lesson,
and must begin to give you directions whereby you may
aid yourself in developing these latent powers and
unfolding these dormant energies. You will notice
that in this series we first tell you something about the
theory, and then proceed to give you "something to
do." This is the true Yogi method as followed
and practiced by their best teachers. Too much theory is
tiresome, and sings the mind to sleep, while too much
exercise tires one, and does not give the inquiring part of his mind the
necessary food. To combine both in suitable proportions
is the better plan, and one that we aim to follow.
MENTAL DRILL AND
EXERCISES.
Before
we can get the mind to do good work for us, we
must first "tame" it, and bring it to obedience to the Will of the "I." The mind, as a rule, has been allowed to ran wild, and follow its own sweet will and desires, without regard to anything else. Like a spoiled
child or badly trained domestic animal, it gets into much trouble, and is of
very little pleasure, comfort or use. The minds of many of
us are like menageries of wild animals, each
pursuing the bent of its own nature, and going its own
way. We have the whole menagerie within usthe
tiger, the ape, the peacock, the ass, the goose, the
sheep, the hyena, and all the rest. And we have been letting these animals rule us.
Even our Intellect is erratic, unstable, and like the
quicksilver to which the ancient occultists compared
it, shifting and uncertain. If you will look around
you you will see that those men and women in the
world who have really accomplished anything worth
while have trained their minds to obedience. They have
asserted the Will over their own minds, and
learned Mastery and Power in that way. The average mind chafes at the restraint
of the Will, and is like a frisky monkey that
will not be "taught tricks." But
taught it must be, if it wants to do good work. And teach it you must if you
expect to get any use from itif you expect to use it,
instead of having it use you.
And this is the first thing to be learned in Raja Yogathis control of the
mind. Those who had hoped for some royal
road to mastery, may be disappointed,
but there is only one way and that is to master and control the mind by the Will. Otherwise it will run away
when you most need it. And so we shall give you some exercise designed to aid
you in this direction.
The first
exercise in Raja Yoga Is what is called Pratyahara or the art of
making the mind introspective or turned inward upon itself. It is the first
step toward mental control. It aims to turn the mind
from going outward, and gradually turning it inward upon itself or inner nature. The object is to gain control of it by the Will.
The following exercises will aid in that direction:
EXERCISE I.
(a) Place yourself in a comfortable position, and so far as possible free from outside
disturbing in fluences. Make no violent effort to control the
mind, but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take
advantage of the opportunity, and will jump
around like an un
chained monkey at first, until it gradually stows down and looks to you for orders. It may
take some time to tame down at first trial, but each
time you try it will come around to you in shorter
time. The Yogis spend much time in acquiring this
mental peace and calm, and consider themselves well
paid for it.
(b) When the
mind is well calmed down, and peaceful, fix the thought on the "I Am," as taught in our previous lessons. Picture the
"I" as an entity independent of the body; deathless;
invulnerable; im mortal ; real. Then think of it as
independent of the
body, and able to exist without its fleshly covering. Meditate upon this for a time, and
then gradually direct the thought to the realization
of the "I" as in dependent and superior to the mind,
and controlling same. Go over the general ideas of
the first two les sons, and endeavor to calmly reflect
upon them and
to see them in the "mind's eye." You will find that your mind is gradually becoming more
and more
peaceful and calm, and that the distracting thoughts of the outside world are farther and
farther removed from you.
(c)
Then let the mind pass on to a
calm consideration of the Third Lesson, in which we have
spoken of the Oneness of All, and the relationship of
the "I" to the One Life; Power; Intelligence; Being. You will find that you are acquiring a mental control
and calm heretofore unknown to you.
The exercises in the first three
lessons will have prepared you for this.
(d)
The following is the most
difficult of the variations or degrees of this exercise, but the ability to perform
it will come gradually. The exercise consists in gradually shutting out all
thought or impression of the outside world;
of the body; and of the thoughts themselves, the student concentrating and
meditating upon the word and idea
"I AM," the idea being that he
shall concentrate upon the idea of mere "being" or "existence," symbolized by the words
"I Am." Not "I
am this," or "I am that," or "I do this,"
or "I think that," but simply: "I AM" This
exercise will focus the attention at the
very centre of Being within oneself,
and will gather in all the mental energies, instead of allowing them to be scattered upon outside things. A feeling of Peace, Strength, and Power will result, for the affirmation, and the thought
back of it, is the most powerful and
strongest that one may make, for it is a statement of Actual Being, and
a turning of the thought inward to that
truth. Let the mind first dwell upon the word "I,"
identifying it with the Self, and then let it pass on to the word
"AM," which signifies Reality, and Being. Then combine the two with
the meanings thereof, and the result is a most powerful focusing of
thought inward, and a most potent Statement of Being.
It
is well to accompany the above exercises with a comfortable
and easy physical attitude, so as to prevent the distraction of the attention
by the body. In order to do this one should
assume an easy attitude, and then relax every muscle, and
take the tension from every nerve, until a perfect
sense of ease, comfort and relaxation is obtained.
You should practice this until you have fully
acquired it. It will be useful to you in many ways,
besides rendering Concentration and Meditation easier. It will act as a
"rest cure" for tired body,
nerves, and mind.
Exercise II. The second
step in Raja Yoga is what is known as Dharana, or
Concentration. This is a most wonderful idea in the direction of focusing the mental forces, and may be cultivated to an almost incredible
degree, but all this requires work,
time, and patience But the student
will be well repaid for it Concentration consists in the mind focusing upon a certain subject, or object, and being held there for a time. This,
at first thought seems very easy, but
a little practice will show how difficult it is to firmly fix the attention and
hold it there. It will have a
tendency to waver, and move to some
other object or subject, and much practice
will be needed in order to hold it at the desired point. But practice will
accomplish wonders, as one may see by observing people who have acquired this faculty, and who use it in
their everyday life. But the following point
should he remembered. Many, persons
have acquired the faculty of concentrating their attention, but have allowed it to become almost involuntary, and they become a slave to it,
forgetting themselves and everything else, and often neglecting necessary
affairs. This is the ignorant way of concentrating, and those addicted to it
become slaves to their habits,
instead of masters of their minds. They become day-dreamers, and absent-minded people, instead of Masters. They are to be pitied as much as those
who ' cannot concentrate at all. The
secret is in a mastery of the mind.
The Yogis can concentrate at will, and completely
bury themselves in the subject before them,
and extract from it every item of interest, and can then pass the mind from the thing at will, the same control being used in both cases. They do
not allow fits of abstraction, or
"absent-mindedness" to come upon them, nor are they
day-dreamers. On the contrary they are very
wide awake individuals; close
observers; clear thinkers; correct reasoners. They are masters of their minds, not slaves to their moods. The ignorant concentrator buries himself
in the object or subject, and allows
it to master and absorb himself,
while the trained Yogi thinker asserts the
"I," and then directs his mind to concentrate upon the subject or object, keeping it well under
control and in view all the time. Do
you see the difference? Then heed the lesson.
The
following exercises may be found useful in the first steps of Concentration:
(a)
Concentrate the attention upon some familiar objecta
pencil, for instance. Hold the mind
there, and consider the pencil to the exclusion of any
other object. Consider its size; color; shape; kind
of wood. Consider its uses, and purposes; its materials; the process of its
manufacture, etc., etc., etc. In
short, think as many things about the pencil as possible, allowing the mind to pursue any associated
by-paths, such as a consideration of
the graphite of which the "lead"
is made; the forest from which came the wood used in making the pencil; the history of pencils, and other implements used for writing, etc. In short exhaust the subject of "Pencils." In considering a subject
under concentration, the following plan of synopsis will be found
useful. Think of the thing in question from the following view-points:
(I) The thing itself.
(a) The place from whence it
came.
(3)
Its purpose or use.
(4)
Its associations.
(5)
Its probable end.
Do not let the apparently trivial nature of the inquiry discourage you, for the simplest form of mental training is useful, and will help to develop your Will and
Concentration. It is akin to the process of developing a physical muscle by
some simple exercise, and in both cases one loses sight of the unimportance of the exercise itself, in view of the end to be
gained.
(b)
Concentrate the attention upon
some part of the bodythe hand for instance, and fixing your
entire attention upon it, shut off or inhibit all
sensation from the other parts of the body. A little practice will enable you to do this. In addition to the
mental training, this exercise will
stimulate the part of the body
concentrated upon, for reasons that will appear in future lessons. Change the parts of the body concentrated upon, and thus give the mind a variety
of exercises, and the body the effect
of a general stimulation.
(c)
These exercises may be extended
indefinitely upon familiar objects about you. Remember always, that the thing in itself is of no importance, the whole idea being to
train the mind to obey the Will, so that when you really wish to use the mental
forces upon some important object, you may find them well
trained and obedient. Do not be tempted to slight this
part of the work because it is "dry" and
uninteresting, for it leads up to tilings that are
most interesting, and opens a door to a fascinating subject.
(d)
Practice focusing the attention
upon some abstract subjectthat is upon some subject of
interest that may offer a field for mental exploration.
Think about the subject in all its phases and
branches, following up one by-path, and then
another, until you feel that you know all about the
subject that your mind has acquired.
You will be surprised to find how much
more you know about any one thing or subject than you had believed possible. In
hidden corners of your mind you will find some useful
or interesting information about the thing in
question, and when you are through you will feel
well posted upon it, and upon the things connected with it. This exercise will
not only help to develop your intellectual powers,
but will strengthen your memory, and broaden your
mind, and give you more confidence in yourself. And, in addition, you
will have taken a valuable exercise in
Concentration or Dharana.
The
Importance of Concentration.
Concentration
is a focusing of the mind. And this
focusing of the mind requires a focusing, or bringing to a center, of the
Will. The mind is concentrated because
the Will is focused upon the object.
The mind flows into the mould made by the Will. The above
exercises are designed not only to accustom the mind to the obedience and direction of the Will, but also tend
to accustom the Will to command. We speak
of strengthening the Will, when what we really mean is training the mind to obey, and accustoming the Will to
command. Our Will is strong enough,
but we do not realize it. The Will
takes root in the very center of our
beingin the "I," but our imperfectly developed mind does not
recognize this fact. We are like young elephants that do not recognize their own strength, but allow themselves to be
mastered by puny drivers, whom they
could brush aside with a
movement The Will is back of all actionall doingmental and physical.
We
shall have much to say touching the Will, in these
lessons and the student should give the matter his careful attention. Let him
look around him, and he will see that the great
difference between the men who have stepped forward
from the ranks, and those who remain huddled up in the crowd, consists in Determination and
Will. As Buxton has well said: "The
longer I live, the more certain I am that the great difference between men, the feeble and the powerful; the great and the insignificant; is Energy
and Invincible Determination."
And he might have added that the thing behind that "energy and invincible
determination" was Will.
The
writers and thinkers of all ages have recognized
the wonderful and transcendent importance of the
Will. Tennyson sings: "O living Will thou shalt endure
when all that seems shall suffer shock." Oliver Wendell Holmes
says: "The seat of the Will seems to
vary with the organ through which it is manifested; to transport itself to different parts of the brain, as we may wish to recall a picture, a
phrase, a melody; to throw its force
on the muscles or the intellectual
processes. Like the general-in-chief, its place is everywhere in the
field of action. It is the least like an
instrument of any of our faculties; the farthest removed from our conceptions of mechanism and matter, as we commonly define them."
Holmes was correct in his idea, but
faulty in his details. The Will
does not change its scat, which is always in the center of the Ego, but the
Will forces the mind to all parts, and in all
directions, and it directs the Prana or vital
force likewise. The Will is indeed the general-in-chief,
but it does not rush to the various points of action,
but sends its messengers and couriers there to carry out its orders. Buxton
has said: "The Will will do anything
that can be done in this world. And no
talents, no circumstances, no opportunities will make a two-legged creature a Man without it." Ik Marvel truly says: "Resolve is what makes a
man manifest; not puny resolve, not
crude determinations, not errant
purposebut that strong and indefatigable Will which treads down difficulties and danger, as a boy treads down the heaving frost-lands of winter;
which kindles his eye and brain with
a proud pulse-beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men giants."
The great obstacle
to the proper use of the Will, in the case
of the majority of people, is the lack of ability to focus the attention. The Yogis clearly understand this
point, and many of the Raja Yoga exercises which are given to the
students by the teachers, are designed to overcome this difficulty.
Attention is the outward evidence of the Will. As a French writer has said: "The attention is subject
to the superior authority of the
Ego. I yield it, or I withhold it, as
I please. I direct it in turn to several points. I concentrate it upon each point as long as my Will
can stand the effort." Prof. James has said: "The essential
achievement of the Will, when it is most volun tary, is to attend to a difficult object, and hold it
fast before the mind. Effort of Attention is the essential phenomenon of the Will." And Prof. Halleck says: "The first step toward the development of Will
lies in
the exercise of Attention. Ideas grow in dis tinctness and motor-power as we attend to
them. If we take two ideas of the same
intensity and center the attention upon one, we shall
notice how much it grows in power." Prof. Sully
says: "Attention may be roughly defined as the active
self-direction of the mind to any object which presents
itself at the mo ment." The word
"Attention" is derived from two Latin words, ad tendere, meaning
"to stretch to wards," and this is just what
the Yogis know it to be. By means of their psychic or
clairvoyant sight, they see the thought of the attentive
person stretched out toward the object attended to, like a
sharp wedge, the
point of which is focused upon the object under con sideration, the entire force of the
thought being con centrated at that point. This is
true not only when the person is considering an object,
but when he is earnestly impressing his ideas upon
another, or upon some task to be accomplished.
Attention means reaching the mind out to and
focusing it upon some thing. *
The
trained Will exhibits itself in a tenacious Attention, and this Attention is
one of the signs of the trained Will. The student must
not hastily conclude that this kind of Attention is a
common faculty among men. On
the contrary it is quite rare, and is seen only among those of
"strong" mentality. Anyone may fasten his
Attention upon some passing, pleasing thing, but
it takes a trained will to fasten it upon some unattractive
thing, and hold it there. Of course the trained
occultist is able to throw interest into the most unattractive
thing upon which it becomes advisable to focus his Attention, but this, in
itself, comes with the trained Will, and is not the
possession of the average man. Voluntary Attention is rare, and is found
only among strong characters. But it may be cultivated
and grown, until he who has scarcely a shade of
it to-day, in time may become a giant. It is all a
matter of practice, exercise, and Will.
It
is difficult to say too much in favor of the development
of the faculty of tenacious Attention. One possessing this developed faculty is
able to accomplish far more than even a much
"brighter" man who lacks it. And
the best way to train the Attention, under the direction of the Will, is to
practice upon uninteresting objects,
and ideas, holding them before the mind until they
begin to assume an Interest. This is difficult at first, but the task soon
begins to take on a pleasant aspect, for one finds that his Will-power and
Attention are growing, and he feels himself acquiring
a Force and Power that were lacking beforehe realizes
that he is growing Stronger. Charles Dickens said that
the secret of his success consisted in his developing
a faculty of throwing his entire Attention into
whatever he happened to be doing at the moment and then
being able to turn that same degree of Attention
to the next thing coming before him for consideration.
He was like a man behind a great searchlight, which was successively turned
upon point after point, illuminating each in turn. The "I" is the man
behind the light, and the Will is the reflector, the light being the
Attention.
This discussion of Will and Attention may seem somewhat
"dry" to the student, but that is all the more
reason that he should attend to it. It is the secret that lies at the basis of
the Science of Raja Yoga, and the
Yogi Masters have attained a degree of Concentrated Will and Attention that
would be inconceivable to the average "man on
the street." By reason of this, they are able to direct the mind here
and there, outward or inward, with an
enormous force. They are able to
focus the mind upon a small thing with
remarkable intensity, just as the rays of the sun may be focused through a
"sun-glass" and caused to ignite
linen, or, on the other hand, they are able to send forth the mind with intense energy, illuminating whatever it rests upon, just as happens in the
case of the strong electric
searchlight, with which many of us
are familiar. By all means start in to cultivate the Attention and Will. Practice on the unpleasant
tasks do the things that you have before
you, and from which you have been
shrinking because they were unpleasant.
Throw interest into them, and the difficulty will vanish, and you will come
out of it much stronger, and filled
with a new sense of Power.
MANTRAM
(AFFIRMATION).
"I" have a Willit is my inalienable property and right. I determine to cultivate and develop it by practice and exercise.
My mind is obedient to my Will. I assert my Will over my Mind. I am Master of my
mind and body. I assert my Mastery. My Will
is Dynamicfull of Force and Energy, and Power. I feel my strength. I am
Strong. I am Forceful. I am Vital. I am
Center of Consciousness, Energy,
Strength, and Power, and I claim my birthright.
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