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Raja Yoga or Mental Development
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The Cultivation of Attention.
In our last lesson we called your attention to the fact that the Yogis
devote considerable time and practice to the acquirement of Concentration. And we
also had something to say regarding the relation of
Attention to the subject of Concentration. In this lesson we shall have more to
say on the subject of Attention, for it is one of the
important things relating to the practice of Raja
Yoga, and the Yogis insist upon their students
practicing systematically to develop and cultivate the
faculty. Attention lies at the base of Will-power, and
the cultivation of one makes easy the exercise of the other.
To
explain why we lay so much importance to the cultivation of Attention, would necessitate our anticipating future lessons of this series, which we do not deem advisable at
this time. And so we must ask our students
to take our word for it, that all that we have to say regarding the importance
of the cultivation of Attention, is occasioned by the relation of that subject to the use of the mind in certain
directions as will appear fully later on.
In order to let you know that we
are not advancing some peculiar theory of the
Yogis, which may not be in harmony with modern Western
Science, we give you in this article a number of
quotations, from Western
writers and thinkers, touching upon this important faculty of the
mind, so that you may see that the West and
East agree upon this main point, however different may be their explanations of the fact, or their use of the power gained by the cultivation
of Attention.
As we said in our last lesson, the word Attention is derived from two Latin words "ad tendere," meaning
"to stretch toward," which is really what Attention is. The
"I" wills that the mind be focused on some particular object or thing, and the mind obeys and
"stretches toward" that object or thing, focusing its entire energy upon it, observing every detail, dissecting, analyzing, consciously and
sub-consciously, drawing to itself
every possible bit of information
regarding it, both from within and from without. We cannot lay too much stress upon the acquirement of this great faculty, or rather, the
development of it, for it is
necessary for the intelligent study of Raja Yoga.
In
order to bring out the importance of the subject,
suppose we start in by actually giving our Attention
to the subject of Attention, and see how much more there is in it than we
had thought. We shall be well repaid for the
amount of time and trouble expended upon it.
Attention
has been defined as a focusing of consciousness,
or, if one prefers the form of expression, as "detention in
consciousness." In the first case, we
may liken it to the action of the sun-glass through which the
sun's rays are concentrated upon an object, the
result being that the heat is gathered together at a
small given point, the intensity of the same being raised
many degrees until the heat is sufficient to burn a piece of wood, or evaporate water. If the rays were not
focused, the same rays and heat would have been scattered
over a large surface, and the effect and power lessened. And so it is
with the mind. If it is allowed to scatter
itself over the entire field of a subject, it will exert but little power and
the results will be weak. But if it is passed through the sunglass of attention, and focused first over one
part, and then over another, and so
on, the matter may be mastered in
detail, and a result accomplished that will seem little less than marvelous to those who do not know the
secret.
Thompson
has said: "The experiences most permanently impressed upon consciousness, are those upon which the greatest amount of attention has been fixed."
Another writer upon the subject has said that "Attention
is so essentially necessary to understanding, that
without some degree of it the ideas and perceptions
that pass through the mind seem to leave no trace behind them."
Hamilton has said: "An
act of attention, that is, an act of
concentration, seems thus necessary to every exertion of consciousness, as a certain contraction of the pupil is requisite
to every exertion of vision. Attention
then is to consciousness what the contraction of the pupil is to sight, or,
to the eye of the mind what the microscope
or telescope is to the bodily eye. It
constitutes the better half of all intellectual power."
And
Brodie adds, quite forcibly: "It is Attention, much
more than any difference in the abstract power of
reasoning-, which constitutes the vast difference which
exists between minds of different individuals."
Butler gives us this important testimony:
"The most important intellectual habit I know of is
the habit of attending exclusively to the matter in hand. It is commonly said that genius cannot be infused by education, yet this power of concentrated attention, which belongs as a part of his gift to every great discoverer, is
unquestionably capable of almost indefinite
augmentation by resolute practice."
And, concluding this review of opinions, and endorsements
of that which the Yogis have so much to say, and
to which they attach so much importance, let us listen to the words of Beattie,
who says: "The force wherewith
anything strikes the mind, is generally
in proportion to the degree of attention bestowed upon it. Moreover, the great art of memory is attention, and inattentive people always have
bad memories."
There are two
general kinds of Attention. The first is
the Attention directed within the mind upon mental objects and concepts. The other is the Attention directed outward upon objects externa! to ourselves.
The same general rules and laws apply to both equally.
Likewise there may be drawn another distinction
and division of attention into two classes, vis., Attention attracted
by some impression coming into consciousness without any conscious effort of
the Will this is called Involuntary Attention, for the Attention and Interest
is caught by the attractiveness or novelty of the object. Attention directed to some object by an
effort of the Will, is called Voluntary Attention. Involuntary Attention is
quite common, and requires no special training. In fact, the lower animals, and young children seem to have a
greater share of it than do adult men.
A great percentage of men and women never get beyond this stage to any
marked degree. On the other hand,
Voluntary Attention requires effort, will,
and determinationa certain mental training, that is beyond the majority
of people, for they will not "take the trouble" to direct their attention
in this way. Voluntary Attention is
the mark of the student and other thoughtful men. They focus (heir minds on objects that do not yield immediate
interest or pleasure, in order that they may learn and accomplish. The careless person will not thus fasten
his Attention, at least not more than a moment or so, for his Involuntary
Attention is soon attracted by some passing object of no matter how trifling a
nature, and the Voluntary Attention disappears and is forgotten. Voluntary Attention is developed by practice
and perseverance, and is well worth the trouble, for nothing in the mental world
is accomplished without its use.
The Attention does not readily fasten itself to uninteresting objects, and, unless interest can be created, it
requires a considerable degree of Voluntary Attention
in order that the mind may be fastened upon such an
object. And, more than this, even if the ordinary attention is attracted it will soon waver, unless there is some interesting change in the aspect of the object, that will give
the attention a fresh hold of interest, or unless
some new quality, characteristic or property manifests
itself in the object. This fact occurs because
the mind mechanism has not been trained to bear prolonged
Voluntary Attention, and, in fact, the physical
brain is not accustomed to the task, although it may be
so trained by patient practice.
It has been noticed by investigators that the Attention may be rested and freshened, either by withdrawing the Voluntary Attention from the object, and allowing
the Attention to manifest along Involuntary lines
toward passing objects, etc.; or, on the other hand, by
directing the Voluntary Attention into a new field
of observationtoward some new object Sometimes
one plan will seem to give the best results, and again
the other will seem preferable.
We
have called your attention to the fact that Interest
develops Attention, and holds it fixed, while an uninteresting
object or subject requires a much greater effort
and application. This fact is apparent to anyone. A
common illustration may be found in the matter of
reading a book. Nearly everyone will give his undivided
attention to some bright, thrilling story, white
but few are able to use sufficient Voluntary Attention
to master the pages of some scientific work. But, right here, we wish to call
your attention to the other side of the case, which is
another example of the fact that Truth is composed of
paradoxes.
Just as Interest develops Attention, so it is a truth that
Attention develops Interest If one will take the trouble to give a little Voluntary Attention to an object,
he will soon find that a little perseverance will bring to light points of Interest in the object. Things before unseen and unsuspected, are quickly brought to light.
And many new phases, and aspects of the subject or
object are seen, each one of which, in turn, becomes
an object of Interest. This is a fact not so generally
known, and one that it will be well for you to
remember, and to use in practice. Look for the interesting features of
an uninteresting thing, and they will
appear to your view, and before long the uninteresting object will have changed into a thing having many-sided
interests.
Voluntary Attention is one of the signs of a developed Will. That is, of a mind that has been well trained
by the Will, for the Will is always strong, and it is the mind that has to be
trained, not the Will. And on the other hand, one of
the best ways to train the mind by the Wilt, is by
practice in Voluntary Attention. So you see how the rule works both ways. Some Western psychologists have even advanced theories that the Voluntary Attention is the only power
of the Will, and that that power is
sufficient, for if the attention
be firmly fixed, and held upon an object the mind
will "do the rest." We do not agree with this school of philosophers, but merely mention the fact as
an illustration of the importance attributed by psychologists
to this matter of Voluntary Attention.
A
man of a strongly developed Attention often accomplishes
far more than some much brighter man who lacks it.
Voluntary Attention and Application is a very good
substitute for Genius, and often accomplishes far more in the long
run.
Voluntary Attention is the fixing of the mind earnestly and intently upon some particular object, at the
same time shutting out from consciousness other objects
pressing for entrance. Hamilton has defined it as "consciousness voluntarily applied under its law of limitations to some determinate object." The same writer goes on to state that "the greater the number of objects to
which our consciousness is simultaneously
extended, the smaller is the intensity with which it
is able to consider each, and consequently the less vivid
and distinct will be the information it contains of
the several objects. When our interest in any particular object is excited, and when we wish to obtain all the knowledge concerning it in our power, it behooves us to limit our consideration to that object to the exclusion of
others."
The
human mind has the power of attending to only one
object at a time, although it is able to pass from one
object to another with a marvelous degree of speed, so
rapidly, in fact, that some have held that it could
grasp several things at once. But the best authorities,
Eastern and Western, hold to the "single idea"
theory as being correct. On this point we may quote a few authorities.
Jouffroy
says that "It is established by experience that we cannot give our attention to two different objects
at the same time." And Holland states that "Two thoughts,
however closely related to one another, cannot be
presumed to exist at the same time." And Lewes
has told us that "The nature of our organism prevents our having more than one aspect of an object at
each instant presented to consciousness." Whateley says: "The best philosophers are agreed that the mind
cannot actually attend to more than one thing at a time, but, when it appears to be doing so it is really shifting with
prodigious rapidity backward and forward from one to the
other."
By giving a concentrated Voluntary Attention to an- object, we not only are able to see and think about it
with the greatest possible degree of clearness, but the mind has a tendency, under such circumstances, to bring
into the field of consciousness all the different ideas associated in our memory with that object or subject,
and to build around the object or subject a mass of associated facts and
information. And at the same time the
Attention given the subject makes more vivid and clear all that we learn about
the thing at the time, and, in fact,
all that we may afterwards learn about
it. It seems to cut a channel, through which knowledge flows.
Attention magnifies and increases the powers of perception, and greatly aids the exercise of the perceptive faculties. By "paying attention" to something seen or
heard, one is enabled to observe the details of the thing
seen or heard, and where the inattentive mind acquires say three impressions
the attentive mind absorbs three times three, or perhaps three times
"three times three," or twenty-seven. And, as we
have just said, Attention brings into play the powers of
association, and gives us the "loose end" of
an almost infinite chain of associated facts, stored away in our memory, forming new combinations of facts which we had never grouped together before, and bring out into the field of
consciousness all the many scraps of information regarding the thing to which we are giving attention. The proof of this is
within the experience of everyone. Where is the one who
does not remember sitting down to some writing, painting,
reading, etc., with interest and attention, and
finding, much to his surprise, what a flow of facts
regarding the matter in hand was passing
through his mind. Attention seems to focus all the knowledge of a thing
that you possess, and by bringing it to a
point enables you to combine, associate, classify, etc., and thus create new
knowledge. Gibbon tells us that after he gave a brief glance and consideration to a new subject, he suspended further work upon it, and allowed his mind
(under concentrated attention) to
bring forth all his associated
knowledge regarding the subject, after which
he renewed the task with increased power and efficiency.
The more one's attention is fixed upon a subject under
{consideration, the deeper is the impression which the subject leaves upon
the mind. And the easier will it be for him
to afterwards pursue the same train of thought and work.
Attention is a prerequisite of good memory, and in fact there can be no
memory at all unless some degree of
attention is given. The degree of memory depends upon the degree of attention and interest And when it
is considered that the work of today is made efficient by the memory of things learned yesterday, the day before yesterday, and so on, it is seen that the degree of attention
given today regulates the quality of the work of tomorrow.
Some authorities have described Genius as the result of great powers of attention, or, at least, that the two seem
to run together. Some writer has said that "possibly the best definition
of genius is the power of concentrating upon some one given subject until its
possibilities are exhausted and absorbed." Simpson
has said that "The power and habit of thinking
closely and continuously upon the subject at hand, to the
exclusion, for the time, of all other subjects, is
one of the principal, if, indeed, not the principal, means
of success." Sir Isaac Newton has told us
his plan of absorbing information and knowledge. He has stated that he would keep the subject under consideration before him continually, and then would wait til) the first dawning
of perception gradually brightened into a clear
light, little by little. A mental
sunrise, in fact that sage observer, Dr. Abercrombie, has written that
he considered that he knew of no more important rule for
rising to eminence in any profession or occupation than the ability to do one
thing at a time, avoiding all distracting and diverting
objects or subjects, and keeping the leading matter
continually before the mind. And others have added that
such a course will enable one to observe relations between
the subject and other things that will not be apparent
to the careless observer or student.
The
degree of Attention cultivated by a man is the degree
of his capacity for intellectual work. As we have
said, the "great" men of all walks of life have developed this faculty to a wonderful degree, and many of them seem to get results "intuitively," whereas,
in truth, they obtain them by reason of their concentrated
power of Attention, which enables them to see
right into the center of a subject or proposition and
all around it, back and front, and all sides, in a space of time incredible to the man who has not cultivated
this mighty power. Men who have devoted much
attention to some special line of work or research,
are able to act almost as if they possessed "second
sight," providing the subject is within their favorite
field of endeavor. Attention quickens every one of
the facultiesthe reasoning facultiesthe sensesthe
deciding qualitiesthe analytical faculties, and so on,
each being given a "fine edge" by their use under a
concentrated Attention. And. on the other
hand, there is no surer indication of a weak
mind than the deficiency in Attention. This weakness
may arise from illness or physical weakness reacting
upon the brain, in which case the trouble is but
temporary. Or it may arise from a lack of mental development. Imbeciles and idiots have little or no Attention.
The great French psychologist, Luys, speaking
of this fact, says "Imbeciles and idiots see badly, hear badly, feel badly, and their sensorium is, in consequence,
in a similar condition of sensitive poverty.
Its impressionability for the things of the external
world is at a minimum, its sensibility weak, and consequently, it is difficult
to provoke the physiological condition necessary for
the absorption of the external impression."
In old age the Attention is the first faculty to show signs
of decay. Some authorities have held that the Memory
was the first faculty to be affected by the approach
of old age, but this is incorrect, for it is a matter
of common experience that the aged manifest a wonderfully
clear memory of events occurring in the far past.
The reason that their memory of recent events
is so poor is because their failing powers of Attention
has prevented them from receiving strong, clear mental
impressions, and as is the impression so is the memory.
Their early impressions having been clear and
strong, are easily recalled, while their later ones, being
weak, are recalled with difficulty. If the Memory were
at fault, it would be difficult for them to recall any
impression, recent or far distant in time.
But we must stop quoting
examples and authorities, and
urging upon you the importance of the faculty of
Attention. If you do not now realize it, it is because you have not given the
subject the Attention that you should have exercised,
and further repetition would not remedy matters.
Admitting
the importance of Attention, from the psychological
point of view, not to speak of the occult side of the
subject, is it not a matter of importance for you to start in to
cultivate that faculty? We think so. And
the only way to cultivate any mental or
physical part or faculty is to Exercise it. Exercise "uses up" a muscle, or mentat faculty,
but the organism makes haste to rush to the scene additional materialcell-stuff, nerve force, etc., to repair
the waste, and it always sends a
little more than is needed. And this "little more," continually
accruing and increasing, is what increases the muscles and brain centers. And improved and strengthened brain centers
give the mind better instruments with
which to work.
One
of the first things to do in the cultivation of Attention
is to learn to think of, and do, one thing at a time.
Acquiring the "knack" or habit of attending closely
to the things before us, and then passing on to the next and treating it in the
same way, is most conducive to success, and its
practice is the best exercise for the cultivation of
the faculty of Attention. And on the contrary, there is
nothing more harmful from the point of view of successful
performanceand nothing that wilt do more to
destroy the power of giving Attentionthan the habit
of trying to do one thing
while thinking of another. The thinking part of the
mind, and the acting part should work together, not in opposition.
Dr.
Beattie, speaking of this subject, tells us "It is a
matter of no small importance that we acquire the habit of doing only one thing at a time; by which I mean that while
attending to any one object, our thoughts
ought not to wander to another." And Granville
adds, "A frequent cause of failure in the faculty of Attention is striving to think of more than one
thing at a time." And Kay quotes, approvingly, a writer who says:
"She did things easily, because she attended to them in the doing.
When she made bread, she thought of the
bread, and not of the fashion of her
next dress, or of her partner at the last dance." Lord Chesterfield said,
"There is time enough for everything in the course of the day, if you
do but one thing at a time; but there is not
time enough in the year if you try to do two things at a time."
To
attain the best results one should practice concentrating
upon the task before him, shutting out, so far as
possible, every other idea or thought. One should
even forget selfpersonalityin such cases, as there is
nothing more destructive of good thinking than to
allow morbid self-consciousness to intrude. One does
best when he "forgets himself in his work, and
sinks his personality in the creative work. The "earnest" man or
woman is the one who sinks personality in the desired
result, or performance of the task undertaken. The actor, or preacher, or orator, or
writer, must lose sight of himself to get the best results.
Keep the Attention fixed on the thing before you, and
let the self take care of itself.
In connection with the above, we may relate an anecdote
of Whateley that may be interesting in connection
with the consideration of this subject of "losing one's self" in the task. He was asked for a recipe for "bashfulness," and replied that the person was bashful simply because he was thinking of himself and the impression he was making. His recipe was that the young
man should think of othersof the pleasure he could
give themand in that way he would forget all about
himself. The prescription is said to have effected
the cure. The same authority has written, "Let
both the extemporary speaker, and the reader of his own
compositions, study to avoid as far as possible all
thoughts of self, earnestly fixing the mind on the matter of what is delivered; and they will feel less that embarrassment which arises from the thought of what opinion the hearers will form of them."
The same writer, Whateley, seems to have made quite a study of Attention and has given us some interesting
information on its details. The following may be
read with interest, and if properly understood may be
employed to advantage. He says, "It is a fact, and a very curious one, that many people find that they can best attend to any serious matter when they are occupied with something else which requires a little. and
but a little, attention, such as working with the needle, cutting open paper leaves, or, for want of some such employment, fiddling anyhow
with the fingers." He does not give the reason for
this, and at first sight it might seem like a
contradiction of the "one thing at a
time" idea. But a closer
examination will show us that the minor work (the cutting leaves, etc.) is in the nature of an involuntary or automatic movement, inasmuch as it requires little or no voluntary attention, and seems to
"do itself." It does not
take off the Attention from the main
subject, but perhaps acta to catch
the "waste Attention" that often tries to divide the Attention
from some voluntary act to another. The habit mind may be doing one thing,
while the Attention is fixed on
another. For instance, one may be
writing with his attention firmly fixed upon the thought he wishes to express,
while at the time his hand is doing the writing,
apparently with no attention being given it. But, let a boy, or person unaccustomed to writing, try to
express his thoughts in this way, and you
will find that he is hampered in the flow of his thoughts by the fact
that he has to give much attention to the
mechanical act of writing. In the same way, the beginner on the typewriter
finds it difficult to compose to the
machine, while the experienced typist finds the mechanical movements no
hindrance whatever to the flow of thought
and focusing of Attention; in fact, many find that they can compose much better while using the typewriter
than they can by dictating to a stenographer. We think you will see the principle. And now for a little Mental Drill in Attention, that you may be started on the road to
cultivate this important faculty.
MENTAL DRILL IN
ATTENTION.
Exercise I. Begin by taking some familiar
object and placing it before you, try to get as many
impressions regarding it as is possible for you.
Study its shape, its color, its size, and the thousand and
one little peculiarities about it that present themselves
to your attention. In doing this, reduce the thing to its
simplest partsanalyze it as far as is
possibledissect it, mentally, and study its parts in detail. The more simple
and small the part to be considered, the more clearly
will the impression be received, and the more vividly
will it be recalled. Reduce the thing to the smallest
possible proportions, and then examine each portion,
and mastering that, then pass on to the next part, and
so on, until you have covered the entire field. Then,
when you have exhausted the object, take a pencil
and paper and put down as nearly as possible all the
things or details of the object axamined. When you have done this, compare the
written description with the object itself, and see
how many things you have failed to note.
The next day take up the same object, and after re-examining
it, write down the details and you will find that
you will have stored away a greater number of
impressions regarding it, and, moreover, you will have
discovered many new details during your second examination. This exercise strengthens the memory as well
as the Attention, for the two are closely connected,
the memory depending largely upon the clearness and
strength of the impressions received, while the
impressions depend upon the amount of attention given to the thing observed.
Do not tire yourself with this exercise,
for a tired Attention is a poor Attention. Better try it by degrees,
increasing the task a little each time you
try it. Make a game of it if you
like, and you will find it quite interesting to notice the steady but gradual improvement.
It
will be interesting to practice this in connection with some friend, varying
the exercise by both examining the object, and writing
down their impressions, separately, and then comparing
results. This adds interest to the task, and you
will be surprised to sec how rapidly both of you increase
in your powers of observation, which powers, of
course, result from Attention.
Exercise
II. This exercise is but a variation of the first one. It consists in entering a room, and taking a
hasty glance around, and then walking out, and afterward
writing down the number of things, that you have
observed, with a description of each. You will be
surprised to observe how many things you have missed
at first sight, and how you will improve in observation
by a little practice. This exercise, also, may be improved by the assistance of
a friend, as related in our last exercise. It is astonishing how many details one may observe and remember, after
a little practice. It is
related of Houdin, the French conjurer,
that he improved and developed his faculty of
Attention and Memory by playing this game with a young
relative. They would pass by a shop window, taking a
hasty, attentive glance at its contents. Then they
would go around the corner and compare notes. At first
they could remember only a few prominent articlesthat
is, their Attention could grasp only a few. But
as they developed by practice, they found that they
could observe and remember a vast number of things
and objects in the window. And, at last, it is
related that Houdin could pass rapidly before any large shop window, bestowing
upon it but one hasty glance, and then tell the names of, and closely describe, nearly every object in plain sight in
the window. The feat was
accomplished by the fact that the
cultivated Attention enabled Houdin to fasten upon his mind a vivid mental image of the window and its contents, and then he was able to
describe the articles one by one
from the picture in his mind.
Houdin taught his son to develop Attention by a simple exercise which may be interesting and of value to you. He would lay down a domino before the boy a five-four, for
example. He would require the boy to tell
him the combined number at once, without allowing him to stop to count the spots, one by one. "Nine" the boy would answer after a
moment's hesitation. Then another
domino, a three-four, would be added.
"That makes sixteen," cried the boy. Two dominoes at a time was the second day's task. The
next day, three was the
standard. The next day, four and so
on, until the boy was able to handle twelve dominoesthat
is to say, give instantaneously the total number
of spots on twelve dominoes, after a single glance.
This was Attention, in earnest, and shows what
practice will do to develop a faculty. The result was
shown by the wonderful powers of observation, memory
and attention, together with instantaneous mental
action, that the boy developed. Not only was he able
to add dominoes instantaneously, but he had powers of observation, etc., that
seemed little short of miraculous. And yet it is
related that he had poor attention, and deficient memory to begin with.
If this
seems incredible, let us remember how old whist players note and remember every
card in the pack, and can tell whether they have been played or not, and all
the circumstances attending upon them. The same
is true of chess players, who observe every move and
can relate the whole game in detail long after it
has been played. And remember, also, how one
woman may pass another woman on the street, and
without seeming to give her more than a careless glance, may be able to relate
in detail every feature of the other woman's
apparel, including its color, texture,
style of fashioning, probable price of the material, etc., etc. And a mere man would have noticed scarcely anything about
itbecause he would not have given it any attention. But how soon would that
man learn to equal his sister in attention and observation of
women's wearing apparel, if his business success
depended upon it, or if his speculative
instinct was called into play by a
wager with some friend as to who could remember the
most about a woman's clothing, seen in a passing
glance? You see it is all a matter of Interest and Attention.
But we forget that the Attention may be developed and
cultivated, and we complain that we "cannot remember things," or that we do not seem to be able to "take
notice." A little practice will do wonders in this direction.
Now, while the above exercises will develop your memory
and powers of observation, still that is not the main reason that we
have given them to you. We have an ulterior
object, that will appear in time. We aim
to develop your Will-power, and we know that Attention stands at the gate of Will-power. In order to be able to use your Will, you must be able to
focus the Attention forcibly and
distinctly. And these childish
exercises will help you to develop the mental muscles of the Attention. If you could but realize the childish games the young Yogi students are
required to play, in order to
develop the mental faculties, you would
change your minds about the Yogi Adepts whom you have been thinking about as mere dreamers, far removed from the practical. These men, and
their students, are intensely
practical. They have gained the
mastery of the Mind, and its faculties, and are able to use them as sharp edged tools, while the
untrained man finds that he has but a
dull, unsharpened blade that will do
nothing but hack and hew roughly, instead
of being able to produce the finished product.
The Yogi
believes in giving the "I" good tools with which to work, and he spends much time in tempering and
sharpening these tools. Oh, no, the Yogi are not idle dreamers.
Their grasp of "practical things" would
surprise many a practical, matter-of-fact Western business man, if he could but observe it.
And so,
we ask you to practice "observing things." The two exercises we have given are but indications of the general line. We could give you thousands, but you can prepare
them yourselves as well as could we. The
little Hindu boy is taught Attention by being asked to
note and remember the number, color, character and other details of a number
of colored stones, jewelry, etc., shown for an
instant in an open palm, the hand being closed the moment
after. He is taught to note and describe passing
travelers, and their equipageshouses he sees on his
journeysand thousands of other everyday objects. The
results are almost marvelous. In this way he is
prepared as a chela or student, and he brings to his guru or
teacher a brain well developeda mind thoroughly
trained to obey the Will of the "I"and
with faculties quickened to perceive instantly
that which others would fail to see in a
fortnight. It is true that he does not turn these faculties
to "business" or other so-called "practical" pursuits, but prefers to devote them to abstract studies
and pursuits outside of that which the Western man
considers to be the end and aim of life. But remember
that the two civilizations are quite differentfollowing
different idealshaving different economic
conditionsliving in different worlds, as it were.
Bat that is all a matter of taste and ideals the
faculty for the "practical life" of the West is possessed by the chela,
if he saw fit to use it. But all Hindu
youths are not chelas, remembernor are all Western youths "captains of industry,"
or Edisons.
MANTRAM
(AFFIRMATION).
I am using my Attention to develop my mental faculties,
so as to give the "I" a perfect instrument with which to work. The
mind is My instrument and I am
bringing it to a state of capacity for perfect work.
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