RAJA YOGA/PART 5
THE FIFTH LESSON.
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 sun-glass 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 external 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, viz., Attenion 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 determination—a 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 their 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 observation—toward 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, while 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 Will, 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 till 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 faculties—the reasoning
faculties—the senses—the deriding qualities—the 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 mental faculty, but the organism makes haste to rush to
the scene additional material—cell-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
performance—and nothing that will do more to destroy the power of giving
Attention—than 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 self—personality—in 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 others—of the pleasure he could give
them—and 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 acts 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 parts—analyze it as far as is possible—dissect 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 examined. 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 see 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 articles—that 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 dominoes—that 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 it—because 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 equipages—houses
he sees on his journeys—and 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
developed—a 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 different—following different ideals—having
different economic conditions—living in different worlds, as it were. But 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, remember—nor 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.
MANTRAM (OR
AFFIRMATION).
There
is but One Life—One Life Underlying. This Life is manifesting through ME, and
through every other shape, form, and thing. I am resting on the bosom of the
Great Ocean of Life, and it is supporting me, and will carry me safely, though
the waves rise and fall—though the storms rage and the tempests roar. I am safe
on the Ocean of Life, and rejoice as I feel the sway of its motion. Nothing can
harm me—though changes may come and go, I am Safe. I am One with the All Life,
and its Power, Knowledge, and Peace are behind, underneath, and within Me. O!
One Life! express Thyself through me—carry me now on the crest of the wave, now
deep down in the trough of the ocean—supported always by Thee—all is good to
me, as I feel Thy life moving in and through me. I am Alive, through thy life,
and I open myself to thy full manifestation and inflow.
NEXT CHAPTER
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