HATHA YOGA/PART 18
CHAPTER 18.
THE LITTLE LIVES OF THE BODY
Hatha Yoga teaches that the physical body is built up of
cells, each cell containing within it a miniature "life” which controls
its action. These "lives” are really bits of intelligent mind of a certain
degree of development, which enable the cells to do their work properly. These
bits of intelligence are, of course, subordinate to the control of the central
mind of man, and readily obey orders given from headquarters, consciously or
unconsciously. These cell intelligences manifest a perfect adaption for their
particular work. The selective action of the cells, extracting from the blood
the nourishment required, and rejecting that which is not needed is an instance
of this intelligence. The process of digestion, assimilation, etc., shows the
intelligence of the cells, either separately or collectively, in groups. The
healing of wounds, the rush of the cells to the points where they are most
needed, and hundreds of other examples known to the investigators, all mean to
the Yogi student examples of the "life” within each atom. Each atom is to
the Yogi a living thing, leading its own independent life. These atoms combine
into groups for some end, and the groups manifest a group-intelligence, so long
as it remains a group; these groups again combining in turn, and forming bodies
of a more complex nature, which serve as vehicles for higher forms of
consciousness.
When death comes to the physical body, the cells separate
and scatter and that which we call decay sets in. The force which has held the
cells together is withdrawn, and they become free to go their own way and to
form new combinations. Some go into the body of the plants in the vicinity, and
eventually find themselves in the body of an animal; others remain in the
organism of the plant; others remain in the ground for a time, but the life of
the atom means incessant and constant change. As a leading writer has said:
"Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form
is but a prelude to the building up of another.” We will give our students a
brief idea of the nature and work of this cell-life—the life of these little
lives of the body.
The cells of the body have three principles: (1) Matter,
which they obtain from the food; (2) Prana, or vital force, which enables them
to manifest action, and which is obtained from the food we eat; the water we
drink and the air we breathe; (3) Intelligence, or "mind-stuff,” which is
obtained from the Universal Mind. We will first take up the material side of
cell-life.
As we have said, every living body is a collection of
minute cells. This is, of course, true of every part of the body, from the hard
bone to the softest tissue—from the enamel of the tooth to the most delicate
part of the mucous membrane. These cells have different shapes, which are regulated
by the requirements of its particular office, or work. Each cell is, to all
intents and purposes, an individual, separate and more or less independent,
although subject to the control of cell-group mind; large group commands; and,
finally to the central mind of the man, the controlling work, or at least the
greater part of it, coming within the control of the Instinctive Mind.
These cells are constantly at work, performing all the
duties of the body, each having its own particular work to do—and doing it to
the best of its ability. Some of the cells belong to the "reserves” and
are kept under "waiting orders” ready for some sudden demand of duty.
Others belong to the army of active workers of the cell-community and
manufacture the secretions and fluids needed in the varied work of the system.
Some of the cells are stationary—others remain so until needed, when they
manifest motion—others are constantly on the move, some making regular trips
and some being rovers. Of these moving cells some perform the work of carriers,
some move from place to place doing odd jobs, and others do scavenger work, and
still another class belong to the police force, or army, of the cell-community.
Cell-life in the body may be compared to a large colony, operated on a cooperative
plan, each cell having its own work to do for the common good, each working for
all, and all working for the common welfare. The cells of the nervous system
carry messages from one part of the body to the brain and from the brain to
another part of the body, being living telegraph wires, as the nerves are
composed of minute cells in close contact with each other, having small
projections which are in contact with similar projections from other cells, so
that they are practically holding hands and forming a chain, along which passes
the Prana.
Of the carriers, moving workers, policemen, soldiers,
etc., of the cell-community there are millions upon millions in each human
body, it being estimated that there are in one cubic inch of blood at least
75,000,000,000 (seventy-five thousand million) of the red-blood cells alone,
not to speak of the other cells. The community is a large one.
The red-blood cells, which are the common carriers of the
body, float in the arteries and veins, taking up a load of oxygen from the
lungs and carrying it to the various tissues of the body, giving life and
strength to the parts. On the return journey through the veins they carry with
them the waste products of the system, which are then thrown off by the lungs,
etc. Like a merchant vessel these cells carry a cargo on their outgoing trip
and bring a second cargo on their return trip. Other cells force their way
through the walls of the arteries and veins and through the tissues on their
errand of repair work, etc., upon which they have been sent.
Besides the red-blood cells, or carriers, there are
several other kinds of cells in the blood. Among the most interesting of these
are the policemen and soldiers of the cell-community. The work of these cells
is to protect the system from germs, bacteria, etc., which might cause trouble
or disease. When one of these policemen comes in contact with an intruding germ
the police cell enmeshes it and then proceeds to devour it, if it be not too
large—if it be too large for him to get away with he summons other cells to his
assistance, when the combined force gather around the enemy and carry it to
some point of the body where it may be thrown out. Boils, pimples, etc., are
instances of the throwing out of some intruding enemy or enemies by these
policemen of the system.
There is much work for
the red-blood cells to do. They carry the oxygen to the parts of the body; they
push along the nourishment obtained from the food to the parts of the body
where it is needed to build up and repair; they extract from the nourishment just
the elements needed to manufacture gastric juice, saliva, pancreatic juices,
bile, milk, etc., etc., and then combine them in the proper proportions for
use. They do a thousand and one things and are busy continuously like a lot of
ants in and around an anthill. The Oriental teachers have long known and taught
of the existence and work of these "little lives,” but it has remained for
Western science to dig into the subject in such a way as to bring to light the
details of their work.
Cells are being born and cells are dying every moment of
our existence. Cells reproduce themselves by enlarging and subdividing, the
original cell swelling until it finally forms two parts with a small connecting
"waist”; then the connection parts and there are two independent cells
instead of one. The new cell in turn divides itself up, and so on.
Cells enable the body to carry on its work of
continual regeneration, Every part of the human body is undergoing a constant
change and tissues are being continually renewed. Our skin, bones, hair,
muscles, etc., are constantly being repaired and "made over,” It takes
about four months to replace our finger nails—about four weeks to replace our
skin. Every part of our bodies is being worn out and renewed and repaired
constantly. And these little workmen—the cells—are the agency performing this
wonderful task. Millions of these little workers are ever moving along or
working in a fixed position in all parts of our bodies, renewing the worn-out
tissues and replacing them with new material and throwing out of the system the
worn-out and injurious particles of matter.
In the lower animals Nature allows the
Instinctive Mind a fuller scope and a larger field, and as life ascends in the
scale, developing the reasoning faculties, the Instinctive Mind seems to narrow
its field. For instance, crabs and members of the spider family are able to
grow new feeders, legs, claws, etc. Snails are able to grow even parts of the
head, including eyes which have been destroyed; some fishes are able to re-grow
tails. Salamanders and lizards are able to grow new tails, including bones,
muscle and parts of the spinal column. The very lowest forms of animal life
have practically an unlimited power of restoring lost parts and can practically
make themselves entirely over, provided there is left the smallest part of them
to build upon. The higher form of animals have lost much of this recuperative
power and man has lost more than any of them owing to his mode of living. Some
of the more advanced of the Hatha Yogis, however, have performed some wonderful
results along these lines, and anyone, with patient practice, may obtain such
control of the Instinctive Mind and the cells under its control that he may obtain wonderful recuperative results in
the direction of renewing diseased parts and weakened portions of the body.
But even ordinary man still possesses a wonderful degree
of recuperative power, which is constantly being manifested, although the
average man pays no attention to it. Let us take the healing of a wound for
example. Let us see how it is performed. It is well worth your consideration
and study. It is so common that we are apt to overlook it, and yet so wonderful
as to cause the student to realize the greatness of the intelligence displayed
and called into force in the work.
Let us suppose that a
human body is wounded—that is, cut or torn by some outside agency. The tissues,
lymphatic and blood vessels, glands, muscles, nerves, and sometimes even the
bone, is severed, and the continuity interrupted. The wound bleeds, gapes and
causes pain. The nerves carry the message to the brain, calling loudly for
immediate help, and the Instinctive Mind sends messages here and there in the
body, calling out a sufficient force of repair workmen, who are hurried to the
scene of danger. In the meantime the blood pouring from the injured blood
vessels washes away, or at least tries to wash away, the foreign substances
that have entered the organism, such as dirt, bacteria, etc., which would act
as poisons if allowed to remain. The blood, coming in contact with the outside
air, coagulates and forms a sticky sort of substance, somewhat resembling glue,
and forms the beginning of the coming crust or scab. The millions of blood
cells whose duty it is to do the repair work arrive on the scene on the
"double-quick” and at once begin to again connect the tissues, displaying
the most wonderful intelligence and activity in their work. The cells of the
tissues, nerves, blood vessels, on both sides of the wound, begin to increase
and multiply, bringing into being millions of new cells, which, advancing from
both sides, finally meet in the center of the wound. This forming of new cells
bears all the appearance of a disorderly, purposeless effort, but in a short
time the hand of the commanding intelligence and of its subordinate centers of
influence begins to show itself. The new cells of the blood vessels connect
with the same kind of cells on the opposite side of the wound, forming new
tubes through which the blood may flow. The cells of what is known as the
"connective tissue” unite with others of their kind and draw together the wound. New
nerve cells form on each of the severed ends, and, sending out filaments,
gradually repair the broken wires, until at last the message passes again without
interruption. After all this "inside” work is completed and blood vessel,
nerve and connective tissue are fully repaired, the cells of the skin start in
to finish the task, and new epidermis cells spring into existence and new skin
is formed over the wound, which has healed by that time. All orderly, showing
discipline and intelligence. The healing of a wound—apparently so simple—brings
the careful observer face to face with the Intelligence which pervades all of
Nature—lets him see Creation in active operation. Nature is ever willing to
draw aside the veil and allow us to peep a little into the sacred chamber
beyond; but we poor ignorant creatures heed not her invitation, but pass by
unheeding and waste our mind force on silly things and hurtful pursuits.
So much for the work of the cell. The cell-mind is
supplied from the Universal Mind—the great storehouse of "mind-stuff”—and
is kept in touch and directed by the mind of the cell-centers, which are in
turn controlled by higher centers, until the central Instinctive Mind is
reached. But the cell-mind is not able to express itself without both of two
other principles— matter and prana. It needs the fresh material supplied by the
well-digested food, in order to make for itself a medium of expression. It also
needs a supply of prana, or vital force, in order to move and have action. The
triune principle of Life—mind, matter and force—is necessary in the cell as in
the man. Mind needs force or energy (prana) in order to manifest itself in
action through matter. As in great things so in small— as above so below.
In our previous chapters
we have spoken of the digestion and of the importance of giving the blood a
goodly supply of nourishing, well-digested food, in order that it might
properly perform its work of repairing and building up the parts of the body.
In this chapter we have shown you how the cells use the material in order to do
the building—how they use the material to build up themselves, and then how
they build themselves in the body. Remember,
the cells, which are used as building bricks, surround themselves with the
material obtained from the food, making themselves bodies, as it were; then
take up a supply of prana or vital energy and are then carried or pushed to where
they are needed, where they build themselves, and are built up into new tissue, bone,
muscle, etc. Without proper material with which to form themselves bodies these
cells cannot carry out their mission; in fact, cannot exist. Persons who have
allowed themselves to "run down” and who are suffering from imperfect
nutrition have not nearly the normal amount of blood-cells and are consequently
unable to have the work of the system properly carried on. The cells must have
material with which to make bodies, and there is only one way in which they can
receive this material—by means of nourishment in the food. And unless there is
sufficient prana in the system these cells cannot manifest sufficient energy to
do their work and lack of vitality is manifested throughout the whole system.
Sometimes the Instinctive Mind is so badgered
and brow-beaten by the Intellect of Man that it takes on the absurd notions and
fears of the latter and fails to perform its accustomed work properly, and the
cells are not properly generated. In such cases, when the Intellect once grasps
the true idea, it seeks to repair its past mistakes and begins to reassure the
Instinctive Mind that it understands its duties thoroughly and will be allowed
to govern its own kingdom hereafter, and this is followed up with words of
encouragement and praise and confidence until the Instinctive Mind recovers its
equilibrium and again manages its own household. Sometimes the Instinctive Mind
has been so influenced by the previous adverse notions of its owner, or by
those of outsiders, that it is so confused that it takes it a long time to
recover its normal poise and control. And in such cases it often seems that
some of the subordinate cell-centers have practically rebelled and refuse to
again submit to dictation from headquarters. In both of these cases the
determined commands of the will are needed to bring about peace and order and
proper work in all parts of the body. Remember that there is some form of
Intelligence in every organ and part and a good strong command from the Will
will generally bring about an improvement in abnormal conditions.
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