{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_13300/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_13300","id":"gutenberg_13300","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13300","summary":null,"tags":["Category: How To ...","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Hinduism","Yoga"],"text":"The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga\n\nIncluding the Practices and Exercises of Concentration, both Objective\nand Subjective, and Active and Passive Mentation, an Elucidation of Maya,\nGuru Worship, and the Worship of the Terrible, also the Mystery of\nWill-Force\n\n                           BY SWAMI MUKERJI\n                     YOGI OF THE SOUTH INDIA ORDER\n\n                                 1922\n\n\n\n\nANNOUNCEMENT\n\n\nIn studying these Lessons please remember 3 points:--\n\n1. Not one useless or superfluous sentence is written. Every word is full\nof meaning. They are highly condensed. Think deeply over them.\n\n2. They are meant as a practical supplement to the 'Spiritual\nConsciousness,' 'Soul-Force' and 'Inner Forces.' Studied side by side,\nthese lessons will yield a great deal of benefit. You are expected to\nthink hard and long.\n\n3. Let none expect speedy or miraculous results. _All spiritual training\ncalls for infinite patience and deep reverence unto the Guru. Constant\nrise and fall accompanies all progress_.\n\n\n\n\nFOREWORD.\n\nCONCENTRATION AND THOUGHT-CONTROL.\n\n\nStudent! Your life is your own. You have only yourself to thank for what\nyou are, have been and will be. Take your present into your own hand.\nConsciously shape out of it your future. Direct your forces along lines\nof study and endeavour that have the strongest attraction for you. Such\nattraction is the indication of need. It is the hand pointing out your\nLife-purpose. What your heart desires earnestly and clamours for\nincessantly is _attracted_ to you out of the _invisible supply, i.e._,\nthe means, the environments, the right sort of persons, books and\nthought-forces are drawn to you and then you are expected to work out\nyour desire. This is in perfect accord with the great _Law of\nAttraction_. Some call it God: since it answers all sincere prayers.\nPrayer, remember, is the sincere desire of the heart. I take it that you\nhunger for Truth and Spiritual Growth--else you and I would not be here.\nThe instructions given you hereunder are meant to give you a strong body\nand a strong will. They will also tend to your Soul-Unfoldment. Talk not\nof them. Keep your mouth closed. Be serious, earnest and thoughtful. Then\nwork at them confidently and with perseverance. Do not be daunted by\napparent failures. Failure is the stepping-stone to Success. He fails who\ngives up a thing in final despair. Go on, I say. You will improve from\nthe very first day, and in a short time you will be another man. All the\nleaders of humanity, past or present, have studied and investigated with\ntireless zeal along the special lines and, in Spiritual culture, you must\ndo the same. But you must have health, a strong will and a steady brain,\nand I will enable you to have these positively. Keep these instructions\nstrictly privately. Master them by constant meditation upon same.\n\n\n\n\nLESSON I.\n\nCONCENTRATION.\n\n\nConcentration signifies the state of being at a centre (_con_ and\n_centrum_). Applied to thought, it is the act of bringing the mind to a\nsingle point. Each human being must practise concentration _subjectively_\nand _objectively_. In other words, each human being aims with more or\nless precision at concentration on a point _within_ and a point _without_\nhis own world. Concentration \"without\" is illustrated when you devote all\nyour attention upon Nature, such as learning a trade, a profession, a\nscience, an art or some form of business. This is _Evolution_, outgoing\nor positive mental energy. I shall call this _Objective Concentration_.\nConcentration \"within\" implies the withdrawing of attention from the\nexternal world and the placing of mind on \"God,\" \"Spirit,\" \"Heaven,\"\n\"Religion,\" \"Peace,\" \"Nirvana,\" \"Eternity,\" etc. This is _Involution_,\n_i.e._, incoming or negative energy.\n\nWhen _Objective Concentration_ alone is practised, you develop into a\nhard-headed, practical man of the world or a successful man of business.\nYou are keen and shrewd. The world is a very matter-of-fact thing to\nyou. You cannot think of anything else beyond money-making and pleasures\nand worldly affairs. You are a \"worldling of the world,\" very clever,\nrich, and a master along your own lines. But spiritually you are an\nimbecile, worse than a baby. This is the _Objective Mind_--the \"deepest\nimmersed in matter, literally made of the dust.\" \"It is the brain of\nworldly wisdom, common sense, prudence, methodical arrangement, order,\ndiscipline, classification, the skill and knowledge of the expert in any\nbranch or department of art or science.\" This side of the mind is well\ndeveloped in Scientists, Mathematicians and Businessmen, etc. Where\nit is not guided by the Subjective Mind, it can only see diversity and\ndifference and is the slave of Maya--the slayer of the Real.\n\n_Subjective Concentration_ is seeking the Kingdom of Heaven _within_\nyou. \"God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit\nand Truth.\" LAPLACE, the great astronomer, asserted that he had swept\nthe heavens with his telescope and found neither God nor Heaven. Yes,\npoor LAPLACE! He looked for God objectively instead of subjectively.\n\nThe Kingdom of God comes not with 'observation' but it is 'within' you.\nThe be-all and the end-all of religion is the practice of Subjective\nConcentration. The performance of objective work by the human organism\nnecessitates expenditure of energy and at last death, because all\nObjective Concentration means 'going from' the Absolute centre--God--and\nhence it expends Spiritual Energy. Subjective Concentration means 'coming\nto' the centre and hence it husbands and recuperates this energy. Now\nnature is motion to and from, and Spirit--the centre of Life. This\ntwo-fold motion constitutes what is known as polarity--Evolution and\nInvolution--negative and positive. At the negative pole life becomes\ninvolved, _i.e._, 'wrapped up' in form. At the positive pole life\n'evolves' or becomes expressed in nature. In Subjective Concentration you\nreturn for fresh supplies to the inexhaustible storehouse of force--the\nAbsolute Will. Jesus healed the sick, exhibited control over external\nnature by raising the dead, because his chaste soul could receive nothing\nnegatively from God and could give it out positively to the objective\nworld. All power comes from God. I would impress upon you the\nall-important necessity of placing yourself in a magnetically passive\nattitude towards the Universal Will and then of taking up a calm,\npositive attitude towards the phenomenal world--which is a projection of\nthe lower nature and hence must be handled masterfully, fearlessly and\nconfidently. Be positive to the external world. Be negative and receptive\nto the Lord's Will-force. Remember this. This brings me to the supremest\nand most solid truth contained in the Science of prayer. The praying\nmind, by its mere attitude of faith and earnest expectation, opens itself\nout to the tremendous inflow of Divine Energy. It draws close to the\ncentre of all-power, wisdom and love, and drinks deep of the living\nwaters of life so that even the very face or flesh begins to shine under\nthe influence of this self-polarization--if I may be permitted to use\nthis word--through prayer. Here is the _causa nuxus_ between a prayer and\nits sure reply. Do you remember what Lord Rosebery said of the great\nPuritan Mystic Oliver Cromwell? If not, please let me quote: \"The secret\nof his extraordinary success--he was a practical mystic--the most\nformidable and terrible of all combinations. The man who combines\ninspiration, apparently derived--in my judgment, really derived--from\nclose communion with the Supernatural and the Celestial, a man who has\nthat inspiration and adds to it the energy of a mighty man of action,\nsuch a man as that lives in communion on a _Sinai_ of his own; and when\nhe pleases to come down to this world below, seems armed with no less\nthan the terrors and decrees of the Almighty Himself.\" Now both forms of\nconcentration must be practised so as to hold the two poles in the even\nbalance of harmonious growth.\n\nYou will perform the daily work to which you are naturally adapted in the\ncommon weal (Objective Concentration) and after the daily task is\nfinished, retire to the bosom of the Universal Spirit by the regular\npractice of Subjective Concentration.\n\nNow will you realise the ideal of peace in the very midst of the toil\nand sweat of the day.\n\nThe foregoing diagram, if closely and thoughtfully studied, will show the\nstages the mind has to 'grow into' in objective and subjective\nconcentration.\n\nIn order to acquire knowledge of the laws of external nature the mirror\nyou require is accurate observation and you must focus your attention and\npush objective concentration to its final stage of perfect knowledge or\nillumination in order to master any special branch of science.\n\nIn Objective Concentration, _Pratyahara_ and _Dharana_ are the\npreparatory stages. Take a scientist, for instance. He knows that when\nthe mind is engaged with several things, mind force is scattered. He\ncannot be a politician, a musician, etc., and at the same time an expert\nscientist. He gradually abstracts his attention from all other subjects\nand pauses it on one subject or one set of subjects.\n\n_Pratyahara_ is the continued effort of the mind to so abstract itself.\n\n_Dharana_ is reached when this effort is finally successful and the\nmind becomes steadfast and one-pointed. _Dhyana_ is an extension of\nthis steadfastness. When _Dhyana_ is reached, the student is beyond the\nrange of books. His mind is occupied with original researches and\nexperiments and his knowledge becomes more and more definite. Going on\nand on always on the one line complete knowledge of that subject is\nattained. This is the objective view of _Samadhi_. All these stages when\ncompleted make one _Samayana_. The subjective view of _Samadhi_ no books\nor writings can teach you. As you go deeper and deeper into Yoga, you\nwill understand these things in the light of your Soul-Vision. It will\ncome to you if you follow my subsequent instructions. Despair not.\n\n\nWHAT IS MAYA?\n\nNow, first of all, what is Maya (ignorance of the real)? Take the\ndial-plate of a watch. You know quite well that the hands of the watch\nare governed by the mechanism behind. Both are necessary. Ignorance\nexists in thinking that the hands of the watch move by themselves. This\nvisible universe is the dial-plate of the Invisible. Maya (ignorance)\nblinds you to this fact, _i.e._, mere objective knowledge blinds you to\nthe subjective side of life and you see nothing beyond a material\nuniverse. But you, who realize both, objective as well as subjective,\nneed not be afraid of such a danger. For a danger it is to develop the\nobjective mind at neglect of the subjective. In order to round yourself\nout, practise both. _But first, last and always, let the subjective\nguide, govern and illumine the objective_. Also remember this: If your\nmind is at all attached to the objective world, try your very best to\ndisattach it and fix it on the subjective side of life, else will you\nbring untold suffering on yourself. The half-wordly and half-spiritual\nman who wants to lead a spiritual sensual life eventually brings about a\nconflict between the laws and forces of the two planes of being. He is\noverwhelmed with pain and at last with cries of suffering, disease and\nloss, he is made to open his eyes. Understand the world for what it is\nbut do not lower your soul to the point of being attached to its small\nthoughts, things and ways.\n\n\nHOW TO CONCENTRATE OBJECTIVELY.\n\n(_a_) In all undertakings whether of small or great importance shut\noff all thoughts and ideas except such as have any immediate and direct\nbearing upon the thing in hand. Pay attention. Bend all the energies\nof your mind and will upon it till it is completed to your satisfaction.\nDivert your attention from one thing to another only when you sanction\nby a resolve and understand why you do so. Your daily work which you\nmust choose according to the special bent of your mind, will present you\nopportunities.\n\n(_b_) Control impulse. Suppose an idea enters your mind. Compose\nyourself quietly before carrying out its purport. Consider it. Turn\nit over in your mind. Contemplate it. Weave your mental energies\naround it, as it were, till at last the idea with your final decision\nstands out clear-cut and well-defined. Then proceed to act it out\nphysically with your mental concentration cutting a way for you straight\non to the execution of your designing. This is _forethought_.\n\n(_c_) In perfect concentration time vanishes. In working out a\ndesign on which you have set your heart dispense altogether with the\nelement of time and work at it concentratedly for days, months and\nyears with confident expectation of success.\n\n(_d_) Take a picture, representing a landscape, the interior of a\nbuilding, an assembly of persons, a square, a triangle or a more\ncomplicated geometrical figure. Look at it well. Then lay it aside. Close\nyour eyes. Reproduce the picture mentally in detail. Then repose your\nmind on the same image to the exclusion of all other thoughts. This is\na more fixed and meditative method and will sharpen the mind wonderfully.\nIt will also develop the power of conscious Mental Imagery. The\nkey to Objective Concentration is _Conscious Attention_, remember.\n\n\nACTIVE AND PASSIVE MENTATION.\n\nThese terms imply two different distinct functions of the human\nmind. The active function performs the volitional, voluntary thinking.\nIt is the conscious focusing of the mind on some mental problem.\nBanishing from the mind all thoughts and ideas not in harmony with your\nspecial subject of study implies Active Mentation. This function is used\nby the active, wide-awake man in his busy and energetic moments. It\nis the key to the development of Will-Power and a vigorous intellect.\nYou are conscious of effort when you are exercising this function. The\nmind becomes exhausted after a great deal of such effort and cries out\nfor rest, because conscious attention implies close concentration of\nthought and can be exercised only by the conscious use of Will-Power. You\nought to be able to concentrate upon one subject of thought, study and\nobservation with undivided attention and then take your mind off that\nsubject and put it on something else, at your will. Train your mind to\n'give' perfect attention to any subject you like and also to 'shut off'\nor inhibit all attention on that subject. The mind is a restless thing\ndarting from one thing to another, and, like a spoilt child, tiring of\ncontinued attention. But you must, by Will-Exercise, get control over\nthis tendency. 'Exercise develops power. Practice makes perfect.' This\nyou must bear in mind and, by patience and perseverance, train your mind\nto 'pay attention' where it ought to do so and not to pay attention where\nit ought not to. At first your mind will rebel like an unbroken horse\nat the imposition of such restraint. But really all greatness results\nfrom mind-control. _Remember active mentation is conscious, deliberate\nconcentration. Passive mentation represents automatic, involuntary\nthinking._ This includes the subconscious or 'habit' mind. When a certain\nthought-groove has been formed in your mind, energy flows into it\ninvoluntarily, _i.e._, by itself and without any conscious effort on your\npart. This is passive mentation. It is automatic mental activity. Take an\nexample. Some school-boys find Mathematics, Science and Geography\neasy to master from the very start. They feel quite in sympathy with the\nteacher of Mathematics. But History and Language are their abomination.\nThere are others who simply cannot 'take an interest' in any\nMathematics but who shine brilliantly in Language, Recitation,\nComposition, History. As a matter of fact neither of these students is\nsuperior to the other, but each is great in his own line. In one set, you\nhave an example of automatic mentation in Mathematics, Science and\nGeography; in the other in Literature and Art. But suppose the first set\ntried to master Literature and Art and the second grappled with\nMathematics and Science, each would then be practising actual\nconcentration. In each set the active function would be exercised and\nwill-power would develop on both sides. Do you see? Occultists say that\nall power results from the continual exercise of active mentation\nand all weak-mindedness is the direct outcome of this wool-gathering,\ncastle-building, inattentive habit which is an extension of passive\nmentation into useless channels of thought-force. Conscious attention\nconcentrates and even specializes mental energy as the sun-glass\nconcentrates and intensifies the heat of the rays of the sun. Focus your\nfull attention upon the thing to be done, take a keen interest in its\naccomplishment to the exclusion of all else, and you will obtain\nwonderful results. The man of developed, concentrative power holds in his\nhand the key to success, with the results that all his actions, voluntary\nor involuntary, are pointed to the accomplishment of his object. Remember\ntherefore in conclusion:\n\n(1) Concentration is perfect attention consciously directed to a\ngiven point of achievement either objectively or subjectively.\n\n(2) Concentration is consecration.\n\n\"What ever you do, do it with all your might. Do one thing at a time and\ndo it well.\" By concentration is meant the directing of all your energies\nalong a special line of achievement. For instance, if you would be a\nperfect Yogi, you must concentrate, concentrate, morning, noon and night,\nat all times, along that line of endeavour. You must study all the vast\nliterature on Yoga, Psychology, Metaphysics, Mentalism, etc., and form\nyour own synthesis on same. You must think hard and work hard for Yoga.\n\"Genius is the power to bear infinite pain.\" Nothing ought to be too\ngreat a sacrifice, including your own life, for the right understanding\nand achievement of Yoga.\n\nAll half-heartedness, all insincerity, weakens your nature, and\nweakness has no place either in heaven or in hell. For the half-hearted\nman is a traitor unto the Divine within him and must pay dearly for\nhis treachery.\n\n\nSUBJECTIVE CONCENTRATION--HOW PRACTISED.\n\nThis is a vast subject. If you practise earnestly my instructions on\nThought-Control, Will-Culture, and take the Meditation Exercise I am\ngoing to give you, you will realize greater strength than average\nhumanity. But you must study and think hard for yourself before any\nconsiderable benefit can be derived from even these. Remember please, you\nalone can teach yourself through intuition. Intuition is tuition from\nwithin. Follow strictly the general rules I give you and you cannot but\nunfold your Inner Soul Vision which includes intuition in its fullest\nsense.\n\n_(a) What is Thought-Force?_\n\n\"Thoughts are things.\" Thought is a dynamic energy. Just as the food that\nyou eat feeds your body, exactly similarly your thoughts and feelings\nnourish your soul. Matter is nothing but a concentration of Thought-Force\nor Mind-Substance. The entire universe is seen objectively. This is on\nthe cosmic scale. On the individual scale--\"As a man thinketh in his\nheart, so he is.\" This is a literal truth. Your body is nothing but a\nThought-Form. Control your modes of thinking and shape them to lofty\nideals. So will you infallibly, positively and immediately control your\ndestiny. Control your thoughts and you can control the thoughts of all\nother men. The tone of your thoughts must always be lofty. You must\nchange your Thought-Habits and shift your plane of consciousness from the\nlower to the higher life. I am going to give you hints on same. Pay\nattention please.\n\n_(b) Thought-Forms._\n\nEvery one of us, as he thinks, feels and wills, sends forth Thought-Forms\nand Thought-Waves of greater or lesser intensity. This force once set\ninto motion persists, for a greater or lesser period of time, in\nEther. Thought-Force is the concentration of a high form of vibratory\nenergy in the Akasa (universal ether) and the ether, as you know,\npermeates all space, interpenetrates and pervades all forms of matter,\nfrom atom to the sun and the stars. Just as the light-waves of a star\nexist and move on centuries after the star has ceased to be, just as the\nheat-vibrations remain in a room even after the producing cause has been\nremoved, similarly mentative energy and its corresponding Thought-Forms\npersist in the ether even after the originating impulse has been\nwithdrawn.\n\n_(c) Thought-Atmosphere._\n\nIn this way places, houses, cities and temples have peculiar\nThought-Atmospheres of their own, imparted by those living there,\nexerting an influence upon every one living or going there. These are\npositive, animating, purifying and exalting Thought-Atmospheres, and\nthere are negative, weakening and unholy, morbid Thought-Atmospheres.\n\nThe higher and loftier your tone of general Thought-Activity, the\nfiner and more powerful the vibrational nature of the energy emanating\nfrom you. The quality of the thought determines the rate of vibration.\nFor instance, photographs have been taken through highly-sensitized\nplates, indicating the nature of the energy generated. Tongues of flame,\nbrilliant and flashing with golden-yellow, were photographed from prayer\nand devotion. Rotary forms spreading out in ever widening circles of\nintense power appeared from lofty enthusiasm in a noble cause. Dark,\nmurky, cloudy forms resulted from fear, morbidness and worry, and so on.\n\n_(d) The Human Aura._\n\nSimilarly each human organism has an 'Aura' of Thought-Force around it,\nhaving its own peculiar rate of vibration, its peculiar forms of colour,\netc. This 'Aura' is an extension of our physical, mental and spiritual\nenergies.\n\n_(e) The Adductive Power of Thought._\n\nNow as you think, the quality of your thoughts and feelings sets up\na magnetic centre within your Aura, vortices are created, attracting to\nyourself similar forms of thought and mentative energy and combining\nwith other similar forms of energy, reacting upon you and your\ncircumstances and also wielding an influence upon all such as may come\nwithin its area, radius or field of Force. Thus you see thoughts of the\n'I can and I will', 'I do and I dare' type draw similar ones to you, ever\nincreasing your own stock and at the same time stimulating and energising\nall others vibrating in the same key throughout the world. Hence you see\nwe owe it to ourselves as well as to humanity in general to generate only\npositive, loving and lofty thoughts. Just brace up and send forth\nfearless, 'I can and I will' thoughts into the world's great reservoir of\nthought forces, and you will be surprised at your power to attract\ninfluence, and energise others.\n\n_(f) Thought-Control._\n\nThere are four special classes of thoughts that are poisoning the\nlives of almost all humanity. They are:--(1) Fear-thoughts, (2)\nHate-thoughts, (3) Sensual-thoughts, (4) Selfish-thoughts. All worry,\ndoubt, timidty, lack of self-respect, jealousy, spite, malice, envy,\nslander, dirty, vicious, will-weakening, health-destroying,\npoverty-breeding, soul-killing influences radiate from one or all of\nthese four. You must cut at their roots and utterly destroy them. In your\nefforts follow assiduously the following four rules. They alone can give\nyou absolute thought-control. They are infallible:\n\n(1) You can break up old thought-habits and build up new ones\nby sheer force of Will.\n\n(2) You can easily become great by associating with some strong-willed,\nholy, wisdom-steeped soul. This is absolutely necessary and\nmeans the finding of your Guru.\n\n(3) By auto-suggestion, _i.e._, by impressing upon your passive\nmind the particular change you would have it work out.\n\n(4) By thought-absorption, _i.e._, by constant meditation on that\none line of thinking.\n\nNow let me give you a few valuable hints on the above four in detail:\n\n(1) & (3). _Character Building_.\n\nYou can accomplish this result by tensing the will and by strengthening\nthe active function of your mind and thus enabling it to \"step in\"\nand simply 'command' the passive function to drop the old thought-habit\nand take up the new one. This is a magnificent feat and in it only the\nstrongest succeed. You can obtain good results by combining this with\nauto-suggestion. Silently concentrate upon your passive mind and impress\nupon it your order. Say to it earnestly, confidently, and masterfully:\n'You, my mind, I want you to be fearless, pure, loving and unselfish!'\nPicture to yourself in imagination as if you were already these,\nand again command and impress your will upon your mind. Do so silently\nand constantly and never neglect a chance of expressing these qualities\nin action because, at first your mind will rebel, but if 'you' keep up\nyour efforts determinately and firmly and avail yourself of all\nopportunities to 'act out' your will, your mind will end up by accepting\nyour suggestion and manifesting same naturally as a habit. Some of you\nwill actually go out of your way to 'act out' a thought when you realise\nthat the easiest and surest way to check and utterly 'destroy' a\nthought-habit is to refuse deliberately to let it manifest in action and\nto 'create' a new one all you have got to do is to equally deliberately\n'express' it in action and thus clinch it into permanent strength. Also\nyou must aim at 'thoroughness' and guard against all compromise with your\nlower nature. Chastity must be perfect chastity and nothing short of\nthat, and so on in all development.\n\n(4) _Thought-Absorption._\n\ni. Go away by yourself to some place where you will not be disturbed.\nOf course, not always and very rarely can you obtain this condition.\nNever mind. Do your best where you are and the great law will at least\nfind for you all necessary conditions. Shut out all distracting\nconditions and impressions from the outer world. After a little effort\nyou will be able to do so anywhere, at any time, and under any condition.\nAll mental disturbance is within you.\n\nii. Now relax, go passive, and draw off all tension from your nerves.\nJust you relax your mind and your body will follow suit. A few deep slow\nbreaths will help the beginner.\n\niii. Concentrate upon your mind inward steadily, calmly and with\nundivided attention.\n\niv. Fix your thought firmly upon your passive mind and mentally\nsay, 'You, my mind, are quite _pure_.' Think of this word (with all the\nideas associated therewith) as sinking deeply into your mind and making\na deep impression upon it as a die upon a wax. Let the outward form of\nthe words 'pure,' 'fearless,' etc., sink into your mind.\n\nv. Form a mental picture of yourself as if you already possessed\nall 'purity' and 'courage' and act them out in imagination. Make of it\na pleasant 'day dream.'\n\nvi. Intensify your relaxed condition of mind. Grow as 'limp' as a\nrag. Then mentally open yourself out to the inrush of all the\nThought-Forces existing in the ether and connected with positive\nthoughts. The effort of this imagination to see this tremendous force\npouring into your brain and body will actually put you _en rapport_ with\nsame.\n\nvii. Now change from negative to a positive condition and say\nvigourously I am '_pure_' and '_strong_' Say it distinctly several times.\nActually speak them out.\n\nviii. Then go out and _live your thoughts out_. This last is the most\nimportant condition.\n\nix. Practise this daily at the same hour and if possible at the same\nplace, morning and evening. In fact hold the thought in your mind as\noften as possible till it becomes second Nature.\n\nx. Use your power for good or you shall weep eternally. To misuse\noccult powers for mean, selfish, or low ends and to prostitute it into\nenslaving others weaker than yourselves mentally and physically is the\ngreatest 'sin' man can commit against man.\n\n(2) _Guru Worship_.\n\nYou grow by absorption and assimilation. In order to quicken your\nprogress you need abstract as well as concrete ideals. The secret of all\nrapid and startling spiritual development is man-worship. By man-worship\nI mean devotion to, reverence, and intense and all-absorbing passion for\nthe perfect individual man of realization--a Mahapurusha. Christ, Buddha\nand Vivekananda were all such-type men. You must constantly and\nthoughtfully meditate upon the lives and writings of saints and heroes.\nThe formative influence and valuable powers of study and meditation upon\nlofty ideas and ideals are incalculable. Man grows by the deepening of\nconsciousness and the acquirement of wisdom. All study, subjective and\nobjective, is a _Tapashya_ or Austerity directed to the acquirement of\nwisdom. It is the worship of Saraswati--the Goddess of Wisdom. This\nworship is definable as perfect emotional solitude, close study, absolute\nchastity and celibacy, and at last the merging of the personal into the\nimpersonal. This austere life is the secret of all greatness. You know\nhow Archimedes when threatened with death by the vandalistic invaders of\nhis country raised his head and said 'Please do not disturb my circles'\nand nothing more. This man was practising Yoga unconsciously. You must be\nable to lose all consciousness of this relative personality, the sure\nvictim of death and impermanence. You must give up the personal ego that\nin the words of Walt Whitman 'is contained within your hat and boots' and\nthen alone will you realise an infinite individuality. Truly in losing\nhimself man finds Himself. 'Ye must be born anew'. Herein, apart from its\nformative and moulding influence lies the greatest value of study. Study\nand direct aural influence of a perfected soul are the two objective\nmeans of instilling powerful suggestions into the subjective self or the\ninner soul. All knowledge is within the deeps of the eternal subjective.\nBut the gate is locked. Your Guru gives you the master-key with which to\nunlock the door and enter the gate of wisdom and power. Once you are\nthere all pain and death shall be conquered. You can then help yourself.\nMan can only worship such a God as is greater than himself in degree and\nnot in kind. Such a God he can \"grow into.\" It is the impersonal God of\nthe Hindu Philosophy that gives you the abstract ideas and the living\nGuru (God) in human form that gives you the concrete ideal. The one is\nnecessary for the soaring intellect; the other for the rousing and\nenkindling of tremendous and indomitable motive-power. Seek both and when\nyou find them worship and serve them with all your heart and soul. 'My\nworship for my master is the worship of a dog. I do not seek to\nunderstand his nature. It ever startles with its newness and profound\ndepth'. So spoke Vivekananda of Ram Krishna. Need I tell you of the\ntremendous and world-conquering power that awoke in Vivekananda through\nmere Guru worship? In India the Guru asks for nothing short of absolute\nworship, obedience, and submission to his will although none values and\nappreciates individual freedom more than the master. So long as you are\nat the feet of your master be as submissive as a lamb. So will you open\nyourself to his great batteries of inner power. Serve him. Please him.\nObey him. Be his slave. No matter what contradictions you may see.\nA great and profound nature is full of contrary ways and his character\nis a paradox impossible for you to read through reason and observation.\nYou can only understand him by having perfect faith in him, loving\nand serving him like a faithful dog. So will you tap on to his inner\nforces. And when he sends you away into the broad world to live out the\ngreat ideal he has set before you, you shall be astonished at your\ncourage and power. You shall take fearless possession of this world\nand every minute you shall realise how only he can command who has\nlearnt to obey. By commanding I do not mean dominating any one and\nforcing your views on others. This is the sign of fools. But you will\nfind your influence radiating and circling out naturally and\nirresistibly, winning souls to the higher life, and you yourself shall\nthus stand as a tower of strength, a redeemer of the race, an inspiration\nand a living benediction unto humanity. Peace be with you! May you\nrealise strength of soul!\n\n\n\n\nLESSON II.\n\nPERSONAL MAGNETISM, WILL-CULTURE, SELF-CONTROL.\n\n\nPersonal Magnetism is the individual expression of a subtle irresistible\nand dynamic _Force_ in man, which enables him to exert an unusual\ninfluence upon others. You all have come into contact with men of this\ntype. They are endowed with marvelous, almost miraculous powers of\ninfluencing, persuading, attracting, fascinating, ruling and bending to\ntheir own Will-Force men of widely varying mental peculiarities and\ntemperaments. Men actually go out of their way to please them. They\nattract others without any visible effort and others feel drawn to them\nin spite of themselves. Various are the examples of such power as\nafforded by history.\n\nNow what is this power due to? How to develop it within yourself?\nIs it possible for everyone to acquire it? Has it or can it be put to any\nhigher and nobler use than merely to enslave others' minds in order to\nmake them subservient to your selfish purposes on the relative plane\nof existence? If so, what is that higher use? I know of a Christian\ngentleman, Mr. K. by name, who had been smitten with the young\ngoverness of a Magistrate in Benares. This grown-up man sought out\na young College student who was a born leader of men and who was\nadored, admired and universally respected by all students, teachers and\nprofessors. \"I wish you would teach me Mesmerism so that I may\n_fascinate_ that girl\"--this was the application of Mr. K. Well, the\nupshot of it all was that Mr. K. got a severe and stern rebuke from the\nyoung mesmerist, who in all truth was a born Yogi and cared not for the\npetty ways and small thoughts and attainments of men of this world. I\nfind that nearly all modern Western writers on and teachers of this\nsubject are much, in fact solely, taken up with the idea of\nsensationalism through Occultism, so much so that when a really\nthoughtful man investigates their writings he feels utterly disgusted,\nrepelled and horrified at the very name of Occultism. \"_It is sin to\nmanifest power_,\" said Vivekananda. The man who studies Yoga and\nOccultism simply with a view to develop, display and demonstrate Psychic\nand Super-normal Powers and _Siddhies_ always ends in _Lust_ and is\ncaught up in a psychic machinery of law and destructive thought forces\nthat effectually grind him to pieces. His spiritual progress is thrown\nback over ages and he is made to retrace his steps slowly and painfully.\nI cannot too strongly condemn the modern tendency to \"impress\" others, to\n\"strike terror\" into others, to \"psychologize\" others towards the\naccomplishment of our personal motives. If you are one such, do, for\nheaven's sake, open your eyes to your gross ignorance and low\npropensities or be not surprised if one day you find yourself face to\nface with some powerful scoundrel who would not scruple to crush you in\nall possible ways. \"Harm watch, harm catch.\" I am going to give you in\npractical form what constitute the real cause at the back of a \"Magnetic\"\npersonality--that which when developed makes a god-like man of any human\nweakling.\n\nThis power is by no means the especial and peculiar possession of some\ndivinely gifted individuals. _Everyone can cultivate it_. It is in you\nand needs vigorous stirring up as a condition of its awakening. There\nare some men who are born great; others are made so by certain unforeseen\ncircumstances; a third class becomes great through conscious and\nintelligent effort.\n\nNow, what are the causes behind Personal Influence?\n\n(1)  Some say that the right control of the Sex-Force or Celibacy\nis the cause.\n\n(2)  Others say that vegetarianism leads to it.\n\n(3)  Still others assert that it is physical energy and nerve force.\n\n(4) A fourth class has it that there emanates a current of magnetism\nfrom the human body and influences everyone coming within its\n\"Magnetic field\".\n\nTaking the last view point first, I should say, with certain other\nleading mental Scientists, that the human dynamic force is different from\n\"magnetism\" as the latter bears direct reference to the loadstone.\n\nAgain, my own personal observations as well as those of others prove\nconclusively that although \"magnetic\" personalities have remarkably\nwell-disciplined and highly trained physical energies, it is rarely or\nnever a huge gigantic physique with large, unsightly muscles that exerts\nthis force. No, it is decidely something other than mere physical energy\nand brute strength. A light, active, vigorous physique is desirable and\nany one can have it. Again, the principle value of a non-flesh diet lies\nin the fact that fruits, nuts, corn and vegetables are possessed of\nrhythmic qualities and go to build up a fine, sensitive physique capable\nof greater powers of endurance and sustained mental effort than the\n'carcass' of any animal ever can. Matter does affect mind in the lower\nstages of organic evolution but the process is largely reversed as soon\nas CONSCIOUS evolution commences. Therefore vegetarianism, although\nhighly commendable, from a strictly scientific point of view for the\ndevelopment of an active and energetic, refined organism, is by no means\na rigid and indispensable necessity in this respect. In fact, some most\n\"magnetic\" individuals make 'graveyards of their stomachs' as a Mental\nScientist puts it.\n\nLastly, Bramhacharya or Celibacy, as practised by Sannyasis in India, has\na strictly spiritual significance although it certainly has much as\neverything to do with Personal Magnetism. To the average man I would say:\n\"Strive for CONTINENCE, chastity and control in this direction.\" Do not\nemasculate, as that would be a waste of force. The stronger this force,\nthe better. All Sannyasis learn consciously or unconsciously to transmute\nthis energy into mental and spiritual force and generally their minds\ndwell on a plane of mental and spiritual effort where there cannot be\neven a breath of sensuality or grossness. They have gone beyond such\nthings utterly; the same statement applies to all advanced thinkers,\nphilosophers and workers, whether married or unmarried. To me the very\nname of philosophy carries with it an atmosphere of Chastity, Solemnity,\nand Divinity.\n\nBut although there is some measure of truth in all the above four\nstatements, they all miss the real thing. The question resolves itself\ninto this: \"_What makes one man superior to another_?\" The study of\nnature shows us that the higher form of intelligence controls the lower.\nAll leaders of mankind, such as Napoleon, Alexander, etc., were clearly\nahead of the times. But they strove for low things and their SUCCESS\nfrom our point of view is doubtful. Let us take higher ground. Buddha,\nChrist, Zoroaster, etc., etc., of ancient times and Vivekananda and a few\nothers in modern times exhibited tremendous powers of influencing men.\nYou study their lives and writings and try to find out just those things\nthat constituted the basic cause of their heroic fibre.\n\nIf I were asked to sum up the secrets of their Power I would say:\n1. \"_Their Intelligence_ and _Thought-Power._ 2. Awakened _Will-Power_\nand _Self-Control_.\"\n\n1. It was by their intelligence that they could take fearless possession\nof the world, handle men and women easily, read human nature at a glance\nand \"be all things to all men,\" _i.e._., put their fingers direct on the\nspiritual, mental, and physical _necessities_ of widely varying\ntemperaments and help each right where he stood in the ladder of\nevolution.\n\n2. It was by their developed thought-force that they drew the whole world\nto themselves. The positive thinker generates a force that draws all such\nas are _negative_ to him. Nearly the whole world was negative to these\nMasters and hence felt attracted to them. _These were the human\ntouchstones_.\n\n3. It was by their strong, manly, marvellous Will-Power that they\ndrove their suggestions into other minds and gained an immediate\nascendency over whatever environments they were placed in. The whole\nman is summed up in his Will. Every other power in man is subservient\nto the Will. And say what you will, it is this power more than any other\nthat we respect in others. It is the central staff in our character.\nIntelligence is the directive energy. Will-Power is the propulsive\nenergy. And the latter when wielded under the guidance of the former\nmakes of man a veritable God.\n\n4. It was by their unusual power of _Self-control_ that they could stand\nsquare upon their feet and could remain unshaken by the waves of\nconflicting opinions and the hostile attacks that continually dashed up\nagainst them. _Master yourself_, i.e., your personal, relative and lower\nself, and beyond the shadow of a doubt, _the mastery of others is already\nyours._ But the world will teach you bitter lessons and rend you to\npieces if you try consciously to control it while you are still a slave\nto your lower self. Be great. Strive for Perfection. So will you be\nrecognised by others. And according to the transcendent energy of the\nhighest law of our Being it is the consciousness of heights scaled,\naccomplishments achieved and consequent dawning of a Loftier Ideal upon\nour intellectual horizon that fills us with Strength and Peace rather\nthan the recognition of our worth by others. It is a serious mistake to\ncare for fame, praise and admiration. You get them only when you do not\ncare for them in the least, when your soul has outgrown all such clinging\nto the relative in the light of _eternal thought_, when you have risen to\nthe Absolute and learnt to read the meaning of the \"LARGER WORLD\" of\nlife. Do not pass by this lightly. In it is the key to Peace, Power and\nPoise. All that is Real and Permanent, is on the plane of the Absolute.\n\nNow we are drawing to the practical side of our Lesson. The four\nprincipal points, you will please remember, are: (1) Intelligence. (2)\nThought-Force. (3) Will-Power. (4) Self-Control. You might feel\nsurprised at my retailing this \"ancient history\" instead of teaching you\nhow to approach a man, make him your slave and command him to fall\ndown at your feet and do your bidding. Perhaps you expected me to\ntell you how to sail through the air, pass through solid walls,\nmaterialize and dematerialize at will and like Appolonius of Tyana vanish\nin the flash of an eye from the court of Ionysius and appear elsewhere at\na distance of 19,000 miles at the same moment. No, no. I will take it\nfor granted that you are made of different stuff and _an earnest seeker\nafter the truth_. If you strive to build yourself on the basis of the\nsimple principles as laid down in this series of lessons you will in time\ngrow into the Higher Self and at last become one with it. Moreover, your\ndaily life will be the Occasion for the practical application of these\nprinciples, thus enabling you to pursue your way through life calmly,\nearnestly, independently and with the quiet dignity of a man \"who knows\nwhat he is about\". I cannot and would not speak of \"get-rich-quick\"\nmethods of self-development because they are the veriest rot imaginable.\n\nNow then: (1) Intelligence and (2) Thought-Force are the natural\nresults of an organised brain.\n\nConcentration is the key to such development. Concentration has been\nfully explained in Lesson No. 1. By the constant exercise of\nconcentration, objectively and subjectively, in your daily life you\nwill in a short time become conscious of growing Strength. The\nexercises I give you in this lesson on Self-Control, Will-Culture and\nMemory-Culture if gone through with perseverance will further develop\nConcentrative ability. In fact, this entire series of lessons will call\nfor Effort and Concentration. \"Rome was not built in a day\"--nor can you\nachieve real greatness in a few months. No. All I can do is to indicate\nthe line and the nature of the effort required of you and if clearly\nfollowed, Progress and Growth will commence from the first day. In\nconnection with this, a little digression would be necessary. The\nOccultist says: Nature, unaided, fails. The purposiveness of Deity,\nmanifesting in nature an evolution, is present in all individual centres\nbut it has the way to full expression opened out to itself only when the\nmore evolved centres of life consciously cooperate with it. Evolution is\nstarted and carried only by the creation of centres within the GREAT\nCONSCIOUSNESS and by preserving and enlarging or expanding these centres.\nSo long as the race had not reached \"SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS\" (see Yoga\nLessons) the sub-conscious forces of nature had entire control over\nevolutionary processes, but this stage was reached by the race according\nto the LAW OF AVERAGES in the seventeenth century and you are now\nexpected to take your progress in your hands and consciously direct your\ninner forces along such lines as best correspond to the stage of your\ngrowth. So independent study and steady thinking form the secrets of a\nkeen and broad intelligence. You will always find that the man who is\nmore powerful than yourself and moves you at his will has an intelligence\nand understanding far superior to yours and he can read your whole nature\nas he would an open book, although you find him quite beyond your\ndepth. Learn to regard earnestly the workings of different mentalities\naround you. Become a student of human nature. To you, each man\nought to be only a partial expression of his mind. Examine closely into\nthe motives acting behind each personality. Learn to respond more\nquickly to the _Thoughts_ and _Feelings_ of a man than to his outer\nspeech and action. The latter are objective expressions of the subjective\nself. The study of Phrenology and Physiognomy are good things to start\nwith in your efforts to acquire knowledge of human nature. _Mind is One_\nand at the same time, _Many_. Subjectively, it is ONE. Objectively; many.\nSo by looking _impartially_ into \"yourself\" in the calm light of the\nintellect and through silent introspection, you will always find a clue\nto the working bases of other minds. Each man is a puzzle and most of all\nare _YOU_ a puzzle unto yourself. Solve either and you have solved both.\n\"MAN, KNOW THYSELF.\"\n\n\nTHE MYSTERY OF THE WILL-FORCE.\n\nWill-Force is the power of Re-action. It can render all the other\nmental functions _active_ or _passive_. It is the DETERMINATIVE faculty\nand is affected most of all by the JUDGMENT. On the lower plane\nof mind, Will-Power manifests as Desire and is reciprocally influenced\nby outside attractions as well as repulsions. On this plane the Will is\nnot free. But when it draws the volition for externalizing itself from\n_Within_ in the light of the Higher Reason, then indeed is it\n_Will-Power. On the material the human will is a slave; on the spiritual\nplane it is the sovereign. It may then be called the \"awakened\" will_. It\nis my conviction that the eternal crossing of swords between the\nDeterminists and the Libertarians can be set at rest only by a right\nunderstanding of the _spiritual_ makeup of man, otherwise the arguments\nof both sets of thinkers are equally strong. Each side has got hold of\nhalf the truth, but requires the reconciling light of transcendental\nPsychology in order to enable us to see the _whole_ truth as it is.\nHowever, the point I am driving at is that your will is free only when it\nis _self-determined_ i.e., when it has risen above the impulses of the\nLower Personal Self and acts under the direction of the Higher Impersonal\nSelf_. In order to fix this most important truth in your mind, let us\ngive you a brief idea of the \"I AM\" consciousness. Do not pass this by as\nso much dry rot. No one will ever or can ever manifest genuine Will-Force\nof a distinctly spiritual type who does not understand the \"I AM\"\nconsciousness. So please listen attentively and think over the following.\n\n\nTHE \"I AM\" CONSCIOUSNESS.\n\nIf you just turn in and examine the report of your consciousness\nregarding the _self_-dwelling within, you will become conscious of the\n\"I\". But if you press your examination a little closer you will find that\nthis \"I\" may be split up into two distinct aspects which, while working\nin unison and conjunction, may nevertheless be set apart in thought.\nThere is an \"I\" function and there is a \"me\" function and these mental\ntwins develop distinct phenomena. The first is the \"MASCULINE\" principle;\nthe second is the \"FEMININE\" principle. Other terms used in current\nwritings on New Psychology are Conscious Mind, Active Mind, Voluntary\nMind, Objective Mind and so forth. These all refer to the \"I\" principle.\nAnd the \"me\" form of mind corresponds to the Sub-Conscious Mind, Passive\nMind, Involuntary Mind, Subjective Mind and so on. Ninety-nine p. c. of\nhumanity mean this \"me\" when they say \"I\". Now let us examine what this\n\"me\" implies. It consists largely of our consciousness, of our body and\nphysical sensations as associated with touch, taste, smell, sight and\nhearing. The consciousness of some of us is largely bound up in the\nphysical and carnal side of life. We \"live there.\" There are some men who\nconsider their \"clothes\" too as being a part of themselves. But as\nconsciousness rises in the scale of evolution, man begins to \"dissociate\"\nhis idea of \"me\" from the body and he begins to regard his body as a\nbeloved companion and as \"belonging to\" him. He then identifies himself\nwith his mental states, emotions, feelings, likes and dislikes, habits,\nqualities and characteristics. But, by and by, he begins to realize how\neven these moods also are subject to change, born and die and are subject\nto the Principles of Rhythm and Polarity. He realizes faintly that he can\nchange them by an effort of will and \"transmute\" them into mental states\nof an exactly opposite nature. Then he again begins to \"dissociate\"\nhimself from his emotions and feelings and at last through mental\nanalysis, introspection and concentration, he sets them apart into the\n\"not I\" collection. He begins _then_ to realize that he is something\n_above_ his body and emotions. So also with the intellectual\nfunctions. The intellectual man is very apt to think that although his\n_physical_ and _emotional_ selves are something different from him and\nunder his control, _still his intellect is himself_. This is the stage of\n\"Self-Consciousness\". \"I control my body and emotions.\" But as\nconsciousness unfolds intellectual man finds that he can practically\nstand aside and see (mentally, of course) his mind going through various\nprocesses of intellection. Study of Psychology and Logic will enable\nyou to see how all your intellectual processes may be held at arm's\nlength, examined, analysed, labelled and discussed quite with the same\nease as the professor talks of a solid, liquid and acriform substances in\nhis laboratory. So at last he finds that even the wonderful powers of\nthe Intellect must go into the \"not I\" collection. This is almost as far\nas the average man can realize. You can realize and say \"I am not the\nbody, not the emotions, not the intellect.\" Therefore you see, that side\nof consciousness which is the sum-total of your physical, emotional and\nintellectual functions comprises the \"me\" or Feminine or Passive mental\nprinciple. That which can separate itself in thought from all the above\nis the \"I\" or the Masculine Function. But another step must be taken.\nThat which you have been taught to regard as the Spiritual Consciousness\n(see \"Spiritual Consciousness\") will also eventually go into the\n\"Not-I\" or \"me\" collection. In brief, the spiritual mind may be said to\ncomprise all that is GOOD, NOBLE and GREAT in the field of consciousness.\nIt is the \"Super-Conscious\" mind, just now. But, mark this, when through\nfurther evolution, the \"I\" has mastered this field of consciousness also\nand is able to regard it as being the last of the \"me\" collections, then\nit will lose its sense of _relativity_ and _separation_ and the real\nindividuality, the \"I AM\" consciousness, will have been realized.\nWhat do I mean? This \"I AM\" is not the petulant self-assertion of the\nrelative ego. \"I\" but really means GOD CONSCIOUSNESS as perfect\nExistence, perfect Knowledge or perfect Bliss. It means the realization\nof an Infinite and Eternal Self or Individuality. \"He that has lost the\nself has gained the SELF\". Here is the explanation: this little self or\n\"I\" so long as it is attached to the PERSONALITY which is the product\nof the \"me\" consciousness is bound down to the relative plane. It can\nthink only through only one brain, enjoy through one body and such\nhappiness as it gets is transitory, short-lived and impermanent because\nthis world of relative existence is itself essentially changeable. It is\npermanent only in its impermanence. So long as the \"I\" thinks and while\nonly for the benefits of its personal self, both thinking and willing are\nlimited and not free. But when it has succeeded in joining itself to the\nSpiritual mind and works for, aspires after the Larger Self--the \"I\nAM\"--it has to renounce or \"disattach\" itself from the personal self and\nwork under the guidance of the impersonal Higher Self. \"I refuse to\nbe contained within my hat and boots,\" said Walt Whitman. When the\nVedantist says \"Aham Brahmasmi\"--\"I am the absolute\"--he does not mean\nthis lower \"I\". No, no. He is not built that way. For him the moorings of\nself-consciousness are out. He has lost all sense of his particular\nrelative \"I\" and has _one-d_ himself with the absolute \"I AM\"--the\nimpersonal, intangible, immortal, omnipotent Self of and over all.\nThis \"I am\" is Spirit or Atman. There can be but one Individuality--that\nof the Absolute. It becomes objectively expressed in man as Cosmic\nConsciousness. Subjectively it is God. Now then you have an idea of\nthe \"I am\" Consciousness. Hold fast to it. It is your real, Larger Self.\nIn the understanding and the exercise of the Will-Power the \"I\" or the\nPositive Mental Principle is the chief factor. To use the one you must\nunderstand the other. Will is a Soul-Power. This \"I\"--as I have explained\nit above--is negative to the \"I AM\" or God--both meaning the\nsame thing. It is positive in relation to the Higher Self. This \"I\" is\nthe future promise of the \"I AM\". It is true it shall lose itself in\nfinding its Self, but so does the child when it grows into full manhood.\nChrist was one with his Father-in-Heaven (i.e., on the spiritual plane)\nand therefore he could still the waves and raise the dead. Yet just you\nexamine the nature of Lord Christ's Will-Force. Think of his constant\nretirement into the Silence in order to obtain inspiration for his work\nin the objective universe. Again, note his utter indifference to and\nabsolute control over his personal self. Did he care whether his body\nwould live or die? Did he live for the enjoyments of the flesh? Did he\n\"play to the gallery\" and act and speak for any worldly gain or low\nconsiderations? No! He had forgotten the interests of the flesh in his\nearnest enthusiasm in the cause of the Eternal Spirit. He was not moved\nby any dammed sense of prudence and caution. He drew the \"Motives\" that\nenergised his Will-Power in the life of Action from _Within_. Nothing\nfrom outside, nothing from the world of lower attractions could in the\nleast swerve his inner determination or unbalance his brain. Do you or\ncan you prepare yourself to follow in his steps? Then my first point and\nthe most infallible method of awakening your Will-Power is this:\n\n(_a_) Teach Thy Will to \"Resist and Renounce.\" Strengthen your Will-Power\nby Renunciation. By Resistance is not meant outer resistance or\naggressiveness. I find that all the modern teachers of Hypnotism advise\ntheir students to develop Will-Power by exercising it upon others. This\nis placing the cart before the horse. We Hindus know better. No; by\nResistance to and Repression of your lower Desire-Nature is meant letting\nthe more difficult choice exercise its compelling and restraining power\nover the easier one. Says Sister Nivedita: \"The Indian ideal is that man\nwhose lower mind is so perfectly under control that he can at any moment\nplunge into the thought-ocean and remain there at will without the least\npossibility of a sudden break and unexpected return to the life of the\nsenses.\" Yes, your interests should be within and not without. _You must\nrise above all personal impulse_. Even in this world you find that men of\ndistinction, fame and honour have achieved recognition by practising a\nlittle _self-denial_, which is a \"milder\" form of absolute Renunciation\nas practised by true Sanyasis. The man who can work at his aim with\nperseverance and denies himself the mess of pottage of present indulgence\nin view of some future gain develops Will-Power. So in training your Will\nto 'resist', you must, as a first step, sternly refuse to indulge\nimpulses, desires and tendencies not in consonance with the dictates of\nyour Higher Self. You must actually go out of your way and \"deny\"\nyourself the little or great \"comforts\" to which you are or have been\naccustomed. The strongest-willed man is he who has the greatest control\nover his inclinations, and who can 'force' himself to do such things as\nhe is naturally most inclined to do. This is a characteristic which\ncannot be developed in a day. There are some children and even grown-up\nmen and women who mistake their 'obstinacy' for Will-Power. They want a\nthing and when they do not get it they tear their hair, gnash their\nteeth, stamp their feet and fly into a terrible passion. Since people\nthink that these uncontrolled creatures are strong-willed while all that\nyou could say about them is that _they are utter slaves to their\ndesires_. You must practise self-denial in fifty different ways and force\nyourself to do certain things, 'little and big,' every day purely for\ndeveloping this power of Resistance. No short-cut to this. Some children\ndevelop it unconsciously by 'forcing' themselves to study when they might\nplay, and by applying themselves to such studies as are dry and\nuninteresting to them they thus practise voluntary Concentration.\nPractise self-denial in every possible way. Cut off such luxuries as you\nthink \"you must have.\" \"Take a cold bath when you would prefer a warm\none. Arise promptly in the morning. Make yourself call upon people you\nhave avoided. Stand up in a street car when you would prefer sitting;\nwalk when it is convenient to ride. Make engagements with yourself and\nkeep them. Promise yourself that when you see something to be done you\nwill spring at once to it however strong may be the inclination to put it\noff awhile\" and back of it all let there be the auto-suggestion: \"_I am\ndoing all these hard things in order to build up my Will-Power and each\ntime 'I' succeed in forcing 'my mind' to do a thing or not to do it I\nmake the next victory easier and my Will-Power stronger_.\" Of course the\nabove is only a hint as to your line of practise.\n\n(_b_) You must not give yourself such hard tasks of Self-Development\nas might be too heavy and beyond the present strength of your Will.\nIn denying yourself you develop self-control. In forcing yourself to do\ncertain things you develop powers of Self-Expression. In one the Will\nmoves along negative lines. In the other along positive lines. Both are\nnecessary. The man who cannot control and command himself can never\ndevelop and express Himself. But be sure to begin with easy things and\nthen as you gain in confidence you may attempt more difficult feats.\n\n(_c_) The faculties of Courage and Confidence are essentially important.\nNothing weakens the will so much as Fear and lack of Self-Confidence.\nSelf-Confidence is not blustering self-conceit. That within you which\nsays \"I CAN\" when calmly and doggedly backed by your \"I Will\" when\ndeliberately translated into action develops Will-Force and commands\nstartling results.\n\n(_d_) Always hold these words before your passive Mind:\n\n1. Earnestness. 2. Determination. 3. Courage. 4. Confidence.\n5. Stick-to-it-ive-ness. 6. Patience. 7. I can and I will.\n\n(_e_) The tendency of the Masculine function of your mind to \"I\" is\ntowards giving, expressing or projecting energy; that of the Feminine\nis towards generating and creating mental progeny such as thoughts,\nmental energy, new habits, etc. It is why the Feminine Principle has\nbeen called the \"mental womb\" by ancient philosophers. It comprises\nalso the faculty of Imagination. The Masculine function does the work\nof the 'Will' in its varied phases. The Feminine function receives\nimpressions and generates mental offspring in the form of new thoughts,\nideas, concepts, thought-habits and so forth. Its powers of creative\nenergy are strikingly marvellous and have been proved and attested\nto in Psychological experiments conducted by the best known mental\nscientists of the day. _But \"positive\" mental energy must be projected by\nthe 'I' into the Passive Mind through concentration, suggestion and\nwilling before the latter can be started to work along any line of\ncreative effort._ This suggestion may be given by you to your\nsub-conscious mind or it may come as an outer impression. Unless you\ncontrol your Passive Mind, it is sure to be controlled by others. Then\nyou are a slave. Now in cultivating the above seven qualities, you\nshould take up _one_ word at a time and let the outer form sink into your\nmind. Place yourself in a relaxed and passive condition. Close your eyes\nand picture the _form_ of the word to yourself, for instance,\nD-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. Employ the Imagination and visualize mentally.\nThis done, _i.e._, when the word-picture is well photographed upon your\nmind and fastened in place, your next step will be to picture yourself\nthe Ideas, qualities, physical and mental characteristics, etc.,\nassociated with the word. Your third step is to calmly, concentratedly\nand confidently command your Passive Mind to generate that quality.\nRemember, your mind will at first rebel, but a very little persistence\nwill lead to complete success. Repeat the auto-suggestions daily at the\nsame time. See that it manifests in Action. Act it out as often as\npossible. Of course your efforts will be imperfect to begin with, but,\nnever mind, go ahead, keeping firm hold on your \"I can and I will\" in\nspite of all things and success is quite certain. Once you have developed\nthese seven qualities, you can do anything.\n\n(_f_) Do not let your friends or anyone--no matter who!--deflect\nyou from your resolutions. \"Let not thy right hand know what thy left\nhand does.\" Talk never. Let results show. The Lord has hidden himself\nbest and His work is wonderful beyond compare! Your very friends\nand relatives will spit upon you for lacking any of these qualities. Do\nnot ever impose your will upon others, but never let others to impose\nupon you against the sanction of your own judgment. In fact, none can\nunless you are a weakling and fickle-minded.\n\n(_g_) Frequent the company of chaste, strong-willed men and you\ncannot but grow strong.\n\n(_h_) Read Literature on this subject and obtain all possible aid\nthrough Knowledge.\n\n(_i_) If your faculty of imagination and idealism are undeveloped,\ncultivate them, because it is these two that make a god of a man.\nPhilosophers, scholars, poets and musicians have them well-developed. But\nwhere imagination is uncontrolled by higher reason and where idealism\nis not backed by a strong will, there you have the idle 'dreamer of\ndreams' and such a state of mind is reprehensible and pitiable indeed!\n\n(_j_) Will-Power grows by faith in one's ability by exercise; by\ndevotion to the UNCONDITIONED SPIRIT.\n\n(_k_) In your efforts to develop Will-Power, be not afraid that your\nhealth will break down. In fact, Perfect Health is the result of a\nperfect Will. Deny the power of disease and weakness over yourself. \"_I\ncan never be ill. My body is my slave. It shall always manifest perfect\nhealth_.\" Convince your passive mind--which has charge of your body--of\nthis by repeated commands, demands and assertions. Always think of your\nbody as being as strong as adamant. Never talk of either health or\ndisease or weakness. You must be above caring for these. They are\nyour Natural rights. Only when you lower yourself they have power\nto trouble you. Go beyond the lower self. Your business is to care for\nthe Higher-Self--that in which \"You\" live, move, and have your being.\nAlso teach and train your Will to move along negative lines of\nself-repression as well as along positive lines of Self-Expression.\nBalance both. The former precedes the latter. Now I will pass on to the\nsubject of SELF-CONTROL, with the distinct understanding that\nSelf-Control and Will-Power are inextricably bound up in each other. You\nGet the real \"practical work\" in the endeavour for Self-Control.\n\n\nSELF-CONTROL.\n\nRightly has it been remarked that is easy to talk of and write upon this\nsubject but most difficult to possess it. Perfect Self-Control means\ninfinite power. Only the Buddas and the Christs of this World manifested\nPerfect Self-Control. \"Anything short of the absolute control of thought,\nword and deed is only sowing wild oats,\" said Vivekananda. It is with no\nlittle diffidence that I approach this subject as whoever handles\nthis subject is rightly culpable as being a \"Do-as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do\"\nclass of writers. Still you can make appreciable progress in this\ndirection by mastering these instructions, going through the exercises\nand last but most important by \"carrying the principles in your mind\" and\napplying them as far as you can in your daily life. Nothing is more\nconducive to rapid growth and development as the making of the \"little\nand big\" affairs in your work-a-day life, the occasion for the practical\nexpression and conscious translation of your ideals. We all are guilty of\na serious mistake in setting apart our higher ideals for regular\n'practice' hours and leading a life of low and quite different ideals in\nour ordinary life. The natural process, as you can see, is to LIVE OUT\nyour highest ideals every minute of your life. Nothing is more important\nthan the daily occupation of a man and if he fails to bring his ideals\nright into these little things, then Success will ever elude him. A\nmental scientist has summed up the entire secret of Character-Building in\nthis valuable advice on Objective Concentration: the simple task of\nmental concentration on whatever task, business or profession a man is\nengaged in is the beginning of the mastery which is the perfection of\nObjective Concentration. Whatever you are doing be master of your work.\nIf you are a cobbler mend shoes in a perfect manner; if a barber keep\nyour razors and scissors in a state that will excite the admiration of\nyour customers; if a tailor make the coat fit like a glove; if a clerk\nkeep your accounts in apple-pie order; if a builder scorn your\njerry-brother; if a singer enchant the listener with a concord of sweet\nsounds; if an actor enter into the spirit of the character and make the\nplay-goer feel that\n\n\"All the world's a stage\nAnd all the men and women merely players,\nThey have their exits and their entrance\nAnd one man in his time plays many parts.\"\n\nIf a leader in any department of thought or action, remember that if to\nyou much is given, from you also much is required, for the responsibility\nof the lives and happiness of your fellows rests heavy on your shoulders,\nwhether you know it or not and thousands may secretly curse your\nincapacity and bungling. It is infinitely better to be a good cobbler\nthan a bad ruler.\n\nI believe the above advice if followed conscientiously by you would\ngo to make you really fit for initiation into the more advanced stages of\nmastery. Take it to heart by all means. Be convinced, the man who\nlooks for quick results and a royal road to the mastery of Mental Science\nbreaks down in frequent despair at apparent failures and neglects his\ndaily work will never go far. In fact, his very impatience will lead to\nfailure. No individual life is fully rounded out unless some useful work\nforms part of it. The Yogi who has renounced the world has already\ndone his work and is ahead of the times. The real hermit and the saint\nare the Pillars of Strength on which this world stands. I cannot repeat\nthis too often. The mere fact of their breathing the same atmosphere\nas you is a benediction and an inestimable boon unto the race.\n\n\nPRELIMINARY STEPS.\n\n\"The first requisite,\" says Mr. Atkinson, \"of concentering is the\nability to shut out outside thoughts, sights and sounds; to conquer\ninattention; to obtain perfect control over the body and mind. The body\nmust be brought under the control of the mind; the mind under the\ndirect control of the Will. The Will is strong enough, but the mind needs\nstrengthening by being brought under the direct influence of the will.\nThe mind, strengthened by the impulse of the will, becomes a much more\npowerful projector of thought vibrations than otherwise and the\nvibrations have much greater force and effect.\"\n\nThe first four exercises are meant to train the mind to readily obey the\ncommands of the mind. Take them in the privacy of your own room and never\ntalk of them to others. Also do not let their apparent simplicity lead\nyou to neglect them. If you are one of those empty-brained men who go\nabout talking of their exercises hoping in this way to win praise, you\nwill never succeed. Be serious, earnest and sincere in your work. Give\nup, once for ever, all fickle-mindedness and learn to accumulate Power in\nsilence and through work. Prayer gives you strength to \"work\"--the answer\ncomes from your Larger Self--which is the Spirit of God \"brooding\" over\nall and pouring strength into all. But do not fly in the face of DEITY by\nexpecting it to \"do the work\" for you while you go about loafing after\noffering your prayer. Nonsense. That man prays who works constantly,\nsilently, patiently, unceasingly and intelligently.\n\nExercise 1.\n\nSit still; relax your body all over and then neck, chest, and head held\nin a straight line; legs crossed one under the other and weight of the\nbody resting easily upon the ribs; right hand on right leg, left hand\non left leg. There should not be a single movement of the muscles in\nany part of the body. Mind, you must avoid all rigidness and tension of\nthe body. There should not be the least strain on muscles. You should\nbe able to \"relax\" completely. Start with 5 minutes. Continue till you\ncan accomplish the 5 minutes sitting without any conscious effort,\nincrease to 15 minutes which is about all you need. The aim is to give\nyou absolute dominion over all involuntary muscular movements. It is also\nan ideal \"rest-cure\" after fatiguing physical and mental exercise or\nexertion. The principal thing is \"STILLNESS\" and you can, if you like,\npractise it even sitting on a chair or anywhere else; the idea is one of\n\"relaxation\" and physical and mental quietude. Let not the apparent\nsimplicity of this exercise deceive you. It is not so very easy after\nall. You will find that by concentrating the mind upon a particular\ntrain of thoughts or ideas or by joining the mind to the Larger Self,\nyou can easily lose all idea of the body and thus maintain this stillness\nfor a considerable length of time. Genius, inspiration and intuition\nare more or less the scientific and psychological results of\nself-forgetfulness. \"When he sits down to meditate,\" it was said of\nVivekananda, \"in 10 minutes he becomes quite unconscious of the body\nalthough it may be black with mosquitoes.\" Do you understand now?\nAbsolute physical self-forgetfulness is essential to deep concentration.\nDr. Fahnestock called it the \"STATUVOLIC\" condition or that state in\nwhich the Will-Power is really active and the 'outer-self' is totally in\nabeyance and forgotten.\n\nExercise 2.\n\nCultivate a self-poised attitude and demeanour in your everyday life.\nAvoid a tense, strained, nervous, fidgety manner and an over-anxious\nappearance. Be easy, self-possessed and dignified in your bearing.\nBe courteous, thoughtful and quiet. Mental exercise and Will-Culture\nwill enable you to acquire the proper carriage and demeanour. Stop\nswinging your feet and moving your hands or rocking your self\nbackwards in your chair while talking or sitting. Stop biting your nails,\nchewing your moustaches, rolling your tongue in your mouth or any\nother unnecessary movement such as may have become \"second nature\"\nwith you while studying, reading or writing. Never twitch or jerk your\nbody. Never wink your eyes or look blank. Train yourself to stand\nsudden and loud noises with equanimity and composure. Such things\nbetray lack of control. Do not let anything outside (or even within you)\ndisturb your composure. When engaged in conversation let your speech\nbe calm and measured and your voice well-controlled and even. A certain\ndegree of reserve should always be observed. In short, keep yourself\nwell under control on all occasions. You can acquire this poise by\nalways carrying the thoughts of \"Firmness,\" \"Self-Control\", and\n\"Self-Respect\" in your mind and letting these express themselves in your\noutward bearing. Avoid bluster, self-assertion, gossip, levity or light\ntalk, too much laughter, excitement and so forth. Too much laughter\nweakens the will. Be a quiet, earnest-thinking being. Be serious. Regard\n\"solitude\" as the greatest medium of self-development.\n\nExercise 3.\n\nFill a wine glass full of water and taking the glass between the fingers,\nextend arm directly in front of you. Fix your eyes upon the glass and\nendeavour to hold your arm so steady that no quiver will be noticeable.\nCommence with one minute exercise and increase until the 5 minutes limit\nis reached. Alternate right and left arms. Increase to 15 minutes.\n\nExercise 4.\n\nSit erect in your chair, with your head up, chin out and shoulders\nback. Raise your right arm until it is level with your shoulders,\npointing to the right. Turn your head and fix your gaze on your hand and\nhold the arm perfectly steady for one minute. Repeat with left arm.\nIncrease the time gradually to 5 minutes. The palms of the hands should\nbe turned downwards.\n\nThe following exercises are meant to aid you in getting under control,\nsuch mental faculties will produce voluntary movements.\n\nExercise 5.\n\nSit in front of a table, placing your hands upon the table, the fists\nclinched and lying with the back of the hand upon the table, the thumb\nbeing doubled over the fingers. Fix your gaze upon the fist for awhile\nand then slowly extend the thumb, keeping your whole attention fixed\nupon the act, just as if it was of the greatest importance. Then slowly\nextend your first finger, then your second and so on, until they are all\nopen and extended. Then reverse the process, closing first the little\nfinger and continuing the closing until the fist is again in its original\nposition, with the thumb closed over the fingers. Repeat with left hand.\nContinue this exercise 5 times at a sitting, then increase to 10 times.\nDon't forget to keep your attention closely fixed upon the finger\nmovements. That is the main point.\n\nExercise 6.\n\nPlace the fingers of one hand between the fingers of the other, leaving\nthe thumbs free. Then slowly twirl the thumbs one over the other, with a\ncircular motion. Be sure to keep the attention firmly fixed upon the end\nof the thumbs.\n\n_N.B._ Exercises Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been culled (with slight\nmodifications by me) from the works of Yogi Ramacharaka.\n\nExercise 7.\n\nForty-eight hours after the full moon in each month, go by yourself into\na darkened chamber and quietly concentrate your mind upon one thing. Do\nthis as long as possible without allowing other thoughts to enter your\nmind. At first you will find that your thoughts will fly from one thing\nto another and it will be hard for you to accomplish this, but by\ncontinued practice you will be able to think of one thing for a long\ntime. This should be continued for 5 nights in succession and one hour\neach night.\n\nExercise 8.\n\nGo out into the open air each evening when the sky is clear and see\nhow many stars you can count without allowing any other thoughts to\nenter your mind. The more stars you can count without thinking of\nanything the greater the degree of development produced. Quite an\ninteresting exercise.\n\nExercise 9.\n\nTake 12 ordinary pebbles. Place them in your left hand. Then with your\nright hand pick up one pebble, hold it at arm's length and concentrate\nyour mind thereupon without allowing other thoughts for full 60 seconds.\nSo with all the pebbles. Then start picking up with left hand. Do this\nfor one hour daily.\n\nExercise 10.\n\nConcentrate your mind determinedly upon some one at a distance without\nallowing other thoughts. Will that he do get strong, healthy and\nspiritual. Get up a mental picture of your subject as if sitting\nbefore you. Then give earnest, positive, forceful suggestions to his\nsub-conscious mind. Will that he get into sympathy with you, write you on\nthe subject and earnestly co-operate with you in his spiritual\nregeneration. Do it calmly and earnestly.\n\nExercise 11.\n\nGet some moistened sand spread over the surface about a yard square. Make\nit perfectly smooth. Then with your index finger draw any characters or\npictures in the sand. For instance, a square, a triangle or any other\nfigure. Fasten your gaze upon this figure. Concentrate your mind calmly\nthereupon and will that the thought-form so created by your concentration\nbe transmitted to someone (whom you know to be sensitive to your will).\nDo this for 15 minutes daily at the same time till your subject gets the\nimpression. Ask him to sit relaxed at the same time in the _silence_ in a\nreceptive mental attitude. Face the direction, North, South, East or West\nin which you send your thought. Imagine a psychic wire connecting you\nwith your subject and aim straight. Remember, the Will-Power is\nrepresented in symbology by a straight line because it goes straight to\nits mark.\n\nExercise 12.\n\nEvery night before retiring, concentrate upon your passive mind:\n\"_When I get up in morning, my Will-power and Thought-Force will have\nincreased. I expect you to bring about a thorough change in my\nWill-Force. It will gain in vigour, resolution, firmness and confidence.\nIt must grow strong, strong, strong_.\" Project these positive suggestions\ninto your subjective self earnestly, confidently and concentratedly. You\nwill progress quickly by leaps and bounds. Every morning shall find\nyou stronger and full of vim, sap and energy. Persevere, persevere. In\nfollowing up such ideals to a successful conclusion you must have an\n(i) overpowering desire; (ii) a strong belief in your ability to\naccomplish anything; (iii) an invincible determination not a backboneless\n'I will try to'; (iv) earnest expectation. This is an important and an\ninfallible method in Will-development.\n\nExercise 13.\n\nGo by yourself into a room where you will not be disturbed. At the\nbeginning 'relax' all over. Then count from one to ten without allowing\nany other thoughts. As soon as you accomplish this, your mind is in\na receptive state. Concentrate as before and order your sub-conscious\nself to evolve a strong, infallible memory. Form your own\nauto-suggestions.\n\nExercise 14.\n\nPick out half a dozen unfamiliar faces. Vividly impress them upon\nyour subjective mind. Then recall them at least once each day for full\none year, each day impressing at least one more new face. Should you\nfind you are forgetting any of your older faces, do not add new ones but\nfirmly fix the other old faces in your mind through concentration. This\nis a very interesting exercise. Memory belongs to the sub-conscious\nmind, remember.\n\nExercise 15.\n\nConcentrate the mind on a paragraph in some holy book and commit\nto memory. Learn by heart one paragraph daily taking care not to\nforget the old ones. In time, you will improve wonderfully.\n\nExercise 16.\n\nPeople with weak memories always lack concentrative ability.\nConcentration is the key to all mind-power. You will find the above\nexercises quite 'tedious' and monotonous. But you can train your\n'attention' only by giving it trivial and 'dry' exercises. The strong\nwill can cope with the most 'monotonous' and uninteresting tasks without\nexperiencing fatigue. You must set yourself such tasks as might seem like\n'work' to your attention. Remember, the effort required to concentrate\nattention voluntarily on uninteresting, dry and monotonous works\nstrengthens and develops Will-Power and gives you 'mental muscle.' You\nwill thereby acquire firm control over mind and body and be 'Master' over\nyour lower impulses. Power over self will express outwardly as power over\nothers. If you can control yourself, you will find no difficulty in\nimpressing your will on others. But, mark you, this sacred power should\nbe used only to elevate, stimulate and strengthen others. Try your Will\nupon your personality in all possible ways and be satisfied with nothing\nshort of perfect control. The absolute mastery of 'self' ought to be\nyour aim. I have given you the real secrets. You must exercise\nyour own ingenuity and intelligence in utilising them towards your\nSelf-development. I leave you to finish the fight for yourself. Get up\nand start in to work at your task from to-day and not to-morrow. Back of\nall efforts, always have this positive incentive and auto-suggestion:\n\n\"THIS IS TO DEVELOP MY WILL-POWER AND NO TEMPORARY PAIN CAN EQUAL THE\nPOWER AND HAPPINESS ARISING OUT OF SELF-CONTROL.\"\n\nGet firm control over your emotions. Use this natural force but be\nnot used by it. Control over speech will lead to Emotion-control. Always\ntalk to the point. Cultivate silence. Repress volubility. Be brief\nin speech and writing. Keep a cool head. Be level-headed and\nconcentrative.\n\n\nGLEANINGS FROM PROFESSOR JAMES ON THE LAW OF HABIT.\n\nAn acquired habit, from the physiological point of view, is nothing\nbut a new pathway of discharge formed in the brain, by which certain\nincoming currents ever often tend to escape.\n\nThe great thing is to make our nervous system our ally instead of\nour enemy.--Guard against ways that are likely to be disadvantageous\nto us, as we should guard against the plague.\n\nThe more of the details of our daily life we can hand over to the\neffortless custody of automatism, the more our higher powers of mind\nwill be set free for their own proper work. There is no more miserable\nhuman being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision and\nfor whom (every act) the time of rising and going to bed, the beginning\nof every bit of work, are subjects for express volitional deliberation.\n\nMaxim I. In the acquisition of a new thought or the leaving off of\nan old one we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and\ndecided initiative as possible.\n\nMaxim II. Never suffer an exception to occur until the new habit\nis securely rooted in your life.\n\nEach lapse is like letting fall a ball of string which one is carefully\nwinding up; a single slip means more than a great many turns will wind\nagain.\n\nContinuity of training is the great means of making the nervous\nsystem act infallibly right. It is necessary above all things never to\nlose a battle. Every gain on the wrong side undoes the effect of many\nconquests on the right.\n\nThe essential precaution is to so regulate the opposing powers that\nthe one may have a series of uninterrupted success, until repetition has\nfortified it to such a degree as to enable it to cope with the opposition\nunder any circumstances.\n\nThe need of securing success at the outset is imperative. To be\nhabitually successful is the thing.\n\nBe careful not to give the will such a task as to insure its defeat\nat the outset, but provided one can stand it, a sharp period of\nsuffering, and then a free time is the best to aim at, whether in giving\nup the opium habit or in simply changing one's hours of rising or of\nwork.\n\nIt is surprising how soon a desire will die of inanition if it be never\nfed.\n\nWithout unbroken advance there is no such thing as accumulation\nof the ethical forces possible, and to make this possible and to exercise\nand habituate us in it is the sovereign blessing of regular work.\nMaxim III. Seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every\nresolution you make and on every emotional prompting you may experience\nin the direction of habits you aspire to gain.\n\nIt is not the moment of their forming but in the moment of their\nproducing motor effects, that resolves and aspirations communicate the\nnew 'set' to the brain.\n\nThe actual presence of the practical opportunity alone furnishes the\nfulcrum upon which the lever can rest, by means of which the moral\nwill may multiply its strength and raise itself aloft. He who had no\nsolid ground to press against will never get beyond the stage of empty\ngesture making.\n\nWhen a resolve or a fine glow of feeling is allowed to evaporate\nwithout bearing practical fruit, it is a waste and a chance lost; it\nworks so as positively to hinder future resolutions and emotions from\ntaking the normal path of discharge.\n\nIf we let our emotions evaporate, they get in a way of evaporating.\n\n\nWORSHIP OF THE TERRIBLE.\n\nThe attitude of the soul which is not to be baffled by the lower nature\nor the \"Personal Self\" should be to seek Death and not life, to hurl\noneself upon the sword's point and become one with the terrible. Those\nwho are commissioned by the Lord to bear aloft the torch of spirit are\nfated to see every joy of the senses turn to ashes and crushing blows\nupon their eyes to the unsubstantially of the relative life of Maya.\n\nThe lion when stricken to the heart gives out his loudest roar,\nWhen smitten on the head the cobra lifts its hood\nAnd the majesty of the Soul comes out only when a man is wounded to his\ndepths.\n\nThe Western ideal is to be doing: the Eastern to be suffering. The\nperfect life would be a harmony between (selfless or non-attached) doing\nand suffering. Worship the terrible. Worship Death, for its own sake;\ndespair for its own sake; pain for its own sake. Yet this is not the\ncoward's or the suicide's or the weakling's morbid love of Death, but it\nis the cry of the philosopher who has sounded everything to its depths\nand knows intensely the vanity of the desire for happiness on the\nrelative plane of limitations. Remember the triumphant cry of St. Francis\nof Assisi: \"WELCOME, SISTER DEATH!\" \"Be witness\"--of all that goes on but\nbe not entangled. Reserve to yourself the power to remain unattached at\nall times. Accept nothing however pleasant, if it conceals a fetter into\nthy Soul. At a word stand ready to sever any connection that gives a hint\nof soul-bondage. Keep thy mind clear. Keep thy will pure. Attain the\nImpersonal Standpoint, O you man! there alone canst thou quench thy\nthirst for happiness never on the plane of personal. Who and what dies\nand is reborn?--Your lower self, your personality.\n\n\"Sometimes naked, sometimes mad,\nNow as a scholar, again as a fool\nHere a rebel, there a saint,\nThus they appear on the earth\n--the Perfect Ones. Paramhamsas\"--Viveka Chudamani.\n\nIf you accept the report of the senses as final, you will say \"soul\nfor nature\"--but if you can gain the spiritual point of view, you will\nsay \"no-nature for soul.\" Evolution, devolution and involution are all\nin nature and will go on cyclically and eternally. All this is merely due\nto the wish of the soul to manifest itself. But such expression can come\nonly when the soul lives on its plane. Say \"Money is my slave, not I.\"\nSay \"Nature is my slave, not I\". Give up life, give up body, give up all\ndesire for enjoyment on the relative plane. So shall you transcend all\nlimitation. Your real nature is Infinite and Absolute. Only when you\nlower your nature by limiting it to the \"particular self,\" do you become\nbound and unhappy. On the relative plane, you are a slave to the pair\nof opposites--life and death, pleasure and pain, and so on. Here is\nlimitation. Here you are a slave to competition, and \"Survival of the\nFittest\" is the law. Be not blinded by the flashing light of the glare\nof modern civilization. Every morsel you eat is ground out of your\nbrother's blood. Slave to a breath of air, slave to food, slave to\nlife, slave to Death, slave to a word of praise, slave to a word of\nblame--\"Slave--Slave--Slave\"--that is your condition. The Soul cannot\nstoop to any compromise. It refuses to conquer nature by obedience. It\nwill conquer nature by renouncing the body and by knowing itself. Find\nthyself bodiless. Power felt within is soul; without, nature. \"We must\ncrush Law (nature) and become outlaws.\"\n\n\"Deliver thou thyself, by thyself\nAh, do not let thyself sink\nFor thou art thyself thy greatest friend\nAnd thyself (the relative 'I') thy greatest enemy.\"\n\nThis, student, is not the ravings of a lunatic. It is the secret of\nSAT-CHIT-ANANDA--eternal existence, knowledge and bliss. Attainment\nof perfection means absolute Freedom. Do you or would you know the\nmeaning of Life? It is the search after _Sat-chit-ananda_. But man is\ntrying to realise this Perfect Existence in the transitory things of\nthe earth-plane. Only when he knows that not attachment to the things\nof the \"world, the flesh and the devil\" but renunciation of same and the\nbringing of the Impersonal Ideal into his everyday life would lead him\nto it, then Maya will have fulfilled its purpose--which is to show man\nhis divinity. \"Kill out the desire for life. Kill out Ambition. Kill out\ndesire for comfort; yet work as those who love life. Respect life as\nthose who are ambitious. Be happy as those are who live for happiness.\"\n\nSo says Mabel Collins in the _Light on the Path_. Yes, you must work\nconstantly, train your intellect, develop your personality but do not do\nall this for your own personal self but for the Higher Self, The BRAHMAN,\nEternal--to manifest through. As soon as you lose this view-point your\npersonal strivings end in Pain and Disappointment. Work as hard as the\nambitious man and the lover of pleasures but remember your actions are\ninspired by different motives. Here Spirit is the director.\n\n\"To the work thou hast the right, O Partha, but not to the fruits\nthereof\"--_Gita_. All clinging to results leads to degeneration. The\nsoul should cling to nothing. All work and all effort must be dedicated\nunto the Higher Self. When you care for the results you are only\nworshipping the lower self. Hence the value of selfless labour, thus the\nmaya-fascinated mind is purified and de-hypnotised and we attain to the\nemergence of the personal into the Impersonal. Either say \"I am thou, O\nLord!\" and thus out at the root of the lower \"I\" and destroy it for ever\nor say \"I am nothing, O Eternal One! thou art everything\" and thereby\nlose the lower into the Higher. The first is for the Gnani--the second\nfor the Bhakti Yogi. Both mean the same thing. Love everyone but do\nnot depend upon the love of any one. Give everything. Take nothing.\nServe every one. Do not care for service and gratitude in return. You\nare the Heir to the Infinite. All Power is behind you. But so long as\nyou are a beggar, a beggar shall you remain. Renounce the lower self,\nLive for the Higher. What you call Universal Love is the expression\non the lower plane of the subjective reception of ABSOLUTE UNITY\non the Buddhic plane and in SAMADHI (Final Illumination).\n\n\n\n\nLESSONS III AND IV.\n\nTHE YOGI SELF-DEVELOPER\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\nIn lessons 1 and 2 we have initiated you into the mysteries of Will\nand Mind-Force, the governing principles of the Universe and the laws\nof their development. We have also taught you how to acquire absolute\ncontrol over Body and Mind. In these lessons we have striven to point\nout to you the right \"Mental Attitude\" towards your daily life, so that\nwhile mainly engaged in the task of Self-Culture you might also lend a\nhand in the great work of strengthening the race. Moreover our\nconvictions, beliefs, and ideals are no mean, insignificant factors\nin the determination of our health and environmental conditions. They\nreact on our circumstances as well as on the WHOLE MAN. We have also\ngiven you important points of instruction in Soul Unfoldment, Meditation,\nBramhacharya, Breathing, Fasting, Health-Culture, Body building\nand shown you, as distinctly as we could, the exact process of developing\na single virtue in your self thereby you may master the process and\nmethod of developing other virtues, the lines of action and thought being\nwell nigh similar in all, and foculising at certain common points of\nprimary importance. We have given the bare body of truth in connection\nwith the development, evolution and unfoldment of the body and the\nsoul, stripping of the metaphysical trappings and the theoretical\ndraperies in which they are clothed. We have had to literally rend\nasunder the heavy wheel that had the divine face of truth. Hence our\nlessons are brief and to the point. We have had to contend against and\novercome another serious difficulty. Expressed in the matter of fact\nEnglish language, these wondrous truths of mysticism cannot but lose the\nair of profound solemnity and sanctity that pervades the subject of Yoga\nin Sanskrit literature. The wise and thoughtful student and we certainly\ndo not write for light-headed and non-serious people, will not let their\napparent simplicity deceive him or throw him off his guard. Rather\nlet him realise that these lessons can be pressed into service in all\ndirections and in all spheres of life. Let him just put them into\npractice and he will at once see their practical bearing on his daily\nlife. These lessons do not go into the \"WHAT\" but point out the \"HOW\" of\nevery thing. We leave every student to suit his individual case as to the\nintellectual side of the ETERNAL PROBLEM. In conclusion we have to\nsay that this Course does not pretend to deal with the advanced stages\nof Yoga, much less exhaust them. But they will, positively and decidedly\nprepare him for those higher things by lifting the PALL OF DARKNESS\nfrom his mind.\n\n\n\n\nLESSONS III AND IV.\n\n\nQuite a number of you there must be to whom the \"Fearless\" mind is not\nonly an enviable possession but something to which you are and have been\nan utter stranger. You may not say it to others--confession may hurt your\npride--but secretly away deep in your heart, there resides strongly and\nfiercely the desire to be a Fearless Individual. And it is a worthy\ndesire. To be able to wipe off all fearfulness, anxiety and worry from\nyour mental tablets is no easy task, but when once accomplished, it gives\nyou a glimpse of Heavenly Joy and Superhuman Strength. And, _You can be\nFearless_, I tell you--each one of you--you can be what you will to be. I\nhave seen it. I have done it. I am going to give you sound and positive\ninstructions in this paper so that you may forge ahead towards your goal.\nThese instructions are based upon good psychological grounds, have been\ntested and proved by millions and proved a blessing to whoever took them\nup in all earnestness and gave them a trial. If you want to be Fearless,\nhesitate not to follow them to the very letter.\n\nI shall not waste space telling you about the dire results of fear,\ncowardice, worry, anxiety and the vile brood of negative thoughts\nbranching of FEAR. Physically, mentally and spiritually man is what he\nthinks in his heart. As you think, so you are. Mind governs everything,\ncreates or destroys everything, on the physical as well as other planes.\nYour thoughts affect your health, your circumstances, your environments;\nthose who come into daily contact with you, those who are separated\nfrom you by space, those who are what you call \"dead\" but who are really\nalive in spirit-life and bound to you more or less by mystic chords of\nsympathy in thought and soul-life, affecting you and being affected by\nyou every minute. The range of influence exerted by a man's daily\nthoughts is simply tremendous. Trees and animals, minerals and other\nobjects of material life absorb it. The walls of your room, the clothes\nyou wear, the letters you write are all being impressed by the aura of\nyour thought-force. If you go to a clairvoyant or a psychometerist\nand put into his hands a letter, a lock of hair, a cloth-piece, or\nanything else pertaining to one of your friends, he or she will\npsychically trace out the personal appearance, temperament, past and\npresent history, and everything else in connection with that person.\nMarvellous, 'Impossible' you cry in surprise. But it is done. Realise\nthrough study and investigation the importance of your thought-life and\navoid vitiating it by fear-thoughts, hate-thoughts, sensual and sensuous\nthoughts and vanity thoughts. Because, mark you, these four giant-weeds\npoison the roots of the Tree of Life. All humanity suffers pain in\ndiverse ways, on account of these four bad thoughts and their millions of\noff-springs. Now you will say this is all very well but:\n\nHOW?\n\nThat is just what I mean to teach you all along. I don't want to feed you\non mere empty theories, but I can and I will give you that knowledge\nwhich when assimilated shall build up strong flesh, bone, muscle, tissue,\npith and marrow which will give you superb health, strength of mind and\nspirit--all of which are necessary adjuncts to Spiritual Growth and\nHappiness. Let me give you in detail methods and exercises. The ideal\nfearless man has many qualities. I say the Ideal Hero--no imitation patch\nwork vulgarian. These qualities are in rough detail: (1) Devotion to God.\n(2) Knowledge. (3) Concentration. (4) Will Power. (5) Energy and\nAspiration. (6) Health. (7) Self-Esteem. (8) Self-Control. (9) Love for\nHumanity. (10) Chastity. There may be other qualities but you will do\nwell to build up the above and others will come to you by themselves. Let\nme drop a few helpful suggestions on the above. Follow each sentence\nclosely.\n\n1. DEVOTION TO THE ABSOLUTE WILL.\n\nI have always said, written, observed and felt that the most courageous\nindividuals are devoted to God. Such men are rare. You all understand the\nmeaning of \"Fearlessness\" in its fullest sense. It means absolute\nindependence--in two words, he is the FEARLESS man who \"fears-nothing,\"\nand \"faces-everything.\" That everything includes everyone. That nothing\nexcludes no one. Viewed from this standpoint is not the fearless man\nrarely to be met with? You may come across degrees of fearlessness. Now\nthe man who possesses this quality in the \"highest degree\" has faith in\nthis God. Everyone has his conception of God. Everyone sees the absolute\nfrom his individual plane of vision. That conception which you have of\nGod will do for you. I say, it will do for you and you alone. Don't force\nit upon others. Keep it for yourself. If you want to improve this\nconception of God pray in the Silence thus: \"O, THOU, I UNDERSTAND NOT\nTHY NATURE. I KNOW NOT--YET I YEARN TO KNOW. DO THOU REVEAL THYSELF\nUNTO MY SOUL. DO THOU OPEN MY SPIRITUAL EYES AND LEAD ME ON.\" Student,\ndon't treat this lightly. Listen not to that conceited or blinded brother\nof yours who says he does not care for God--who says he can go on without\nthe aid of God. Listen not. Listen not. The strongest and greatest pray\noften. Only they do not talk of this to others. They never make a show of\ntheir devotion. But they have all prayed and do all pray. They believe in\npersonal effort--they also believe in Divine leading and guidance. Learn\nto be \"lead by the Spirit.\" Everything shall come to you in this way. You\nwill also notice that the Fearless Man is not a mere God-fearing man. He\nis a God-loving Individual. He loves God for God's sake largely. That man\nwho is fearful in spite of his devotion to God is a sham devotee. But the\ngrace of the LORD'S name is such that it shall purify the most impure of\nheart. It shall build up even a sham devotee into a real devotee who in\ntime shall transcend all limitation. Therefore have faith in God. \"Be\nregular\" in your devotions. Also remember that each trial is a pain\naccompanying spiritual regeneration--each pain a process of strengthening\nthe herald of a mere glorious dawn of wisdom. Hence give up all grumbling.\nThe great God whose Infinite power regulates the motions of planets\nand yet takes note of the sparrow's fall has your soul's best interest at\nheart. All you do, all you say, all you feel, all you hope, all your\nexperiences--all, all is His will. Man's Will is God's Will. God's Will\nis Man's Will. And who can define God? God alone has the power to define\nHimself. He has defined Himself as the Universe--Bramhanda. Nothing is\nimpossible for the devotee of God. Let him but be willing to work and God\nshall give him everything. Regular devotion to God will surely develop\nextreme Fearlessness. \"God is Love.\"\n\n(2). KNOWLEDGE _(Gnayanam)_.\n\nFear is due to ignorance. When in the dark of night you mistook the rope\nfor a snake, you shrieked out in terror. Cause? IGNORANCE. But when you\nsaw the rope as a rope, you laughed out in amusement. Cause? KNOWLEDGE.\nAll your fear is due to your ignorance of your real nature. All the fear\nat the last is fear of death. You have to realise through knowledge of\nthe Vedanta that you are birthless, deathless. You have to unfold by\nmeditation a consciousness of your Real Self. I give you hereunder a\nmeditation exercise that will help you in this direction.\n\nMEDITATION EXERCISE NO. 1.\n\nRetire into the SILENCE. Shut off all thoughts and purposes relating\nto the external world. Try to realise that you, the Real Ego are not\nthe body but that it is a mere garment you have put on for functioning\non the physical plane and which you shall put off some day. Try to\nrealise that you are immortal and that although a thousand bodies might\ncome and go, you, the Ego, shall be as alive as ever. These are your\nshadows--your personalities. What dies and is born is a mirage--a\nmere phantasm--which you materialise for certain purposes. All these\npurposes centralise in one POTENTIALISED PURPOSE--the conquest of matter.\nRealise that you the Ego, have your dwelling in Supernal Regions--on the\nspiritual plane--with your Father-in-Heaven--but that you have come down\ninto matter that you may find the fullest possible objective expression.\nRealise that you, the Ego, are a differentiated centre of consciousness\nin the Great Consciousness--THE ABSOLUTE--EGO--SUM of the entire Universe\nwith all its gross and subtle manifestations--that you are endowed with\nall the powers and attributes of the Absolute Self. Realise that you are\nnot the emotional and passional manifestations--surging up in your\npersonality. These are subject to the law of Flux and Rhythm and must be\nbrought under the control of Reason and Will--the balancing, equating\nprinciple of mind. Realise that you are not the mind nor the intellect,\nbut that you exercise this function in order to analyse the external\nmanifestations of nature and study same. Realise that you are pure\nConsciousness, Bliss and Existence in your essential nature--one with the\nall-life. Realise that the form side of manifestation is but a\nconcentration, a precipitation within you. Your subjective nature is one\nwith the subjective self of others--an inlet for the influx and\nefflux of the GREAT SUB-CONSCIOUS. Realise thus your Unity with\nAll-Life-manifesting objectively as Universal Brotherhood of all living\nbeings and the perfect recognition of the All-Father-Mother, the Great\nCosmic Power and Intelligence known as God whose intelligence\nall-blissfulness and existence are ever pouring into each Unit of\nIndividualised Divine Energy and evolving through nature. And, student,\nwhen you meditate daily that you are neither the body nor the emotions\nnor the mind, you shall then unfold the consciousness of the \"I am I\"\nthat which rules the personality that which has been called\nSoul-Consciousness. You shall then be Chaitanya-Spiritually awake.\nYou shall then know no Fear. Fear shall drop away like a worn-out\nsheath. All fear-thoughts are due to undeveloped race-consciousness\nwhich reacts upon individual consciousness and is stamped more or less\nupon every atom of matter. You 'fear' because you think you are the\nbody. When you realise that you can command as many bodies for your\nuse as you like; when you realise in your heart of hearts that you are a\nSpiritual Being expressing and energising through material personalities;\nwhen you realise that you cannot die, fear shall be afraid of you and\ndrop tormenting and teasing you. Fear resides in the matter-fed\nmind--that mind which has been grown and matured by the reception and\nre-action upon external sensations and stimuli--what has been called\nthe objective mind. This mind identifies itself with the form, the body.\nIt has an incorrigible determination towards the form-side, the\nconcrete-side of existence. It sees nothing but the body and is darkened\nby the forces of _Maya_. It sees nothing but separation. Yes, it is the\nmatter-fed mind. People with a development of this side of consciousness\nare invariably selfish; have generally small, conical eyes, understand\nnothing, but the welfare of the body. They are subject to the fear and\nthe delight in making others fear them. This mind needs illumination from\nthe soul, the Subjective Man, the \"I am I\" side of consciousness. It is\nnot that you are a body and have a soul--this is the dirty conviction of\nthe matter-fed mind--but you are a soul and have a body. The dawn of\nSoul-Consciousness makes a man a Force for good. He himself is Fearless.\nHis is the voice of strength that does not crush and dominate but that\nputs warmth, life, energy, hope and indomitable courage into cold and\ndespairing hearts. Some are born with this Soul-Consciousness. Do not\nthink that I am feeding with the theories of eccentricity. Often when a\nboy playing with others the thought would strike me hard, \"Are you the\nsame that is running and jumping and shouting.\" I would stop, looking\nblankly ahead. A feeling of confusion would come over me and I would\nforget everything. I could recall the feeling distinctly and vividly. Now\nI understand. These were flashes of Soul-Consciousness unfolded in a\npast life and struggling for \"recognition\" in this life. Such men face\nDEATH for themselves calmly. They know they can't die. Such men are\nincapable of sustained hatred. They too have their physiognomical\nsigns and distinctions. They represent an advanced order of intellect.\nAnd, lastly, when the full blaze of realisation comes, your one object in\nlife shall be to bestow your sense of freedom on others. You shall\nnot be able to mock and smile calmly at the pain, the ignorance to\nimperfections of your brother-man. You shall realise what it is to 'feel'\nfor humanity, yea, even for animals. You shall glimpse, in some measures,\nthe great feeling of pain that rent the hearts of the Buddas, the\nChrists, the Ramakrishnas, the Vivekanandas of this world. They suffered,\nthey felt for humanity. And when undeveloped humanity forced them to the\nCross; they bore it in the same spirit in which the gentle nurse bears\nthe blows and abuses of the disease-racked patient. \"Father forgive them,\nfor they know not what they do.\" Verily to know all is to forgive all.\nThis Soul-Consciousness is as much yours as that of anyone. It comes\nthrough meditation on the Infinite, and the Formless Absolute--the\nOver-soul of the universe--the Brahman of the Vedanta--the Self of the\nphilosophers--the Atman of the Yogis--the personal--impersonal God\nof the devotee--and, last, but not least, the humanity of the\nhumanitarian.\n\n\nCONCENTRATION.\n\nThe mind can think of one thing only. Fear is an acute form of negative\nconcentration--worry its chronic form. If you learn how to place your\nmind upon a particular subject and inhibit or \"shut off\" all other\nthoughts, the fascination of fear and worry shall have no power over you.\nMost of the things you fear never happen--others can be routed by a bold\nfront. Even if something ugly does befall you, you have the power within\nto enable you to 'bear up' heroically. Fear is a mere negative\nthought-habit. It is a negative tendency in the mind. You can best\neradicate this weed from your mind by cultivating the positive attitude\nof Courage. There are particular sets of brain-cells being created or\ndestroyed by particular types of thoughts. The best way to destroy\nnegative brain-cells is to develop positive brain-cells. If you want to\n_Kill off Fear-thoughts_, do not fight them. That would be like trying to\nrealise how dark a place is and then starting to pitch it out by the\nhandful. You know you cannot do it. Just open the blinds and let in\nsunshine and the place will be flooded with light. The mind hypnotised\nby negative thoughts has been compared by a mental scientist to a dirty\nwash-bowl full of dirty water. Take the wash-bowl near a tap and turn\nthe tap on. The steady pour of clean water will soon wash off all the\ndirty water and fill the wash-bowl with clear water. So the only way\nto root out and destroy evil thoughts is to turn a steady stream of\npositive thoughts. To overcome all fear thoughts, you should think\ncourage-thoughts. Don't crawl on your belly; don't call upon Heaven to\nwitness what a despicable creature you are. No--a thousand times--no. Act\nCourage. Think Courage. Say Courage. That's the way. Turn your face\ntowards the rising sun. Take \"Courage\" for your watchword. Affirm\nit as far as you can. Fasten it deep and strong in your mind. Always tell\nyourself that you are full of courage, morning, noon and night; never\ntell yourself that you are weak.\n\nNow, in order to inhibit fear-thoughts and exhibit Courage-thoughts,\nyou must possess CONCENTRATION. You should be able to take your mind off\na certain subject and put it on something else at your will. Do you know\nwhat Concentration means? Let me give you in my own words something I\nremember reading about Napoleon. When banished to St. Helena and\nsuffering from disease, one day his doctor expressed his curiosity as to\nthe secret of his success and astonishing power. Napoleon replied\n\"Doctor, there are drawers in my brain. When I want to think of politics\nI pull out the drawer of politics, when I want to think of Josephine, I\npull out the drawer of Law, and so on; and when I shut all these drawers,\nI can go to sleep.\" The doctor smiled incredulity blandly. \"Doctor, I can\nshow you this minute. Doctor, I shut all drawers\"--even while saying\nthis, Napoleon fell with a thud on his pillow. He was fast asleep. The\nman of science and medicine examined him in all ways, but Napoleon had\nfallen actually fast asleep. This is Concentration and Mind-Control. I\ndon't admire men of Napoleon's selfish types. Their place is in dark\nhell. They use their power for preying upon others. But that his powers\nof mind were great, I don't deny. Napoleon in his past life had been a\ngreat Yogi, but the remnants of self and cumulative force of bad Karma\nprecipitated the bloody results you all know in connection with\nNapoleon's career. No doubt, this man was only a means used by God to\nbring about certain changes and revolutions.\n\nTo develop Concentration, pay attention to the daily work of your life.\nDon't neglect small things. Put interest and attention into whatever\nyou think, say, or do. Be a wide-awake man. Don't go about your work\nhalf-asleep. Wake up and display a few signs of life. Be progressive.\nThink much and to the purpose.\n\nWILL-POWER.\n\nYou all understand this. It is that aspect of your make-up that enables\nyou to make your mind and body obey you. The true principle of Will is\nclosely interlocked with the \"I am I\" as I have already explained it.\nResolve at the start to do one thing once in 24 hours that you would do\nif you were not afraid. Face fear and it is your slave. Your Will-power\nenables you to prove things practically to yourself and to the world; to\nmake actions match-thoughts. Give your Will much exercise in the right\ndirection. Without Will a man is no better than a log of wood. Keep\nyour Will strong by auto-suggestion and exercise. Try the powers of your\nWill on your personality till you can do anything and be anything. Say \"I\ncan and I will\" in a thousand different ways and prove it too. The\nrequisite qualities that form valuable adjuncts to Will-power are:\n1. Determination. 2. Stick-to-it-ive-ness. 3. Perseverance. 4. Invincible\nand indomitable courage. 5. Non-attachment. 6. Faith in yourself.\n7. Faith in God. 8. I can and I will. Repeat this affirmation often till\nit becomes a constant mental trait.\n\nAFFIRMATIONS.\n\n1. I am fearless. I am full of courage. There is nothing to fear.\nI say courage, I think, I act courage.\n\n2. Courage is my distinct and leading trait. Everyone knows me\nas a man of Indomitable courage. The criticisms and opinions of others\ncannot affect me the least.\n\n3. I am part of the Divine Self. I harm none. My nature knows\nno harm. Hence no harm comes to me.\n\n4. I am equal to anything. Nothing can crush my spirit. I can\nface everything. I can face everybody.\n\n5. My powers of resistance are strong, strong, strong. I use them\nnever for the aggression of others. They are for my self-defence.\n\n6. I am absolutely fearless morally and physically.\n\n7. I stand for absolute truthfulness and justice and manifest them\nin myself.\n\n8. Work with this affirmation. Strongly implant it in your mind.\nThe use of strong, positive Affirmation in the Silence is valuable in\nthat it gives you a firm hold of your thought so that you can \"carry the\nthought\" mentally. The value of expressing thought in act and speech lies\nin this that it clinches your thought into a permanent habit. Remember\nthis psychologic axiom: 1. Thoughts take form in action. 2. Action\ninduces thought and corresponding habits. Therefore act out the part\nphysically. If you want a courageous mind--\"act out\" the part physically,\nin your daily life, on suitable occasions, in all earnestness as you\nwould in a theatre or drama. In a very short time it shall become a\nconfirmed habit. Force yourself to it. Take an interest in what you do\nand say. Have confident expectations of SUCCESS. Never be daunted and\ncowed down by initial difficulties and failures. Never say die. If you\ngo down--don't remain lying and moaning. Never, I say, never. Get up.\nShake yourself up free and say, like the royal lion \"Come one, come all,\nthis rock shall fly sooner from its base than I.\" Have a will of your\nown and be a force for good. Exercise your Will-power. Be something.\nDo something.\n\nLOVE FOR HUMANITY, ENERGY, ASPIRATION, SELF-ESTEEM.\n\nI cannot too strongly emphasise the difference between Self-Esteem\nand Self-Conceit. I wish to drive and thoroughly pound this difference\ninto your brain. Self-Esteem is decidedly a manly trait. It is based\nupon a conviction of the Kingship of God and the Sonship of Man. Man\nis a dignified being with divine attributes. He should not disgrace his\nMaker by crawling on the ground. This is Self-Esteem. Self-Esteem\ndoes not lower itself. It never lowers others. You shall never see a\nleader of mankind without tremendous faith in himself. But equally truly\nyou shall never see a true man or woman taking delight in having others\ncrawl to dust before them. They feel pained and shocked at such a sight.\nThere is infinite humiliation to them in this sorry spectacle. But\nSelf-Conceit is that original obliquity that leads a man to make a hog of\nhimself. It is the old, dirty, unmanly \"I-am-greater-than-you\" feeling.\nSuch men are hogs, hogs, hogs. They are not the true sons of their\nmothers. They are bastards and imbeciles. If you come across this type\nand get a chance to deal with him on your private strength open his eyes\nto his hoggishness. If he has any manly stuff in himself, he shall\nreform. If not, let him sizzle in his fat. Nature and its rigorous Laws\nwill rub the lesson home some day. But don't you stand their nonsense for\nwant of moral backbone. And the \"I am\" in you shall revolt against any\nsuch meanness and smallness in yourself. Encourage it not. Revere God.\nRevere yourself. Revere others. Next, as to energy and aspiration--these\ntwo characteristics transmute your mind from a negative into a positive\ntype. They give you an aura of thought-force such as never knows fear. In\npoint of fact fear is starved off to death. Be progressive. Take an\ninterest in the affairs of this world and be a force for good. Raise\nyourself first. Then give others a lift. Have an Increasing Purpose\nin your life. Work towards its accomplishment. The man who renounces the\nworld does not become a burden unto others. He helps others to shoulder\ntheir responsibilities. Nature aids at building up strong individuals. It\nhas no use for barnacles and is always scraping them off. Nature does not\ntolerate leeches, vampires and parasites. Aspire to do something great in\nlife \"for the good of many, for the happiness of many.\" Live to some\npurpose. When you have a positive life-purpose, your tone of mind shall\nbe dominant and positive and your thoughts shall match. All-strength\nshall come to you. Bad health, fear, worry and the whole array of\ndisintegrating forces are set into active motion by a purposeless life.\nThe Purposeful Man has no time to bother about them. Understand clearly,\nspirituality is not laziness, whatever else it may be.\n\nAFFIRMATIONS.\n\n1. I have perfect Self-Confidence. I am a Divine Being. I lower\nnot myself--I lower not others.\n\n2. My Life-Purpose is Constructive--not Destructive.\n\n3. I will be great spiritually and mentally. I will make others\ngreat. I am an irresistible force for good.\n\n4. I live to some great purpose. I am an Individual. I recognise\nthe Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man.\n\nHEALTH, CHASTITY AND SELF-CONTROL.\n\nChastity and Self-Control bring to you a clean healthy physique. Strong\nhealth means strong brain. And strong brain means abounding vitality,\nmagnetism and ambition. Remember our aim is the development of courage.\nThe Chaste brain has tremendous energy. You should observe\nBramhacharya--the conservation of vital energy in the body. You should\nacquire control over your passions and appetites. The energy generated in\nyour body should not be drawn off at the lower end of your being, but\nshould be transmuted into creative activity mentally and spiritually. Get\na clean body, first. You can get it by fasting, breathing and exercise.\n\nFASTING AND SELF-CONTROL.\n\nIf you feel heavy in body and brain, if you feel mentally sluggish it\nis a sure indication that your system is \"clogged\" with waste matter, due\nto partial or total inactivity of the physical channels of elimination.\nYou have been indulging in high living and gluttony or you have been\nindulging in physical gratifications and have thus exhausted the vital\nfibres of your body. Perhaps you have drunk very little water which is\nnature's demand for cleaning the vessels of the body. Perhaps you have\nexercised little and thus the supply of oxygen required for burning off\ncarbon and energising the blood has been rather limited. Mental\ndepression, 'weak nerves,' melancholy, despair, fear, lack of\nconcentration and lots of other mental weakness are due to a clogging of\nthe system with accumulated refuse. In brief, the following are a few of\nthe benefits derivable from scientific fasting:--(1) It gives nature a\nchance to \"Clean Up.\" The day of fasting is a day of physical \"house\ncleaning.\" (2) Like the galvanic battery the body \"recuperates\" its\nenergies. Strength is invariably restored to one's powers of digestion\nafter a careful fast. No case of dyspepsia, constipation, etc., there is,\nbut can benefit or be totally and radically cured by fasting. Fasting\nwill increase powers of assimilation, quicken hunger, purify and\nstrengthen the nerves and raise your health in all ways. (3) By gaining\ncontrol over appetite you gain control over your lower nature. It is a\nsplendid drill for your Will. You shall gain in spiritual strength. You\nshall grow positive to your flesh and its cravings. Jesus Christ fasted\nfor 40 days in order to prepare himself to face his great trial and\ntemptation. Our Yogis are all great fasters.\n\nHOW TO FAST.\n\nDon't undertake too much. If you have never observed a fast begin\nwith a 24 hour fast. Drink at least 5, if possible, 8 tumblers of pure\nwater at frequent intervals slowly. Keep yourself gently active and\noccupied the whole day, mentally and physically. You may feel a feeling\nof faintness, all-goneness and an irresistible craving for food. These\nare mischievous pranks of a cultivated and pampered and artificial\nappetite. Drink water slowly but don't give your body anything else.\nAlways keep before yourself the distinction between the regal \"I--am--I\"\nthe soul and the carnal, sensating animal known as the body. The great\npoint of achievement during a fast lies in thinking high thoughts and\nforgetting the demands of the flesh. Don't think of your fast. If you\ndo think say to yourself \"this is to develop my will.\" Breathe plenty of\nfresh air. Exercise gently and walk. I have seen educated men afraid to\ngo out for a walk during a day's religious fast \"lest they should feel\nhungry.\" O shame! You can't control a little hunger! You should\nbathe daily thoroughly early in the morning, fast or no fast.\n\nAnd don't be afraid. \"Man liveth not by bread alone but by very\nword that proceeds from the mouth of God\"--said Christ. Starvation\nmay kill off your body but not fasting. Deny the power of all disease\nand weakness over yourself. Your mind is master of your body. Assert\nthis mental control. Lastly, during a fast, your body is sensitive to\nyour suggestions. Fill your mind with incessant affirmations of courage.\nThink courage, say courage, act courage. Take time by the forelock.\nForce your suggestions upon body and brain right now.\n\nHOW TO BREAK A FAST.\n\nWhen breaking a fast, be sure to control re-action. Eat very lightly\nand only sensible food. Now that you have a clean body, stay clean\nYou can train yourself to fast for 40 days at a stretch.\n\nTRANSMUTING SEX-ENERGY.\n\nHere is some sensible advice from a leading thinker and teacher:\nTo be a perfect Bramhacharin (a regenerate).\n\n1. You must have a clean, healthy body; 2. Good breathing capacity and\nsome control over same; 3. A strong will such as can move body and mind;\n4. Assiduous cultivation of the intellectual side; 5. Control over\nemotions; 6. A fearless mind; 7. Great determination; 8. and abstemious\nliving and high thinking.\n\nThe Yogis possess great knowledge regarding the use and abuse of\nthe reproductive principle in both sexes. Some hints of this esoteric\nknowledge have filtered out and have been used by Western writers on\nthe subject, and much good has been accomplished in this way. In this\nlittle book we cannot do more than touch upon the subject, and omitting\nall except a bare mention of theory, we will give a practical breathing\nexercise whereby the student will be enabled to transmute the\nre-productive energy into vitality for the entire system, instead of\ndissipating and wasting it in lustful indulgence in or out of the\nmarriage relations. The reproductive energy is creative energy, and may\nbe taken up by the system and transmuted into strength and vitality, thus\nserving the purpose of regeneration instead of generation. If the young\nmen of the Western world understood these underlying principles they\nwould be saved much misery and unhappiness in after years, and would be\nstronger mentally, morally and physically.\n\nThis transmutation of the reproductive energy gives more vitality to\nthose practising it. They will be filled with great vital force, which\nwill radiate from them and will manifest in what has been called\n\"personal magnetism.\" The energy thus transmuted may be turned into new\nchannels and used to great advantage. Nature has condensed one of its\nmost powerful manifestations of prana into productive energy, as its\npurpose is to create. The greatest amount of vital force is concentrated\nin the smallest area. The re-productive organism is the most powerful\nstorage factory in animal life, and its force can be drawn upward and\nused, as well as expended in the ordinary functions of reproduction, or\nwasted in vicious lust. The majority of our students know something of\nthe theories of regeneration, and we can do little more than to state the\nabove facts, without attempting to prove them.\n\nThe Yogi exercise for transmuting re-productive energy is simple. It is\ncoupled with rhythmic breathing, and can be easily performed. It may be\npractised at any time, but is especially recommended when one feels the\ninstinct more strongly, at which time the re-productive energy is\nmanifesting and may be most easily transmuted for regenerative purpose.\nThe exercise is as follows:--\n\nKeep the mind fixed on the idea of energy, and away from ordinary\nsexual thoughts and imaginings. If these thoughts come into the mind\ndo not be discouraged, but regard them as manifestations of a force which\nyou intend using for the purpose of strengthening the body and mind.\nLie passively or sit erect, and fix your mind on the idea of drawing the\nre-productive energy upward to the Solar Plexus, where it will be\ntransmuted and stored away as a reserve force of vital energy. Then\nbreathe rhythmically, forming the mental image of drawing up the\nre-productive energy with each inhalation. With each inhalation make a\ncommand of the Will that the energy be drawn upward from the\nre-productive organisation to the Solar Plexus. If the rhythm is fairly\nestablished and the mental image is clear, you will be conscious of the\nupward passage of the energy, and will feel its stimulating effect. If\nyou desire an increase in mental force, you may draw it up to the brain\ninstead of to the Solar Plexus, by giving the mental command and holding\nthe mental image of the transmission to the brain.\n\nThe man or woman doing mental creative work, or bodily creative work will\nbe able to use this creative energy in their work by following the above\nexercise, drawing up the energy with the inhalation and sending it forth\nwith the exhalation. In this last form of exercise only such portions as\nare needed in the work will pass into the work being done, the balance\nremaining stored up in the Solar Plexus.\n\nYou will understand, of course, that it is not the reproductive fluids\nwhich are drawn up and used, but the etheric prana energy which animates\nthe latter, the soul of the reproductive organism, as it were. It is\nusual to allow the head to bend forward easily and naturally during the\ntransmuting exercise.\n\nPractise this Breathing Exercise sturdily. Be heroic. Learn to make 100\nPranayams at a sitting, but do not rush things. Deep breathing exercise,\nWill-Culture, regular Meditation and a clean normal mode of living when\ncombined with much thinking will surely awaken your Latent Powers. Be not\nworried if progress be a bit slow at first. Keep up cheerful and work\npatiently. Things cannot but come your way if you don't give up but\npreserve to the last. Have infinite and unbounded faith in yourself. And,\nlastly, if you want to grow space in Wisdom and Power, persevere in deep\nbreathing. Pranayam is the key to all spiritual success. \"Spirituality is\nfullness of Breath.\" Almost all forms or Mental and physical weakness are\ndue to imperfect and shallow breathing. Of all these instructions you\npractise nothing but the Breathing Exercise, your gain shall be great but\nin order to get all the results you must practise all the instructions\nregularly and methodically.\n\nYour sex-force is under the direction of your sub-conscious mind which is\nquite amenable to your authoritative suggestions. Get control through\nyour sub-consciousness. All you have to do is to let it to do its own\nwork without adverse and negative suggestions and fear-thoughts. Say \"No\"\nvigorously to all adverse thoughts and shake them off from you. All\nhealth comes by letting nature alone.\n\nBREATHING EXERCISE.\n\nFind a quiet place as far as possible, where the air is pure and the\nsurroundings soothing and pleasant. After a bath or a thorough rubbing\nof the body from top to toe, with a wet towel, on an empty stomach,\ntake this exercise: Send a current of holy thought to everyone, on\nplanes seen and unseen, north and south, east and west, engage in\nmeditation--take anyone of the meditation exercises you like. When you\nare perfectly calm and relaxed, seat yourself cross-legged, assuming any\nposture that comes easiest to you, with head, neck and chest held in a\nstraight line and the weight of the upper parts of the body resting on\nribs. Keep the region about the waist quite free. Loosen the cloth there\nout and out. Now inhale air slowly and steadily through right nostril\nafter closing left nostril with your finger as long as it takes to count\nsixteen mentally. Close both nostrils, holding the inspired air within\nand count sixty-four. Then very slowly exhale the air through the left\nnostril for as long as it takes to count thirty-two. You must begin with\na 4 second inhalation, 16 second retention and 8 second exhalation.\nInstead of dry counting you might improve yourself decidedly by repeating\nthe word \"Fearless\" as many times holding mentally that dominant idea\nback of the word. Practise 5 pranayamas mornings and evenings for one\nweek daily. Increase to 10 next week. Work up to 20. Go slowly. Practise\nas long as you like, but not less than 6 months. Be serious and earnest.\nThis is not for non-serious minds. This exercise will augment digestive\npower, steady heart-action, make the body light and the mind calm. It\nshall help also miraculously in your Soul-Unfoldment. During this\npractice be pure in all ways. Observe Bramhacharya. Practice mental\nconcentration and spiritual meditation. Don't talk much with others.\nDon't encourage any but holy society. Don't sleep much. Don't work very\nhard. Keep your emotions well-in-hand. Be always engaged mentally\nand physically. Be hopeful and cheerful. Never encourage negative\nthinking. It shall do wonders for you.\n\nPHYSICAL EXERCISE.\n\nExercise No. 1.\n\nStand straight, facing a corner of the room with bare feet about 14 or 15\ninches from the corner itself, arms straight out, even with shoulders or\nperhaps two inches below, hands resting on the two-side walls, chest out,\nabdomen in. Now lean forward towards the corner, without moving the feet\nor bending the knees. Aim lightly to touch the corner with the chest,\nwhile holding the head and abdomen as far back from the corner as\npossible, arms and hands slipping forward on the walls in a straight line\nwith shoulders. Resume first position without moving the feet or lowering\nthe arms, and repeat. Make the forward movement slowly, at the same time\ninhaling through nostrils a slow, full breath; put your whole effort into\nstretching the chest forward and upward (careful not to bruise yourself\nagainst wall) and head and abdomen backward, thus straightening the back\nat the shoulders. Hold the chest to the corner a moment, holding the\nbreath likewise, then slowly resume original upright position, slowly\nexhaling through slightly open lips at the same time bending the head\nforward towards the chest. As you lean forward toward the corner,\nmentally keep count of your exercise one, two, three, etc. As you resume\nthe upright position, exhaling and bending the head forward mentally,\naffirm \"I am fearless, pure, strong.\" Make these movements always slowly,\ndeliberately, with the closest attention. Begin with 5 or 6 movements and\nraise to 20 at a time.\n\nExercise No. 2.\n\nStand straight about two feet from the wall. Place the palms on the\nwall-level with the shoulders. Without moving the feet or bending the\nbody, lean forward slowly, inhaling slowly as you do so, until the\nchest touches the wall, head back; then push yourself slowly to an\nupright position slowly exhaling as you do so. Repeat 10 times or more.\n\nExercise No. 3.\n\nClasp the hands behind. As you slowly inhale extend the clasped hand\nslowly downwards as far as possible, straightening arms at elbow and\nlowering shoulders as much as possible, at the same time extending\nand lifting the chest as far as you can. Hold the breath and the position\na moment only, shoulders down, chest out and up, abdomen in, then release\nthe hand and slowly exhale. A rather vigorous exercise. So go slowly.\n\nExercise No. 4.\n\nStand straight, arms extended even with the shoulders, head up;\ntense muscles of right arm doubling slowly at elbow and hand only, until\nthe clenched fist touches the shoulders; at the same time tensing the\nneck muscles, chin up, and turning the head slowly to face the clenched\nfist. Repeat with the left arm. The arms from shoulder to elbow must\nbe kept in a horizontal position.\n\nExercise No. 5.\n\nStand straight, hands at sides. Bend as far over to the right as\npossible, slowly; then to the left as far as possible. Repeat 10 times.\n\nExercise No. 6.\n\nStand straight, arms at sides. Lean as far forward as you can without\nbending the knees and roll the body clear around in a circle to the\nright, arms and body as limp as possible. Repeat 5 times. Then roll\nfive times to the left.\n\nExercise No. 7.\n\nStand straight. Extend arms easily in front. Wave them backwards and\nupwards in a sort of reversed swimming movement, until they meet\noverhead; at the same time bending backward as far as possible slowly\ninhale a full breath. Now bend forward, exhaling breath, taking care not\nto bend the knees, until your fingers touch your toes, head hanging as\nlow as possible, toes and head as limp as possible, fingers reaching\ntowards the floor. Repeat upright position. Keep the knees straight\nthroughout. Aim to stretch the entire body and hands upward and backward\nas far as possible, with the upward motion of the arms. If you can't\ntouch the floor without bending the knees, just come as near it as you\ncan. Practice will limber you up until you can touch it.\n\nExercise No. 8.\n\nLie full length on the back of the floor, hands clasped under head.\nTense the muscles of the right leg, raising the knee slowly until it\ntouches or almost touches the body, at the same time bending the foot\ndownward as far as possible, stretching the toes towards the floor. Now\nslowly lower the right leg, still tense, towards the floor, straightening\nthe knee and turning the toe upward towards the body. As the right\nleg is being lowered, raise the left one upward in the same way tensing\nthe muscles, knee to chest, toes stretching upward; as the left leg goes\ndown, point the toes and foot toward the knee 5 times, increasing\ngradually to 10 times.\n\n\nPHYSICAL EXERCISES.\n\nSERIES 2.\n\n\nExercise I.\n\n(1) Extend the arms straight out in front of you, on the level of\nthe shoulder, with palms of the hand touching each other; (2) swing\nback the hands until the arms stand out straight, sideways, from the\nshoulders or even a little further back if they will go there easily\nwithout forcing; return briskly to position 1, and repeat several times.\nThe arms should be swung with a rapid movement and with animation and\nlife. Do not go to sleep over the work or rather play. This exercise is\nmost useful in developing the chest, muscles of the shoulders, etc. In\nswinging the hands backward, it is an improvement if you will rise on\nyour toe during the backward sweep; sinking on your heels as you move the\narms forward again. The repeated movements should be rhythmical, backward\nand forward, like the swinging of a quick pendulum.\n\nExercise II.\n\n(1) Extend the arms straight in front of you, letting the little fingers\nof each hand touch each other, the palms being upward; (2) then keeping\nthe little fingers still touching, bring the hands straight up in a\ncurved circular movement, until the tips of the fingers of both hands\ntouch the top of the head back of the forehead, the backs of the fingers\ntouching, the elbows swinging out as the movement is made until (when\nthe fingers touch the head, with thumbs pointing the rear) they point\nout straight sideways; (3) let the fingers rest on the top of the head a\nmoment, and then with the elbows pressing back (which forces the\nshoulders back) force the arms backward with an oblique motion until\nthey reach the sides at full length, as in the standing position.\n\n\nExercise III.\n\n(1) Extend the arms straight out, sideways, from the shoulders;\n(2) then, still keeping the upper arms extended in same position, bend\nthe arms at the elbow and bring the forearm upward with a circular\nmovement, until the tips of the extended fingers lightly touch the tops\nof the shoulders; (3) then with fingers in the last position, force the\nelbows out to the front until they touch, or nearly go (a little practice\nwill enable you to touch them together); (4) then, keeping the fingers\nstill lightly touching the tops of the shoulders, swinging the elbows as\nfar back as you can get them. (A little practice will enable you to get\nthem much farther back than at the first attempt.) (S) Swing the elbows\nto the front position and then back to the rear position, several times.\n\nExercise IV.\n\n(1) Place the hands on the hips, thumbs to the rear, and elbows pressed\nback; (2) bend the body forward, from the hips as far as you can, keeping\nthe chest protruding and the shoulders pressed back; (3) raise the body\nto the original standing position (hands still at the hips) and then bend\nbackward. In these movements the knees should not be bent and the motions\nshould be made slowly and gently; (4) then (hands still on the hips) bend\ngently to the right, keeping the heels firmly on the ground, knees unbent\nand avoid twisting the body; (5) resume original position, and then bend\nthe body gently to the left, observing the precautions given in the last\nmovement. This exercise is somewhat fatiguing and you should be careful\nnot to overdo it at the start. Proceed gradually; (6) with hands in same\nposition on the hips, swing the upper part of the body around in a\ncircle, from the waist-up, the head describing the largest circle, of\ncourse. Do not move the feet or bend the knees.\n\nExercise V.\n\n(1) Standing erect, with hands on hips, raise yourself on the balls\nof the feet several times, with sort of a springing motion. Pause a\nmoment after you have raised upon your toes, then let the heels sink to\nthe floor, then repeat, as above suggested. Keep the knees unbent and the\nheels together. This exercise is specially beneficial in developing the\ncalf of the leg, and will make it sure the first few times it is tried.\nIf you have an undeveloped calf here is the exercises for you; (2) with\nhands still on hips place your feet about two feet apart, and then cover\nthe body into a \"squatting\" position, pausing a moment and then resuming\noriginal position. Repeat several times, but not too often at the first,\nas it will make the thighs feel a little sore at the beginning. This\nexercise will give one well developed thighs. This last movement may be\nimproved upon by sinking down with the weight resting upon the balls of\nthe foot, instead of upon the heel.\n\nExercise VI.\n\n(1) Stand erect with hands on hips; (2) keeping the knee straight,\nswing the right leg out about fifteen inches (keeping the toe turned a\nlittle out and the sole flat)--then swing back to the rear until the toe\npoints straight to the ground, _keeping the knee stiff all the time_; (3)\nrepeat the swinging backward and forward several times; (4) then do\nthe same with the left leg; (5) with hands still on hips, raise the right\nleg up, bending the knee, until the upper-leg (thigh) stands straight out\nfrom the body (if you can raise it still higher, you may do so); (6)\nplace your foot again on the ground, and go through the same motion\nwith the left leg; (7) repeat several times, first one leg and then the\nother, moving slowly at first and gradually increasing your speed until\nyou are executing a slow trot without moving from the over spot.\n\nExercise VII.\n\n(1) Stand erect, with the arms extended straight in front of you, from\nthe shoulders, and of course on a level with the shoulders--the palms\nmust be down, fingers straight out, thumbs folded under and the thumb\nside of hands touching each other; (2) bend the body forward from the\nhips, stooping forward as far as possible and at the same time swing the\narms forward with a sweeping movement, sending them down, backward and\nupward at the back, so that when the body has reached the limit of the\nbending forward movement the arms are extended back and over the\nbody--keep the arms stiff and do not bend the knees; (3) resume standing\nposition and repeat several times.\n\nExercise VIII.\n\n(1) Extend the arms straight, sideways, from the shoulder and hold them\nthere stiff and rigid with hands open; (2) close the hands forcibly\nwith a quick motion, pressing the fingers well into the palm; (3) open\nthe hands forcibly and quickly, spreading out the fingers and thumbs\nas widely as possible forming a fan shaped hand; (4) close and open\nthe hands as above stated, several times, as rapidly as possible. Put\nlife into the exercise. This is a splendid exercise for developing the\nmuscles of the hand and for acquiring manual dexterity.\n\nExercise IX.\n\n(1) Lie upon your stomach, extending your arms above your head and then\nbowed upward and your legs stretched out full length and raised backward\nand upward. The correct position may be carried in the mind by imagining\na watch--crystal or a saucer resting on the table on its middle, with\nboth ends turning upward; (2) lower and raise the arms and legs, several\ntimes; (3) then turn over on your back and lie extended at full length,\nwith arms extended straight out upwards over the head, with back of\nfingers touching the ground; (4) then raise up both legs from the waist\nuntil they stand straight up in the air, like the mast of a ship, your\nupper-body and arms remaining in the last position named. Lower the legs\nand raise them several times; (5) resume position 3, lying flat upon the\nback at full with arms extended straight out upward, over the head, with\nbacks of fingers touching the ground; (6) then gradually raise body to\nsitting position, with arms projecting straight in front of the\nshoulders. Then go back gradually to the lying down position, and\nrepeat the raising and lowering several times; (7) then turn over on the\nface and stomach again and assume the following position:--Keeping\nthe body rigid from head to foot, raise your body until its weight rests\nupon your palms (the arms being stretched out straight in front of you)\nat one end, and upon your toes at the other end. Then gradually bend\narms at the elbow, allowing your chest to sink to the floor; then raise\nup your chest and upper-body by straightening out your arms, the entire\nweight falling upon the arms, with the toes as a pivot--this last is a\ndifficult motion, and should not be overdone at first.\n\nExercise X.\n\nThis exercise is for those troubled with a too large abdomen, which\ntrouble is caused by too much fat gathering there. The abdomen may\nbe materially reduced by a reasonable indulgence in this exercise--but\nalways remember \"moderation in all things\" and do not overdo matters,\nor be in too much of a hurry. Here is the exercise: (1) exhale the breath\n(breathe out all the air in the lungs, without straining yourself too\nmuch) and then draw the abdomen in and up as far as you can, then hold\nfor a moment and let it resume its natural position. Repeat a number of\ntimes and then take a breath or two and rest a moment. Repeat several\ntimes, moving it in and out. It is surprising how much control one may\ngain over these stubborn muscles with a little practice. This exercise\nwill not only reduce the fatty layers over the abdomen, but will also\ngreatly strengthen the stomach muscles. (2) Give the abdomen a good but\nnot rough kneading and rubbing.\n\nExercise XI.\n\nThe exercise is as follows:--Follow it carefully. (1) stand erect, with\nheels together, toes slightly pointed outward; (2) raise the arms up by\nthe sides (with a circular movement) until the hands meet over the head,\nthumbs touching each other; (3) keeping the knees stiff; the body rigid;\n_the elbows unbent_; (and shoulders bent well back as the movement is\nmade); bring down the hands, slowly, with a sideway circular motion,\nuntil they reach the sides of the legs the little finger and the\ninner-edge (the \"chopping-edge\") of the hand alone touching the legs, and\npalms of the hands facing straight to the front. The shoulder gets the\nright position by touching the little finger of each hand to the seam of\nthe trousers. (4) Repeat several times, _slowly_ remember. With the hands\nin the last position, having been placed there by the motion stated, it\nis very difficult for the shoulders to warp forward. The chest is\nprojected a little; the head is erect; neck is straight, the back\nstraight and hollowed a little (the natural position); and the knees are\nstraight. In short, you have a fine, erect carriage--_now keep it_.\n\n\nSEVEN MINOR BREATHING EXERCISES.\n\nExercise I.\n\n(1) Stand erect with hands at sides. (2) Inhale complete breath.\n(3) Raise the arms slowly, keeping them rigid until the hands touch over\nhead. (4) Retain the breath a few minutes with hands over head. (5)\nLower hands slowly to sides exhaling slowly at the same time. (6)\nPractise cleansing breath.\n\nExercise II.\n\n(1) Stand erect with arms straight in front of you. (2) Inhale\ncomplete breath and retain. (3) Swing arms back as far as they will go;\nthen back to first position; then repeat several times, retaining the\nbreath all the while. (4) Exhale vigorously through mouth. (5) Practise\ncleansing breath.\n\nExercise III.\n\n(1) Stand erect with arms straight in front of you. (2) Inhale complete\nbreath. (3) Swing arms around in a circle, backward, a few times. Then\nreverse a few times retaining the breath all the while. You may vary this\nby rotating them alternately like the sails of a wind-mill. (4) Exhale\nthe breath vigorously through the mouth. (5) Practise cleansing breath.\n\nExercise IV.\n\n(1) Lie on the floor with your face downward, and palms of hands flat\nupon the floor by your sides. (2) Inhale complete breath and retain.\n(3) Stiffen the body and raise yourself up by the strength of your arms\nuntil you rest on your hands and toes. (4) Then lower yourself to\noriginal position. Repeat several times. (5) Exhale vigorously through\nthe mouth. (6) Practise cleansing breath.\n\nExercise V.\n\n(1) Stand erect with your palms against the wall. (2) Inhale complete\nbreath and retain. (3) Lower the chest to the wall, resting your\nweight on your hands. (4) Then raise yourself back with the arm muscles\nalone, keeping the body stiff. (5) Exhale vigorously through the mouth.\n(6) Practise cleansing breath.\n\nExercise VI.\n\n(1) Stand erect with arms \"akimbo\" that is with hands resting around the\nwaist and elbows standing out. (2) Inhale complete breath and retain. (3)\nKeep legs and hips stiff and bend well forward, as if bowing, at the same\ntime exhaling slowly. (4) Return to first position and then take another\ncomplete breath. (5) Then bend backward exhaling slowly. (6) Return to\nfirst position and take a complete breath. (7) Then bend sideways\nexhaling slowly (vary by bending to right and then to left). (8) Practise\ncleansing breath.\n\nExercise VII.\n\n(1) Stand erect or sit erect with straight spinal column. (2) Inhale a\ncomplete breath but instead of inhaling on a continuous steady stream,\ntake a series of short, quick \"sniffs\" as if you were smelling aromatic\nsalts and ammonia and did not wish to get too strong a \"whiff.\" Do not\nexhale any of these little breaths, but add one to the other until the\nentire lung space is filled. (3) Retain for a few seconds. (4) Exhale\nthrough the nostrils in a long restful breath. (5) Practise cleansing\nbreath.\n\n\nWHEN YOU ARE IN TRAINING.\n\nDo not attempt to take all the above exercises at one and the same\ntime. Take them several times in the day. Never exercise immediately\nafter a meal or before it. Do not try to force development as you will\nbe apt to suffer from re-action. Slow and steady wins the race. Gentle\nand persistent exercises are advisable. That will lead to permanent\ndevelopment.\n\n\nEFFECT OF MIND AND BODY.\n\nIt has been proved conclusively even on the physical plane that a\n\"a Man thinketh in his heart so is he.\" The great thing to avoid is Fear\nand Worry thoughts. These and all other undesirable thoughts are due\nto bad health partially but it is even a greater truth that physical\ndegeneration is due to bad thinking. Fear affects the heart. During\nepidemics such as plague, cholera, etc., you generally first project the\ndeadly germs of Fear-Thoughts upon yourself and thus by weakening your\nmind you weaken your body and expose yourself to disease influence.\nAgain, if you have some hereditary disease and if you accept adverse\nsuggestions from ignorant people and keep telling yourself that such and\nsuch a disease has taken shelter in you and your body as its \"fixed\nabode\" you simply hasten your own end. The body and mind are\ninterrelated. Thoughts materialize themselves in your body. You should\nget as far away from the idea of disease and old age and weaknesses as\npossible and hold the health-thoughts steadily before your mind. The only\nway in which to be quite immune from Disease is to Deny the Power of\nDisease on yourself. Say \"I cannot be ill,\" \"I will not admit disease.\"\nHealth and strength are in the unyielding will. De-hypnotise yourself\nof that superstition that God sends disease. Your body is yours to\ncontrol and keep healthy. God will give you--(He has already given you\nrather)--the Power to control your body. Remember always; you alone can\nsave yourself. All Power and Wisdom are potentially resident in you.\nHave confidence and set that thing in motion, exercise it constantly and\npersistently and it shall grow and unfold. God is in you and you are in\nGod. When you pray you are simply, although often unconsciously, helping\nthat Latent Power to uncoil itself. Remember again: God will grant you\nthe opportunity, the means, the wisdom, the ability to accomplish a\nthing, but You Shall Have to do the work yourself. Hence, you see, the\nillumined mind is quite necessary for perfect health. Get rid of all weak\nthoughts. Have a strong mind. Remember lastly:\n\n\nMIND ACTS UPON BODY IN ALL WAYS.\n\nMake your mind positive to your body. I have told you how to do so.\nPhysical exercise plus Mental Exercise will put you on the road to\nPower and Poise. And side by side with this follow health-laws. But\nbear in mind that if you assert your power on your mind and body\nconfidentially, they cannot but obey your commands. The body has an\nintelligence of its own. This intelligence knows its work perfectly. It\nis what you call Instinct. It digests your meals; assimilates and\neliminates; repairs wastes; works the heart and controls the circulation;\nheals wounds and presides over all other natural and involuntary\nprocesses in the body. This Instinctive mind knows its work perfectly.\nBut, mark you, this intelligence in the cells and nerve-centres of your\nbody is negative to the Central Intelligence in the brain--the\ncontrolling centre--the \"I Am\" and is affected by suggestions, beliefs\nand thoughts in your brain. All you have got to do is to avoid projecting\nnegative thoughts from your mind and let it alone. But suppose you have\nby violation of the Laws of Nature disturbed the action of the\nInstinctive Mind, disease results. Disease is simply the effect of nature\nto throw off unnatural conditions and re-assert natural conditions. In\nsuch a case all you have got to do is to re-establish natural states. You\ncan do so by simply increasing the general vitality of the body and by\nchanging your Mental Attitude. For instance, if you somehow or other have\naccepted the \"belief\" that your stomach is weak or your heart is weak or\nyour liver is slow or your circulation is bad or your vitality is low,\netc., your instinctive Mind will take up your Beliefs and work them out\nin no time physically. The Instinctive Mind--which is the same as the\nsub-conscious Mind working in the body--_never reasons_. It is on the\nplane of Automatism. Therefore, if you have done any such negative\nthinking your first step is to wipe out these noxious mental weeds by the\nPositive Denial. Say \"No, No, No, my body is strong; my stomach is\nstrong, my heart is strong, etc.\" In this form of suggestion you use\npositive Denial as well as Positive Affirmation. The former is\ndestructive of evil if rightly applied, the latter is constructive of\ngood. Belief and confident expectation are mighty forces. Be sure you\napply them wisely. The power of mind over matter is supreme and a Proven\nReality.\n\n\nRESERVE FORCE.\n\nHere I should like to draw your attention to the Reserve Power existing\nin your body. Of course there are soul-powers existing potentially\nwithin YOU which leap into brilliant expression as you succeed in\ndeveloping and expanding your brain to a state of perfect responsiveness\nto the touch of your will. For really and truly your will, forming as it\ndoes the divine part of yourself, is always strong and must unfold \"as a\nrose\" by exercising itself, in the field of matter, force and mind;--all\nof which are subordinate to YOU and the real aim of human evolution is\nactually to place in your hands the wand of power.\n\nWhat is within your body is sure to find its correspondent outside in\nNature. Control nature inside and you will move as a master out in this\nuniverse.\n\nNow without going into details let me tell you--if you do not know it\nalready--that mind is the finest form of matter, and matter the grossest\nform of mind, and there is a constant interaction between the two poles.\nBut since mind represents the positive end and matter the negative, the\nformer can dominate the latter. You can evoke states of consciousness by\napplying stimulus to the periphery and again mental states evoke\ncorresponding vibrations in the cellular life of body and brain.\n\nHence you see your mind controls and forms your body. Also your body\nreacts upon your brain and affects that part of your mind which has to\noperate through the brain, which is matter pure and simple. So to keep\naright the polarities of your brain and body a constant adjustment of\nforces is needed and thus you can establish POISE.\n\nIn order always to be in a state of perfect health two things are\nnecessary. Deny the power of disease over yourself. In the unyielding\nwill is health. In the weak, vacillating, fearful mind is disease and\ndeath. At the same time always be in perfect magnetic trim with the\nphysical laws of health. A knowledge of the latter and the ascension of a\nfearless mental attitude will open up hitherto unrecognised channels of\nphysical and mental expression. Physiological researches have led sincere\ninvestigators to the inevitable conclusion that there is subtle, refined,\ndynamic substance, a reality that binds up the reorganization, causes\ngrowth, vitality and motion; repairs injuries; makes up losses; overcomes\nand cures diseases. Von Helment called it \"Archeus\"; Stahl called it\n\"Anima;\" Whytt called it the \"sentiment principle;\" Dr. Cullen called it\n\"Caloric;\" Dr. Darwin called it \"Sensorial energy\"; Rush called it\n\"Occult cause;\" and many other names such as \"Vital Principle,\" \"Living\npower,\" \"Conservative Power,\" \"Odic Force,\" etc., etc., have been given\nto it. We of India have recognised it and devised Yoga methods for\ncontrolling it; we call it Prana and only in India do you come across men\nwho possess pranic control or control over universal energy.\n\nThere exists in your physical organism reserve stores of vital energy\nstored away for your use, particularly in that central ganglion of your\nvital battery known as the Solar Plexus and generally in the chain of\nganglia or storage batteries along and up your spine and elsewhere in\nother nerve-centres. The solar plexus is also known as the Abdominal\nBrain and your brain depends and draws upon this vital centre for its\nenergies. You will find after the prolonged concentration and brain-work\nthat this part of your body--at the back of pit of stomach--becomes\nwarm. Now when you engage in physical exercise, for instance, you must\nhave noticed how at first you soon get tired and all done up. But if you\nwait a little and then start again, you will find how the sense of\nfatigue has quite passed away and you can run your body under full\npressure for a very long time, and the more you exert yourself the\ngreater and more powerful the surging up of your vital energy. With each\nnew exertion you seem to acquire a fresh start. This has puzzled\nphysiologists. You will find a parallel phenomenon in mental work. You\nmay experience a sense of weariness and fatigue in some brain-work which\ndemands close thinking and attention, but if you attack your work a\nlittle later after the first effort you will do your work a surprising\ndegree of freshness, vigour, and enthusiasm far surpassing the original\nattempt. Again everyone can and does put forth universal energy under\npressure of some urgent necessity, which will startle even himself. No\nmatter who you are and what your physical condition, there is an enormous\namount of power in your body that has never been drawn upon at all\nand impatiently waiting for up-call. We go on in ordinary dog trot pace,\nresting, limping, \"taking care of our health,\" and then we think we are\ndoing our best. Do not permit your mind to be self-hypnotised into a\nfalse sense of being \"exhausted\" and \"old.\" Neither of them is a fact\nexcept in your thought of yourself. All your powers are lying dormant.\nAll your latent energies are lying unused. Back of your conscious\nmentality are tremendous energies awaiting the pull of your will. When\nyour brain conceives of being something unusually great, at least so it\nmay appear from your view-point, do not question your strength but go\nahead unhesitatingly, fearlessly and steadily. Assert your life-force.\nFeel that you are young, strong and healthy and fit. Live in mental\nconsciousness of power and never think of weakness. Keep your grip and\nrun right along. Nature is sure to honor your draft. Nature is sure to\ngive you strength, energy and vim, in boundless measure. Just try this\nmy friends, you, who write me of \"there being a serious lack of vitality\"\nin your system and hence your inability to grapple with the occult. No\nsuch thing. Fact is you lack courage and initiative, pluck and \"go\" and\nyou are labouring under the hypnotism of weakening thoughts. Just change\nyour thoughts, and your reserve forces will rush out into activity\nand you will be a changed man in no time.\n\n\nHOW TO EXERCISE.\n\nIn exercising aim at rhythm of motion. Let your movements be easy,\nregular, rhythmic and graceful. Take an interest in your work. Do pay\nattention. Put Will-Power and Mind into your work. Think of all it means.\nDo not fatigue yourself unduly. After exercise towelling or a spray-bath\nis advisable. Wet your towel, pass it over your body, rubbing thoroughly.\nRaise the towel and repeat. After exercise and towelling, you should be\nin a splendid glow. Be sure to keep the windows open when exercising.\nFresh air is an absolute necessity. Never mind about cold and so forth.\nRemember the Positive Denial will fill you with Power of Resistance. Say\n\"Cold cannot affect my body\" and believe what you say. You can face\nanything in this way and remain untouched.\n\n\nBATHING AND LINEN.\n\nThe student should bathe daily, using plenty of water, rubbing and\ncleaning the body from top to toe. I myself bathe very early in the\nmorning, in all seasons, in cold water. Cold water stimulates circulation\nand is a wonderful tonic internally and externally. Warm water is\nsoothing and relaxing in its effect. If you can bathe in the flowing\nwater of a river, so much the better. Swimming is a wonderful bracer,\nbesides being an enjoyment in itself. There is Prana in water and your\nbody extracts this Prana from air, water and food. I cannot give you\ninstructions as to different forms of bathing, as this is not a \"doctor\"\nbook. As far as possible bathe twice a day, mornings and evenings; if\nnot, once in the morning, using the towel at other times. Bathing is not\nmerely pouring water on body but cleansing it out and out with water\nrubbing and scrubbing with hands and towels. Aim at perfect cleanliness.\nCleanliness is Godliness and Health is Holiness.\n\nThen again while bathing if you let the water flow over your body\nand try to \"appreciate the sensation\" and dwell on the idea of\nPrana-absorption from water, you shall get double benefit.\n\nAbout linen--_Be neat_, for God's sake. I have seen orthodox people\nwho bathe twice and wash their hands hundreds of times in the day, but\nwhose clothes are sticky with dirt, sweat and oil. Whatever else it may\nmean, Religion does not mean squalor, offensive odours in body and\nclothes and general neglect of external clean linen and dirt. The Yogi\nis a man of supreme REFINEMENT. Read that word and understand all it\nmeans. The clothes you wear in day-time should not be worn at night. Be\nclean internally as well externally. Be clean. Be clean. Be clean, within\nas well as without.\n\n\nDRINKING WATER AND SWALLOWING AIR.\n\nYour body needs a reasonable supply of water and air. Water is used by\nnature in different ways. Form the habit of drinking pure water from\n5 to 8 tumblers a day. Drink slowly and form a mental image of\nPrana-absorption from the water.\n\nThe student needs fresh air too in plenty. If your heart and lungs\nare in sound condition they will draw in air naturally and extract oxygen\nin proper quantities. If not, perform the following exercises carefully\none by one in the open air every day. They are quite reliable.\n\n\nTHE YOGI CLEANSING BREATH.\n\n(1) Inhale a complete breath. (2) Retain the air a few seconds.\n(3) Pucker up the lips as if for a whistle (but do not swell out the\ncheeks) then exhale a little air through the opening with considerable\nvigor. Then stop for a moment retaining the air and then exhale a little\nmore air. Repeat until the air is completely exhaled. Remember that\nconsiderable vigor is to be used in exhaling air through the opening in\nthe lips. This breath will be found quite refreshing when one is tired\nand generally \"used up.\" A trial will convince the student of its merits.\nThis exercise should be practised until it can be performed naturally and\neasily, as it is used to finish up a number of other exercises given in\nthis book and it should be thoroughly understood.\n\n\nNERVE VITALISING BREATH.\n\n(1) Stand erect. (2) Inhale a complete breath and retain same. (3) Extend\nthe arms straight in front of you, letting them somewhat limp and\nrelaxed, with only sufficient nerve force to hold them out. (4) Slowly\ndraw the hands back towards the shoulders gradually, contracting the\nmuscles and putting force into them, so that when they reach the\nshoulders the fists will be so tightly clenched that a tremulous motion\nis felt. (5) Then keeping the muscles tense push the fists slowly out and\nthen draw them back rapidly (still tense) several times. (6) Exhale\nvigorously through the mouth. (7) Practise the cleansing breath. (8)\nThe efficiency of this exercise depends greatly upon the speed of the\ndrawing back of the fists, and the tension of the muscles, and, of course\nupon the full lungs. This exercise must be tried to be appreciated. It\nis without equal as a \"bracer\" as our western friends put it.\n\n\nTHE VOCAL BREATH.\n\n(1) Inhale a complete breath very slowly, but steadily, through the\nnostrils, taking as much time as possible in the inhalation. (2) Retain\nfor a few seconds. (3) Expel the air vigorously in one great breath,\nthrough the wide-opened mouth. (4) Rest the lungs by the cleansing\nbreath. This would give you a good, rolling voice.\n\n\nTHE RETAINED BREATH.\n\n(1) Stand erect. (2) Inhale a complete breath. (3) Retain the\nbreath as long as you can comfortably. (4) Exhale vigorously through\nthe open mouth. (5) Practise the cleansing breath. At first you will\nbe able to retain the breath only a short time, but a little practise\nwill also show a great improvement. Time yourself with a watch, if you\nwish to note your progress.\n\n\nCELL STIMULATION.\n\n(1) Stand erect with hands in sides. (2) Breathe in very slowly and\ngradually. (3) While inhaling, gently tap the chest with the fingertips,\nconstantly changing position. (4) When the lungs are filled, retain the\nbreath and the chest with the palms of the hands. (5) Practise the\ncleansing breath.\n\n\nRIB STRETCHING.\n\n(1) Stand erect. (2) Place the hands one on each side of the body\nas high up in the armpits as convenient, the thumbs reaching towards\nthe back, the palms on the side of the chest and the fingers to the front\nover the breast. (3) Inhale a complete breath. (4) Retain the air for\na short time. (5) Then gently squeeze the sides at the same time slowly\nexhaling. (6) Practise the cleansing breath.\n\n\nCHEST EXPANSION\n\n(1) Stand erect. (2) Inhale a complete breath. (3) Retain the\nair. (4) Extend both arms forward and bring the two clenched fists\ntogether on a level with the shoulder. (5) Then swing back the fists\nvigorously until the arms stand out straight side-ways from the\nshoulders. (6) Then bring back to position (4) and swing to position\n(5). Repeat several times. (7) Exhale vigorously through the open mouth.\n(8) Practise the cleansing breath.\n\n\nWALKING EXERCISE.\n\n(1) Walk with head up, chin drawn slightly in, shoulders back, and\nwith measured tread. (2) Inhale a complete breath, counting (mentally)\n1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, one count to each step making the inhalation\nextend over the eight counts. (3) Exhale slowly through the nostrils,\ncounting as before 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, one count to a step. (4) Rest\nbetween breaths, continuing, walking and counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,\none count to a step. (5) Repeat until you begin to feel tired. Then rest\nfor a while and resume at pleasure. Repeat several times a day. You may\nvary the exercise by retaining the breath during a 1, 2, 3, 4, count and\nthen exhale in an eight-step count. Practise whichever plan seems most\nagreeable to you.\n\n\nMORNING EXERCISE.\n\n(1) Stand erect in a military attitude, head up, eyes front, shoulders\nback, knees stiff, hands at sides. (2) Raise body slowly on toes,\ninhaling a complete breath, steadily and slowly. (3) Retain the breath\nfor a few seconds, maintaining the same position. (4) Slowly sink the\nfirst position at the same time slowly exhaling the air through the\nnostrils. (5) Practise cleansing breath. (6) Repeat several times,\nvarying by using right leg alone, then left leg alone.\n\n\nSTIMULATING CIRCULATION.\n\n(1) Stand erect. (2) Inhale a complete breath and retain. (3) Bend\nforward slightly and grasp a stick or cane steadily and firmly, and\ngradually exerting your entire strength upon the grasp. (4) Relax the\ngrasp, return to first position, and slowly exhale. (5) Repeat several\ntimes. (6) Finish with the cleansing breath. (N. B.--_The above are\nfrom the Yoga Teachings_.)\n\n\nMEDITATION EXERCISE No. I.\n\nRetire into the silence. Say: I AM FEARLESS. Concentrate calmly on that\nidea. Think it out in all its bearings. See yourself in your mind's eye\nas possessing the desired quality and acting it out in actual life. Let\nyour mind indulge in a good, strongly-dramatized day-dream. Only insist\nupon its sticking to the particular text of thought and always showing\nyou successful at the end. Finish up with a vigorous affirmation of the\n\"I am.\" Practise at the same hour daily for 6 months at least.\n\n\nExercise No. II.\n\nRetire into the silence. Concentrate earnestly thus: _I send out\nstrong, positive, healing thought-waves of love to all mankind. Let the\ndisease-ridden become healthy. Let the weak become strong. Let the\nneedy ones become prosperous and happy. Let the fearful ones become\nfilled with courage. Let the cruel become kind and merciful. Let the\nhateful and hating ones become loving. Let the impure ones become\npure. Let the bereaved, deserted, sorrow-stricken ones become soothed\nand comforted_.\n\nPicture to yourself strong waves of Thought-Force passing out of\nyou and encircling the whole world. Picture the world as peopled with\nmen and women manifesting the desired conditions.\n\nThe more friends sit together in union of will and soul concentrating\nas above-indicated the better. Practise alone if you can find no earnest\nand serious-minded ones to join you.\n\nBelieve in your power to so help humanity. The power of thought\nis unlimited. In blessing others bless yourself. The effect of this\nexercise will be far-reaching. It shall follow and be a blessing to you\neven after death. Practise regularly at the same place and time as far as\npossible.\n\nBe earnest in your work.\n\nDo not talk of your exercises to others.\n\nThe above exercises will wonderfully develop and strengthen anyone who\ntries them. The deep breathing exercise already given is known as\nPranayama or Controlling the Psychic Breath. Its main purpose is to\ngive you control over your Prana and unfold the Psychic Force latent in\nyou. Practised on an impure body and weak lungs it may do harm. Hence\nstudents are advised to undergo the above 10 breathing exercises first\nand then, when their lungs have developed the power of endurance, they\nshould take that up. It will take time, patience, and serious work.\nBut if the student is sufficiently energetic he will perfect all these\nexercises in six months. But follow nature's plan and be slow and steady.\n\n\nDIET.\n\nYou all know that pure food brings pure blood. You should avoid\nthe two extremes of gluttony and daily fasting and abstemiousness. You\nshould know (1) What to eat (2) How to eat (3) When to eat.\n\nConcentrated food such as contains the maximum amount of nourishment\nin a minimum quantity should be used. The student should study some\nreliable hand book on the relative values of food and use his\njudgment. We ourselves use nuts, milk, fruits, whole wheat bread, rice\nin very small quantity, pulse, etc. Those who are non-meat eaters--and\nwe advise it strongly--will do well to see to it that their _menu_ has a\ngood supply of albuminous food, as vegetarians often run the risk of\nbeing overfed as to starch and underfed in nitrogenous foods.\n\n(2) Chew and masticate properly so as to extract the food-Prana in full\nand break up the food-substance into very small bits, reducing it to\npulp. Do not be in a hurry to bolt your food but let it linger in your\nmouth so as to be properly insalivated and so that the nerves of the\ntongue, cheek, etc., may all absorb energy from food. Remember your\nstomach is not lined with rows of teeth. This will give you double the\nnourishment you get ordinarily, avoid constipation, prevent malnutrition,\nnon-assimilation and over-eating. Out of a very small quantity of food\nyou can extract perfect nourishment and thus you avoid loading and\n\"stuffing\" the stomach with unnecessary food. It is also economical in\ncase you are a thrifty soul! Eat to live. Don't live to eat.\n\n(3) Eat when you are hungry. That cultivated \"appetite\" that craves for\nsatisfaction at certain stated intervals of the day and brings on an\n\"all-gone\" fainting, nauseating sensation in the stomach is not real\n\"hunger.\" In real hunger there is absolutely no sensation in the stomach\nbut there is a rich and continuous flow of saliva in the mouth and that\nsort of thing makes you enjoy the plainest of fares. Even a dry crust\nof bread will taste sweet as Manna. Cut off your breakfasts. Drink\ncold water instead. Eat one good, nourishing meal at 12 A. M., and one\nlight meal in the evening.\n\nLastly, students, let plain living and high thinking be your motto.\nDo not be afraid to eat when you are hungry and so long as you exercise\nand work with brain and body even two square meals a day are permissible.\nDo not grow ethereal and airy, because then you will not amount to much\nin the world's work. Students, who are perfect Brahmacharies, will not\ncare half as much for lots of food as ordinary folk do. A constant\nfeeling of satisfaction and fullness is present in such. But hard\nworkers must never be under-nourished and they require more food than\nothers.\n\n\nSLEEP.\n\nIt is the depth and relaxation in sleep that counts. High-strung people\nfind it hard to relax and keep tossing on their pillows. Bathe your feet\nin cold water in hot season and in cool water in cold season. That will\ndraw off the surplus blood gurgitating in your brain. Also bathe the nape\nof the neck. The student should engage in meditation before falling to\nsleep, as during sleep the Man leaves the physical form and goes to\nsuper-physical planes and it is the last train of thought in your mind\nthat determines and conforms you to the special super-physical influence\nyou are to obtain. The physical benefits too shall be great. You will\nfeel more rested in this way and your sleep will be sleeping a sounder\nand more refreshing sleep than otherwise. One of the chief signs of\nsuccess in Mental and Physical Control is that your sleeps are\nundisturbed and peaceful.\n\nDuring sleep you are in a passive, relaxed condition and all sorts\nof unseen influences play around you. It is good therefore to enclose\nyourself in an Astral Shell. Concentrate upon your aura and picture it\nas extending some 18 inches all around you and forming a shell around\nyou. Now take this affirmation to concentrate your mind.\n\n1. I am charging my aura with my Will-Force.\n\n2. It is strong, strong, strong and can and will resist, repel and\ndrive off all bad influences and admit only pure and holy influence.\n\n3. It will remain around me right along the period of my sleep.\n\nThe student is advised to surround himself in this \"auric Shell\"\neven when awake so that it may beat off all malign and harmful\nthought-forces. As he grows in Will-Power and Self-Confidence, a\nProtective Aura will form around him naturally and will be felt by\nothers.\n\n\nRELAXATION VERSUS CONTRACTION.\n\nThe student should learn to relax his body completely so that it shall\nlie still and limp and soft as cotton. He should be able to tense and\ncontract his muscles so that they will become hard as iron. In all the\nphysical exercises you will find two special actions (1) Muscle\ncontraction (2) Stretching. When you contract muscle and harden it, you\nhave sent currents of nerve-force and will to that part; when you relax\nit, you \"let go\" completely. What we want is Strength in Repose ready\nto leap into action in the flash of an eye. We have taught you how to\nrelax in Lesson 2 on Will-Force. You all have noticed a cat crouching\nfor its prey. How intensely still it is; yet you know what such stillness\nmeans. It is very far from laziness. Relaxation husbands and conserves\nnerve-force. It is a great thing to be calm and silent. Calmness is the\ncentralization of tremendous power. Practise being calm, as far as\nyou can.\n\n\nSOLAR ENERGY.\n\nThere is great electrical and thermal power in the sun's rays. If the\nhuman body be properly exposed to the sun during the first five hours\nin the morning and the evening, the body would absorb energy therefrom\nand gain in strength. Do not over do this, especially you of the warm\nclimate.\n\n\nLAST WORD ON HEALTH.\n\nTrust Nature. It is her office to keep your body-machine running\nin perfect order. \"Prevention is better than cure\"--they say. Observe\nthe healthy man. See how he lives and follow his example. But note\nthat body is yours to control and God will not do that work for you.\nAlso get rid of the stupidity that God sends diseases. Think, study and\nobserve and you will know what Health Laws are.\n\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\nStudent, I have indicated the lines along which you are to seek the\nway to Spiritual Independence. I cannot run your life-affairs, solve your\nlife-problems, do your work for you. I have pointed out a few principles,\nobserve, think and complete your knowledge. You must climb the steps\nof the ladder of attainment and Self-Perfection yourself.\n\nFear is a great stumbling-block in the way. Fight it down. Starve it out.\nBe earnest. Be thorough. Live your life silently and earnestly. Give\nothers a helping hand whenever you can without that patronising air of\nsuperiority so characteristic of the modern snobs passing for\n\"gentlemen.\" Be proud that you are an \"Indian.\" Follow Indian ideals of\ngreatness. Consider it a privilege to help deserving souls. We all need\nhelp, encouragement and guidance to some extent. Co-operation,\ninterdependence are the basic foundations of human well-being. Be strong.\nBe manly. Be courageous. Be great and good. Take your place in the\nworld's evolutionary progress and lend your hand in turning the wheel\nof life. In the same measure that you help others, shall you yourself be\nhelped on all planes of life. Be reasonable. Be just and fair unto\nothers. Be a source of blessing unto others. So long as you labour under\nthe vitiating influence of negative thoughts, you cannot achieve much in\nany direction. I have told you \"how\" you are to proceed.\n\nMay God bless you. May he guide, help and strengthen where I have failed.\n\nSWAMI MUKERJI.","title":"The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga: Including the Practices and Exercises of Concentration, both Objective and Subjective, and Active and Passive Mentation, an Elucidation of Maya, Guru Worship, and the Worship of the Terrible, also the Mystery of Will-Force","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":30169}