Yoga in Theory and Practice
Yoga in Theory and PracticeANNOUNCEMENTFOREWORD.LESSON I. CONCENTRATION.LESSON II. PERSONAL MAGNETISM, WILL-CULTURE, SELF-CONTROL.LESSONS III AND IV. THE YOGI SELF-DEVELOPERCopyright
Yoga in Theory and Practice
A.P. Mukerji
ANNOUNCEMENT
In studying these Lessons please remember 3 points:—
1. Not one useless or superfluous sentence is written. Every word
is full of meaning. They are highly condensed. Think deeply over
them.
2. They are meant as a practical supplement to the 'Spiritual
Consciousness,' 'Soul-Force' and 'Inner Forces.' Studied side by
side, these lessons will yield a great deal of benefit. You are
expected to think hard and long.
3. Let none expect speedy or miraculous results. All spiritual
training calls for infinite patience and deep reverence unto the
Guru. Constant rise and fall accompanies all progress.
FOREWORD.
CONCENTRATION AND THOUGHT-CONTROL.
Student! Your life is your own. You have only yourself to thank for
what you are, have been and will be. Take your present into your
own hand. Consciously shape out of it your future. Direct your
forces along lines of study and endeavour that have the strongest
attraction for you. Such attraction is the indication of need. It
is the hand pointing out your Life-purpose. What your heart desires
earnestly and clamours for incessantly is attracted to you out of
the invisible supply, i.e., the means, the environments, the right
sort of persons, books and thought-forces are drawn to you and then
you are expected to work out your desire. This is in perfect accord
with the great Law of Attraction. Some call it God: since it
answers all sincere prayers. Prayer, remember, is the sincere
desire of the heart. I take it that you hunger for Truth and
Spiritual Growth—else you and I would not be here. The instructions
given you hereunder are meant to give you a strong body and a
strong will. They will also tend to your Soul-Unfoldment. Talk not
of them. Keep your mouth closed. Be serious, earnest and
thoughtful. Then work at them confidently and with perseverance. Do
not be daunted by apparent failures. Failure is the stepping-stone
to Success. He fails who gives up a thing in final despair. Go on,
I say. You will improve from the very first day, and in a short
time you will be another man. All the leaders of humanity, past or
present, have studied and investigated with tireless zeal along the
special lines and, in Spiritual culture, you must do the same. But
you must have health, a strong will and a steady brain, and I will
enable you to have these positively. Keep these instructions
strictly privately. Master them by constant meditation upon
same.
LESSON I. CONCENTRATION.
Concentration signifies the state of being at a centre (con and
centrum). Applied to thought, it is the act of bringing the mind to
a single point. Each human being must practise concentration
subjectively and objectively. In other words, each human being aims
with more or less precision at concentration on a point within and
a point without his own world. Concentration "without" is
illustrated when you devote all your attention upon Nature, such as
learning a trade, a profession, a science, an art or some form of
business. This is Evolution, outgoing or positive mental energy. I
shall call this Objective Concentration. Concentration "within"
implies the withdrawing of attention from the external world and
the placing of mind on "God," "Spirit," "Heaven," "Religion,"
"Peace," "Nirvana," "Eternity," etc. This is Involution, i.e.,
incoming or negative energy.
When Objective Concentration alone is practised, you develop into a
hard-headed, practical man of the world or a successful man of
business. You are keen and shrewd. The world is a very
matter-of-fact thing to you. You cannot think of anything else
beyond money-making and pleasures and worldly affairs. You are a
"worldling of the world," very clever, rich, and a master along
your own lines. But spiritually you are an imbecile, worse than a
baby. This is the Objective Mind—the "deepest immersed in matter,
literally made of the dust." "It is the brain of worldly wisdom,
common sense, prudence, methodical arrangement, order, discipline,
classification, the skill and knowledge of the expert in any branch
or department of art or science." This side of the mind is well
developed in Scientists, Mathematicians and Businessmen, etc. Where
it is not guided by the Subjective Mind, it can only see diversity
and difference and is the slave of Maya—the slayer of the
Real.
Subjective Concentration is seeking the Kingdom of Heaven within
you. "God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in
Spirit and Truth." LAPLACE, the great astronomer, asserted that he
had swept the heavens with his telescope and found neither God nor
Heaven. Yes, poor LAPLACE! He looked for God objectively instead of
subjectively.
The Kingdom of God comes not with 'observation' but it is 'within'
you. The be-all and the end-all of religion is the practice of
Subjective Concentration. The performance of objective work by the
human organism necessitates expenditure of energy and at last
death, because all Objective Concentration means 'going from' the
Absolute centre—God—and hence it expends Spiritual Energy.
Subjective Concentration means 'coming to' the centre and hence it
husbands and recuperates this energy. Now nature is motion to and
from, and Spirit—the centre of Life. This two-fold motion
constitutes what is known as polarity—Evolution and
Involution—negative and positive. At the negative pole life becomes
involved, i.e., 'wrapped up' in form. At the positive pole life
'evolves' or becomes expressed in nature. In Subjective
Concentration you return for fresh supplies to the inexhaustible
storehouse of force—the Absolute Will. Jesus healed the sick,
exhibited control over external nature by raising the dead, because
his chaste soul could receive nothing negatively from God and could
give it out positively to the objective world. All power comes from
God. I would impress upon you the all-important necessity of
placing yourself in a magnetically passive attitude towards the
Universal Will and then of taking up a calm, positive attitude
towards the phenomenal world—which is a projection of the lower
nature and hence must be handled masterfully, fearlessly and
confidently. Be positive to the external world. Be negative and
receptive to the Lord's Will-force. Remember this. This brings me
to the supremest and most solid truth contained in the Science of
prayer. The praying mind, by its mere attitude of faith and earnest
expectation, opens itself out to the tremendous inflow of Divine
Energy. It draws close to the centre of all-power, wisdom and love,
and drinks deep of the living waters of life so that even the very
face or flesh begins to shine under the influence of this
self-polarization—if I may be permitted to use this word—through
prayer. Here is the causa nuxus between a prayer and its sure
reply. Do you remember what Lord Rosebery said of the great Puritan
Mystic Oliver Cromwell? If not, please let me quote: "The secret of
his extraordinary success—he was a practical mystic—the most
formidable and terrible of all combinations. The man who combines
inspiration, apparently derived—in my judgment, really derived—from
close communion with the Supernatural and the Celestial, a man who
has that inspiration and adds to it the energy of a mighty man of
action, such a man as that lives in communion on a Sinai of his
own; and when he pleases to come down to this world below, seems
armed with no less than the terrors and decrees of the Almighty
Himself." Now both forms of concentration must be practised so as
to hold the two poles in the even balance of harmonious
growth.
You will perform the daily work to which you are naturally adapted
in the common weal (Objective Concentration) and after the daily
task is finished, retire to the bosom of the Universal Spirit by
the regular practice of Subjective Concentration.
Now will you realise the ideal of peace in the very midst of the
toil and sweat of the day.
The foregoing diagram, if closely and thoughtfully studied, will
show the stages the mind has to 'grow into' in objective and
subjective concentration.
In order to acquire knowledge of the laws of external nature the
mirror you require is accurate observation and you must focus your
attention and push objective concentration to its final stage of
perfect knowledge or illumination in order to master any special
branch of science.
In Objective Concentration, Pratyahara and Dharana are the
preparatory stages. Take a scientist, for instance. He knows that
when the mind is engaged with several things, mind force is
scattered. He cannot be a politician, a musician, etc., and at the
same time an expert scientist. He gradually abstracts his attention
from all other subjects and pauses it on one subject or one set of
subjects.
Pratyahara is the continued effort of the mind to so abstract
itself.
Dharana is reached when this effort is finally successful and the
mind becomes steadfast and one-pointed. Dhyana is an extension of
this steadfastness. When Dhyana is reached, the student is beyond
the range of books. His mind is occupied with original researches
and experiments and his knowledge becomes more and more definite.
Going on and on always on the one line complete knowledge of that
subject is attained. This is the objective view of Samadhi. All
these stages when completed make one Samayana. The subjective view
of Samadhi no books or writings can teach you. As you go deeper and
deeper into Yoga, you will understand these things in the light of
your Soul-Vision. It will come to you if you follow my subsequent
instructions. Despair not.
WHAT IS MAYA?
Now, first of all, what is Maya (ignorance of the real)? Take the
dial-plate of a watch. You know quite well that the hands of the
watch are governed by the mechanism behind. Both are necessary.
Ignorance exists in thinking that the hands of the watch move by
themselves. This visible universe is the dial-plate of the
Invisible. Maya (ignorance) blinds you to this fact, i.e., mere
objective knowledge blinds you to the subjective side of life and
you see nothing beyond a material universe. But you, who realize
both, objective as well as subjective, need not be afraid of such a
danger. For a danger it is to develop the objective mind die
neglect of the subjective. In order to round yourself out, practise
both. But first, last and always, let the subjective guide, govern
and illumine the objective. Also remember this: If your mind is at
all attached to the objective world, try your very best to
disattach it and fix it on the subjective side of life, else will
you bring untold suffering on yourself. The half-wordly and
half-spiritual man who wants to lead a spiritual sensual life
eventually brings about a conflict between the laws and forces of
the two planes of being. He is overwhelmed with pain and at last
with cries of suffering, disease and loss, he is made to open his
eyes. Understand the world for what it is but do not lower your
soul to the point of being attached to its small thoughts, things
and ways.
HOW TO CONCENTRATE OBJECTIVELY.
(a) In all undertakings whether of small or great importance shut
off all thoughts and ideas except such as have any immediate and
direct bearing upon the thing in hand. Pay attention. Bend all the
energies of your mind and will upon it till it is completed to your
satisfaction. Divert your attention from one thing to another only
when you sanction by a resolve and understand why you do so. Your
daily work which you must choose according to the special bent of
your mind, will present you opportunities.
(b) Control impulse. Suppose an idea enters your mind. Compose
yourself quietly before carrying out its purport. Consider it. Turn
it over in your mind. Contemplate it. Weave your mental energies
around it, as it were, till at last the idea with your final
decision stands out clear-cut and well-defined. Then proceed to act
it out physically with your mental concentration cutting a way for
you straight on to the execution of your designing. This is
forethought.
(c) In perfect concentration time vanishes. In working out a design
on which you have set your heart dispense altogether with the
element of time and work at it concentratedly for days, months and
years with confident expectation of success.
(d) Take a picture, representing a landscape, the interior of a
building, an assembly of persons, a square, a triangle or a more
complicated geometrical figure. Look at it well. Then lay it aside.
Close your eyes. Reproduce the picture mentally in detail. Then
repose your mind on the same image to the exclusion of all other
thoughts. This is a more fixed and meditative method and will
sharpen the mind wonderfully. It will also develop the power of
conscious Mental Imagery. The key to Objective Concentration is
Conscious Attention, remember.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE MENTATION.
These terms imply two different distinct functions of the human
mind. The active function performs the volitional, voluntary
thinking. It is the conscious focusing of the mind on some mental
problem. Banishing from the mind all thoughts and ideas not in
harmony with your special subject of study implies Active
Mentation. This function is used by the active, wide-awake man in
his busy and energetic moments. It is the key to the development of
Will-Power and a vigorous intellect. You are conscious of effort
when you are exercising this function. The mind becomes exhausted
after a great deal of such effort and cries out for rest, because
conscious attention implies close concentration of thought and can
be exercised only by the conscious use of Will-Power. You ought to
be able to concentrate upon one subject of thought, study and
observation with undivided attention and then take your mind off
that subject and put it on something else, at your will. Train your
mind to 'give' perfect attention to any subject you like and also
to 'shut off' or inhibit all attention on that subject. The mind is
a restless thing darting from one thing to another, and, like a
spoilt child, tiring of continued attention. But you must, by
Will-Exercise, get control over this tendency. 'Exercise develops
power. Practice makes perfect.' This you must bear in mind and, by
patience and perseverance, train your mind to 'pay attention' where
it ought to do so and not to pay attention where it ought not to.
At first your mind will rebel like an unbroken horse at the
imposition of such restraint. But really all greatness results from
mind-control. Remember active mentation is conscious, deliberate
concentration. Passive mentation represents automatic, involuntary
thinking. This includes the subconscious or 'habit' mind. When a
certain thought-groove has been formed in your mind, energy flows
into it involuntarily, i.e., by itself and without any conscious
effort on your part. This is passive mentation. It is automatic
mental activity. Take an example. Some school-boys find
Mathematics, Science and Geography easy to master from the very
start. They feel quite in sympathy with the teacher of Mathematics.
But History and Language are their abomination. There are others
who simply cannot 'take an interest' in any Mathematics but who
shine brilliantly in Language, Recitation, Composition, History. As
a matter of fact neither of these students is superior to the
other, but each is great in his own line. In one set, you have an
example of automatic mentation in Mathematics, Science and
Geography; in the other in Literature and Art. But suppose the
first set tried to master Literature and Art and the second
grappled with Mathematics and Science, each would then be
practising actual concentration. In each set the active function
would be exercised and will-power would develop on both sides. Do
you see? Occultists say that all power results from the continual
exercise of active mentation and all weak-mindedness is the direct
outcome of this wool-gathering, castle-building, inattentive habit
which is an extension of passive mentation into useless channels of
thought-force. Conscious attention concentrates and even
specializes mental energy as the sun-glass concentrates and
intensifies the heat of the rays of the sun. Focus your full
attention upon the thing to be done, take a keen interest in its
accomplishment to the exclusion of all else, and you will obtain
wonderful results. The man of developed, concentrative power holds
in his hand the key to success, with the results that all his
actions, voluntary or involuntary, are pointed to the
accomplishment of his object. Remember therefore in
conclusion:
(1) Concentration is perfect attention consciously directed to a
given point of achievement either objectively or
subjectively.
(2) Concentration is consecration.
"What ever you do, do it with all your might. Do one thing at a
time and do it well." By concentration is meant the directing of
all your energies along a special line of achievement. For
instance, if you would be a perfect Yogi, you must concentrate,
concentrate, morning, noon and night, at all times, along that line
of endeavour. You must study all the vast literature on Yoga,
Psychology, Metaphysics, Mentalism, etc., and form your own
synthesis on same. You must think hard and work hard for Yoga.
"Genius is the power to bear infinite pain." Nothing ought to be
too great a sacrifice, including your own life, for the right
understanding and achievement of Yoga.
All half-heartedness, all insincerity, weakens your nature, and
weakness has no place either in heaven or in hell. For the
half-hearted man is a traitor unto the Divine within him and must
pay dearly for his treachery.
SUBJECTIVE CONCENTRATION—HOW PRACTISED.
This is a vast subject. If you practise earnestly my instructions
on Thought-Control, Will-Culture, and take the Meditation Exercise
I am going to give you, you will realize greater strength than
average humanity. But you must study and think hard for yourself
before any considerable benefit can be derived from even these.
Remember please, you alone can teach yourself through intuition.
Intuition is tuition from within. Follow strictly the general rules
I give you and you cannot but unfold your Inner Soul Vision which
includes intuition in its fullest sense.
(a) What is Thought-Force?