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Page 1 of 11912 · PDF PAGE 71
…hout much distraction on a subject in which it is much interested. We have the popular phrase, “ revolving a thing in the mind ”; and as long as the subject is sufficiently complex, as long as thoughts pass freely, there is no great difficulty. So long as a gyroscope is in motion, it remains motionless relatively to its support, and even resists attempts to distract it; when it stops it falls from that position. If the earth ceased to spin round the sun, it would at once fall into the sun. The moment then that the student takes a simple subject—o…
1912 · PDF PAGE 73
…ertiring the brain. In fact you will probably find that the Whole of your will-power is not equal to keeping to a sub- ject at all for so long as three minutes, or even apparently con— centrating on it for so long as three seconds, or three-fifths of one second. By “keeping to it at all” is meant the mere attempt to keep to it. The mind becomes so fatigued, and the object so incredibly loathsome, that it is useless to continue for the time being. In Frater R’s record we find that after daily practice for six months, meditations of four minutes and…
1912 · PDF PAGE 37
… I ASANA ΗΕ problem before us may be stated thus simply. A man wishes to control his mind, to be able to think one chosen thought for as long as he will without interruption As previously remarked, the first difficulty arises from the body, which keeps on asserting its presence by causing its victim to itch, and in other ways to be distracted. He wants to stretch, scratch, sneeze. This nuisance is so persistent that the Hindus (in their scientific way) devised a special practice for quieting it. The word Asana means [505126763 but, as with all wor…
1912 · PDF PAGE 19
…e hear nothing of Christ between the ages of twelve and thirty. Mohammed disappeared into a cave. Buddha left his palace, and went for a long while into the desert. Each of them, perfectly silent up to the time of the dis- appearance, came back and immediately began to preach a new law. This is so curious that it leaves us to inquire whether the histories of other great teachers contradict or confirm. Moses led a quiet lifeuntil his slaying of the Egyptian. He then
1912 · PDF PAGE 8
vi a villa actually prophesied to us long before we reached Naples by that Brother of the A.'. A.'. who appeared to me in Ziirich. Any point which was obscure to me was cleared up in some new discourse (the discourses have consequently been re—arranged). Before printing, the whole work was read by several persons of rather less that average intelligence, and any point not quite clear even to them has been elucidated. ᾿ May the whole Path now be plain to all! Frater Perdurabo is the most honest of all the great religious teachers. Others have sa…
1912 · PDF PAGE 49
…ble to assist the faculty of attention. The best mantras are of medium length, so far as the beginner is concerned. If the mantra is too long, one is apt to forget it, unless one practises very hard for a great length of time. On the other hand, mantras of a single syllable, such as Aumf are rather jerky; the rhythmical idea is lost. Here are a few useful mantras: ᾿See Part II. 2 However, in saying a mantra containing the word Azmz, one sometimes forgets the other words, and remains concentrated, repeating the ΑΜ]; at intervals; but this is the…
1912 · PDF PAGE 75
…. Zsz'rdly, there is a class of breaks partaking of the nature of reverie or “ day-dreams.” These are very insidious-one may go on for a long time without realizing that one has wandered at all. Fowl/21y, we get a very high class of break, which is a sort of aberration of the control itself. You think, “ How well I am doing it! ” or perhaps that it would be rather a good idea if you were on a desert
1912 · PDF PAGE 58
…pset for weeks if any one gave him a coconut: but the average Euro— pean takes things as they come by the time that he has been put into long trousers.
1912 · PDF PAGE 33
…lter anything or believe in the possibilityof altering anything?,־but there are those who think existenceeven in heaven intoler- able so long as there is one single being who does not share that joy. There are some who may wish to travel back from the very threshold of the bridal chamber to assist belated guests. Such at least was the attitude which Gotama Buddha adopted. Nor shall he be alone. Again it may be pointed out that the contemplative life is generally opposed to the active life, and it must require an extremely careful bal- ance to p…
1912 · PDF PAGE 99
…spontaneity: with Samadhi this is unfortunately not the case. He probably can get it at will, but could not say exactly how, or tell how long it might take him?,־and he could not be sure of getting it at all. One feels sure that one can walk a mile along a level road. One knows the conditions, and it would have to be a very extraordinary set of circumstances that would stop one. But though it would be equally fair to say: “I have climbed the Matterhorn and I know I can climb “it again,” yet there are all sorts of more or less probable circumsta…
1912 · PDF PAGE 26
… daily; and, as we go, ex- perience will teach us which conditions are favourable and which not. Before we have been doing this for very long we are almost certain to get impatient, and we shall find that we have to practice many other things in order to assist us in our work. New problems will constantly arise which must be faced, and solved. For instance, we shall most assuredly find that we fidget. We shall
1912 · PDF PAGE 87
…one had sufficiently fine instruments even to per- ceive the discrepancy. To take another example, a famous man of science asserted not so long, ago that science could never discover the chemical composition of the fixed stars. Yet this has been done, and with certainty. If you were to ask your man of science for his “theory of the real,”
1912 · PDF PAGE 48
…e mantra racing in his brain; he should, however, continue to speed it up until he reaches his limit, at which he should continue for as long as possible, and then cease the practice by reversing the process above described. Any sentence may be used as a mantra, and possibly the Hindus are correct in thinking that there is a particular sentence best suited to any particular man. Some men might find the liquid mantras of the Quran slide too easily, so that it would be possible to continue another train of thought without disturbing the mantra; on…