THE ROLE OF PRAYER.= THOUGHT: CREATIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE. MEDITATION EXERCISE.

CHAPTER XV.

THE ROLE OF PRAYER.

O Lord purify us with water, purify us with solar rays, purify us with medicinal herbs and, above all, purify us with Wisdom, i.e., endow us with POWERS OF MIND by enlightening our intellects.--Rig Veda--viii, 19-2.

HOW exquisitely painful are the effects of Ignorance. Many are the victims, many the bond slaves of their lower selves. Many are the wrecks awaiting an early grave and looking forward to the time when Death shall come as a welcome relief. Many walk the earth with an uneasy Conscience, starting with sudden fright at their own shadows and conscious all the while as if the brand of Cain had burnt its mark on their brows. Many are even now undergoing the tortures of Hell in the fierce conflicts raging in their souls. Many close their eyes when the cold hands of Death have seized upon them with this cry, "To what end have I lived? Alas! I die as ignorant as I was born. All my fond wishes have vanished into thin vapor, all my long cherished aims have been shattered into pieces." Such are the woes of Mankind--God's children.

WHY?

"Ignorance is the only soil where Evils can grow and germinate"--so says . The misdirection of Nature's forces entails misery, pain and sorrow. These latter seem quite in advance of the enormity of the mistake. "Why should I be smitten so hard for a little thing like that?" that is the angry protest of the sufferer. I shall take it that you have aspired after noble heights of Spiritual Development and the PEACE consequent thereupon. As Emerson puts it: "Let us say then frankly that the education of the Will is the object of our existence. Poverty, the prison, the rack, the fire, the hatred and execration of our fellow-men appear trials beyond the endurance of common humanity, but to the hero whose intellect is aggrandized by the Soul, and so measures the good which his thought surveys against these penalties; the terrors vanish as darkness at sunrise."

Have you ever caught a glimpse of the peace that passeth all understanding? Let us listen attentively to what a noble thinker says: "There are moments, supreme and rare moments, that come to the life of the pure and the spiritual when every sheath (the material coatings in and through which the spirit impresses its will upon the Objective Universe) is still and harmonious; when the senses are tranquil, quiet, insensitive; when the mind is serene, calm, and unchanging; when, fixed in meditation, the whole being is steady and nothing that is without may avail to disturb; when love has permeated every fibre; when devotion has illuminated, so that the whole nature is translucent; there is a silence and in the silence is a sudden change; no words may tell it; no syllable may utter it, but the change is there; all limitations have fallen away. Every limit of every kind has vanished. As stars swing in boundless space, the self is in limitless life and knows no limits and realizes no bounds. There is light in wisdom, consciousness of perfect light that knows no shadow and therefore knows not itself a slight; the thinker has become the knower; all reason has vanished and all-wisdom has taken its place. Who shall say what it is save that it is bliss? Who shall try to utter that which is unutterable in mortal speech--but it is true and it exists, . . . Its nature is bliss; all the spheres have ceased; all else has gone; none but the pure may reach it; none but the devotee may know it; none but the wise may enter it."

Such indeed is the ineffable sense of power serene that folds its wings around the earnest Yogi. The restless world with its warring interests, its corroding passions, its bloody wars, its existence of want-and-have, of buy-and-sell, of self-love, greed and eternal heart-burn, seems to lose its jar and shock in the presence of this tremendous spiritual force. How can it be otherwise? I take it that your gaze is fixed with earnest longing upon the eternal; that your intellect has expanded to the light of the spiritual illumination, yet,--I cannot help feeling it--so imperfectly, that my aim is, in these short papers, to point out to you the "How" rather than the "Why;" since, from my point of view, the former alone solves the latter; realization alone vanquishes the weapons of skepticism and doubt. "Steadfastly by truth, by austerity, by perfect wisdom, by Brahmacharva-practice (Perfect Chastity) is this atma attained. In the midst of the body, clad in light, He whom the sinless and the subdued behold is pure."--(Mundakopanishad).

Feel convinced, student, that the emotion which impels to lofty aspiration and noble achievement is powerless in itself, unless the clear light of expanded intellect irradiates the soul and shines full along your path. "The intellect," said Sextus the Pythagorean, "is a chorus of Divinities. From the plane of pure intellection all life, both subjective and objective, both inner and outer, appears embosomed in beauty, but, viewed from the platform of action, life is a struggle, where the stakes are life and death, and in which "The joys of conquest are the joys of man." In the supreme struggle for Self Perfection,--for you must aim at nothing short of that,--the joys of the final triumph constitute the greatest joy of man.

Nowadays it is the way with some to run down the intellect and to give emotions the first place. Again, there are others who ask you to kill out the heart--the seat of emotion--and to give the head--the seat of reason--the first place. Both schools are dogmatic and their reasoning is shallow, very shallow. The fact is;--neither can be suppressed and crushed out. Steady reflection will prove that each is great in its own place, that the heart and the head, the feelings and the intelligence, complement themselves, and both are ultimately resolvable into Infinity--which is Unity, pure and simple. Nature aims at human development on all planes and you must unfold on all sides; otherwise you run the great risk of being top-heavy, onesided, fanatical, narrow and short-sighted. Indeed, you cannot infringe upon the Eternal Law of all-round development without bringing pain upon yourself. Try to realize this supreme truth! Nature is conquered by Obedience. Nature's laws are invariable and their very uniformity is your safeguard. Knowledge invests you with the power to control. Nature's forces are at your disposal and you must learn how to manipulate them. If you put the same question to Nature rightly, the same answers shall be invariably returned. When the scientist in the laboratory fails to perfect an experiment, he examines his methods and always finds somewhere something wrong in his own processes.

Hence, if you plead ignorance as the cause of your blunders all blame to you and do not be surprised if dire punishment overtakes you for pulling the strings of fate the wrong way. This is at the root of all human miseries. Now, there are those who pretend to laugh at the efficacy of the intellect to promote spiritual development. They laugh at Yoga and austere living and say, "O, everything comes from devotion and worship. God will give me everything." Quite so. Perfectly so. But friend, how is it that after you have had your tear--relief from your little, emotionally-worded prayer, you seem to forget everything but your personal concerns; you seem thoroughly steeped in animalism, selflove and hatred; you seem quite upset at the loss of your trifling worldly things; you seem swayed to and fro by other's opinions; by your own passions. Come, are you not a slave? Would you dare to part with your fleshy tenement at a moment's notice? Are you not far removed from God?

Then, how dare you cry down the Yogi and his efforts to master himself? I say, how dare you? You profess to follow the dictates of the heart and yet your egg-shell existence of narrow selfism has quite dried up the fountain of love within you. No; so long as you are a slave, you cannot love and worship the Infinite. The intellect must be developed along spiritual lines; the will-force must have vanquished the animal cravings which are ever exerting a pull downwards. "The torch of wisdom must be lighted in the secret chamber of your heart." The soul must contemplate the glories of the Infinite Intelligence. Then, the love-force,--"the all-consuming fire?--shall inundate your heart. It will make your whole being vibrate in tune with the Infinite.

The student of Yoga is taught to meditate upon the Supreme Ruler of the Universe: Omkara! Why? Because to meditate thus is the highest worship. But that I have no power to teach. What is worship? There is the worship of Ignorance--Avidya; again there is a worship of the intelligence and illumined soul—the true Philosopher--the Gnani--the worshipper of the Om!

The worship of the worldly man has back of it the all-consuming forces PECUNIOMANIA.

Is then worldly happiness the proper standard to judge religion by? You may roll in riches. You may dine off the most succulent viands and the most richly prepared dishes. You may wear the costliest raiments. You may drive in the smartest equipages. You may live in palatial buildings adorned with the most beautiful appointments. You may have all the physical comforts such as the rich mines of Golconda or the artifices of modern civilization could procure you. The world may call you blessed by the Lord and you may lose your mental poise under the subtle influence of their fulsome flattery and indulge in heroics, may even consider yourself God's beloved. But stop. You are a pleasure-seeker; and the pleasure-seeker is an ass and so are they that pander to his vanity. If you think sense-gratification the summum bonum of existence, please stop reading this--it is not meant for you.

I just now mentioned a peculiar word--Pecuniomania. Now what is the significance of this word? Why, my friend, it is a disease. It is very infectious. It is a force that plays off man against man. Why does one fly at the throat of another? Why should be this blinding clash of human wills? Why should one man be so phlegmatic, so indifferent to the actual needs of another? Why should there be a constant feeling of hungry stomach, a parched throat and a feverish brain? Why should you so persistently talk evil behind the scenes of the very man whom you just now flattered face to face? Why should you consider the whole world selfish and feel yourself bound to blacken your soul through selfishness and deception? Take your mirror in hand and now just study your face. You are already on the hunt for that which will help you to gratify these cravings that the face portrays and that something is money. You are already a worshipper of the Golden Calf. You are praying to Plutus--the god of gold. This is pecuniomania. This thirst for gold to gratify the demands of your animal soul is a madness that dulls the eyes, the senses, coarsens the features and dwarfs the intellects of the young and the middle-aged as well as the old; women as well as men. Well may such as these feel utterly taken aback when there comes among them a man who, although young, opens his lips only to utter words of wisdom; opens his eyes only to look the living embodiment of perfect chastity and good will; seems utterly innocent of self-seeking, self-glorification, self-righteousness and self-importance. Did you ever see a man whose earnest enthusiasm and noble aims, shine in his eyes, dwell in the ring of his voice, seem to have entered his hands and feet and compel his entire being? These are true devotees of the Supreme Intelligence.

Such alone can pray. Prayer is the sincere lifting of the soul to the source of All-power. Prayer is the burning desire of the soul to achieve inner wisdom. Prayer is the earnest strain upwards of the intelligence to pierce the dark penetralia of Ignorance. Prayer is the ceaseless pressure upon the Superconscious mind--the Divine part of ourselves--to expand our sphere of insight. Prayer is the deepening of the intellect and the expansion of the Heart. Prayer is the triumphant conjunction of Reason with Intuition. Prayer is the cry of the purified and expanded soul for power and Wisdom to help and uplift, to purify and ennoble, to exalt and strengthen those towards whom it may feel itself drawn by the bond of spiritual affinity. Prayer is the longing of the son to co-operate with his father; to lift on his own shoulders a little of the heavy Karma of this world. Prayer is the struggle of the soul to free its wings; the flutter of the heart through the awe of lofty Idealism; the instinctive leaning on our secret selves; the drawing inwards for more light and life. Prayer is the concentration of the spirit on the Problems of the Divine life; the turning of the search-light of the Super-conscious-self upon the riddles of existence. Prayer is the filling of inner vision with positive light--light that rends asunder the veils of Darkness and Maya. Prayer is the souler-ascent up the magnetic chain of Evolution. Prayer is the meditation on the Infinite in the silence. Prayer is the faith of the seer in his visions; in his contemplation of the facts of life, inner and outer, subjective and objective, from the highest standpoint, in the utmost trust that he reposes in the Infinite; law that sweetly and steadfastly seeks to ever provide our feet with iron shoes for rough roads. "Prayer that craves a particular commodity--anything less than all good--is vicious. Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view. It is a soliloquy of a beholding and jubilant soul. It is the spirit of God pronouncing His works good. But prayer as a means to affect a private end is meanness and theft. It supposes dualism and not unity in Nature and in consciousness. As soon as the man is at one with the God he will not beg. He will then see prayer in all action. The thoughts of the purified soul are all prayer. Perhaps you will ask: What are the effects of prayer?

The attitude of the praying mind is one of intense concentration. The feelings which are the motive power of all men, have been wrought up to a state of tension. The nerve-currents are all being carried up to the brain and there converted into thought-power. With each exertion, whether mental or emotional, there is an outgoing current of magnetism. There sets up a stress in the ether. The entire organism is subject to Self-Magnetization. The psychic atmosphere around the praying soul is throbbing with his thought-forces. The aura--the photosphere round each form is bathed in living light, sending forth waves of golden yellow color and scintillating with unimaginable splendor. The finer forces of the super-physical planes have been attracted to you. Your mind is opened to the influx of Divine Help. Receive it. It is yours for the asking.

The question of how to pray need not trouble us much. Prof. James, in his well-known work on "Psychology," makes the following most truthful remarks: We hear in these days of scientific enlightenment, about the efficacy of prayer and many reasons are given us why we should not pray, while others are given us why we should. But in all this very little is said of the reason why we do pray, which is simply that we cannot help praying. It seems probable that in spite of all that science may do to the contrary, men will continue to pray to the end of time, unless their mental nature changes in a manner which nothing we know should lead us to expect."

Quite so. It is your nature to pray. You eat twice and there are some who eat every three hours in the day, lest your body should starve. But in the meantime you are starving your soul. The moment you feel the need for a higher plane of Development, you will pray. Plato advised those who prayed to remain silent in the presence of the divine ones, till they remove the cloud from the eyes and enabled them to see by the light which issued from themselves." always isolated himself from men during the "conversation" he held with God and whenever he felt the necessity for divine contemplation and prayer, he wrapped himself head and all in the drapery of his white woolen mantle. (Isis Unveiled P. I.) "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father in secret," says the Nazarene. Prof. Hiram Erastus Butler--one of the noblest amongst the modern American Christian thinkers--says in his beautiful book, "The Seven Creative Principles:" "When heavenly desire is active, then man prays, but not without it can he pray effectually. Then the prayer of that soul which looks out upon the human family and the world and sees the fallen condition we are in today reaches out with that pure thought which they should have. O, for Wisdom and Power, that I might work under thy guidance for the elevation of my brethren; of those under my care! O, that I might become an instrument in the hands of that Infinite Power to work that I may alleviate, elevate and strengthen; that I may bring my fellows into the consciousness of that glorified life."

Now, reader: understand, once for ever, prayer is willing. It leads to the accomplishment of your aims on the spot. The righteous and pure soul expresses its will force in prayer. Thereby it is exalted into the spiritual realm. In this sphere Will is the basal power of influence. It draws all your finer forces into a focus towards the thing willed for. The result is that the thing is done. The astonished and grateful recipient attributes his success to a Special Providence and he is justified in doing so. The Great Law operates always and everywhere. The prayer simply attunes himself thereto by taking intelligent advantage of nature's forces. By prayer you come into rapport with the spiritually conscious side of yourself. You are as a needle pointing to the magnet--the more faith--and faith comes from Knowledge and Chastity--you put into the task, the sooner will you adjust your forces; the quicker shall be the response; the more lasting and powerful the reaction. Here, then, you have all the switches and levers of energy and inspiration.

Therefore pray ever and believe that your prayer shall ripen to fruition. Build up faith in the unseen and the invisible. The self in you is your guide, philosopher and friend. It is the Rock of the Ages--the Eternal among the Transient--the Source of All-Power, Wisdom and Activity. Lean on it for it is Strength--Invincible Strength.

CHAPTER XVI.

THOUGHT: CREATIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE.

The right exercise of thought-power is an act of creation. "Each thought is a soul," says Lytton. "What you think that you are, what you shall think that you shall be," are the words of . "We live in that state of development our thoughts create for us." "A drop of ink makes millions think"--and one might pile one saying above another to the same effect.

The action of thought manifests itself continually. The power of suggestion and auto-suggestion, reigns supreme here, there and everywhere. Nations are caught up by an idea and their destiny is shaped thereby. A thought becomes the ruling passion of a man's life, and monomania or perfection in a certain direction is the natural sequence. One man meets another, and the latter's inner consciousness rises in response to the idea held in the former's mind and vice versa. No words have yet passed between them and yet the thought of each is known to the other. "Hide your thoughts?" says Emerson, "you may as well try to hide the suns and the stars."

Everyone, who watches his thoughts, realizes that ideas as they enter our minds are accompanied by corresponding forces in their train. As soon as a thought comes in, there is an inrush of force in correspondence with it. This may be due to the calling up of other mental images lying dormant within the deeps of our mind, but which wake up as soon as they recognize an associate and hasten to combine with it. Different waves are thus stirred up in the mind. A peaceful thought is akin to the fragrant breeze of fresh air; a hateful thought is loaded with corroding influences. Let us illustrate the point:

My soul is filled with love or compassion for some one, man or beast, and my whole heart goes out thereto. I quite forget myself. A poor, stricken beggar, with tottering limbs and feeble form, catches my eye. Instantly a train of thought is started. I feel for him and with him. Pity and sympathy make me feel for him. Introspection makes me feel with him. I transfer my soul into his and feel the acuteness of his feelings. I live his life for the moment. And what is the good of having so lived his life? This--I have expanded. Something of the grosser side of my nature has been shaken out of me. Again, someone has perhaps outstripped me in my mad hunt after money, or crossed me in a love affair. My whole being is a-quiver with rage and mortification. There is fire in my veins. "O, if I could catch the rascal on the hip! Ye gods, how I hate the fellow." I stamp my feet, gnash my teeth, and clench my fists. I am angry. I hate. Oh--Yes, decidedly. I know it. I have lived. But to what end? This--I have contracted, I have passed through two distinct moods, the one was creative, the other exhaustive. Which shall I choose?

All life is a flux of moods. The mind of man is continually vibrating. External impacts impinge upon it and galvanize it into activity. Impulses initiated from within act upon it. This ceaseless activity of the mind, if controlled and toned up to an exalted level, will at last lead us to that by knowing which man knows everything; if left alone, will knock us about here and there, from pillar to post, till, weakened and exhausted, we fall within the iron grips of King Death to be taught perhaps harder lessons hereafter.

The mind is like a wild, unbroken colt and requires to be broken in. So long as the waves of this mind are not stilled, the path to peace may not be trodden.

The law of action and reaction holds good everywhere. Between man and man, between brain and body, between the physical and, between atom and atom, a constant interaction of energies is in full swing. Nothing goes out from us but must complete the circuit of its influence and come back to us. From within, outwards and then back again--that is the law of "Shristi:" projection.

We cannot stir up different conditions in the world of thought or of action, and yet escape free from the influences thereof. We cannot commit violence without having the causes which motived the act react upon us. Take an India rubber ball and throw it with force against a wall. The ball returns to your hand with exactly the same force which drove it through space to the wall. This is very simple.

The human brain may fitly be compared to a galvanic battery, generating currents of electric force, weak or strong, according to the nature of its structure and power. We generate a thought-current, bring it up to a high pitch of vibration, project it over our nerves and then off at the extremities, into physical manifestation; an act, a word, or something else. That is how I understand it.

The brain, which is a concentration of fine nerve matter, commanding an area of upwards of 300 square inches, when stimulated by a thought, generates force in the brain-cells, which number about 50,000 to the square inch; and currents of this force run down the nerves, which in turn are attached to these cells--the "brain" battery cells, we may well call them. Indeed physiology teaches us that attached to each cell are nerves, never less than two in number and sometimes as many as four. Minute nerve fibres proceed in bundles and cords from the microscopical centres, the cells--I mean,--all over the physique. These fibres are very fine, I may say, superfine, in structure, since their ultimate ends are not perceptible even under the lenses of a microscope. You may imagine how fine they are when I tell you that the smallest part of them, the microscopically visible part, "is calculated to measure in size not more than 1-15,000 part of an inch," and it is considered by advanced physiologists that even these minute nerves may after all be bundles of fine nerves. Now you may well conceive of the effects produced by an intense emotion, a powerful suggestion from outside, or a strong thought vibrated upon from within, upon the nerves which concentrate themselves mostly in the intricacies of the nervous system and generally all over the system.

The nervo-vital force, the psychoplasm, as some have wisely termed it, is in a state of exchange between the brain and the body. Each thought is of origin, otherwise its transmission through the ether would be quite impossible. Each atom draws upon another atom for momentum, and therefore the energy of thought-atoms is vibrant in its nature. The finer the atoms which go to compose a thought, the more tremendous the rapidity with which they are whirled into action from within outside, and reaction from outside within. The nobler and more intense the thought, the greater its vibrant fineness and the wider its field of activity.

A calm ascension of the mind is perfectly compatible with a strong, sensitive, and glandular organization capable of standing immense strain, and registering on its sensitive nerve-wires the feelings and thoughts of those who come into contact with it. It can exercise the projective functions of the mind with a serene power. It can re-polarize the minds of weak, worried, suffering mortals by its mere presence. It can receive beams of spiritual light that flash downwards into it in the form of intuition, genius, and inspirational messages from the unseen. Remember, please, all this means everything and nothing for us just as we watch and control each mental tremor and quiver caused within us by our thoughts or drift along aimlessly cycle after cycle of our existence.

The human body is a channel for the influx and efflux of various forces and the degree of its purification shall determine whether much shall manifest in it or little. We live in the state of development achieved by the mind and the body--not muscular development necessarily. The body which is built up of the gross constituents of animal flesh and alcohol is hardly fit for employment in lofty thought and the spiritual evocator--he who calls the sacred spirits of the finer planes--sits stark naked and specially purifies his body that nothing impure should cling to him within or outside, lest he should, by the coarsened nature of his body or garment attract beings to himself. The mind cannot be tampered with without injury to the body and vice versa. Remember your entire physical organ is a thought-form, coarse or fine according to the quality of your thoughts.

Certain thoughts exhaust the life-force, others create it. Injurious thought-currents can be suppressed by raising an opposition wave. Hatred should be replaced by love, worry by hopefulness, hesitation by decision, anger by calmness and so forth: the finer always suppresses the grosser, mark you.

Training is necessary. Knowledge must be gained. Strength of the will-power must be developed. Now for a glance at the practical side of the question. For we have to acquire knowledge and then patiently see to the practical application of it in life. Mere intellectual contemplation of an idea is not the proper way to success in Occultism.

The mind is capable of existing in two states--Positive and Negative. Both are necessary for the up-keep of mental and physical equipoise. We must be able to call up either state at will and without the least of friction and strenuous effort. The positive state is a state of tension, alertness, centrality. The negative state is an attitude of receptivity, relaxation and non-resistance. The former if sustained all through the day would mean exhaustion and nervous breakdown. The latter, unless self-induced, would render us a victim to the "world, the flesh, and the devil." The former calls for an increase of nerve-force. The latter conserves this force and replenishes the store house.

We must attune ourselves to both these states. Thought is the fine cause of action; control the one and you have controlled the other. Evil, health-destroying and will-weakening thoughts must be faced by a calm and positive attitude. A position of strength should be taken up. "I am strong. I am pure. I have nought to do with evil thoughts and practices. I command my brain. My body is my slave. I am master within my own house. No thought here remains without my permission. No thought grips me and holds me its slave. I am master." By a calm positive attitude, I mean that you should not allow yourself to be flurried and disturbed when faced by an Evil thought, but should face it as if already sure of conquest.

Simultaneously with these auto-suggestions, the attention should be turned to something lofty and noble. We must go on encouraging the inflow of noble ideas, till, at last, the evil thought is cut off from our mental vision and drops off altogether. The mind can think of one thing at a time. Think nobly and loftily and the evil thoughts will soon "take the hint" and cease to disturb you.

Whilst we repeat mental suggestions, we must feel their action. We must take long, caressing breaths and breathe life upon them. Thus, they will become permanent in our constitution. With each successful effort, automatism will be hastened, till at last in a very short time we shall become so strongly grounded in our principles that bad thoughts will be thrown off automatically and nothing evil shall touch us. Express the Good the Pure, the Powerful in yourself and you can easily repress the Evil, the Impure and the Weak.

How easy to be good and pure, after all. Yet we spend years in fighting an evil and exhausting thought, when healthy mental occupation would throw its own blissful mantle of peace upon us. It is the only lesson I have learnt: --"Would you have peace? Then spiritualise yourself," and I give it to you with all the love in my heart. The more spiritually developed we are, the stronger and hence calmer we shall be. There is no doubt of this.

The Negative mental attitude is absorbent of energy only when it is given free play deliberately.

When seated at the feet of one, pure-hearted and loving; when studying the inspiring words of some great teacher; when under the influence of calm thought; after a strong and continued exercise of willpower, we ought to "relax," and receive the transmissions of energy from such sources, and breathe them in with a prayerful heart.

When praying to the Supreme Creator, let us be receptive of the currents of spiritual force that follow in the wake of devout prayer. The sun shines upon the dung-hill as well as the beautiful rose. The saint as well as the sinner can open themselves out for an inflow of divine energy by simple, earnest prayer. He who says otherwise is born blind. Science must repair the evil science has done by recognizing the efficacy of prayer. The negative state must be accompanied by an interior balance of mind.

The most important factor in the training and development of mind, in the expansion or rather the enfoldment of the soul, is Concentration.

Now concentration means the power of holding the mind to centre; --to a focal point, without allowing any other thoughts to touch you. Concentration is perfect attention. All, yes! all possess this power of attention. We all pay attention to what we like. But the secret of strength lies in concentrating our minds upon what we do not care for. Mr. Raghavachary says in his beautiful little book, "The Magnetic Aura"--"Mental energy when forced into difficult and lofty channels develops Power, when allowed to run along lines of least resistance breeds weakness." I am quoting from memory, but that is the idea--the will must learn to concentrate upon what Mr. Raghavachary says if followed, would develop your mental muscles and will-power, wonderfully. All my readers should study this little book.

The element of "attraction" predominates. Let us utilize it. Suppose there is a hard bit of work a man does not like but which would be of great use to him if properly accomplished. What ought he to do? He ought to dwell on the advantages that would accrue to him if he did it. Thus at last what was dry work would become interesting, because he now knows it will make him happy. He should at first lead on the mind by gentle suggestions, then transmute the mood to a Direct Action of the will, remaining immovable and resolute.

Control of speech, control of action, control of thoughts--that is Self-Control par excellence. Resolve to succeed in this and every morning renew your resolve and act up to it. At first you will have some failures; but never mind; go on and you will succeed according to the strength of your Resolve.

We ought to decide upon the particular type of thoughts that should find an open door in the precincts of our minds. This particular set of thoughts must be encouraged, must be assimilated i.e., made part and parcel of our being, must be brought to bear upon our action and speech. "If you would be thoughtful speak thoughtfully," says an esteemed friend, Prof. H. E. Butler.

Each act must have a well-defined basis and should be seen complete mentally previous to being externalized. Forethought must precede action. Decision and tenacity of purpose should accompany its performance. A complete decision of the mind clears the mental field and is really the battle half won, at times, wholly won.

Each utterance must be well-grounded on a clear thought. It should be based on a strong conviction if it is to tell. Calmness and not muscular exertion of the larynx should accompany speech.

Silver-tongued men are always sweet tongued. Control speech, my friend. It is a mighty power. Let it not wound.

Each evil thought once entertained with delight sets up a magnetic centre for the attraction of similar others. It must be excluded promptly and a good thought substituted in its place. This must be done with tireless zeal till our mind will automatically repel the evil and welcome the good. For the law of automatism reigns supreme in entire life. Serious, thought-compelling books should be studied and their teachings applied with resolution in our daily lives, if we are to be in magnetic trim with them. We should keep ourselves healthily occupied mentally and physically. We should keep ourselves well-in-hand emotionally; for emotions are a great force, but must be controlled before they can be utilized; otherwise they will lead to our destruction.

What, O Friend, is blind passion that you should be in its thrall? What is death that you should be afraid of it? Neither body nor mind, neither wife nor children, neither wealth nor worldly enjoyment;--nothing will make you happy. That is what we all seek! Happiness. And that is rooted deep within ourselves minus world, riches and all such other toys.

Escape from the illusion of forms, of senses, and of selfishness. Know "Thou are God--ta twam asi, O Swetaketu," and be free. Know that you are for perfection, Eternal Love and Service Free. Thus; increase your Spiritual Stature and realize God who alone exists. All is His. All is He. He is Truth, Existence and Bliss. Then let us worship Him by right action, thought and speech. The path is open to all. Every one is welcome to tread it. The sooner we do so the better for us as well as the world.

CHAPTER XVII.

MEDITATION EXERCISE.

1. I will be what I will to be. I "can" and I "will" be Free.

2. Locked up in my soul is All-Power,--All-Wisdom,--All-Love. My first, last and only mission in life is to give Explicit Expression to the Soul-Force--the All-Go(o)d--implicit in my being. I live for Self-Perfection.

3. I yield to no external agencies . . . be they human or non-human. He that fights for me is Within me and he is strength itself. My inner nature is a battery of irresistible force.

4. By the way of nothing I resolve to realize the Parambramhan--the Supreme Self--the Absolute, who alone exists away beyond Time and Space; beyond Cause and Effect, beyond Light and Darkness; beyond all relative manifestation.

5. I renounce all thirst for Life on Earth or in Heaven. I resolve to be cold to Pleasure and to be calm to Pain. I am "Desire-Free."

6. Henceforth I obey no Law, man-made or God-made, but what is sanctioned by my own highest Intuition and Inner Judgment. I am a Disembodied Spirit working, living and breathing for all that is related to me by Spiritual Affinity. I care little for this world with its thousand-cloven tongues of gratis advice, praise and censure. I can but obey my polarity. I want nothing. I seek Strength in Chastity. I seek Wisdom in the Silence of my own heart, which is assuredly the Seat of Divinity and the Fountain of all Virtue and Goodness.

7. I dedicate myself--body, soul and spirit to the service of the "Great Orphan"--humanity. I worship God by serving Man.

8. I resolve in this life, so to train myself, that I shall be a tremendous centre of Spiritual Force. My entire personality must reflect Divine Splendour. It must be a living and powerful lever to Uplift, Ennoble and Purify all such as come into contact with me. I am a Spiritual Exemplar of greatness.

9. I strive for the Christ-Life, the Buddha-Life, and the Great-Lives whose touch has brought me Light of Knowledge.

10. I resolve to be serious, devoted and constant in my principles every moment of my life, awake or asleep; at work or at rest; in society or in solitude; in joy or in grief; in praise or in blame; in earth-life or. hereafter. I am determined that nought shall shake my purpose, which is unalterably fixed. By the sword of Knowledge I will cut asunder and dispel all fear, within and without.

11. I resolve to be Fearless. I deny the Power of anything, within or outside of my physical form, to weaken me. I am resolved that my nerves shall be steady and obey my mandates.

12. I resolve to be Pure and perfectly Chaste, Clean, Contented, and studious. I shall by force of my Will-Power crush and starve out all sensual and unclean thoughts; and conquer, most thoroughly, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life." I am the embodiment of Continence.

13. I resolve to live above the animal stage, above the merely human stage, above all, as far as possible, that pertains to either or both. I resolve to live the Divine Life--which is not only superhuman but is above it.

14. I resolve to master my mind and body. The education of the Will and the Expansion of my spiritual Stature is the aim of my existence, since what appear to be trials beyond the endurance of common humanity can have no terrors for the Expanded Intellect of the Yogi. The dawn of Spiritual Greatness heralds the death of Pain. Pain fructifies in the soil of Ignorance.

15. I resolve to thoroughly master all the principles of Spiritual Unfoldment and to spare no pains for the acquirement of right Knowledge; since the emotion that is a constant impulsion to noble living and lofty aspirations is baffled in its efforts and becomes a source of Pain unendurable, when the Clear Light of the Intellect does not shine upon the Path.

16. I resolve to mount guard over Speech, Thought and Action, lest by recklessness or I should, in any way, however slightly, sully myself Spiritually and thus give myself cause for self-condemnation. I resolve to put Emotion under the yoke of Reason.

17. I resolve to be Gentle, Quiet and Loving to others. My bearing towards others shall be one of perfect sweetness. I radiate the Supreme Power--the Love-Force--the Expansion of which shall be my constant endeavour and a source of all-bliss to mankind.

18. I resolve to be a staunch upholder of the Great Law of Compassion and Non-injury. From me there can be no danger to anything or anybody. I wish everyone perfect Soul-Bliss.

19. I resolve to hold myself ever Calm and Serene. I can never be a slave to worry, anger or any other emotional disturbance, I am Master everywhere and always, over everything and all conditions.

20. I am independent of the body and use same as an instrument. I am and have Eternal Life. I am a Soul indestructible and have a body. I am one with All. I am the All.

The following extracts are from the Kalpaka--published by the Latent Light Culture.

SILENCE--What is Silence? Silence is to keep quiet. It is a great thing to keep silent. It can be called one of the greatest accomplishments that man can attain. It is not only for the development of the soul or any unfoldment of the self that it is useful, but it is also beneficial for both work and rest. When you keep silent the brain works much more accurately and the action of the heart is steadier; a physical rest ensues as all the members of the body are quiet, relaxed and in a state of receptivity.

A man who can relax his muscles will get more rest in an hour than one who cannot relax gets in one full day.

When one is silent, a beautiful stillness prevails, and it is then you come into consciousness more entirely. What is it? It is nothing but the understanding of your relation with God. How to make this practical?

When you read this, you feel an upliftment; you realize yourself to a greater extent; you have a truer consciousness of infinite things. Every step of this advancing realization induces stronger consciousness of. Power. What more practical proof than this do you want?

There is no limit to Truth. There is no limit to your Power. There is nothing impossible for you in this universe. You must first realize this fact. If you wish to attain Power, you must be full of desire and attention.

What is desire and attention? It is nothing but concentration, pure and simple. It is only when you open the avenues of your soul to the influence of the Spirit that you can have liberty--liberty from bondage. In short, know yourself.

OBSTACLES--I am the master of my own life. I can overcome all obstacles and gain dominion over myself and my surroundings.

It is my duty to count my blessings and brighten the lives of others around me.

I shall not sadden others by complaining and faultfinding.

Do you realize that comfort cannot be found outside of yourself? You do; and yet the whole world is sinning, suffering and sighing for it. Then why don't you enjoy it?

You wish you could, but you find you have so many things to do, and you barely find time to devote to yourself. You must understand there is no permanence except in Spirit. You must utterly abandon your old ways of thinking and of doing. You must set aside an hour every day for sitting in the 'Silence.' The intense forces of life operate in perfect silence. You must take that hour by force until it becomes a habit with you. You will have peace and control. Life will be worth living.

You are but a part of the whole. The whole is Spirit. There is only one Spirit, and God is Spirit. Therefore you are spiritual.

No kind of material trouble can affect the spiritual. Everything is spirit. Lo! you are a being having everything in you. What you want is within your grasp. You can be what you wish to be. All that appears to be obstacles to your advancement is false, and does not exist. Assert your Self and become the master of all.

REFLECTION--One of the most important elements that constitute success is reflection. It is more or less an exercise--intellectual exercise; by this the mind is cleared and the thought receives a greater impulse. "Read and reflect" is an adage worth remembering. Just take a piece of poetry; read it slowly; think of its various meanings; value the thought that could have suggested the piece; weigh each word in it and see what a clearness and precision is before you.

Now take your life; aye, a day of your life; say from morn to eve. Just when you retire for the night, recount each word act and deed of yours from morning till then. Think over each of them in an impartial light; see what a host of light--true light--is thrown, and everything in its right sense is revealed to you. If your recounting portrays your acts of the day in a light which would make you blush, turn over a new leaf and improve yourself.

Try this for a week and say whether you have become master of your actions or not. A rigid training along this line will make you pure and enable you to control yourself and this leads to success.

BREATH--The Bible says:--"And the Lord God breathed into the nostrils the breath of life and man became a living Soul."

Man cannot live without air even for a few minutes, whereas he can go without food and water for days together.

Breath is the life of man. The whole mystery of life is cantered in this Breath.

Every day we hear about proper ventilation and the great value of pure air. All this is good and right. Proper ventilation is highly desirable. Pure air is essential. Above all, the way of breathing is nearly as important as the quality of air you breathe.

God has created air in abundant quantity; it is the only thing pervading space. It sustains all lives by oxygen, its life-giving property.

The act of breathing not only helps you to draw oxygen from the air but it also helps to throw out certain poisonous matter formed in the body by the breaking down of the tissues. The blood has a duty to perform. It makes a complete circuit in three minutes; carries oxygen to the tissues for their upkeep and takes the poison from thence and throws it out through the lungs. This taking of oxygen and throwing out of poison is performed through breath. So here you see that slow breathing will take in more of the life giving oxygen and at the same time throw out more of the poisonous matter formed within. It is estimated that one-third of the poison formed in the body is thus thrown out of the lungs and the remainder through the bowels, skin and kidneys.

Has it ever occurred to you, dear reader, that breath plays an important act in your everyday life? Just try this when a crisis is forced upon you or when petty cares of life seem to assume abnormal proportions, by sitting quietly and breathing deeply for at least three minutes. You will see what a comfort flows to you and what a balanced head you have to solve all this.

All the greatest statesmen, the greatest generals, the greatest orators and the greatest thinkers have been the deepest breathers. Deep breathing promotes vitality and greatness. Ambition and aspiration both materially and spiritually are fulfilled only by breathing--breathing in the proper way.

It has been accepted that there is something else in the air than oxygen--a life-giving, vitalizing property which the chemists have not been able to detect or analyse. It is Prana. You see those plants around you, aye, the whole vegetable and mineral kingdoms draw their life out of this air and live upon it. You know that vegetables and minerals have life. What is this life? It is nothing but Prana. Science has proved that men can subsist on air without food and water. Many experimenters have tried this, and most of them have been able to fast 40 days together with no kind of food and drink except air--pure air. They have not lost their weight. We have now in India many Yogis who live mainly on air not for days and years but for ages together. Why? Because they know how to breathe and draw sufficient Prana from the air to keep up the physical body.

What is Prana? Prana is Spirit. It is alive and conscious. The air or atmosphere is full of this vitalizing, living, conscious Spirit substance--the breath of life, the source of all life and energy.

Concentrate on this Prana, when you breathe the breath of life. You will see that your subconscious mind opens to receive this Prana. The mighty secret of the miraculous power of Yogis lies in the conscious reception of PRANA. Hence learn to breathe.

HIGHER REASON AND JUDGMENT= CONQUEST OF FEAR.

THE GREAT EGOIST--BALI

QUEEN CHUNDALAI, THE GREAT YOGIN

CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

THE WAY TO BLESSED LIBERATION

MUDRAS MOVE THE KUNDALINI

LOCATION OF KUNDALINI

SAMADHI YOGA

THE POWER OF DHARANA, DHIYANA, AND SAMYAMA YOGA.

THE POWER OF THE PRANAYAMA YOGA.

INTRODUCTION

KUNDALINI, THE MOTHER OF THE UNIVERSE.