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Written by Swami Vivekananda |
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THE next step is called Pratyahara. What is this? You know
how perceptions come. First of all there are the external
instruments, then the internal organs, acting in the body
through the brain centres, and there is the mind. When these
come together, and attach themselves to some external thing,
then we perceive that thing. At the same time it is a very
difficult thing to concentrate the mind and attach it to one
organ only; the mind is a slave.
We hear “be good” and “be good” and “be good” taught
all over the world. There is hardly a child, born in any
country in the world, who has not been told “do not steal,”
“do not tell a lie,” but nobody tells the child how he can help
it. Talking will never do it. Why should he not become a
thief? We do not teach him how not to steal; we simply tell
him “do not steal.” Only when we teach him to control his
mind do we really help him. All actions, internal and
external, occur when the mind joins itself to certain centres,
which centres are called the organs. Willingly or
unwillingly it is drawn to join itself to the centres, and that is
why people do foolish deeds and feel misery, which, if the
mind were under control, they would not do. What would be
the result of controlling the mind? It then would not join
itself to the centres of perception, and, naturally, feeling and
willing would be under control. It is clear so far. Is it
possible? It is perfectly possible. You see it in modern
times; the faith-healers teach people to deny misery and pain
and evil. Their philosophy is rather roundabout, but it is a
part of Yoga into which they have somehow stumbled. In
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those cases where they succeed in making a person throw off
suffering by denything it they have really taught a part of
Pratyahara, as they have made the mind of the person taught
strong enough to refuse to take up the record of the senses.
The hypnotists in a similar manner, by their suggestion,
excite in the patient a sort of morbid Pratyahara for the time
being. The so-called hypnotic suggestion can only act upon
a diseased body and a clouded mind. And until the operator,
by means of fixed gaze or otherwise, has succeeded in
putting the mind of the subject in a sort of passive, morbid
condition, his suggestions never work.
Now the control of the centres which is established in a
hypnotic patient or the patient of faith-healing, for a time, is
utterly reprehensible, because it leads to ultimate ruin. It is
not really controlling the brain centres by the power of one’s
own will, but is, as it were, stunning the patient’s mind for a
time by sudden blows which another’s will delivers to it. It
is not checking by means of reins and muscular strength the
mad career of a fiery team, but rather by asking another to
deliver heavy blows on the heads of the horses, to stun them
for a time into gentleness. At each one of these processes
the man operated upon loses a part of his mental energies,
and, at last, the mind, instead of gaining the power of perfect
control, becomes a shapeless, powerless mass, and the only
goal of the patient is the lunatic asylum.
Every attempt at control which is not voluntary, not with
the controller’s own mind, is not only disastrous, but it
defeats the end. The goal of each soul is freedom, mastery,
freedom from slavery of matter and thought, mastery of
external and internal nature. Instead of leading towards that,
every will current from another, in whatever form it comes
to men, either as direct control of my organs, or as forcing
me to control them while under a morbid condition, only
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55
rivets one link more to the already existing heavy chain of
bondage of past thoughts, past superstition. Therefore,
beware how you allow yourselves to be acted upon by
others. Beware how you unknowingly lead another to ruin.
True, some succeed in doing good to many for a time, by
giving a new trend to their propensities, but at the same time,
they bring ruin to millions by the unconscious hypnotic
suggestions they throw around, rousing in men and woman
that morbid, passive, hypnotic condition which makes them
almost soulless at last. Whosoever, therefore, asks anyone to
believe blindly, or drags mankind behind him through
controlling it by his superior will is an injurer to humanity,
though he may not have intended it.
Therefore use your own minds, control body and mind
yourselves, remember that until you are a diseased person,
no extraneous will can work upon you, and avoid everyone,
however great and good he may be, who asks you to blindly
believe. All over the world there have been dancing, and
jumping, and howling sects who spread like infections when
they begin to sing and dance and preach; they also come
under this heading. They exercise a singular control for the
time being over sensitive persons, alas, often, in the long
run, to degenerate whole races. Aye, it is healthier for the
individual or the race to remain wicked than to be made
apparently good by such morbid extraneous control. One’s
heart sinks to think of the amount of injury done to humanity
by such irresponsbile, yet well-meaning religious fanatics.
They little know that the minds which attain to sudden
spiritual upheaval under their suggestions, with music and
prayers, are simply making themselves passive, morbid, and
powerless, and opening themselves to any other suggestion,
be it ever so evil. Little do those ignorant, deluded persons
dream that whilst they are congratulating themselves upon
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their miraculous power to transform human hearts, which
power they think was poured upon them by some Being
above the cloud, they are sowing the seeds of some future
decay, of crime, of lunacy, and of death. Therefore, beware
of everything that takes away your freedom. Know that it in
dangerous, and avoid it by all the means in your power. He
who has succeeded in attaching or detaching his mind to or
from the centres at will has succeeded in Pratyahara, which
means “gathering towards,” checking the outgoing powers of
the mind, freeing it from the thraldom of the senses. When
we can do this we really possess a character, then alone shall
we have made a long step towards freedom; before that we
are mere machines.
How hard it is to control the mind! Well has it been
compared to the maddened monkey. There was a monkey,
restless by his own nature, as all monkeys are. As if that
were not enough, someone made him drink freely of wine,
so that he became still more restless. Then a scorpion stung
him. When a man is stung by a scorpion he jumps about for
a whole day, so the poor monkey found his condition worse
than ever. To complete his misery a demon entered into
him. What language can describe the uncontrollable
restlessness of that monkey? The human mind is like that
monkey; incessantly active by its own nature, then it
becomes drunk with the wine of desire, thus increasing its
turbulence. After desire takes possession comes the sting of
the scorpion of jealously of others whose desires meet with
fulfilment, and last of all the demon of pride takes
possession of the mind, making it think itself of all
importance. How hard to control such a mind!
The first lesson, then, is to sit for some time and let the
mind run on. The mind is bubbling up all the time. It is like
that monkey jumping about. Let the monkey jump as much
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as he can; you simply wait and watch. Knowledge is power
says the proverb, and that is true. Until you know what the
mind is doing you cannot control it. Give it the full length of
the reins; many most hideous thoughts may come into it; you
will be astonished that it was possible for you to think such
thoughts. But you will find that each day the mind’s
vagaries are becoming less and less violent, that each day it
is becoming calmer. In the first few months you will find
that the mind will have a thousand thoughts, later you will
find that it is toned down to perhaps seven hundred, and after
a few more months it will have fewer and fewer, until at last
it will be under perfect control, but we must patiently
practice every day. As soon as the stream is turned on the
engine must run, and as soon as things are before us we must
perceive; so a man, to prove that he is not a machine, must
demonstrate that he is under the control of nothing. This
controlling of themind, and not allowing it to join itself to
the centres, is Pratyahara. How is this practices. It is a long
work, not to be done in a day. Only after a patient,
continous struggle for years can we succeed.
The next lesson depends on this. After you have
practiced the Pratyahara for a time, take the next step, the
Dharana, holding the mind to certain points. What is meant
by holding the mind to certain points? Forcing the mind to
feel certain parts of the body to the exclusion of others. For
instance, try to feel only the hand, to the exclusion of other
parts of the body. When the Chitta, or mind-stuff, is
confined and limited to a certain place, this is called
Dharana. This Dharana is of various sorts, and along with
it, it is better to have a little play of the imagination. For
instance, the mind should be made to think of one point in
the heart. That is very difficult; an easier way is to imagine
a lotus there. That lotus is full of light, effulgent light. Put
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the mind there. Or think of the lotus in the brain as full of
light, or of the different centres in the Susumna mentioned
before.
The Yogi must always practice. He should try to live
alone; the companionship of different sorts of people
distracts his mind; he should not speak much because to
speak distracts the mind; nor work much, because too much
work distracts the mind; the mind cannot be controlled after
a whole day’s hard work. One with such a determination
becomes a Yogi. Such is the power of good that even the
least done will bring a great amount of benefit. It will not
hurt anyone, but will benefit everyone. First of all it will
tone down nervous excitement, bring calmness, enable us to
see things more clearly. The temperament will be better, and
the health will be better. Sound health will be one of the
first signs, and a beautiful voice. Defects in the voice will be
changed. This will be among the first of the many effects
that will come. Those who practice hard will get many other
signs. Sometimes there will be sounds, as a peal of bells
heard at a distance, commingling, and falling on the ear as
one continuous sound. Sometimes things will be seen, little
specks of light floating and becoming bigger and bigger, and
when these things come, know that you are progressing very
fast. Those who want to be Yogis, and practice very hard,
must take a little care of their diet at first. Those who want
to make very rapid progress, if they can live on milk alone
for some months, and cereals, will find it an advantage. But
for those who want only a little practice for every day
business sort of life, let them not eat too much, but otherwise
they may eat whatever they please.
For those who want to make faster progress, and to
practice hard, a strict diet is absolutely necessary. As the
organisation becomes finer and finer, at first you will find
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that the least things throws you out of balance. One bit of
food more or less will disturb the whole system, and then
you will be able to eat whatever you like. You will find that
when you are beginning to concentrate, the dropping of a pin
will seem like a thunderbolt going through your brain. The
organs get finer, and the perceptions get finer. These are the
stages through which we have to pass, and all those who
persevere will succeed. Give up all argumentation and other
distractions. Is there anything in this dry intellectual jargon?
It only throws the mind off its balance and disturbs it. These
things have to be realised. Will talking do that? So give up
all vain talk. Read only those books which have been
written by persons who have had realisation.
Be like the pearl oyster. There is a pretty Indian fable to
the effect that if it rains when the star Svati is in the
ascendant, and a drop of rain falls into an oyster, that drop
will become a pearl. The oysters know this, so they come to
the surface when that star shines, and wait to catch the
precious rain-drop. When one falls into the shell, quickly
the oyster closes it and dives down to the bottom of the sea,
there to patiently develop the drop into the pearl. We should
be like that. First hear, then understand, and then, leaving all
distractions, shut our minds to outside influences, and devote
ourselves to developing the truth within us. There is the
danger of frittering away our energies by taking up an idea
only for its novelty, and then giving it up for another that is
newer. Take one thing up and do it, and see the end of it,
and before ou have seen the end, do not give it up. He who
can become mad upon an idea, he alone will see light.
Those that only take a nibble here and there will never attain
anything. They may tittilate their nerves for a moment, but
there it will end. They will be slaves in the hands of nature,
and will never get beyond the senses.
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Those who really want to be Yogis must give up, once for
all, this nibbling at things. Take up one idea. Make that one
idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let
the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body
be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone.
This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual
giant are produced. Others are mere talking machines. If we
really want to be blessed, and make others blessed, we must
go deeper, and, for the first step, do not disturb the mind, and
do not associate with persons whose ideas are disturbing.
All of you know that certain persons, certain places, certain
foods, repel you. Avoid them; and those who want to go to
the highest, must avoid all company, good or bad. Practice
hard; whether you live or die it does not matter. You have to
plunge in and work, without thinking of the result. If you
are brave enough, in six months you will be a perfect Yogi.
But, for others, those who take up just a bit of it, a little of
everything, they get no higher. It is of no use to simply take
a course of lessons. Those who are full of Tamas, ignorant
and dull, those whose minds never get fixed on any idea,
who only crave for something to entertain them—religion
and philosophy are simply entertainments to them. They
come to religion as to an entertainment, and get that little bit
of entertainment. These are the unpersevering. They hear a
talk, think it very nice, and then go home and forget all about
it. To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance,
tremendous will. “I will drink the ocean,” says the
persevering soul. “At my will mountains will crumble up.”
Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and
you will reach the goal. |
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