04 Mental Control - William Atkinson

the expression of the eye. The fact that the eye is master of the mind as well as of the body. That the eye is behind all thought. That the eye can set aside for consideration the sensations, emotions, passions, desires, and the rest of the mental phenomena, and still realize that it the eye is apart from these mental manifestations

and remains unchanged, real and fully existent. That the eye can set aside any and all of its mental tools and instruments as not i things, and still consciously realize that after so setting them aside, there remains something itself, the eye, which cannot be set aside or taken from That the eye is the master of the mind and not its slave. Three, that the eye is a much

greater thing than the little personal eye. We have been considering it to be that the eye is a part of that great one reality which pervades all the universe. That it is connected with all other forms of life by countless ties, mental and spiritual filaments and relations. That the eye is the center of consciousness in that great one reality or spirit, which is behind and back of all life and existence, the center of which reality or

existence is the Absolute or God. That the sense of reality that is inherent in the eye is really the reflection of the sense of reality inherent in the whole, the great eye of the universe. The underlying principle of these three lessons is the reality of the eye in itself over and above all matter, force, or mind, positive to all of them, just as they are positive or negative to each other, and negative only to the center of the One, the Absolute. And this is the position

for the candidate or initiate to take. I am positive to mind, energy, and matter, and control them all. I am negative only to the Absolute, which is the center of being, of which being I am. And as I exert my mastery over mind, energy, and matter and exercise my will over them, so do I acknowledge my subordination to the Absolute and gladly open my soul to the inflow of the Divine will and partake of its power, strength,

and wisdom. In the present lesson and those immediately following it, we shall endeavor to assist the candidate or initiate in acquiring a mastery of the subordinate manifestations matter, energy, and mind. In order to acquire and assert this mastery, one must acquaint himself with the nature of the thing to be controlled. In our advanced course, we have endeavored to explain to you the nature of the three great manifestations known as Hita or mind, substance, Prana or energy, and Akasa or

the principle of matter. We also explain to you that the eye of men is superior to these three, being what is known as Atman or spirit, Matter, energy, and mind, as we have explained, are manifestations of the absolute in our relative things. The Yogi philosophy teaches that matter is the grossest form of manifested substance, being below energy and

mind and consequently negative to and subordinate to both. One stage higher than matter is energy or force, which is positive to and has authority over matter, matter, being a still grosser form of substance, but which is negative to and subordinate to mind, which is a still higher form of substance. Next in order comes the highest of the three, Mind, the finest form of substance, and which dominates both energy

and matter, being positive to both. Mind, however, is negative and subordinate to the Eye, which is spirit, and obeys the orders of the latter when firmly and intelligently given. The eye itself is subordinate only to the absolute, the center of being, the I, being positive and dominant over

the threefold manifestation of mind, energy, and matter. The eye, which for the sake of the illustration, must be regarded as a separate thing, although it is really only a center of consciousness in the great body of Spirit, finds itself surrounded by the triple ocean of mind, energy, and matter, which ocean extends into infinity. The body is but a physical form through which flows an unending stream of matter.

For as you know, the particles and atoms of the body are constantly changing, being renewed, replaced, thrown off, and supplanted one's body of a few years ago, or rather, the particles composing that body have passed off and now form new combinations in the world of matter, and one's body of today is passing away and being replaced by

new particles. And one's body of next year is now occupying some other portion of space, and its particles are now parts of countless other combinations from its space, and combinations they will later come to combine and form the body of next year. There is nothing permanent about the body. Even the particles of the bones are being constantly replaced by others. And so it is with the vital energy force or strength of the body, including that of the brain.

It is constantly being used up and expended, a fresh supply taking its place. And even the mind of the person is changeable, and the mind substance or keita is being used up and replenished, the new supply coming from the great ocean of mind into which the discarded portion slips, just as is the case with the matter and energy.

While the majority of our students, who are more or less familiar with the current material scientific conceptions, will readily accept the above idea of the ocean of matter and energy and the fact that there is a continual using up and replenishing of one store of both, they may have more or less trouble in accepting the idea that mind is a substance or principle amenable to the same general laws as are the other two manifestations or attributes

of substance. One is so apt to think of his mind as himself the eye, notwithstanding the fact that in our second lesson of this series, which showed you that the eye is superior to the mental states, and that it can set them aside and regard and consider them as not i things. Yet the force of the habit of thought is very strong, and it may take some of you considerable time before you get into the way of realizing that your mind is something that you use

instead of being you yourself. And yet you must persevere in attaining this realization. For in the degree that you realize your dominance over your mind, so will be your control of it and its amenability to that control. And as is the degree of that dominance in control, so will be the character, great and extent of the work that your mind will do for you. So you see,

realization brings control and control brings results. This statement lies at the base of the science of Raja yoga, and many of its first exercises are designed to acquaint the student with that realization and to develop the realization and

control by habit and practice. The Yogi philosophy teaches that instead of mind being the eye, it is the thing through and by means of which the eye thinks, at least so far as is concerned the knowledge concerning the phenomenal or outward universe, that is, the universe of name and form. There is a higher knowledge locked up in the innermost part of the eye that far transcends any information that it may receive about or from the outer world.

But that is not before us for consideration at this time, and we must concern ourselves with the thinking about the world of things. Mind substance in Sanskrit is called kita, and a wave in the kita, which wave is the combination of mind and energy, is called frita, which is akin to what we call a thought. In other words, it is mind in action, whereas kita is mind in repose. Frita, when literally translated, means a whirlpool or eddy in the mind,

which is exactly what a thought really is. But we must call the attention of the student at this point to the fact that the word mind is used in two ways by the Yogis, and other occultists, and the student is directed to form a clear concept of each meaning in order to avoid confusion, and that he may more clearly perceive the true aspects of the things which the word is intended to express. In the first place, the word mind is used as synonymous with kita or

mind substance, which is the universal mind principle. From this kita, mind substance, or mind, all the material of the millions of personal minds is obtained. The sacond meaning of the word mind is that which we mean when we speak of the mind of any one, thereby meaning the mental faculties of that particular person, that which distinguishes his mental

personality from that of another. We have taught you that this mind in men functions on three planes, and have called the respective manifestations one the instinctive mind, two the intellect, and three the spiritual mind see fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy, et cetera. These three mental planes, taken together, make up the mind of the person, or, to be more exact, they clustered around the eye form the soul of the individual.

The word soul is often used as synonymous with spirit, but those who have followed us will distinguish the difference. The soul is the ego surrounded by its mental principles, while the spirit is the soul of the soul, the eye, or real self. The science of Raja Yoga to which these series of lessons is devoted, teaches as its basic principle the control of the mind. It holds that the first step toward power consists in obtaining a control of one's own mind. It holds that the internal world must

be conquered before the outer world is attacked. It holds that the eye manifests itself in will, and that that will may be used to manipulate, guide, govern, and direct the mind of its owner, as well as the physical world. It aims to clear away all mental rubbish and encumbrances, to conduct a mental house cleaning, as it were, and

to secure a clear, clean, healthy mind. Then it proceeds to control that mind intelligently and with effect, saving all waste power, and by means of concentration, bringing the mind in full harmony with the will, that it may be brought to a focus and its power greatly increased, and

its efficiency fully secured. Concentration and will power are the means by which the Yogis obtain such wonderful results and by which they manage and direct their vigorous, healthy minds and master the material world, acting positively upon energy and matter. This control extends to all planes of the mind, and the yogis not only controlled the instinctive mind, holding in subjection its lower qualities and making use of its other parts, but they also develop and enlarge the field of their

intellect and obtain from it wonderful results. Even this spiritual mind is mastered and aided in its unfoldment, and urged to pass down into the field of consciousness some of the wonderful secrets to be found within its area. By means of Raja yoga, many of the secrets of existence and being, many of the riddles of the universe are answered and solved, and by it, the latent powers inherent in the constitution of men are unfolded and brought into action.

Those highly advanced in the science are believed to have attained such a wonderful degree of power and control over the forces of the universe that they are as gods compared with the ordinary men. Raja Yoga teaches that not only may power of this kind be secured but that a wonderful field of knowledge is opened out through its practice.

It holds that when the concentrated mind is focused upon thing or subject, the true nature and inner meaning of and concerning that thing or subject will be brought to view. The concentrated mind passes through the object or subject, just as the X ray passes through a block of wood, and the thing is seen by the eye as it is in truth and not as it had appeared before, imperfectly and erroneously. Not only may the outside world be thus explored, but the mental ray may be turned inward

and the secret places of the mind explored. When it is remembered that the bit of mind that each man possesses is like a drop of the ocean, which contains within its tiny compass all the elements that make up the ocean, and that to know perfectly the drop is to know perfectly the ocean, then we begin to see

what such a power really means. Many in the Western world, who have attained great results in the intellectual and scientific fields of endeavor, have developed these powers, more or less unconsciously. Many great inventors are practical yogis, although they do not realize the source of their power. Any One who is familiar with the personal mental characteristics of Edison will see that he follows some of the Raja yoga methods, and

that concentration is one of his strongest weapons. And from all reports, Professor Elmer Gates of Washington, d c. Whose mind has unfolded many wonderful discoveries and inventions, is also a practical yogi, although he may repudiate the assertion vigorously and may not have familiarized himself with the principles of

the science which he has dropped into unconsciously. Those who have reported upon Professor Gates's methods say that he fairly digged out the inventions and discoveries from his mind after going into seclusion and practicing concentration in what is known as the mental vision. But we have given you enough of theory for one lesson, and must begin to give you directions whereby you may aid yourself in developing these

latent powers and unfolding these dormant energies. You will notice that in this series we first tell you something about the theory and then proceed to give you something to do. This is the true yogi method, as followed and practiced by their best teachers. Too much theory is time and sings the mind to sleep, while too much exercise tires one and does not give the inquiring part of his mind the necessary food. To combine both in suitable proportions is the better plan, and one that we aim to

follow Part two Mental drill and exercises. Before we can get the mind to do good work for us, we must first tame it and bring it to obedience to the will of the eye. The mind, as a rule, has been allowed to run wild and follow its own sweet will and desires without regard to anything else. Like a spoiled child or badly trained domestic animal, it gets into much trouble and is of very little pleasure, comfort,

or use. The minds of many of us are like menagries of wild animals, each pursuing the bent of its own nature and going its own way. We have the whole managery within us, the tiger, the ape, the peacock, the ass, the goose, the sheep, the hyena, and all the rest, and we have been letting these animals rule us. Even our intellect is erratic, unstable, and like the quicksilver to which the ancient occultists compared it shifting and uncertain.

If you will look around you, you will see that those men and women in the world who have really accomplished anything worth while have trained their minds to obedience. They have asserted the will or were their own minds,

and learned mastery and power in that way. The average mind chafes at the restraint of the will and is like a frisky monkey that will not be taught tricks, but taught it must be if it wants to do good work, and teach it you must if you expect to get any use from it, if you expect to use it instead of having it use you. And this is the first thing to be learned in Raja yoga, this control of the mind. Those who had hoped for

some royal road to mastery may be disappointed. But there is only one way, and that is to master and control the mind by the will. Otherwise it will run away when you most need it. And so we shall give you some exercise design to aid you in this direction. The first exercise in Raja yoga is what is called pratyahara, or the art of making the mind introspective or turned inward upon itself. It is the first step toward mental control. It aims to turn the mind from going outward and

gradually churning it inward upon itself or inner nature. The object is to gain control of it by the will. The following exercises will aid in that direction. Exercise one A place yourself in a comfortable position and, so far as possible, free from outside disturbing influences. Make no violent effort to control the mind, but rather allow it to

run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down and looks to you for orders. It may take some time to tame down at first trial, but each time you try, it will come round to you in shorter time. The Yogis spend much time in acquiring this mental peace and calm, and consider themselves well paid for it. B. When the mind is well calmed down and peaceful, fix

the thought on thee. I am. As taught in our previous lessons, picture the eye as an entity independent of the body, deathless and vulnerable, immortal real Then think of it as independent of the body and able to exist

without its fleshly covering. Meditate upon this for a time, and then gradually direct the thought to the realization of the eye as independent and superior to the mind and controlling saying, go over the general ideas of the first two lessons, and endeavor to calmly reflect upon them and to see them in the mind's eye. You will find that your mind is gradually becoming more and more peaceful and calm, and that the distracting thoughts of the outside

world are farther and farther removed from you. See. Then, let the mind pass on to a calm consideration of the third lesson, in which we have spoken of the oneness of all and the relationship of the eye to the one life power intelligence being. You will find that you are acquiring a mental control and calm heretofore unknown to you. The exercises in the first three lessons will have prepared you for this. The following is the most difficult of the variations or degrees of this exercise, but

the ability to perform it will come gradually. The exercise consists in gradually shutting out all thought or impression of the outside world, of the body, and of the thoughts themselves, the student concentrating and meditating upon the word and idea I am, the idea being that he shall concentrate upon the idea of mere being or existence, symbolized by the words I am, not I am this, or I am that, or I do this or I think that, but simply

I am. This exercise will focus the attention at the very center of being within oneself, and will gather in all the mental energies instead of allowing them to be scattered upon outside things. A feeling of peace, strength, and power will result. For the affirmation and the thought back of it is the most powerful and strongest that one may make, for it is a statement of actual being and the turning of the thought inward to that truth.

Let the mind first dwell upon the word I, identifying it with the self, and then let it pass on to the word M, which signifies reality and being. Then combine the two with the meanings thereof, and the result a most powerful focusing of thought inward and most potent statement of being. It is well to accompany the above exercise with a comfortable and easy physical attitude, so as to prevent the distraction of the attention by the body.

In order to do this, one should assume and e easy attitude, and then relax every muscle and take the tension from every nerve until a perfect sense of ease, comfort, and relaxation is obtained. You should practice this until you have fully acquired it. It will be useful to you in many ways. Besides rendering concentration and meditation easier, it will act as a rest cure for tired body nerves and mind exercise too. The second step in Raja yoga

is what is known as tarana or concentration. This is a most wonderful idea in the direction of focusing the mental forces, and may be cultivated to an almost incredible degree. But all this requires work, time, and patience, but the student will be well repaid for it. Concentration consists in the mind focusing upon a certain subject or object and

being held there for a time. This, at first thought, seems very easy, but a little practice will show how difficult it is to firmly fix the attention and hold it there. It will have a tendency to waver and move to some other object or subject, and much practice will be needed in order to hold it at the desired point. But practice will accomplish wonders. As one may see by observing people who have acquired this faculty and who use it in their everyday life. The following point

should be remembered. Many persons have acquired the faculty of concentrating their attention, but have allowed it to become almost involuntary, and they become a slave to it forgetting themselves and everything else, and often neglecting necessary affairs. This is the ignorant way of concentrating, and those addicted to it become slaves to their habits. Instead of masters of their minds. They become day dreamers and absent minded people. Instead of masters.

They are to be pitied as much as those who cannot concentrate at all. The secret is in a mystery of the mind. The yogis can concentrate at will and completely bury themselves in the subject before them, and extract from it every item of interest, and kim then pass the mind from the thing at will, the same control being used in both cases. They do not allow fits of abstraction or absent mindedness to come upon them, nor are they day dreamers. On the contrary, they are very

wide awake individuals, close observers, clear thinkers correct reasoners. They are masters of their minds, not slaves to their moods. The ignorant concentrator buries himself in the object or subject and allows it to master and absorb himself, while the trained yogi thinkers assert the eye and then directs his mind to concentrate upon the subject or object, keeping it well under control and in view all the time. Do

you see the difference, then heed the lesson. The following exercises may be found useful in the first steps of concentration. A concentrate the attention upon some familiar object, a pencil, for instance. Hold the mind there and consider the pencil to the exclusion of any other object. Consider its size, color, shape, kind of wood, Consider its uses and purposes, its materials, the process of its manufacture, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

In short, think as many things about the pencil as possible, allowing the mind to pursue any associated bypaths, such as a consideration of the graphite of which the lead is made, the forests from which came the wood used in making the pencil, the history of pencils and other inclements used for writing, et cetera. In short, exhaust the subject of pencils. In considering a subject under concentration, the following plan of synopsis will be found useful. Think of the thing in

question from the following viewpoints. One the thing itself, two, the plays from whence it came, three, its purpose or use, four its associations, five its probable end. Do not let the apparently trivial nature of the inquiry discourage you, for the simplest form of mental training is us useful and

will help to develop your will and concentration. It is akin to the process of developing a physical muscle by some simple exercise, and in both cases one loses sight of the unimportance of the exercise itself in view of the end to be gained. B Concentrate the attention upon some part of the body, the hand, for instance, and fixing your entire attention upon it, shut off or inhibit all sensation from the other parts of the body. A

little practice will enable you to do this. In addition to the mental training, this exercise will stimulate the part of the body concentrated upon, for reasons that will appear in future lessons. Change the parts of the body concentrated upon and thus give the mind a variety of exercises, and the body the effect of a general stimulation. See These exercises may be extended indefinitely upon familiar objects about you. Remember always that the thing in itself is of no importance.

The whole idea being to train the mind to obey the will, so that when you really wish to use the mental forces upon some important object, you may find them well trained and obedient. Do not be tempted to slight this part of the word because it is dry and uninteresting, for it leads up to things that are most interesting and opens a door to a fascinating subject. D practice focusing the attention upon some abstract subject, that is, upon some subject of interest that may offer a field

for mental exploration. Think about the subject in all its phases and branches, following up one by path and then another, until you feel that you know all about the subject that your mind has acquired. You will be surprised to find how much more you know about any one thing

or subject than you have believed possible. In hidden corners of your mind you will find some useful or interesting information about the thing in question, and when you are through, you will feel well posted upon it and upon the things connected with it. This exercise will not only help to develop your intellectual powers, but will strengthen your memory and broaden your mind and give you more confidence in yourself. And in addition, you will have taken a valuable exercise

in concentration or tarana. The importance of concentration. Concentration is a focusing of the mind, and this focusing of the mind requires a focusing or bringing to a center of the will. The mind is concentrated because the will is focused upon the object. The mind flows into the mold made by the will. The above exercises are designed not only to accustom the mind to the obedience and direction of the will, but also tend to accustom the will

to command. We speak of strengthening the will, when what we really mean is training the mind to obey and accustoming the will to command. Our will is strong enough, but we do not realize it. The will takes root in the very center of our being, in the eye, but our imperfectly developed mind does not recognize this fact. We are like young elephants that do not recognize their own strength, but allow themselves to be mastered by puny drivers,

whom they could brush aside with a movement. The will is back of all action, all doing, mental and physical. We shall have much to say touching the will in these lessons, and the student should give the matter his careful attention. Let him look around him, and he will see that the great difference between the men who have stepped forward from the ranks and those who remain huddled

up in the crowd consists in determination and will. As Buxton has well said, the longer I live, the more certain I am that the great difference between men, the feeble and the powerful, the great and insignificant, is energy and invincible determination. And he might have added that the thing behind that energy and invincible determination was will. The writers and thinkers of all ages have recognized the wonderful

and transcendent importance of the will. Tennyson sings, all living will, thou shalt endure when all that seems shall see of her shock. Oliver Wendell Holmes says, the seat of the will seems to vary with the organ through which it is manifested to transport itself to different parts of the brain. As we may wish to recall a picture, a phrase, a melody to throw its force on the muscles or the intellectual processes. Like the general in chief, its place

is everywhere in the field of action. It is the least like an instrument of any of our faculties, the farthest removed from our conceptions of mechanism and matter as we commonly define them. Holmes was correct in his idea, but faulty in his details. The will does not change its seat, which is always in the center of the ego. But the will forces the mind to all hearts and

in all directions, and it directs the prana or vital force. Likewise, the will is indeed the general in chief, but it does not rush to the various points of action, but since its messengers and couriers there to carry out its orders. Buxton has said, the will will do anything that can be done in this world, and no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities, will make a two legged creature a man

without it. Ike Marvel truly says, resolve is what makes a man manifest, not puny, resolve, not crue determinations, not er and purpose, but that strong and indefatigable will which treads down difficulties in danger as a boy treads down the heaving frostlens of winter, which kindles his eye and brain with a proud pulse beat toward the unattainable will

makes men giants. The great obstacle to the proper use of the will in the case of the majority of people is the lack of ability to focus the attention. The yogis clearly understand this point, and many of the Raja Yoga exercises which are given to the students by the teachers are designed to overcome this difficulty. Attention is

the outward evidence of the will. As a French writer has said, the attention is subject to the superior authority of the ego I yielded, where I withhold it as I please, I direct it in turn to several points. I concentrated upon each point, as long as my will can stand the effort. Professor James has said the essential achievement of the will, when it is most voluntary, is to attend to a difficult object and hold it fast

before the mind. Effort of attention is the essential phenomenon of the will, and Professor Haleck says the first step toward the development of will lies in the exercise of attention. Ideas grow in distinctness and motive power as we attend to them. If we take two ideas of the same intensity and center the attention upon one, we shall notice

how much it grows in power. Professor Sully says attention may be roughly defined as the active self direction of the mind to any object which presents itself at the moment. The word attention is derived from two Latin words ad tendity, meaning to stretch towards, and this is just what the Yogis know it to be. By means of their psychic

or clearvoyant sight. They see the thought of the attentive person stretched out toward the object attended to, like a sharp wedge, the point of which is focused upon the object under consideration, the entire force of the thought being concentrated at that point. This is true not only when the person is considering an object, but when he is earnestly impressing his ideas upon another or upon some task to be accomplished. Attention means reaching the mind out to

a focusing it upon something. The trained will exhibits itself in a tenacious attention, and this attention is one of the signs of the trained will. The student must not hastily conclude that this kind of attention is a common faculty among men. On the contrary, it is quite rare and is seen only among those of strong mentality. Any One may fasten his attention upon some passing, pleasing thing, but it takes a trained will to fasten it upon

some unattractive thing and hold it there. Of course, the trained occultist is able to throw interest into the most unattractive thing upon which it becomes advisable to focus his attention. But this in itself comes with the trained will, and is not the possession of the average man. Voluntary attention is rare and is found only amongst strong characters. But it may be cultivated and grown, until he who has scarcely a shade of it to day, in time may

become a giant. It is all a matter of practice, exercise, and will. It is difficult to say too much in favor of the development of the faculty of tenacious attention. One possessing this developed faculty is able to accomplish far more than even a much brighter man who lacks it. And the best way to train the attention under the direction of the will is to practice upon uninteresting objects and ideas, holding them before the mind until they begin

to assume an interest. This is difficult at first, but the task soon begins to take on a pleasant aspect, for one finds that his will, power and attention are growing, and he feels himself acquiring a force and power that were lacking before he realizes that he is growing stronger.

Charles Dickens said that the secret of his success consisted in his developing a faculty of throwing his entire attention into whatever he happened to be doing at the moment, and then being able to turn that same degree of attention to the next thing coming before him for consideration. He was like a man behind a great searchlight which was successively turned upon point after point, illuminating each in turn. The eye is the man behind the light, and the

will is the reflector, the light being the attention. This discussion of will and attention may seem somewhat dry to the student, but that is all the more reason that he should attend to it. It is the secret that lies at the basis of the science of Raja yoga, and the yogi masters have attained a degree of concentration, will and attention that would be inconceivable to the average men of the street. By reason of this, they are able to direct the mind here and there, outward or

inward with an enormous force. They are able to focus the mind upon a small thing with remarkable intensity, just as the rays of the sun may be focused through a sunglass and caused to ignite linen. Or on the other hand, they are able to send forth the mind with intense energy, illuminating whatever it rests upon, just as happens in the case of the strong electric searchlight with which many of us are familiar. By all means, start in to cultivate the attention and will practice on the

unpleasant tasks. Do the things that you have before you, and from which you have been shrinking because they were unpleasant, Throw interest into them, and the difficulty will vanish, and you will come out of it much stronger and filled with a nuisance of power mentrum affirmation. I have a will. It is my inalienable property and right. I determine to cultivate and devel by practice and exercise. My mind is obedient to my will. I desert my will over my mind.

I am master of my mind and body. I asert my mastery. My will is dynamic, full of force and energy and power. I feel my strength. I am strong, I am forceful, I am vital. I am center of consciousness, energy, strength and power. And I claim my birthright.