A Series of Lessons in Raja YogaTheosophy / New ThoughtMystical / EsotericEnglishShareA Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 22Project Gutenberg #13656 - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableProject Gutenberg #13656LanguageEnglishEspañol‹A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 3A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 4A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 5A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 6A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 8A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 9A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 10A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 11A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 12A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 13A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 14A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 16A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 17A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 18A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 19A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 20A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 22A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 23A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 24A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 25A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 26A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 27A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 28A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 29A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 31A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 32A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 33A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 34A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 35A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 36A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 38A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 39A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 40A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 41A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 43A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 44A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga MA Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 46A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 48A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 49A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 50A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 51A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 52A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 53A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 54A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 56A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 57A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 58A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 59A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 63A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 64A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 65A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 67A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 68A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 70A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 71A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 72A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 74A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 75A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 76›Mental Control.A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 22ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1In our first three lessons of this series, we have endeavored to bring into realization within your mind (1) the consciousness of the "I"; its independence from the body; its immortality; its invincibility and invulnerability; (2) the superiority of the "I" over the mind, as well as over the body; the fact that the mind is not the "I," but is merely an instrument for the expression of the "I"; the fact that the "I" is master of the mind, as well as of the body; that the "I" is behind all thought; that the "I" can set aside for consideration the sensations, emotions, passions, desires, and the rest of the mental phenomena, and still realize that it, the "I," is apart from these mental manifestations, and remains unchanged, real and fully existent; that the "I" 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 "I" which cannot be set aside or taken from; that the "I" is the master of the mind, and not its slave; (3) that the "I" is a much greater thing than the little personal "I" we have been considering it to be; that the "I" 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; 2that the "I" is a Centre of Consciousness in that great One Reality or Spirit, which is behind and back of all Life and Existence, the Centre of which Reality or Existence, is the Absolute or God; that the sense of Reality that is inherent in the "I," is really the reflection of the sense of Reality inherent in the Whole--the Great "I" of the Universe. 3The underlying principle of these three lessons is the Reality of the "I," 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 Centre of the One--the Absolute itself. 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 Centre of Being, of which Being I Am. And, as I assert 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." 4In 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. 5In our "Advanced Course" we have endeavored to explain to you the nature of the Three Great Manifestations, known as Chitta, or Mind-Substance; Prana, or Energy; and Akasa, or the Principle of Matter. We also explained to you that the "I" of man 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, and are 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 "I," which is Spirit, and obeys the orders of the latter when firmly and intelligently given. The "I" itself is subordinate only to the Absolute--the Centre of Being--the "I" being positive and dominant over the threefold manifestation of Mind, Energy, and Matter. 6The "I," which for the sake of the illustration must be regarded as a separate thing (although it is really only a Centre 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 to-day 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 which 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. 7And even the Mind of the person is changeable, and the Mind-substance or Chitta, 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. 8While 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's 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 "I." Notwithstanding the fact that in our Second ‹Previous chapterA Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 20Next chapterA Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga 23›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain in the USA