FOLLOW A WORD THROUGH THE COLLECTION
Search the corpus.
Phrase search ignores case and repeated whitespace. All-words search finds whole words anywhere on the same page. OCR errors can affect results.
14 matching pages
Page 1 of 11912 · PDF PAGE 72
56 the mind, so that the object is altogether forgotten, perhaps for whole minutes at a time; and at other times the object itselfwill begin to play all sorts of tricks. Suppose you have chosen a white cross. It will move its bar up and down, elongate the bar, turn the bar oblique, get its arms unequal, turn upside down, grow branches, get a crack around it or a figure upon it, change its shape altogether like an Amoeba,change its size and distance as a whole, change the degree of its illumination, and at the same time change its colour. It will…
1912 · PDF PAGE 81
…one. In the course of our concentration we noticed that the contents of the mind at any moment consisted of two things, and no more: the Object, variable, and the Subject, invariable, or apparently so. By success in Dharana the object has been made as invariable as the subject. Now the result of this is that the two become one. This phenomenon usually comes as a tremendous shock. It is indescribable even by the masters of language; and it is therefore not surprising that semi-educated stutterers wallow in oceans of gush. All the poetic facultie…
1912 · PDF PAGE 102
86 and more convincing if the meditation is directed to an object which in itself is apparently unimportant. One does not want the mind to be excited in any way, even by adoration. See the three meditative methods in Liber HHH (Equinox VI).1 At the same time, one would not like to deny positively that it is very much easier to take some idea towards which the mind would naturally flow. The Hindus assert that the nature of the object determines the Samadhi; that is, the nature of those lower Samadhis which confer so— called “magic powers.” For ex…
1912 · PDF PAGE 27
… many other emotions. All these must be cut off. We must have absolutely no interest in life but that of quieting our minds. This is the object of the usual monastic vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. If you have no property, you have no care, nothing to be anxious about ; with chastity no other person to be anxious about, and to distract your attention; while if you are vowed to obedience the question of what you are to do no longer frets: you simply obey. There are a great many other obstacles which you will discover as you go on, and i…
1912 · PDF PAGE 34
…t the critical phenomenon which determines success is an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object. We propose to discuss this pheno— menon, analyse its nature, determine accurately the physical, mental and moral conditions which are favourable to it, to ascertain its cause, and thus to produce it in ourselves, so that we may adequatelystudy its effects.
1912 · PDF PAGE 100
…as follows: “This does not mean any wicked subject.” (!) Frater P. would not like to say definitely whether he ever got Dhyana from commonobjects. He gave up the practice after a few months, and meditated on the Cakkras, etc. Also his Dhyana became so com- mon that he gave up recording it. But if he wishedto do it this minute he would choose something to excite his “ godly fear,” or “ holy awe,” or “ wonderment.” 1 There is no apparent reason why Dhyana should not occur when thinking of any common object of the sea-shore, such as a blue pig ; bu…
1912 · PDF PAGE 79
… however, treat it as if it were merely an intensification of Dharana. Patanjali says: “Dharana is holding the mind on to some particular object. An unbroken flow of knowledge in that subject is Dhyana. When that, giving up all forms, reflects only the meaning, it is Samadhi.” He combines these three into Samyama. We shall treat of Dhyana as a result rather than as a method. Up to this point ancient authorities have been fairly reliable guides, except with regard to their crabbed ethics,- but when they get on the subject of results of meditation, …
1912 · PDF PAGE 37
…g the result of success in the practice. 1 Yoga is the general name for that form of meditation which aims at the uniting of subject and object, for 3/08”is the root from which are derived the Latinwordjugum and the English word Yoke. 23
1912 · PDF PAGE 71
…ed to spin round the sun, it would at once fall into the sun. The moment then that the student takes a simple subject—or rather a simple object—and imagines it or visualizes it, he will find that it is not so much his creature as he supposed. Other thoughts will invade 55
1912 · PDF PAGE 66
…ghts and trying to check them; and sooner or later one proceeds to the next stage, Dharana, the attempt to restrain the mind to a single object. Before we go on to this, however, we must consider what is meant by success in Pratyahara. This is a very extensive subject, and different authors take widely divergent views. One writer means an analysis so acute that every thought is resolved into a number of elements (see “The Psychology of Hashish,” Section V, in Equinox II). Others take the View that supcess in this practice is something like the …
1912 · PDF PAGE 59
…ook of the Law,” it is said: “ DO WHAT THOU WILT shall be the Whole ofthe Law.” Remember that for the purpose of this treatise the Whole object of Yama and Niyama is to live so that no emotion or passion disturbs the mind.)
1912 · PDF PAGE 91
…ng to excite the mind but to calm it, not to produce any one thought but to exclude all thoughts; for there is no connection between the object of meditation and the Dhyana. Why must we suppose a breaking down of the whole process, especially as the mind bears no subsequent traces of any interference, such as pain or fatigue? Surely this once, if never again, the Hindu image expressesthe simplest theory! That image is that of a lake into which five glaciers move. These glaciers are the senses. While ice (the impressions) is breaking off constant…
1912 · PDF PAGE 28
…ished from the latter feeling. It is the certain sign of near success, the view-halloo. This is when the mind runs naturally towards the object chosen, not as if in obedience to the will of the owner of the mind, but as if directed by nothing at all, or by something impersonal,' as if it were falling by its own weight, and not being pushed down.
1912 · PDF PAGE 73
…, or three-fifths of one second. By “keeping to it at all” is meant the mere attempt to keep to it. The mind becomes so fatigued, and the object so incredibly loathsome, that it is useless to continue for the time being. In Frater R’s record we find that after daily practice for six months, meditations of four minutes and less are still being recorded. The student is supposed to count the number of times that his thought wanders; this he can do on his fingers or on a string of beads.1 If these breaks seem to become more frequent instead 1 This cou…