1912 · PDF PAGE 15
Book 4 (Part I)
PART ἷ MEDITATION OR THE WAY OF ATTAINMENT OF GENIUS OR GODHEAD CONSIDERED AS A DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BRAIN
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Page 1 of 21912 · PDF PAGE 53
Book 4 (Part I)
…schoolsadvocate practising a mantra with the aid ofinstrumental music and dancing. Certainly very remarkable effects are obtained in the way of “magic” powers; whether great spiritual results are equally common is a doubtful point. Persons wishing to study them may re- member that the Sahara desert is within three days of London; and no doubt the Sidi Aissawa would be glad to accept pupils. This discussion of the parallel science of mantra-yoga has led us far indeed from the subject of Pranayama. Pranayama is notably useful in quieting the emot…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 54
Book 4 (Part I)
…too much for most peOple. On the Whole, the ambulatory practices are more generally useful to the health than the sedentary; for in this way walking and fresh air are assured. But some of the Sedentary practice should be done, and combined with meditation. Of course when actually “ racing ” to get results, walking is a distraction.
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1912 · PDF PAGE 88
Book 4 (Part I)
72 he would tell you that the “ether,” which cannot be perceived in any way by any of the senses, or detected by any instruments, and which possesses qualities which are, to use ordinary language, impossible, is very much more real than the chair he is sitting on. The chair is only one fact; and its existence is testified by one very falliole person. The ether is the necessary deduction from millions of facts, which have been verified again and again and checked by every pos- sible test of truth. There is therefore no ὰpriori reason for rejecting…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 89
Book 4 (Part I)
…dividual, especially as it is his entire conception of things, including his most deep—seated conception, the standard to which he has always referred everything, his own self, that is overthrown; and when we try to explain it away as hallucination, temporary suspension of the faculties or something similar, we find ourselves unable to do so. You cannot argue with a flash of lightning that has knocked you down. Any mere theory is easy to upset. One can find flaws in the reason- ing process, one can assume that the premisses are in some way false; b…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 48
Book 4 (Part I)
32 The best way to time the breathing, once some little skill has been acquired, with a watch to bear witness, is by the use of a mantra. The mantra acts on the thoughts very much as Pranayama does upon the breath. The thought is bound down to a recurring cycle; any intruding thoughts are thrown off by the mantra, just as pieces of putty would be from a fly-wheel; and the swifter the wheel the more difficult would it be for anything to stick. This is the proper way to practise a mantra. Utter it as loudly and slowly as possible ten times, then no…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 106
Book 4 (Part I)
… a retirement? One would expect that a man who so acted would find himself on his return out of touch with his civilization, and in every way less capable than when he left. . But each claims, though in different language, to have gained in his absence some superhuman power. . Do you believe this? It becomes us ill to reject the assertions of those who are admit» 90
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1912 · PDF PAGE 67
Book 4 (Part I)
…gilance) you will soon be able to master the final section. In some people this inhibitory power may flower suddenly in very much the same way as occurred with Asana. Quite without any relaxa- tion of vigilance, the mind will suddenly he stilled. There will be a marvellousfeeling of peace and rest, quite different from the lethargic feeling which is produced by over-eating. It is difficult to say whether so definite a result would come to all, or even to most people. The matter is one of no very great importance. If you have acquired the power of c…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 37
Book 4 (Part I)
…sly remarked, the first difficulty arises from the body, which keeps on asserting its presence by causing its victim to itch, and in other ways to be distracted. He wants to stretch, scratch, sneeze. This nuisance is so persistent that the Hindus (in their scientific way) devised a special practice for quieting it. The word Asana means [505126763 but, as with all words which have caused debate, its exact meaning has altered, and it is used in several distinct senses by various authors. The greatest authority on “ Yoga ” ᾽“ is Patanjali. He says, “…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 21
Book 4 (Part I)
…s something; some more, some less. Buddha goes into details too elaborate to enter upon in this place; but the gist of it is that in one way or another he got hold of the secret force of the World and mastered it. Of St. Paul’s experiences, we have nothing but a casual illusion to his having been “caught up into Heaven, and seen and heard things of which it was not lawful to speak.” Mohammed speaks crudely of his having been “visited by the Angel Gabriel,” who communicated things from “God.” Moses says that he “beheld God.” ᾽
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1912 · PDF PAGE 80
Book 4 (Part I)
…ld, discover medicine for dis- ease, and see hidden treasures.” All this is filth. What is the curse upon religion that its tenets must always be associated with every kind of extravaganceand falsehood? There is one exception; it is the A:. Ax., whose members are ex- tremely careful to make no statement at all that cannot be verified in the usual manner; or where this is not easy, at least avoid anything like a dogmatic statement. In Their second book of practical instruction, Liber 0, occur these words: “By doing certain things certain results w…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 81
Book 4 (Part I)
…utely worthless in‘ comparison. Good literature is principally a matter of clear observation and good judgment expressed in the simplest way. For this reason none of the great events of history (such as earthquakes and battles) have been well described by eye-witnesses, unless those eye-witnesses were out of F
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1912 · PDF PAGE 18
Book 4 (Part I)
4 by doubting every statement. Let us find a way of sub- jecting every statement to the test of experiment. Is there any truth at all in the claims of various religions? Let us examine the question. Our original difficulty will be due to the enormous wealth of our material. To enter into a critical examination of all systems would be an unending task; the cloud of witnesses is too great. Now each religion is equally positive; and each demands faith. This we refuse in the absence of positive proof. But we may usefully inquire whether there is not …
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1912 · PDF PAGE 85
Book 4 (Part I)
… more intense forms of Dhyana is thus liberated. The Universe is thus destroyed for him, and he for it. His will can therefore go on its way unhampered. One may imagine that in the case of Mohammed he had cherished for years a tremendous ambition, and never done anything because those qualities which were subsequently manifested as statesmanship warned him that he was impotent. His vision in the cave gave him that confidence which was required, the faith that moves mountains. There are a lot of solid—seemingthings in this world which a child cou…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 75
Book 4 (Part I)
…at is really happening is that you are waking up from the sleep which men call waking, the sleep Whose dreams are life. There is another way to test one’s progress in this practice, and that is by the character of the breaks. Breaks are classed as follows: E'rsz‘ly, physical sensations. These should have been overcome by Asana. Secondly, breaks that seem to be dictated by events immediately pre- ceding the meditation. Their activity becomes tremendous. Only by this practice does one understand how much is really observed by the senses without t…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 74
Book 4 (Part I)
…ss frequent, the student must not be discouraged; this is partially caused by his increased accuracy of observation. In exactly the same way, the introduction of vaccination resulted in an apparent increase in the number of cases of smallpox, the reason being that people began to tell the truth about the disease instead of faking. Soon, however, the control will improve faster than the observation. When this occurs the improvementwill become apparent in the record. Any variation will probably be due to accidental circumstances; for example, one…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 102
Book 4 (Part I)
…ng 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 example, there are the…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 99
Book 4 (Part I)
83 natural result of Dhyana, but he cannot call Dhyana in the same way the precursor of Samadhi. Perhaps he does not really know the con- ditions which induce Samadhi. He can produce Dhyana at will in the course of a few minutes’ work?,־and it often happens with apparent spontaneity: with Samadhi this is unfortunately not the case. He probably can get it at will, but could not say exactly how, or tell how long it might take him?,־and he could not be sure of getting it at all. One feels sure that one can walk a mile along a level road. One knows…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 83
Book 4 (Part I)
… persons by doubt, modesty, and diffidence,1 further there15, one may suppose, a real clarification. In any case, the mass of mankind is always ready to be swayed by anything thus authoritative and distinct. History is full of stories of officers who have walked unarmed up to a mutinous regiment, and disarmed them by the mere force of confidence. The power of the orator over the mob is well known. It is, probably, for this reason while that the prophet has been able to constrain mankind to obey his law. It never occurs to him that any one can do ot…
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1912 · PDF PAGE 28
Book 4 (Part I)
…onstantly having presenti- ments that something is about to happen. You may also be terrified with the idea that your brain may be giving way ; but you will have learnt the real symptoms of mental fatigue, and you will be careful to avoid them. They must be very carefully distinguished from idleness! At certain times you will feel as if there were a contest between the will and the mind; at other times you may feel as if they were in har- mony; but there is a third state, to be distinguished from the latter feeling. It is the certain sign of nea…
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