The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga, swámi Mukerji A. P. [most important books to read txt] 📗

short time it shall become a confirmed habit. Force yourself to it. Take an interest in what you do and say. Have confident expectations of SUCCESS. Never be daunted and cowed down by initial difficulties and failures. Never say die. If you go down—don't remain lying and moaning. Never, I say, never. Get up. Shake yourself up free and say, like the royal lion "Come one, come all, this rock shall fly sooner from its base than I." Have a will of your own and be a force for good. Exercise your Will-power. Be something. Do something. LOVE FOR HUMANITY, ENERGY, ASPIRATION, SELF-ESTEEM.

I cannot too strongly emphasise the difference between Self-Esteem and Self-Conceit. I wish to drive and thoroughly pound this difference into your brain. Self-Esteem is decidedly a manly trait. It is based upon a conviction of the Kingship of God and the Sonship of Man. Man is a dignified being with divine attributes. He should not disgrace his Maker by crawling on the ground. This is Self-Esteem. Self-Esteem does not lower itself. It never lowers others. You shall never see a leader of mankind without tremendous faith in himself. But equally truly you shall never see a true man or woman taking delight in having others crawl to dust before them. They feel pained and shocked at such a sight. There is infinite humiliation to them in this sorry spectacle. But Self-Conceit is that original obliquity that leads a man to make a hog of himself. It is the old, dirty, unmanly "I-am-greater-than-you" feeling. Such men are hogs, hogs, hogs. They are not the true sons of their mothers. They are bastards and imbeciles. If you come across this type and get a chance to deal with him on your private strength open his eyes to his hoggishness. If he has any manly stuff in himself, he shall reform. If not, let him sizzle in his fat. Nature and its rigorous Laws will rub the lesson home some day. But don't you stand their nonsense for want of moral backbone. And the "I am" in you shall revolt against any such meanness and smallness in yourself. Encourage it not. Revere God. Revere yourself. Revere others. Next, as to energy and aspiration—these two characteristics transmute your mind from a negative into a positive type. They give you an aura of thought-force such as never knows fear. In point of fact fear is starved off to death. Be progressive. Take an interest in the affairs of this world and be a force for good. Raise yourself first. Then give others a lift. Have an Increasing Purpose in your life. Work towards its accomplishment. The man who renounces the world does not become a burden unto others. He helps others to shoulder their responsibilities. Nature aids at building up strong individuals. It has no use for barnacles and is always scraping them off. Nature does not tolerate leeches, vampires and parasites. Aspire to do something great in life "for the good of many, for the happiness of many." Live to some purpose. When you have a positive life-purpose, your tone of mind shall be dominant and positive and your thoughts shall match. All-strength shall come to you. Bad health, fear, worry and the whole array of disintegrating forces are set into active motion by a purposeless life. The Purposeful Man has no time to bother about them. Understand clearly, spirituality is not laziness, whatever else it may be.

AFFIRMATIONS.

1. I have perfect Self-Confidence. I am a Divine Being. I lower not myself—I lower not others.

2. My Life-Purpose is Constructive—not Destructive.

3. I will be great spiritually and mentally. I will make others great. I am an irresistible force for good.

4. I live to some great purpose. I am an Individual. I recognise the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man.

HEALTH, CHASTITY AND SELF-CONTROL.

Chastity and Self-Control bring to you a clean healthy physique. Strong health means strong brain. And strong brain means abounding vitality, magnetism and ambition. Remember our aim is the development of courage. The Chaste brain has tremendous energy. You should observe Bramhacharya—the conservation of vital energy in the body. You should acquire control over your passions and appetites. The energy generated in your body should not be drawn off at the lower end of your being, but should be transmuted into creative activity mentally and spiritually. Get a clean body, first. You can get it by fasting, breathing and exercise.

FASTING AND SELF-CONTROL.

If you feel heavy in body and brain, if you feel mentally sluggish it is a sure indication that your system is "clogged" with waste matter, due to partial or total inactivity of the physical channels of elimination. You have been indulging in high living and gluttony or you have been indulging in physical gratifications and have thus exhausted the vital fibres of your body. Perhaps you have drunk very little water which is nature's demand for cleaning the vessels of the body. Perhaps you have exercised little and thus the supply of oxygen required for burning off carbon and energising the blood has been rather limited. Mental depression, 'weak nerves,' melancholy, despair, fear, lack of concentration and lots of other mental weakness are due to a clogging of the system with accumulated refuse. In brief, the following are a few of the benefits derivable from scientific fasting:—(1) It gives nature a chance to "Clean Up." The day of fasting is a day of physical "house cleaning." (2) Like the galvanic battery the body "recuperates" its energies. Strength is invariably restored to one's powers of digestion after a careful fast. No case of dyspepsia, constipation, etc., there is, but can benefit or be totally and radically cured by fasting. Fasting will increase powers of assimilation, quicken hunger, purify and strengthen the nerves and raise your health in all ways. (3) By gaining control over appetite you gain control over your lower nature. It is a splendid drill for your Will. You shall gain in spiritual strength. You shall grow positive to your flesh and its cravings. Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days in order to prepare himself to face his great trial and temptation. Our Yogis are all great fasters.

HOW TO FAST.

Don't undertake too much. If you have never observed a fast begin with a 24 hour fast. Drink at least 5, if possible, 8 tumblers of pure water at frequent intervals slowly. Keep yourself gently active and occupied the whole day, mentally and physically. You may feel a feeling of faintness, all-goneness and an irresistible craving for food. These are mischievous pranks of a cultivated and pampered and artificial appetite. Drink water slowly but don't give your body anything else. Always keep before yourself the distinction between the regal "I—am—I" the soul and the carnal, sensating animal known as the body. The great point of achievement during a fast lies in thinking high thoughts and forgetting the demands of the flesh. Don't think of your fast. If you do think say to yourself "this is to develop my will." Breathe plenty of fresh air. Exercise gently and walk. I have seen educated men afraid to go out for a walk during a day's religious fast "lest they should feel hungry." O shame! You can't control a little hunger! You should bathe daily thoroughly early in the morning, fast or no fast.

And don't be afraid. "Man liveth not by bread alone but by very word that proceeds from the mouth of God"—said Christ. Starvation may kill off your body but not fasting. Deny the power of all disease and weakness over yourself. Your mind is master of your body. Assert this mental control. Lastly, during a fast, your body is sensitive to your suggestions. Fill your mind with incessant affirmations of courage. Think courage, say courage, act courage. Take time by the forelock. Force your suggestions upon body and brain right now.

HOW TO BREAK A FAST.

When breaking a fast, be sure to control re-action. Eat very lightly and only sensible food. Now that you have a clean body, stay clean You can train yourself to fast for 40 days at a stretch.

TRANSMUTING SEX-ENERGY.

Here is some sensible advice from a leading thinker and teacher:
To be a perfect Bramhacharin (a regenerate).

1. You must have a clean, healthy body; 2. Good breathing capacity and some control over same; 3. A strong will such as can move body and mind; 4. Assiduous cultivation of the intellectual side; 5. Control over emotions; 6. A fearless mind; 7. Great determination; 8. and abstemious living and high thinking.

The Yogis possess great knowledge regarding the use and abuse of the reproductive principle in both sexes. Some hints of this esoteric knowledge have filtered out and have been used by Western writers on the subject, and much good has been accomplished in this way. In this little book we cannot do more than touch upon the subject, and omitting all except a bare mention of theory, we will give a practical breathing exercise whereby the student will be enabled to transmute the re-productive energy into vitality for the entire system, instead of dissipating and wasting it in lustful indulgence in or out of the marriage relations. The reproductive energy is creative energy, and may be taken up by the system and transmuted into strength and vitality, thus serving the purpose of regeneration instead of generation. If the young men of the Western world understood these underlying principles they would be saved much misery and unhappiness in after years, and would be stronger mentally, morally and physically.

This transmutation of the reproductive energy gives more vitality to those practising it. They will be filled with great vital force, which will radiate from them and will manifest in what has been called "personal magnetism." The energy thus transmuted may be turned into new channels and used to great advantage. Nature has condensed one of its most powerful manifestations of prana into productive energy, as its purpose is to create. The greatest amount of vital force is concentrated in the smallest area. The re-productive organism is the most powerful storage factory in animal life, and its force can be drawn upward and used, as well as expended in the ordinary functions of reproduction, or wasted in vicious lust. The majority of our students know something of the theories of regeneration, and we can do little more than to state the above facts, without attempting to prove them.

The Yogi exercise for transmuting re-productive energy is simple. It is coupled with rhythmic breathing, and can be easily performed. It may be practised at any time, but is especially recommended when one feels the instinct more strongly, at which time the re-productive energy is manifesting and may be most easily transmuted for regenerative purpose. The exercise is as follows:—

Keep the mind fixed on the idea of energy, and away from ordinary sexual thoughts and imaginings. If these thoughts come into the mind do not be discouraged, but regard them as manifestations of a force which you intend using for the purpose of strengthening the body and mind. Lie passively or sit erect, and fix your mind on the idea of drawing the re-productive energy upward to the Solar Plexus, where it will be transmuted and stored away as a reserve force of vital energy. Then breathe rhythmically, forming the mental image of drawing up the re-productive energy with each inhalation. With each inhalation make a command of the Will that the energy be drawn upward from the re-productive organisation to the Solar Plexus. If the rhythm is fairly established and the mental image is clear, you will be conscious of the upward passage of the energy, and will feel its stimulating effect. If you desire an increase in mental force, you may draw it up to the brain instead of to the Solar Plexus, by giving the mental command and holding the mental image of the transmission to the brain.

The man or woman doing mental creative work, or bodily creative work will be able to use this creative energy in their work by following the above exercise, drawing up the energy with the inhalation and sending it forth with the exhalation. In this last form of exercise only such portions as are needed in the work will pass into the work being done, the balance remaining stored up in the Solar Plexus.

You will understand, of course, that it is not the reproductive fluids which are drawn up and used, but the etheric prana energy which animates the latter, the soul of the reproductive organism, as it were. It is usual to allow the head to bend forward easily and naturally during the transmuting exercise.

Practise this Breathing Exercise sturdily. Be heroic. Learn to make 100 Pranayams at a sitting, but do not rush things. Deep breathing exercise, Will-Culture, regular Meditation and a clean normal mode of living