devote considerable time and practice to the acquirement of
Concentration. And we also had something to say regarding the relation
of Attention to the subject of Concentration. In this lesson we shall
have more to say on the subject of Attention, for it is one of the
important things relating to the practice of _Raja Yoga_, and the Yogis
insist upon their students practicing systematically to develop and
cultivate the faculty. Attention lies at the base of Will-power, and the
cultivation of one makes easy the exercise of the other.
To explain why we lay so much importance to the cultivation of Attention,
would necessitate our anticipating future lessons of this series, which
we do not deem advisable at this time. And so we must ask our students to
take our word for it, that all that we have to say regarding the
importance of the cultivation of Attention, is occasioned by the relation
of that subject to the use of the mind in certain directions as will
appear fully later on.
In order to let you know that we are not advancing some peculiar theory
of the Yogis, which may not be in harmony with modern Western Science, we
give you in this article a number of quotations, from Western writers and
thinkers, touching upon this important faculty of the mind, so that you
may see that the West and East agree upon this main point, however
different may be their explanations of the fact, or their use of the
power gained by the cultivation of Attention.
As we said in our last lesson, the word Attention is derived from two
Latin words "_ad tendere_," meaning "to stretch toward," which is really
what Attention is. The "I" wills that the mind be focused on some
particular object or thing, and the mind obeys and "stretches toward"
that object or thing, focusing its entire energy upon it, observing every
detail, dissecting, analyzing, consciously and sub-consciously, drawing
to itself every possible bit of information regarding it, both from
within and from without. We cannot lay too much stress upon the
acquirement of this great faculty, or rather, the development of it, for
it is necessary for the intelligent study of _Raja Yoga_.
In order to bring out the importance of the subject, suppose we start in
by actually giving our Attention to the subject of Attention, and see how
much more there is in it than we had thought. We shall be well repaid for
the amount of time and trouble expended upon it.
Attention has been defined as a focusing of consciousness, or, if one
prefers the form of expression, as "detention in consciousness." In the
first case, we may liken it to the action of the sun-glass through which
the sun's rays are concentrated upon an object, the result being that the
heat is gathered together at a small given point, the intensity of the
same being raised many degrees until the heat is sufficient to burn a
piece of wood, or evaporate water. If the rays were not focused, the same
rays and heat would have been scattered over a large surface, and the
effect and power lessened. And so it is with the mind. If it is allowed
to scatter itself over the entire field of a subject, it will exert but
little power and the results will be weak. But if it is passed through
the sun-glass of attention, and focused first over one part, and then
over another, and so on, the matter may be mastered in detail, and a
result accomplished that will seem little less than marvelous to those
who do not know the secret.
_Thompson_ has said: "The experiences most permanently impressed upon
consciousness, are those upon which the greatest amount of attention has
been fixed."
Another writer upon the subject has said that "Attention is so
essentially necessary to understanding, that without some degree of it
the ideas and perceptions that pass through the mind seem to leave no
trace behind them."
_Hamilton_ has said: "An act of attention, that is, an act of
concentration, seems thus necessary to every exertion of consciousness,
as a certain contraction of the pupil is requisite to every exertion of
vision. Attention then is to consciousness what the contraction of the
pupil is to sight, or, to the eye of the mind what the microscope or
telescope is to the bodily eye. It constitutes the better half of all
intellectual power."
And _Brodie_ adds, quite forcibly: "It is Attention much more than any
difference in the abstract power of reasoning, which constitutes the vast
difference which exists between minds of different individuals."
_Butler_ gives us this important testimony: "The most important
intellectual habit I know of is the habit of attending exclusively to the
matter in hand. It is commonly said that genius cannot be infused by
education, yet this power of concentrated attention, which belongs as a
part of his gift to every great discoverer, is unquestionably capable of
almost indefinite augmentation by resolute practice."
And, concluding this review of opinions, and endorsements of that which
the Yogis have so much to say, and to which they attach so much
importance, let us listen to the words of _Beattie_, who says: "The
force wherewith anything strikes the mind, is generally in proportion to
the degree of attention bestowed upon it. Moreover, the great art of
memory is attention, and inattentive people always have bad memories."
There are two general kinds of Attention. The first is the Attention
directed within the mind upon mental objects and concepts. The other is
the Attention directed outward upon objects external to ourselves. The
same general rules and laws apply to both equally.
Likewise there may be drawn another distinction and division of attention
into two classes, _viz._, Attenion attracted by some impression coming
into consciousness without any conscious effort of the Will--this is
called Involuntary Attention, for the Attention and Interest is caught by
the attractiveness or novelty of the object. Attention directed to some
object by an effort of the Will, is called Voluntary Attention.
Involuntary Attention is quite common, and requires no special training.
In fact, the lower animals, and young children seem to have a greater
share of it than do adult men. A great percentage of men and women never
get beyond this stage to any marked degree. On the other hand, Voluntary
Attention requires effort, will, and determination--a certain mental
training, that is beyond the majority of people, for they will not "take
the trouble" to direct their attention in this way. Voluntary Attention
is the mark of the student and other thoughtful men. They focus their
minds on objects that do not yield immediate interest or pleasure, in
order that they may learn and accomplish. The careless person will not
thus fasten his Attention, at least not more than a moment or so, for his
Involuntary Attention is soon attracted by some passing object of no
matter how trifling a nature, and the Voluntary Attention disappears and
is forgotten. Voluntary Attention is developed by practice and
perseverance, and is well worth the trouble, for nothing in the mental
world is accomplished without its use.
The Attention does not readily fasten itself to uninteresting objects,
and, unless interest can be created it requires a considerable degree of
Voluntary Attention in order that the mind may be fastened upon such an
object. And, more than this, even if the ordinary attention is attracted
it will soon waver, unless there is some interesting change in the aspect
of the object, that will give the attention a fresh hold of interest, or
unless some new quality, characteristic or property manifests itself in
the object. This fact occurs because the mind mechanism has not been
trained to bear prolonged Voluntary Attention, and, in fact, the physical
brain is not accustomed to the task, although it may be so trained by
patient practice.
It has been noticed by investigators that the Attention may be rested and
freshened, either by withdrawing the Voluntary Attention from the object,
and allowing the Attention to manifest along Involuntary lines toward
passing objects, etc.; or, on the other hand, by directing the Voluntary
Attention into a new field of observation--toward some new object.
Sometimes one plan will seem to give the best results, and again the
other will seem preferable.
We have called your attention to the fact that Interest develops
Attention, and holds it fixed, while an uninteresting object or subject
requires a much greater effort and application. This fact is apparent to
anyone. A common illustration may be found in the matter of reading a
book. Nearly everyone will give his undivided attention to some bright,
thrilling story, while but few are able to use sufficient Voluntary
Attention to master the pages of some scientific work. But, right here,
we wish to call your attention to the other side of the case, which is
another example of the fact that Truth is composed of paradoxes.
Just as Interest develops Attention, so it is a truth that Attention
develops Interest. If one will take the trouble to give a little
Voluntary Attention to an object, he will soon find that a little
perseverance will bring to light points of Interest in the object. Things
before unseen and unsuspected, are quickly brought to light. And many new
phases, and aspects of the subject or object are seen, each one of which,
in turn, becomes an object of Interest. This is a fact not so generally
known, and one that it will be well for you to remember, and to use in
practice. _Look_ for the interesting features of an uninteresting thing,
and they will appear to your view, and before long the uninteresting
object will have changed into a thing having many-sided interests.
Voluntary Attention is one of the signs of a developed Will. That is, of
a mind that has been well trained by the Will, for the Will is always
strong, and it is the mind that has to be trained, not the Will. And on
the other hand, one of the best ways to train the mind by the Will, is by
practice in Voluntary Attention. So you see how the rule works both ways.
Some Western psychologists have even advanced theories that the Voluntary
Attention is the _only_ power of the Will, and that that power is
sufficient, for if the Attention be firmly fixed, and held upon an object
the mind will "do the rest." We do not agree with this school of
philosophers, but merely mention the fact as an illustration of the
importance attributed by psychologists to this matter of Voluntary
Attention.
A man of a strongly developed Attention often accomplishes far more than
some much brighter man who lacks it. Voluntary Attention and Application
is a very good substitute for Genius, and often accomplishes far more in
the long run.
Voluntary Attention is the fixing of the mind earnestly and intently upon
some particular object, at the same time shutting out from consciousness
other objects pressing for entrance. _Hamilton_ has defined it as
"consciousness voluntarily applied under its law of limitations to some
determinate object." The same writer goes on to state that "the greater
the number of objects to which our consciousness is simultaneously
extended, the smaller is the intensity with which it is able to consider
each, and consequently the less vivid and distinct will be the
information it contains of the several objects. When our interest in any
particular object is excited, and when we wish to obtain all the
knowledge concerning it in our power, it behooves us to limit our
consideration to that object to the exclusion of others."
The human mind has the power of attending to only one object at a time,
although it is able to pass from one object to another with a marvelous
degree of speed, so rapidly, in fact, that some have held that it could
grasp several things at once. But the best authorities, Eastern and
Western, hold to the "single idea" theory as being correct. On this point
we may quote a few authorities.
_Jouffroy_ says that "It is established by experience that we cannot give
our attention to two different objects at the same time." And _Holland_
states that "Two thoughts, however closely related to one another,
cannot be presumed to exist at the same time." And _Lewes_ has told us
that "The nature of our organism prevents our having more than one aspect
of an object at each instant presented to consciousness." _Whateley_
says: "The best philosophers are agreed that the mind cannot actually
attend to more than one thing at a time, but, when it appears to be doing
so it is really shifting with prodigious rapidity backward and forward
from one to the other."
By giving a concentrated Voluntary Attention to an object, we not only
are able to see and think about it with the greatest possible degree of
clearness, but the mind has a tendency, under such circumstances, to
bring into the field of consciousness all the different ideas associated
in our memory with that object or subject, and to build around the object
or subject a mass of associated facts and information. And at the same
time the Attention given the subject makes more vivid and clear all that
we learn about the thing at the time, and, in fact, all that we may
afterwards learn about it. It seems to cut a channel, through which
knowledge flows.
Attention magnifies and increases the powers of perception, and greatly
aids the exercise of the perceptive faculties. By "paying attention" to
something seen or heard, one is enabled to observe the details of the
thing seen or heard, and where the inattentive mind acquires say three
impressions the attentive mind absorbs three times three, or perhaps
three times "three times three," or twenty-seven. And, as we have just
said, Attention brings into play the powers of association, and gives us
the "loose end" of an almost infinite chain of associated facts, stored
away in our memory, forming new combinations of facts which we had never
grouped together before, and bring out into the field of consciousness
all the many scraps of information regarding the thing to which we are
giving attention. The proof of this is within the experience of everyone.
Where is the one who does not remember sitting down to some writing,
painting, reading, etc., with interest and attention, and finding, much
to his surprise, what a flow of facts regarding the matter in hand was
passing through his mind. Attention seems to focus all the knowledge of a
thing that you possess, and by bringing it to a point enables you to
combine, associate, classify, etc., and thus create new knowledge.
_Gibbon_ tells us that after he gave a brief glance and consideration to
a new subject, he suspended further work upon it, and allowed his mind
(under concentrated attention) to bring forth all his associated
knowledge regarding the subject, after which he renewed the task with
increased power and efficiency.
The more one's attention is fixed upon a subject under consideration, the
deeper is the impression which the subject leaves upon the mind. And the
easier will it be for him to afterwards pursue the same train of thought
and work.
Attention is a prerequisite of good memory, and in fact there can be no
memory at all unless some degree of attention is given. The degree of
memory depends upon the degree of attention and interest. And when it is
considered that the work of today is made efficient by the memory of
things learned yesterday, the day before yesterday, and so on, it is seen
that the degree of attention given today regulates the quality of the
work of tomorrow.
Some authorities have described Genius as the result of great powers of
attention, or, at least, that the two seem to run together. Some writer
has said that "possibly the best definition of genius is the power of
concentrating upon some one given subject until its possibilities are
exhausted and absorbed." _Simpson_ has said that "The power and habit of
thinking closely and continuously upon the subject at hand, to the
exclusion, for the time, of all other subjects, is one of the principal,
if, indeed, not the principal, means of success." _Sir Isaac Newton_ has
told us his plan of absorbing information and knowledge. He has stated
that he would keep the subject under consideration before him
continually, and then would wait till the first dawning of perception
gradually brightened into a clear light, little by little. A mental
sunrise, in fact.
That sage observer, _Dr. Abercrombie_, has written that he considered
that he knew of no more important rule for rising to eminence in any
profession or occupation than the Ability to do one thing at a time,
avoiding all distracting and diverting objects or subjects, and keeping
the leading matter continually before the mind. And others have added
that such a course will enable one to observe relations between the
subject and other things that will not be apparent to the careless
observer or student.
The degree of Attention cultivated by a man is the degree of his capacity
for intellectual work. As we have said, the "great" men of all walks of
life have developed this faculty to a wonderful degree, and many of them
seem to get results "intuitively," whereas, in truth, they obtain them by
reason of their concentrated power of Attention, which enables them to
see right into the center of a subject or proposition--and all around it,
back and front, and all sides, in a space of time incredible to the man
who has not cultivated this mighty power. Men who have devoted much
attention to some special line of work or research, are able to act
almost as if they possessed "second sight," providing the subject is
within their favorite field of endeavor. Attention quickens every one of
the faculties--the reasoning faculties--the senses--the deriding
qualities--the analytical faculties, and so on, each being given a "fine
edge" by their use under a concentrated Attention.
And, on the other hand, there is no surer indication of a weak mind than
the deficiency in Attention. This weakness may arise from illness or
physical weakness reacting upon the brain, in which case the trouble is
but temporary. Or it may arise from a lack of mental development.
Imbeciles and idiots have little or no Attention. The great French
psychologist, _Luys_, speaking of this fact, says "Imbeciles and idiots
see badly, hear badly, feel badly, and their sensorium is, in
consequence, in a similar condition of sensitive poverty. Its
impressionability for the things of the external world is at a minimum,
its sensibility weak, and consequently, it is difficult to provoke the
physiological condition necessary for the absorption of the external
impression."
In old age the Attention is the first faculty to show signs of decay.
Some authorities have held that the Memory was the first faculty to be
affected by the approach of old age, but this is incorrect, for it is a
matter of common experience that the aged manifest a wonderfully clear
memory of events occurring in the far past. The reason that their memory
of recent events is so poor is because their failing powers of Attention
has prevented them from receiving strong, clear mental impressions, and
as is the impression so is the memory. Their early impressions having
been clear and strong, are easily recalled, while their later ones,
being weak, are recalled with difficulty. If the Memory were at fault, it
would be difficult for them to recall any impression, recent or far
distant in time.
But we must stop quoting examples and authorities, and urging upon you
the importance of the faculty of Attention. If you do not now realize it,
it is because you have not given the subject the Attention that you
should have exercised, and further repetition would not remedy matters.
Admitting the importance of Attention, from the psychological point
of view, not to speak of the occult side of the subject, is it not a
matter of importance for you to start in to cultivate that faculty? We
think so. And the only way to cultivate any mental or physical part or
faculty is to Exercise it. Exercise "uses up" a muscle, or mental
faculty, but the organism makes haste to rush to the scene additional
material--cell-stuff, nerve force, etc., to repair the waste, and it
always sends a little more than is needed. And this "little more,"
continually accruing and increasing, is what increases the muscles and
brain centers. And improved and strengthened brain centers give the mind
better instruments with which to work.
One of the first things to do in the cultivation of Attention is to learn
to think of, and do, one thing at a time. Acquiring the "knack" or habit
of attending closely to the things before us, and then passing on to the
next and treating it in the same way, is most conducive to success, and
its practice is the best exercise for the cultivation of the faculty of
Attention. And on the contrary, there is nothing more harmful from the
point of view of successful performance--and nothing that will do more to
destroy the power of giving Attention--than the habit of trying to do one
thing while thinking of another. The thinking part of the mind, and the
acting part should work together, not in opposition.
_Dr. Beattie_, speaking of this subject, tells us "It is a matter of no
small importance that we acquire the habit of doing only one thing at a
time; by which I mean that while attending to any one object, our
thoughts ought not to wander to another." And _Granville_ adds, "A
frequent cause of failure in the faculty of Attention is striving to
think of more than one thing at a time." And _Kay_ quotes, approvingly, a
writer who says: "She did things easily, because she attended to them in
the doing. When she made bread, she thought of the bread, and not of the
fashion of her next dress, or of her partner at the last dance." _Lord
Chesterfield said,_ "There is time enough for everything in the course of
the day, if you do but one thing at a time; but there is not time enough
in the year if you try to do two things at a time."
To attain the best results one should practice concentrating upon the
task before him, shutting out, so far as possible, every other idea or
thought. One should even forget self--personality--in such cases, as
there is nothing more destructive of good thinking than to allow morbid
self-consciousness to intrude. One does best when he "forgets himself" in
his work, and sinks his personality in the creative work. The "earnest"
man or woman is the one who sinks personality in the desired result, or
performance of the task undertaken. The actor, or preacher, or orator,
or writer, must lose sight of himself to get the best results. Keep the
Attention fixed on the thing before you, and let the self take care of
itself.
In connection with the above, we may relate an anecdote of _Whateley_
that may be interesting in connection with the consideration of this
subject of "losing one's self" in the task. He was asked for a recipe for
"bashfulness," and replied that the person was bashful simply because he
was thinking of himself and the impression he was making. His recipe was
that the young man should think of others--of the pleasure he could give
them--and in that way he would forget all about himself. The prescription
is said to have effected the cure. The same authority has written, "Let
both the extemporary speaker, and the reader of his own compositions,
study to avoid as far as possible all thoughts of self, earnestly fixing
the mind on the matter of what is delivered; and they will feel less
that embarrassment which arises from the thought of what opinion the
hearers will form of them."