Attention and has given us some interesting information on its details.
The following may be read with interest, and if properly understood may
be employed to advantage. He says, "It is a fact, and a very curious one.
that many people find that they can best attend to any serious matter
when they are occupied with something else which requires a little, and
but a little, attention, such as working with the needle, cutting open
paper leaves, or, for want of some such employment, fiddling anyhow with
the fingers." He does not give the reason for this, and at first sight
it might seem like a contradiction of the "one thing at a time" idea. But
a closer examination will show us that the minor work (the cutting
leaves, etc.) is in the nature of an involuntary or automatic movement,
inasmuch as it requires little or no voluntary attention, and seems to
"do itself." It does not take off the Attention from the main subject,
but perhaps acts to catch the "waste Attention" that often tries to
divide the Attention from some voluntary act to another. The habit mind
may be doing one thing, while the Attention is fixed on another. For
instance, one may be writing with his attention firmly fixed upon the
thought he wishes to express, while at the time his hand is doing the
writing, apparently with no attention being given it. But, let a boy, or
person unaccustomed to writing, try to express his thoughts in this way,
and you will find that he is hampered in the flow of his thoughts by the
fact that he has to give much attention to the mechanical act of writing.
In the same way, the beginner on the typewriter finds it difficult to
compose to the machine, while the experienced typist finds the mechanical
movements no hindrance whatever to the flow of thought and focusing of
Attention; in fact, many find that they can compose much better while
using the typewriter than they can by dictating to a stenographer. We
think you will see the principle.
And now for a little Mental Drill in Attention, that you may be started
on the road to cultivate this important faculty.
MENTAL DRILL IN ATTENTION.
_Exercise I._ Begin by taking some familiar object and placing it before
you, try to get as many impressions regarding it as is possible for you.
Study its shape, its color, its size, and the thousand and one little
peculiarities about it that present themselves to your attention. In
doing this, reduce the thing to its simplest parts--analyze it as far as
is possible--dissect it, mentally, and study its parts in detail. The
more simple and small the part to be considered, the more clearly will
the impression be received, and the more vividly will it be recalled.
Reduce the thing to the smallest possible proportions, and then examine
each portion, and mastering that, then pass on to the next part, and so
on, until you have covered the entire field. Then, when you have
exhausted the object, take a pencil and paper and put down as nearly as
possible all the things or details of the object examined. When you have
done this, compare the written description with the object itself, and
see how many things you have failed to note.
The next day take up the same object, and after re-examining it, write
down the details and you will find that you will have stored away a
greater number of impressions regarding it, and, moreover, you will have
discovered many new details during your second examination. This exercise
strengthens the memory as well as the Attention, for the two are closely
connected, the memory depending largely upon the clearness and strength
of the impressions received, while the impressions depend upon the amount
of attention given to the thing observed. Do not tire yourself with this
exercise, for a tired Attention is a poor Attention. Better try it by
degrees, increasing the task a little each time you try it. Make a game
of it if you like, and you will find it quite interesting to notice the
steady but gradual improvement.
It will be interesting to practice this in connection with some friend,
varying the exercise by both examining the object, and writing down their
impressions, separately, and then comparing results. This adds interest
to the task, and you will be surprised to see how rapidly both of you
increase in your powers of observation, which powers, of course, result
from Attention.
_Exercise II._ This exercise is but a variation of the first one. It
consists in entering a room, and taking a hasty glance around, and then
walking out, and afterward writing down the number of things that you
have observed, with a description of each. You will be surprised to
observe how many things you have missed at first sight, and how you will
improve in observation by a little practice. This exercise, also, may be
improved by the assistance of a friend, as related in our last exercise.
It is astonishing how many details one may observe and remember, after a
little practice. It is related of Houdin, the French conjurer, that he
improved and developed his faculty of Attention and Memory by playing
this game with a young relative. They would pass by a shop window,
taking a hasty, attentive glance at its contents. Then they would go
around the corner and compare notes. At first they could remember only a
few prominent articles--that is, their Attention could grasp only a few.
But as they developed by practice, they found that they could observe and
remember a vast number of things and objects in the window. And, at last,
it is related that Houdin could pass rapidly before any large shop
window, bestowing upon it but one hasty glance, and then tell the names
of, and closely describe, nearly every object in plain sight in the
window. The feat was accomplished by the fact that the cultivated
Attention enabled Houdin to fasten upon his mind a vivid mental image of
the window and its contents, and then he was able to describe the
articles one by one from the picture in his mind.
Houdin taught his son to develop Attention by a simple exercise which may
be interesting and of value to you. He would lay down a domino before the
boy--a five-four, for example. He would require the boy to tell him the
combined number at once, without allowing him to stop to count the spots,
one by one. "Nine" the boy would answer after a moment's hesitation.
Then another domino, a three-four, would be added. "That makes sixteen,"
cried the boy. Two dominoes at a time was the second day's task. The
next day, three was the standard. The next day, four, and so on, until
the boy was able to handle twelve dominoes--that is to say, give
instantaneously the total number of spots on twelve dominoes, after a
single glance. This was Attention, in earnest, and shows what practice
will do to develop a faculty. The result was shown by the wonderful
powers of observation, memory and attention, together with instantaneous
mental action, that the boy developed. Not only was he able to add
dominoes instantaneously, but he had powers of observation, etc., that
seemed little short of miraculous. And yet it is related that he had poor
attention, and deficient memory to begin with.
If this seems incredible, let us remember how old whist players note and
remember every card in the pack, and can tell whether they have been
played or not, and all the circumstances attending upon them. The same is
true of chess players, who observe every move and can relate the whole
game in detail long after it has been played. And remember, also, how
one woman may pass another woman on the street, and without seeming to
give her more than a careless glance, may be able to relate in detail
every feature of the other woman's apparel, including its color, texture,
style of fashioning, probable price of the material, etc., etc. And a
mere man would have noticed scarcely anything about it--because he would
not have given it any attention. But how soon would that man learn to
equal his sister in attention and observation of women's wearing apparel,
if his business success depended upon it, or if his speculative instinct
was called into play by a wager with some friend as to who could remember
the most about a woman's clothing, seen in a passing glance? You see it
is all a matter of Interest and Attention.
But we forget that the Attention may be developed and cultivated, and we
complain that we "cannot remember things," or that we do not seem to be
able to "take notice." A little practice will do wonders in this
direction.
Now, while the above exercises will develop your memory and powers of
observation, still that is not the main reason that we have given them to
you. We have an ulterior object, that will appear in time. We aim to
develop your Will-power, and we know that Attention stands at the gate of
Will-power. In order to be able to use your Will, you must be able to
focus the Attention forcibly and distinctly. And these childish exercises
will help you to develop the mental muscles of the Attention. If you
could but realize the childish games the young Yogi students are required
to play, in order to develop the mental faculties, you would change your
minds about the Yogi Adepts whom you have been thinking about as mere
dreamers, far removed from the practical. These men, and their students,
are intensely practical. They have gained the mastery of the Mind, and
its faculties, and are able to use them as sharp edged tools, while the
untrained man finds that he has but a dull, unsharpened blade that will
do nothing but hack and hew roughly, instead of being able to produce the
finished product.
The Yogi believes in giving the "I" good tools with which to work, and he
spends much time in tempering and sharpening these tools. Oh, no, the
Yogi are not idle dreamers. Their grasp of "practical things" would
surprise many a practical, matter-of-fact Western business man, if he
could but observe it.
And so, we ask you to practice "observing things." The two exercises we
have given are but indications of the general line. We could give you
thousands, but you can prepare them yourselves as well as could we.
The little Hindu boy is taught Attention by being asked to note and
remember the number, color, character and other details of a number of
colored stones, jewelry, etc., shown for an instant in an open palm,
the hand being closed the moment after. He is taught to note and
describe passing travelers, and their equipages--houses he sees on his
journeys--and thousands of other everyday objects. The results are almost
marvelous. In this way he is prepared as a _chela_ or student, and he
brings to his _guru_ or teacher a brain well developed--a mind thoroughly
trained to obey the Will of the "I"--and with faculties quickened to
perceive instantly that which others would fail to see in a fortnight. It
is true that he does not turn these faculties to "business" or other
so-called "practical" pursuits, but prefers to devote them to abstract
studies and pursuits outside of that which the Western man considers to
be the end and aim of life. But remember that the two civilizations are
quite different--following different ideals--having different economic
conditions--living in different worlds, as it were. But that is all a
matter of taste and ideals--the faculty for the "practical life" of the
West is possessed by the _chela_, if he saw fit to use it. But all Hindu
youths are not _chelas_, remember--nor are all Western youths "captains
of industry," or Edisons.
MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).
I am using my Attention to develop my mental faculties, so as to give the
"I" a perfect instrument with which to work. The mind is _My_ instrument
and I am bringing it to a state of capacity for perfect work.
MANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION).
There is but One Life--One Life Underlying. This Life is manifesting
through ME, and through every other shape, form, and thing. I am resting
on the bosom of the Great Ocean of Life, and it is supporting me, and
will carry me safely, though the waves rise and fall--though the storms
rage and the tempests roar. I am safe on the Ocean of Life, and rejoice
as I feel the sway of its motion. Nothing can harm me--though changes may
come and go, I am Safe. I am One with the All Life, and its Power,
Knowledge, and Peace are behind, underneath, and within Me. O! One Life!
express Thyself through me--carry me now on the crest of the wave, now
deep down in the trough of the ocean--supported always by Thee--all is
good to me, as I feel Thy life moving in and through me. I am Alive,
through thy life, and I open myself to thy full manifestation and inflow.
THE SIXTH LESSON.
CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION.
Man gains his knowledge of the outside world through his senses. And,
consequently, many of us are in the habit of thinking of these senses as
if _they_ did the sensing, instead of being merely carriers of the
vibrations coming from the outside world, which are then presented to the
Mind for examination. We shall speak of this at greater length a little
later on in this lesson. Just now we wish to impress upon you the fact
that it is the Mind that perceives, not the senses. And, consequently, a
development of Perception is really a development of the Mind.
The Yogis put their students through a very arduous course of practice
and exercises designed to develop their powers of perception. To many
this would appear to be merely a development of the Senses, which might
appear odd in view of the fact that the Yogis are constantly preaching
the folly of being governed and ruled by the senses. But there is nothing
paradoxical about all this, for the Yogis, while preaching the folly of
sense life, and manifesting the teaching in their lives, nevertheless
believe in any and all exercises calculated to "sharpen" the Mind, and
develop it to a keen state and condition.
They see a great difference between having a sharpened perception, on the
one hand, and being a slave to the senses on the other. For instance,
what would be thought of a man who objected to acquiring a keen eyesight,
for fear it would lead him away from higher things, by reason of his
becoming attached to the beautiful things he might see. To realize the
folly of this idea, one may look at its logical conclusion, which would
be that one would then be much better off if all their senses were
destroyed. The absurdity, not to say wickedness, of such an idea will be
apparent to everyone, after a minute's consideration.
The secret of the Yogi theory and teachings regarding the development of
the Mental powers, lies in the word "_Mastery_." The Yoga student
accomplishes and attains this mastery in two ways. The first way is by
subordinating all the feelings, sense-impressions, etc., to the Mastery
of the "I," or Will, the Mastery being obtained in this way by the
assertion of the dominancy of the "I" over the faculties and emotions,
etc. The second step, or way, lies in the Yogi, once having asserted the
mastery, beginning to develop and perfect the Mental instrument, so as to
get better work and returns from it. In this way he increases his kingdom
and is Master over a much larger territory.
In order for one to gain knowledge, it is necessary to use to the best
advantage the mental instruments and tools that he finds at his disposal.
And again, one must develop and improve such tools--put a keen edge upon
them, etc. Not only does one gain a great benefit from a development of
the faculties of perception, but he also acquires an additional benefit
from the training of the whole mind arising from the mental discipline
and training resulting from the former exercises, etc. In our previous
lessons we have pointed out some of the means by which these faculties
might be greatly improved, and their efficiency increased. In this lesson
we shall point out certain directions in which the Perceptive faculties
may be trained. We trust that the simplicity of the idea may not cause
any of our students to lose interest in the work. If they only knew just
what such development would lead to they would gladly follow our
suggestions in the matter. Every one of the ideas and exercises given by
us are intended to lead up to the strengthening of the Mind, and the
attainment of powers and the unfoldment of faculties. There is no royal
road to Raja Yoga, but the student will be well repaid for the work of
climbing the hill of Attainment.
In view of the above, let us examine the question of The Senses. Through
the doors of the senses Man receives all his information regarding the
outside world. If he keeps these doors but half open, or crowded up with
obstacles and rubbish, he may expect to receive but few messages from
outside. But if he keeps his doorways clear, and clean, he will obtain
the best that is passing his way.
If one were born without sense-organs--no matter how good a Mind he might
have--he would be compelled to live his life in a dreamy plant-life stage
of existence, with little or no consciousness. The Mind would be like a
seed in the earth, that for some reason was prevented from growing.
One may object that the highest ideas do not come to us through the
senses, but the reply is that the things obtained through the senses are
the "raw material" upon which the mind works, and fashions the beautiful
things that it is able to produce in its highest stages. Just as is the
body dependent for growth upon the nourishment taken into it, so is the
mind dependent for growth upon the impressions received from the
Universe--and these impressions come largely through the senses. It may
be objected to that we know many things that we have not received through
our senses. But, does the objector include the impressions that came
through his senses in some previous existence, and which have been
impressed upon his instinctive mind, or soul-memory? It is true that
there are higher senses than those usually recognized, but Nature insists
upon one learning the lessons of the lower grades before attempting those
of the higher.
Do not forget that all that we know we have "worked for." There is
nothing that comes to the idler, or shirker. What we know is merely the
result of "stored-up accumulations of previous experience," as Lewes has
so well said.
So it will be seen that the Yogi idea that one should develop all parts
of the Mind is strictly correct, if one will take the trouble to examine
into the matter. A man sees and knows but very little of what is going
on about him. His limitations are great. His powers of vision report only
a few vibrations of light, while below and above the scale lie an
infinity of vibrations unknown to him. The same is true of the powers of
hearing, for only a comparatively small portion of the sound-waves reach
the Mind of Man--even some of the animals hear more than he does.
If a man had only one sense he would obtain but a one-sense idea of the
outside world. If another sense is added his knowledge is doubled. And so
on. The best proof of the relation between increased sense perception and
development is had in the study of the evolution of animal forms. In the
early stages of life the organism has only the sense of feeling--and very
dim at that--and a faint sense of taste. Then developed smell, hearing
and sight, each marking a distinct advance in the scale of life, for a
new world has been opened out to the advancing forms of life. And, when
man develops new senses--and this is before the race--he will be a much
wiser and greater being.
Carpenter, many years ago, voiced a thought that will be familiar to
those who are acquainted with the Yogi teachings regarding the unfoldment
of new senses. He said: "It does not seem at all improbable that there
are properties of matter of which none of our senses can take immediate
cognizance, and which other beings might be formed to perceive in the
same manner as we are sensible to light, sound, etc."
And Isaac Taylor said: "It may be that within the field observed by the
visible and ponderable universe there is existing and moving another
element fraught with another species of life--corporeal, indeed, and
various in its orders, but not open to cognizance of those who are
confined to the conditions of animal organization. Is it to be thought
that the eye of man is the measure of the Creator's power?--and that He
created nothing but that which he has exposed to our present senses? The
contrary seems much more than barely possible; ought we not to think it
almost certain?"
Another writer. Prof. Masson, has said: "If a new sense or two were added
to the present normal number, in man, that which is now the phenomenal
world for all of us might, for all that we know, burst into something
amazingly different and wider, in consequence of the additional
revelations of these new senses."
But not only is this true, but Man may increase his powers of knowledge
and experience if he will but develop the senses he has to a higher
degree of efficiency, instead of allowing them to remain comparatively
atrophied. And toward this end, this lesson is written.
The Mind obtains its impressions of objects of the outside world by means
of the brain and sense organs. The sensory organs are the instruments of
the Mind, as is also the brain and the entire nervous system. By means of
the nerves, and the brain, the Mind makes use of the sensory organs in
order that it may obtain information regarding external objects.
The senses are usually said to consist of five different forms, _viz._,
sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
The Yogis teach that there are higher senses, undeveloped, or
comparatively so, in the majority of the race, but toward the unfoldment
of which the race is tending. But we shall not touch upon these latent
senses in this lesson, as they belong to another phase of the subject. In
addition to the five senses above enumerated, some physiologists and
psychologists have held that there were several others in evidence. For
instance, the sense by which the inner organs revealed their presence and
condition, The muscular system reports to the mind through some sense
that is not that of "touch," although closely allied to it. And the
feelings of hunger, thirst, etc., seem to come to us through an unnamed
sense.
Bernstein has distinguished between the five senses and the one just
referred to as follows: "The characteristic distinction between these
common sensations and the sensations of the senses is that by the latter
we gain knowledge of the occurrences and objects which belong to the
external world (and which sensations we refer to external objects),
whilst by the former we only feel conditions of our own body."
A sensation is the internal, mental conception, resulting from an
external object or fact exciting the sense organs and nerves, and the
brain, thus making the mind "aware" of the external object or fact. As
Bain has said, it is the "mental impression, feeling, or conscious state,
resulting from the action of external things on some part of the body,
called on that account, sensitive."
Each channel of sense impressions has an organ, or organs, peculiarly
adapted for the excitation of its substance by the particular kind of
vibrations through which it receives impressions. The eye is most
cunningly and carefully designed to receive the light-waves; and
sound-waves produce no effect upon it. And, likewise, the delicate
mechanism of the ear responds only to sound-waves; light-waves failing to
register upon it. Each set of sensations is entirely different, and the
organs and nerves designed to register each particular set are peculiarly
adapted to their own special work. The organs of sense, including their
special nervous systems, may be compared to a delicate instrument that
the mind has fashioned for itself, that it may investigate, examine and
obtain reports from the outside world.
We have become so accustomed to the workings of the senses that we take
them as a "matter of course," and fail to recognize them as the delicate
and wonderful instruments that they are--designed and perfected by the
mind for its own use. If we will think of the soul as designing,
manufacturing and using these instruments, we may begin to understand
their true relations to our lives, and, accordingly treat them with more
respect and consideration.