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Yoga Lessons for Developing Spiritual Consciousness, by A.P. Mukerji, [1911], at sacred-texts.com
MAN should ever strive to develop intrinsic worth. Life becomes a song of harmony, Peace and Power, when once you have developed and expanded the Will-power. The education of the Will should be the aim of your life. The pleasure-seeker is an ass. He is ever complaining of his hard lot, of disappointment, of ill-health; he is as a bird bereft of wings, quivering its shattered pinions in its vain attempt to soar up in the sky. He is a leaning willow whose whole structure indicates weakness and dependence. The gods have put their ban upon this twentieth century fever for pleasure. Go into any large assembly of educated men and if you are a true judge of character you will hardly pick out five men out of five hundred with the fine, refined impressive features of Stoic, a heroic soul in an obedient body. The reason is not far to seek. Their chief object is to titillate the nerves of sensation. They never learned the great and important law of Self denial. They are being dragged along by a force far mightier than their feeble selves. They have never said
a firm No, to their impulses. They are mere masks and not men. They are automatic machines. They may have picked up a little odd knowledge; they may have a law cunning, but they lack the Affirmative Force of Character, the vim and pith of a Positive Personality, the calm poise of controlled energy. They have never realized the intense joy of a soul that lives only to aspire after what is high and noble. But then Existence is not all a bed of roses. Shocks will come and, when they do, these weaklings are bowled over like so many nine-pins. Then they just sit up and talk of their aching hearts, their bleeding wounds, their sorrow laden, miserable lives. Their good wishes are as so many soap-bubbles. Their resolutions are mere effervescence of a dying vitality. Their promises the mere ebullitions of emotion minus the stamina to accomplish them. They are the blind worms of fate. They are the victims of wicked-minded men. They are so many will-less, nerve-less weaklings. They are slaves.
Because, they are in the clutches of Ignorance. Ignorance consists in seeking enjoyment of the senses. To burst the chains that hold you captive, give up, once for ever, the desire To ENJOY, and DETERMINE to positivize the Will-Force for the free and smooth-working of the wheels of Progress, upon which weakness is a clog and must be removed in order to ensure easy action. A man, nearly ten years my senior in age and
the father of three children was suffering from dyspepsia. It had become chronic. His was a purely nervous trouble. He was sorely afraid that his stomach had lost all power to digest food. For months he had been ailing. The doctors could give no aid. His fear was always realized. At last after quite three months of painful suffering he one evening came to me. "Can you do anything for me?" "Not knowing the trouble I cannot prescribe the cure;" I replied. "But what am I to do? I shall be a wreck in a short time." "Look here, you are thoroughly mistaken. You fear, and your fear is realized. Fear is a suggestion for adverse conditions. Don't be afraid and everything will be all right. Trust nature; she will do her work." "But how can I master this fear? It paralyzes me and my mind." "Very good," I replied energetically. "Will you obey me?" "Yes,"—he said. "Don't touch any food for seven days." He promised. He had never gone without food for seven days. He fasted for just two days. On the third day he felt famishing for food. He must eat. He did eat. The food was digested. It is six months since he had this trouble and from that time till now he eats freely and digests freely. "When the fear comes over me, I just determine to stop eating and that drives away my fear," he said. The psychological explanation is simple. His determination to stop eating was an antidote to his fear; the former was a Positive Denial of the power of the latter to overcome this man and it scattered the force of Fear.
By evident analogy you can conclude that the mere determination to kill out the desire for enjoyment will bring about a tremendous change of thought-habit and crush your weakness. "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out." However keen your suffering you must determinedly pluck out of your nature everything that weakens you. Rest assured, this step, desperate as it is, shall ever strengthen you and, although for the moment you may suffer the torments of Hell, your path shall open out freely. Do not yield. Do not care for life. Die, if need be, but die a strong man that refused utterly to yield to illness. Your flesh may not be able to stand the strain of such action; but your spirit shall live and grow stronger. However, except in extremely desperate cases, the flesh ever helps the spirit when the latter is strong and the body and the life forces at once become the best possible co-operators with their master. Hence determine to stand guard by your High Nature. Draw the line between your animal and your Divine Nature. Cleave to the latter, happen what may. Remember, my readers, Doing alone teaches Doing. Therefore determine to perform your duties according to the dictates of your inner Nature, your conscience, your intuitive Nature. This is the Objective Mood, Doing and not Dreaming. You shall be at the top of your condition if you ever obey the suggestions of your soul, for your heart shall never tell a lie although your tongue may. Determine to be master of your mind and work at this Concentration exercise daily with earnest and hopeful steadfastness;
sit up at night in perfect silence. Hold yourself steady bodily and mentally. Then begin to tense your Will. Feel and say "I am this very moment mastering my mind. Now. This moment. Now. Insist on immediate mastery. Do not say "tomorrow," but say "This moment." Set up the strong Present Tense against all else. Do not give up till you are quite exhausted mentally. Do it with perseverance. It will set up strong vibrations that will destroy the weak atoms of your brain and thoroughly establish a vigorous tone of thought-activity. Practice will bring light. Inspiration comes on the vibratory wires of strong thought and strong action. Action, muscular exertion, will tune your mind to a responsive condition, will clinch your intentions into strength and motive power to your entire Nature. Learn to tense your Will. Learn to be positive to evil suggestions, either from your own Nature or from that of others. Have a Spirit of your own. Determine to do a thing and do not desist while there is even a breath left in the body. Greatness could never be a prize for cowards. Only the brave, the pure, the strong, the determined, can reach the goal. None else, none else.