A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga | Page 8

may be able to imagine your
body as lying still and lifeless, but the same thought finds that in so
doing You are standing and looking at the body. So you see that You are
not dead at all, even in imagination, although the body may be. Or, if
you refuse to disentangle yourself from your body, in imagination, you
may think of your body as dead but You who refuse to leave it are still
alive and recognize the dead body as a thing apart from your Real Self.
No matter how you may twist it you cannot imagine yourself as dead.
The Ego insists upon being alive in any of these thoughts, and thus
finds that it has within itself the sense and assurance of Immortality. In
case of sleep or stupor resulting from a blow, or from narcotics or
anaesthetics, the mind is apparently blank, but the "I" is conscious of a
continuity of existence. And so one may imagine himself as being in an
unconscious state, or asleep, quite easily, and sees the possibility of
such a state, but when it comes to imagining the "I" as dead, the mind
utterly refuses to do the work. This wonderful fact that the soul carries

within itself the evidence of its own immortality is a glorious thing, but
one must have reached a degree of unfoldment before he is able to
grasp its full significance.
The Candidate is advised to investigate the above statement for himself,
by meditation and concentration, for in order that the "I" may know its
true nature and possibilities, it must realize that it cannot be destroyed
or killed. It must know what it is before it is able to manifest its nature.
So do not leave this part of the teaching until you have mastered it. And
it is well occasionally to return to it, in order that you may impress
upon the mind the fact of your immortal and eternal nature. The mere
glimmering of this conception of truth will give you an increased sense
of strength and power, and you will find that your Self has expanded
and grown, and that you are more of a power and Centre than you have
heretofore realized.
The following exercises are useful in bringing about a realization of the
invincibility of the Ego--its superiority to the elements.
Place yourself in the State of Meditation, and imagine the "I" as
withdrawn from the body. See it passing through the tests of air, fire
and water unharmed. The body being out of the way, the soul is seen to
be able of passing through the air at will--of floating like a bird--of
soaring--of traveling in the ether. It may be seen as able to pass through
fire without harm and without sensation, for the elements affect only
the physical body, not the Real "I." Likewise it may be seen as passing
through water without discomfort or danger or hurt.
This meditation will give you a sense of superiority and strength, and
will show you something of the nature of the real "I." It is true that you
are confined in the body, and the body may be affected by the elements,
but the knowledge that the Real "I" is superior to the body--superior to
the elements that affect the body--and cannot be injured any more than
it can be killed, is wonderful, and tends to develop the full "I"
consciousness within you. For You--the Real "I"--are not body. You
are Spirit. The Ego is Immortal and Invincible, and cannot be killed and
harmed. When you enter into this realization and consciousness, you
will feel an influx of strength and power impossible to describe. Fear

will fall from you like a worn-out cloak, and you will feel that you are
"born again." An understanding of this thought, will show you that the
things that we have been fearing cannot affect the Real "I," but must
rest content with hurting the physical body. And they may be warded
off from the physical body by a proper understanding and application
of the Will.
In our next lesson, you will be taught how to separate the "I" from the
mechanism of the mind--how you may realize your mastery of the
mind, just as you now realize your independence of the body. This
knowledge must be imparted to you by degrees, and you must place
your feet firmly upon one round of the ladder before you take the next
step.
The watchword of this First Lesson is "I." And the Candidate must
enter fully into its meaning before he is able to progress. He must
realize his real existence--independent of the body. He must see himself
as invincible and impervious to harm, hurt, or death. He must see
himself as a great Centre