Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism | Page 6

three mental principles of man, if they will remember that the "conscious" or "objective" mind corresponds very nearly with the "Intellect" principle in the Yogi philosophy; and that the lowest portions of the "subjective" or "subconscious" mind are what the Yogis term the "Instinctive Mind" principle; while the higher and sublime qualities, which the Western writers have noticed and have grouped with the lower qualities in forming their "subjective mind" and "subconscious mind" theories, is the "Spiritual Mind" principle of the Yogis, with the difference that the "Spiritual Mind" has additional properties and qualities of which these Western theorists have never dreamed. As we touch upon each of these three mental principles, you will see the points of resemblance and the points of difference between the Yogi teachings and the Western theories.
We wish it distinctly understood, however, that we do not desire to detract from the praise justly earned by these Western investigators; in fact, the Yogis owe them a debt of gratitude for preparing the Western mind for the fuller teachings. The student who has read the works of the writers referred to will find it very much easier to grasp the idea of the three mental principles in man than if he had never heard of any division in the functioning of the mind of man. Our principal reason for calling attention to the mistake of the Western dual-mind theories was that to the mind of the Yogi it is painful to see that which he knows to be the highest manifestation of mind, that which is the seat of inspiration and flashes of genius, that which touches the pure Spirit (the Spiritual Mind), which is just beginning to awaken in men of development and growth - confused and confounded with and placed in the same class with the lowest mental principle (the Instinctive Mind) which, while most necessary and useful to man, under the direction of his higher principle is still something which is common to the most undeveloped man, even to the lower form of the animal kingdom - yea, even to the plant life. We trust that the student will free his mind of preconceived ideas on this important subject, and will listen to what we say before forming his final opinion. In our next lesson, we will go into detail regarding each of the three Mental Principles.
THE SECOND LESSON.
THE MENTAL PRINCIPLES.
In our First Lesson we called your attention briefly to the three lower principles of man - i.e., (1) the physical body; (2) the astral body; (3) Prana, or vital force. We also led up to the subject of the mental principles, which form the fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, of the seven principles of man.
For convenience sake, we will again enumerate the four higher principles:
(7) Spirit.
(6) Spiritual mind.
(5) Intellect.
(4) Instinctive mind.
This terminology is more or less unsatisfactory, but we adopt it in preference to the Sanscrit terms which prove so puzzling and elusive to the average Western student.
The three lower principles are the most material, and the atoms of which they are composed are, of course, indestructible, and go on forever in countless forms and aspects; but these principles, so far as the ego is concerned, are things merely to be used in connection with a particular earth - life, just as man uses clothing, heat, electricity, etc., and they form no part of his higher nature.
The four higher principles, on the contrary, go to make up the thinking part of man - the intelligent part, so to speak. Even the lowest of the four, the instinctive mind, goes to form the higher part of the man.
Those who have not considered the subject at all are apt to regard as absurd the suggestion that the mind of man functions on more than one plane. Students of psychology, however, have long recognized the varying phases of mentation, and many theories have been advanced to account for the same. Such students will find that the Yogi philosophy alone gives the key to the mystery. Those who have studied the dual-mind theories of certain Western writers will also find it easier to conceive of more than one plane of mentality.
At first sight it would seem that the conscious, reasoning part of man's mind did the most work if, indeed, not all of it. But a little reflection will show us that the conscious, reasoning work of the mind is but a small fraction of its task. Man's mind functions on three planes of effort, each plane shading imperceptibly into the planes on either side of it - the one next higher or the one next lower. The student may think of the matter either as one mind functioning along three lines, or as three minds shading into each other; both views have more or less of