The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga | Page 4

out for rest,
because conscious attention implies close concentration of thought and
can be exercised only by the conscious use of Will-Power. You ought
to be able to concentrate upon one subject of thought, study and
observation with undivided attention and then take your mind off that
subject and put it on something else, at your will. Train your mind to
'give' perfect attention to any subject you like and also to 'shut off' or
inhibit all attention on that subject. The mind is a restless thing darting
from one thing to another, and, like a spoilt child, tiring of continued
attention. But you must, by Will-Exercise, get control over this
tendency. 'Exercise develops power. Practice makes perfect.' This you
must bear in mind and, by patience and perseverance, train your mind
to 'pay attention' where it ought to do so and not to pay attention where
it ought not to. At first your mind will rebel like an unbroken horse at
the imposition of such restraint. But really all greatness results from
mind-control. _Remember active mentation is conscious, deliberate
concentration. Passive mentation represents automatic, involuntary
thinking._ This includes the subconscious or 'habit' mind. When a
certain thought-groove has been formed in your mind, energy flows
into it involuntarily, _i.e._, by itself and without any conscious effort
on your part. This is passive mentation. It is automatic mental activity.
Take an example. Some school-boys find Mathematics, Science and
Geography easy to master from the very start. They feel quite in
sympathy with the teacher of Mathematics. But History and Language
are their abomination. There are others who simply cannot 'take an
interest' in any Mathematics but who shine brilliantly in Language,
Recitation, Composition, History. As a matter of fact neither of these
students is superior to the other, but each is great in his own line. In one
set, you have an example of automatic mentation in Mathematics,
Science and Geography; in the other in Literature and Art. But suppose

the first set tried to master Literature and Art and the second grappled
with Mathematics and Science, each would then be practising actual
concentration. In each set the active function would be exercised and
will-power would develop on both sides. Do you see? Occultists say
that all power results from the continual exercise of active mentation
and all weak-mindedness is the direct outcome of this wool-gathering,
castle-building, inattentive habit which is an extension of passive
mentation into useless channels of thought-force. Conscious attention
concentrates and even specializes mental energy as the sun-glass
concentrates and intensifies the heat of the rays of the sun. Focus your
full attention upon the thing to be done, take a keen interest in its
accomplishment to the exclusion of all else, and you will obtain
wonderful results. The man of developed, concentrative power holds in
his hand the key to success, with the results that all his actions,
voluntary or involuntary, are pointed to the accomplishment of his
object. Remember therefore in conclusion:
(1) Concentration is perfect attention consciously directed to a given
point of achievement either objectively or subjectively.
(2) Concentration is consecration.
"What ever you do, do it with all your might. Do one thing at a time
and do it well." By concentration is meant the directing of all your
energies along a special line of achievement. For instance, if you would
be a perfect Yogi, you must concentrate, concentrate, morning, noon
and night, at all times, along that line of endeavour. You must study all
the vast literature on Yoga, Psychology, Metaphysics, Mentalism, etc.,
and form your own synthesis on same. You must think hard and work
hard for Yoga. "Genius is the power to bear infinite pain." Nothing
ought to be too great a sacrifice, including your own life, for the right
understanding and achievement of Yoga.
All half-heartedness, all insincerity, weakens your nature, and
weakness has no place either in heaven or in hell. For the half-hearted
man is a traitor unto the Divine within him and must pay dearly for his
treachery.

SUBJECTIVE CONCENTRATION--HOW PRACTISED.
This is a vast subject. If you practise earnestly my instructions on
Thought-Control, Will-Culture, and take the Meditation Exercise I am
going to give you, you will realize greater strength than average
humanity. But you must study and think hard for yourself before any
considerable benefit can be derived from even these. Remember please,
you alone can teach yourself through intuition. Intuition is tuition from
within. Follow strictly the general rules I give you and you cannot but
unfold your Inner Soul Vision which includes intuition in its fullest
sense.
_(a) What is Thought-Force?_
"Thoughts are things." Thought is a dynamic energy. Just as the food
that you eat feeds your body, exactly similarly your thoughts and
feelings nourish your soul. Matter is nothing but