The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga | Page 9

very name of philosophy carries with it an atmosphere of
Chastity, Solemnity, and Divinity.
But although there is some measure of truth in all the above four
statements, they all miss the real thing. The question resolves itself into
this: "_What makes one man superior to another_?" The study of nature
shows us that the higher form of intelligence controls the lower. All
leaders of mankind, such as Napoleon, Alexander, etc., were clearly
ahead of the times. But they strove for low things and their SUCCESS
from our point of view is doubtful. Let us take higher ground. Buddha,
Christ, Zoroaster, etc., etc., of ancient times and Vivekananda and a
few others in modern times exhibited tremendous powers of
influencing men. You study their lives and writings and try to find out
just those things that constituted the basic cause of their heroic fibre.
If I were asked to sum up the secrets of their Power I would say: 1.
"Their Intelligence and _Thought-Power._ 2. Awakened _Will-Power_
and _Self-Control_."
1. It was by their intelligence that they could take fearless possession of
the world, handle men and women easily, read human nature at a
glance and "be all things to all men," _i.e._., put their fingers direct on
the spiritual, mental, and physical necessities of widely varying
temperaments and help each right where he stood in the ladder of
evolution.
2. It was by their developed thought-force that they drew the whole
world to themselves. The positive thinker generates a force that draws
all such as are negative to him. Nearly the whole world was negative to
these Masters and hence felt attracted to them. These were the human

touchstones.
3. It was by their strong, manly, marvellous Will-Power that they drove
their suggestions into other minds and gained an immediate ascendency
over whatever environments they were placed in. The whole man is
summed up in his Will. Every other power in man is subservient to the
Will. And say what you will, it is this power more than any other that
we respect in others. It is the central staff in our character. Intelligence
is the directive energy. Will-Power is the propulsive energy. And the
latter when wielded under the guidance of the former makes of man a
veritable God.
4. It was by their unusual power of _Self-control_ that they could stand
square upon their feet and could remain unshaken by the waves of
conflicting opinions and the hostile attacks that continually dashed up
against them. _Master yourself_, i.e., your personal, relative and lower
self, and beyond the shadow of a doubt, _the mastery of others is
already yours._ But the world will teach you bitter lessons and rend
you to pieces if you try consciously to control it while you are still a
slave to your lower self. Be great. Strive for Perfection. So will you be
recognised by others. And according to the transcendent energy of the
highest law of our Being it is the consciousness of heights scaled,
accomplishments achieved and consequent dawning of a Loftier Ideal
upon our intellectual horizon that fills us with Strength and Peace
rather than the recognition of our worth by others. It is a serious
mistake to care for fame, praise and admiration. You get them only
when you do not care for them in the least, when your soul has
outgrown all such clinging to the relative in the light of _eternal
thought_, when you have risen to the Absolute and learnt to read the
meaning of the "LARGER WORLD" of life. Do not pass by this lightly.
In it is the key to Peace, Power and Poise. All that is Real and
Permanent, is on the plane of the Absolute.
Now we are drawing to the practical side of our Lesson. The four
principal points, you will please remember, are: (1) Intelligence. (2)
Thought-Force. (3) Will-Power. (4) Self-Control. You might feel
surprised at my retailing this "ancient history" instead of teaching you
how to approach a man, make him your slave and command him to fall
down at your feet and do your bidding. Perhaps you expected me to tell
you how to sail through the air, pass through solid walls, materialize

and dematerialize at will and like Appolonius of Tyana vanish in the
flash of an eye from the court of Ionysius and appear elsewhere at a
distance of 19,000 miles at the same moment. No, no. I will take it for
granted that you are made of different stuff and an earnest seeker after
the truth. If you strive to build yourself on the basis of the simple
principles as laid down in this series of lessons you will in time grow
into the Higher Self and at last become one with it. Moreover, your
daily life