OBSTACLES TO YOGA CONCENTRATION
Post Views: 119 Yogi Concentration which follows immediately the “hold the mind blank” stage, is that of “holding the thought” upon the subject, object, or mental-picture, as the case may be. In this is meant more than appears on the surface, as in this is the Yoga meaning of Concrete Dhyana, in which is realized a peculiar union of subject and object. As this is important, I asked Parimal Bandhu to explain: In Dhyana, there comes to the mind the power, as it were, of the flowing in an unbroken current toward that point. In Dhyana you bring the contemplated or concentrated upon object up to your own mental plane of consciousness, and, so to speak, make it actually a form in your mind. Your “mind stuff”‘ thus assumes the actual form of the contemplated object, and has an actual (though but temporary) existence in your chitta. Thus, it becomes unified with you, for the time being, and it is possible to consider it directly, instead of indirectly through the medium of the senses. The object of Dhyana is to unify the mind with an object and to induce unification with the object. So holding the object in mind, it must be concentrated upon to unify the thing with the mind, in which process a sort of ‘click’ takes place in the mind, and an extraordinary experience is undergone. The ‘thing’ joins itself to ‘you’ by a curious internal phenomenon, and you feel ‘one’ with it. Clearly the sense of duality between you and it will have vanished, and you have this sense of unification. “What I have described is the power of mind working upon matter, and is a skill of the Masters. In the initiate it perhaps will not be pronounced, still in every case, there will be a trace of the experience just enough to let you know that it is there and in operation. Do not seek to overdevelop this power; let it develop naturally and without forcing. You can do good work in Yoga Concentration with but a trace of it, and I should add that this sense of “oneness” between thought and object disappears when the concentration is terminated. I have here given you one of the deepest secrets of creative mind magic.” In closing this chapter dealing with the power of concentration, I wish to give you what are known as “The Obstacles to Yoga Concentration” and “The Seven Little Devils Besetting the Yogi.” It is well that you know of these, as with their mastery you advance toward magician hood. The East Indian magicians are keenly aware of the wonderful power of the human mind when it is mastered, developed, and manifested in the process of concentration. They have devised methods of applying that power most effectively. In fact, the word “concentration” fully expresses the fundamental working principle of oriental magic and psychic powers. The Hindu teaching is that only by and through concentration are possible the manifestations of the Creative Mind Principle-the creation of the mental image (or ideal) being so clearly and powerfully held that the materialization thereof follows in an efficient manner and degree. The teaching is that mind-power, like any other kind of power, manifests intensively only when its field is narrowed and its energies are focused to a fine point in concentration. The magicians in their supernormal control of Nature, have mastered the science of concentration. They have done this through the careful study of Yoga, and by diligent practice have put into effect the methods of Pratyahara, Dharana, and Dhyana achieving mastery of the mind. They have also acquired the art of perfect concentration in mastering its two cardinal principles, viz., (1) the focusing or bringing to “one pointedness” the attention, and holding this upon the desired objective; and (2) the inhibiting or “shutting out” of all outside distractions that would in any way interfere with their complete concentration. Such is the mastery of the magician. The magician has also acquired the equally important skill of being able to close the doors of attention and thought upon any subject or object, after he has completed his concentrated consideration thereof. Thus, he keeps his mind free and unhampered at all times, so that he may give his full and undivided attention to each new thing that demands the use of his mind. The magician’s attention is like a great searchlight which is applied with intense power to any object upon which it is turned, but which is easily turned away from that object when the purpose of the application of its light has been accomplished. In other words, the magician is able to detach his mind from any and all subjects at will thus giving the mind relaxation and rest when such are needed, building mental strength. There is a lesson here from the East to the West, as many great occidental scholars are able to think, but are not able “not to think” at will. Both of these positive and negative aspects of thought are of equal importance, and both are achieved by the magician. I will now give you specific instruction in developing the power of your concentration in the exact manner of the East Indian magician. In this instruction, consider the basic principle as the main thing, allowing the details to be secondary, as such may possibly be varied to suit your own particular accomplishments. There is much food for thought in this phase of the instruction, and if it is your desire to learn of the presentation of the real magic of India, I suggest that you devote care, time, and attention to the mastery of magician concentration. As is well known, the crystal ball is much used by Hindu magicians. Western people often tend to regard the crystal as something mysterious, actually, as used in India, it is not mysterious in the least, it functions entirely as a scientific instrument providing a focusing point for concentration. 1 Disease. If you are
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