Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Pranayama - Internal and External Application

You will find that wherever there is any extraordinary display of power, it is the manifestation of this Prana. 

Even the physical sciences can be included in Pranayama. What moves the steam engine? Prana, acting through the steam. What are all these phenomena of electricity and so forth but Prana? What is physical science? The science of Pranayama, by external means. 

Prana, manifesting itself as mental power, can only be controlled by mental means. 

That part of Pranayama which attempts to control the physical manifestations of the Prana by physical means is called physical science, and that part which tries to control the manifestation of the Prana as mental force by mental means is called Raja-Yoga. 

                             - Swami Vivekananda, 
                             Raja-Yoga (Classes in New York)



Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Concentrated Mind - Means of Knowledge

The powers of the mind are like rays of light dissipated; 
when they are concentrated, they illumine. 
This is our only means of knowledge. Everyone is using it, both in the external and the internal world; 
but, for the psychologist, the same minute observation has to be directed to the internal world, 
which the scientific man directs to the external; and this requires a great deal of practice. 

                                     - Swami Vivekananda, 
                                     Raja-Yoga (Classes in New York)




Saturday, June 24, 2017

Raja-Yoga Method

The goal of all its [Raja-Yoga’s] teaching is 
how to concentrate the minds, then, 
how to discover the innermost recesses of our own minds, then, 
how to generalize their contents and form our own conclusions from them. 

It, therefore, never asks the question what our religion is,
 whether we are Deists or Atheists, 
 whether Christians, Jews, or Buddhists. 

We are human beings; that is sufficient. 
Every human being has the right and the power to seek for religion. 
Every human being has the right to ask the reason, why, and to have his question answered by himself, if he only takes the trouble.
- Swami Vivekananda, 
Raja-Yoga (Classes in New York)