Today is Swami Vivekananda's Birth Day, Celebrated as National Youth Day
These are Frank Rhodehamel's notes of Swami Vivekananda's lecture given in Alameda (California, USA) on April 16, 1900, and are reproduced here from his Complete Works, 6: 123-25. Being "notes" - and not a verbatim report, like his other lectures in the Complete Works - these are sketchy and may not represent the exact words spoken by Vivekananda. However, they provide a fairly good indication of his ideas on the subject.
Concentration: The Essence of All Knowledge
Concentration is the essence of all knowledge. Nothing can be done without concentration. Ordinary people waste ninety percent of thought force and therefore are constantly committing blunders. The trained mind never makes a mistake. When the mind is concentrated and turned backward on itself, everything within us will be our servant, not our master. The Greeks applied their concentration to the external world, resulting in perfection in art, literature, etc. The Hindu concentrated on the internal world, upon the unseen realm in the Self, and developed the science of Yoga.
Yoga: Controlling the Senses, Will, and Mind
Yoga means controlling the senses, will, and mind. The benefit of its study is that we learn to control instead of being controlled. The mind seems to be layer upon layer. Our real goal is to cross all these intervening strata of our being and find God. The end and aim of Yoga is to realize God. To do this, we must go beyond relative knowledge, beyond the sense-world. The world is awake to the senses, while the children of the Lord are asleep on that plane. The world is asleep to the Eternal, while the children of the Lord are awake in that realm. There is but one way to control the senses—to see Him who is the Reality in the universe. Then and only then can we really conquer our senses.
Steps to Restrain the Mind
Concentration means restraining the mind into smaller and smaller limits. There are eight processes for restraining the mind. The first is Yama, controlling the mind by avoiding externals. All morality is included in this. Beget no evil. Injure no living creature. If you injure nothing for twelve years, then even lions and tigers will go down before you. Practice truthfulness. Twelve years of absolute truthfulness in thought, word, and deed give us whatever we wish. Be chaste in thought, word, and action. Chastity is the basis of all religions. Personal purity is imperative. Next is Niyama, not allowing the mind to wander in any direction. Then comes Asana, posture. There are eighty-four postures, but the best is the most natural to each person; that is, which can be kept longest with the greatest ease. After this comes Pranayama, restraint of breath. Next is Pratyahara, drawing in of the organs from their objects. Then comes Dharana, concentration, followed by Dhyana, contemplation or meditation. (This is the kernel of the Yoga system.) Finally, there is Samadhi, superconsciousness.
The Importance of Purity and Practice
The purer the body and mind, the quicker the desired result will be obtained. You must be perfectly pure. Do not think of evil things, as such thoughts will surely drag you down. If you are perfectly pure and practice faithfully, your mind can finally be made a searchlight of infinite power. There is no limit to its scope. But there must be constant practice and non-attachment to the world.
Reaching the Superconscious State
When we reach the superconscious state, body-consciousness melts away. Then alone do we become free and immortal. To all external appearances, unconsciousness and superconsciousness are the same; but they differ as a lump of clay from a lump of gold. The one whose whole soul is given up to God has reached the superconscious plane.
From India, Madras
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4These are Frank Rhodehamel's notes of Swami Vivekananda's lecture given in Alameda (California, USA) on April 16, 1900, and are reproduced here from his Complete Works, 6: 123-25. Being "notes" - and not a verbatim report, like his other lectures in the Complete Works - these are sketchy and may not represent the exact words spoken by Vivekananda. However, they provide a fairly good indication of his ideas on the subject.
Concentration: The Essence of All Knowledge
Concentration is the essence of all knowledge. Nothing can be done without concentration. Ordinary people waste ninety percent of thought force and therefore are constantly committing blunders. The trained mind never makes a mistake. When the mind is concentrated and turned backward on itself, everything within us will be our servant, not our master. The Greeks applied their concentration to the external world, resulting in perfection in art, literature, etc. The Hindu concentrated on the internal world, upon the unseen realm in the Self, and developed the science of Yoga.
Yoga: Controlling the Senses, Will, and Mind
Yoga means controlling the senses, will, and mind. The benefit of its study is that we learn to control instead of being controlled. The mind seems to be layer upon layer. Our real goal is to cross all these intervening strata of our being and find God. The end and aim of Yoga is to realize God. To do this, we must go beyond relative knowledge, beyond the sense-world. The world is awake to the senses, while the children of the Lord are asleep on that plane. The world is asleep to the Eternal, while the children of the Lord are awake in that realm. There is but one way to control the senses—to see Him who is the Reality in the universe. Then and only then can we really conquer our senses.
Steps to Restrain the Mind
Concentration means restraining the mind into smaller and smaller limits. There are eight processes for restraining the mind. The first is Yama, controlling the mind by avoiding externals. All morality is included in this. Beget no evil. Injure no living creature. If you injure nothing for twelve years, then even lions and tigers will go down before you. Practice truthfulness. Twelve years of absolute truthfulness in thought, word, and deed give us whatever we wish. Be chaste in thought, word, and action. Chastity is the basis of all religions. Personal purity is imperative. Next is Niyama, not allowing the mind to wander in any direction. Then comes Asana, posture. There are eighty-four postures, but the best is the most natural to each person; that is, which can be kept longest with the greatest ease. After this comes Pranayama, restraint of breath. Next is Pratyahara, drawing in of the organs from their objects. Then comes Dharana, concentration, followed by Dhyana, contemplation or meditation. (This is the kernel of the Yoga system.) Finally, there is Samadhi, superconsciousness.
The Importance of Purity and Practice
The purer the body and mind, the quicker the desired result will be obtained. You must be perfectly pure. Do not think of evil things, as such thoughts will surely drag you down. If you are perfectly pure and practice faithfully, your mind can finally be made a searchlight of infinite power. There is no limit to its scope. But there must be constant practice and non-attachment to the world.
Reaching the Superconscious State
When we reach the superconscious state, body-consciousness melts away. Then alone do we become free and immortal. To all external appearances, unconsciousness and superconsciousness are the same; but they differ as a lump of clay from a lump of gold. The one whose whole soul is given up to God has reached the superconscious plane.
From India, Madras
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Thank you so much for sharing this article. Here's my learning from a pocketbook I bought from Ramkrishna Math in Belur, a very long time back. That book had articles and letters by Swami Vivekananda. It shared simple and easy-to-implement steps for meditation. This is my learning from the book:
Swami Ji's Definition of Yoga
Swami Ji defined Yoga as an act of watching over oneself. It is a continuous action, almost similar to watching one's actions, thoughts, and body language as if we can see ourselves live on a screen.
Simple Steps for Breathing
He shared simple steps for breathing with the stomach: hold the breath for a while, and then release it. When one is comfortable with the process, switch from right nostril inhale to left-nostril exhale and vice versa.
Awareness and Listening
For awareness, he suggested listening to the sounds around. Make a practice of listening to the nearest sound to the farthest and vice versa.
Concentration
Finally, for concentration, I loved the phrase he wrote, "refuse to get distracted!" It was such a powerful statement.
All these were mentioned as a continuous process, and no holiday or time off can be taken from it.
I gained from practicing it; hence, sharing it in this community. Today, on the occasion of his birthday, it's really great to reflect on what little I could learn from his works. Thank you for starting such a meaningful thread.
Regards,
(Cite Contribution)
From India, Mumbai
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Swami Ji's Definition of Yoga
Swami Ji defined Yoga as an act of watching over oneself. It is a continuous action, almost similar to watching one's actions, thoughts, and body language as if we can see ourselves live on a screen.
Simple Steps for Breathing
He shared simple steps for breathing with the stomach: hold the breath for a while, and then release it. When one is comfortable with the process, switch from right nostril inhale to left-nostril exhale and vice versa.
Awareness and Listening
For awareness, he suggested listening to the sounds around. Make a practice of listening to the nearest sound to the farthest and vice versa.
Concentration
Finally, for concentration, I loved the phrase he wrote, "refuse to get distracted!" It was such a powerful statement.
All these were mentioned as a continuous process, and no holiday or time off can be taken from it.
I gained from practicing it; hence, sharing it in this community. Today, on the occasion of his birthday, it's really great to reflect on what little I could learn from his works. Thank you for starting such a meaningful thread.
Regards,
(Cite Contribution)
From India, Mumbai
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Yoga Asans.pdf