isbell@marvin.DEC (Chris Isbell ) (05/15/84)
[] I am currently reading a book on Raja Yoga. The book is by Swami Vivekananda, and is fairly old. (Ie:- before "the discovery of wireless telegraphy".) There is a section on the environment which is conducive to religious practice. The advice in this section seems to be of use to followers of most religions. Chris Isbell. (...decvax!decwrl!rhea!marvin!isbell) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Those of you who can afford it will do better to have a room for this practice alone. Do not sleep in that room, it must be kept holy. You must not enter the room until you have bathed, and are perfectly clean in body and mind. Place flowers in that room always; they are the best surroundings for a Yogi; also pictures that are pleasing. Burn incense morning and evening. Have no quarrelling, nor anger, nor unholy thought in that room. Only allow those persons to enter it who are of the same thought as you. Then gradually there will be an atmosphere of holiness in the room, so that when you are miserable, sorrowful, doubtful, or your mind is disturbed, the very fact of entering that room will make you calm. This was the idea of the temple and the church, and in some temples and churches you will find it even now, but in the majority of them the very idea has been lost. The idea is that by keeping holy vibrations there the place becomes and remains illumined. Those who cannot afford to have a room set apart can practice anywhere they like. Sit in a straight posture, and the first thing to do is to send a current of holy thought to all creation. mentally repeat "Let all things be happy; let all beings be peaceful; let all being be blissful." So do to the East, South, North, and West. The more you do that, the better you will feel yourself. You will find at last the easiest way to make ourselves healthy is to see that others are healthy, and the easiest way to make ourselves happy is to see that others are happy. After doing that, those who believe in God should pray - not for money, nor for health, not for heaven; pray for knowledge and light; every other prayer is selfish. Then the next thing to do is to think of your own body, and see that it is strong and healthy; it is the best instrument you have. Think of it as being as strong as adamant, and that with the help of this body you will cross the ocean of life. Freedom is never to be reached by the weak. Throw away all weakness. Tell your body that it is strong, tell your mind it is strong, and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------