呼吸修习
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中文
1→调息（Pranayama）的呼吸修炼法自上古时代起在印度便广为流传，以至于它构成了其宗教的一部分，犹如去教堂礼拜、复诵特定的祈祷文……我将尝试为你们呈现那些思想。 2→ 3→我曾告诉你们，印度哲学家如何将整个宇宙归纳为两个部分——普拉纳（Prana）与虚空（Akasha）。 4→ 5→普拉纳（Prana）意味着力——一切表现为运动、潜在运动、力量或吸引力的东西……电、磁，身体中一切运动，心意中【一切运动】——这些皆是同一事物即普拉纳的各种表现。然而普拉纳最佳的形式，在于【大脑】之中，表现为【理解之】光明。这道光明处于思想的引导之下。 6→ 7→心意应当掌控身体中已被发动的每一分普拉纳……【心意】应当对身体拥有完全的掌控权。然而【实际情况】并非如此。对我们大多数人而言，恰恰相反。心意应当能随意掌控【身体的】每一部分。这是道理与哲学所言；然而【当】我们来到事实层面，情况并非如此。对你们而言，车在马前——是身体在主宰心意。若我的手指被夹痛，我便难受。身体作用于心意。若发生了我不愿发生之事，我便烦恼；我的心意【被】失衡。身体是心意的主人。我们已经成为了身体。我们如今不过是身体而已。 8→ 9→这里【来了】哲学家，为我们指引出路，教导我们真正是什么。你可以用理性推演它，从智识上理解它，然而在智识上的理解与实践的实证之间，还有很长的距离。在建筑蓝图与建筑本身之间，有相当遥远的距离。因此，必须有各种方法【来达至宗教的目标】。在上一个课程中，我们一直在研究哲学的方法，试图将一切置于掌控之下，再度宣明灵魂的自由……「这极其困难。这条路不适合【所有】人。有身体束缚的心意以极大的艰辛尝试它」（《博伽梵歌》，第十二章第五节）。 10→ 11→些许物质上的帮助将使心意更为舒适。还有什么比让心意自身来完成这件事更为合理呢？然而它做不到。对我们大多数人而言，物质上的帮助是必要的。胜王瑜伽（Raja-Yoga）的体系便是利用这些物质上的帮助，利用身体中的力量与功能，以产生特定的心理状态，使心意越来越强，直至它重新获得其失去的主权。若有人能凭借意志的纯粹力量达到那境界，那再好不过。然而我们大多数人做不到，因此我们将使用物质的手段，帮助意志走上其道路。 12→ 13→……整个宇宙是多样性中统一性的宏大展现。只有一个心意的大海。那心意的不同【状态】有着不同的名称。【它们是】这心意之海中不同的小漩涡。我们同时既是普遍的，又是个体的。宇宙的游戏就此展开……实际上，这种统一性从未被打破。【物质、心意、灵，皆为一体。】 14→ 15→这一切不过是各种名称。宇宙中只有一个事实，我们从各种角度来观察它。同一【事实】从一个角度看来，成为物质。从另一个角度看来，成为心意。并没有两件事。将绳误认为蛇，恐惧便来到【一个人那里】，使他呼喊他人来杀蛇。【他的】神经系统开始颤抖，心脏开始跳动……这一切表现【都来自】恐惧，而当他发现那是绳子，它们全都消散了。这便是我们在现实中所见到的。即便感官所见的——我们所称的物质——那【也】是真实的；只是并非如我们所见的那样。那将绳子【误】当成蛇的心意，并非处于幻觉之中。若是幻觉，它便不会看见任何东西。一件事被误认为另一件事，并非误认为一件不存在之物。我们在此所见的是身体，而我们将无限认作物质……我们无非是在寻求那实在。我们从未被迷惑，我们始终知晓真理，只是我们对真理的解读有时出现错误。你一次只能感知一件事。当我看见蛇时，绳子已完全消失；当我看见绳子时，蛇已消失。它必须是一件事…… 16→ 17→当我们看见世界时，我们怎能看见神？在你自己的心灵中思考。所谓世界，是指神被我们的感官视为万物的【显现】。在这里你看见蛇，绳子便不复存在。当你知晓了灵，其他一切皆将消逝。当你看见灵本身时，你便不再看见物质，因为你所称的物质，正是那灵本身。这一切变化皆由我们的感官【强加于上】。同一个太阳，被千朵涟漪所折射，将向我们呈现数千个小太阳。若我以感官观看宇宙，我便将其解读为物质与力。它同时是一与多。众多的波浪不能摧毁海洋的统一性，海洋保持原样。当你观看宇宙，请记住，我们可以将它归结为物质或力。若我们增加速度，质量便减少……另一方面，我们可以增加质量而减少速度……我们几乎可以到达这一点，届时所有的质量将完全消失…… 18→ 19→物质不能说是力之因，【力】也不能说是物质之因。两者如此【相关】，以至于一方可以在另一方中消失。必定存在第三个【因素】，那第三个东西便是心意。你无法从物质产生宇宙，也无法从力产生宇宙。心意是某种【既非力、也非物质的东西】，然而却时时在产生力与物质。归根到底，心意在产生一切力，而这便是宇宙心意的含义——一切心意的总和。每个人都在创造，而【在】所有这些创造的总和中，你便拥有了宇宙——多样性中的统一。它是一，也同时是多。 20→ 21→人格神（Personal God）不过是一切的总和，然而它本身又是一个个体，正如你是那个体身体，而其中每个细胞都是独立的个体部分。 22→ 23→一切具有运动的事物皆包含在普拉纳（Prana）或力之中。【正是】这普拉纳在推动星辰、太阳、月亮；普拉纳即是万有引力…… 24→ 25→因此，自性的一切力皆必由宇宙心意所创造。而我们作为心意的微小片段，【正是】从自性中取出那普拉纳，在我们自身的本性中再度发挥，推动我们的身体，制造我们的思想。若你认为思想不能被制造，请停止进食二十天，看看你的感受如何。今日开始，自行计数……即便思想也是由食物所制造的，对此毫无疑问。 26→ 27→对这推动一切的普拉纳的掌控，对身体中这普拉纳的掌控，称为调息（Pranayama）。凭常识我们可以看出，正是呼吸推动着一切的运转。若我停止呼吸，我便停止了。若呼吸开始，【身体】便开始运动。我们所欲把握的，不是呼吸本身，而是呼吸背后某种更为精微的东西。 28→ 29→【曾经有一位国王的大臣。】国王对大臣不满，命令将他关押于【一座极高塔楼的顶端。此事照办，大臣被遗弃于那里等死。夜晚，他的妻子来到塔楼前呼唤她的丈夫。】大臣对她说：「哭泣无益。」他告诉她，取少许蜂蜜、【一只甲虫】、一捆细线、一团细绳和一根粗绳。她将细线绑在甲虫的一条腿上，在其头顶涂上蜂蜜，然后放它爬去，【头朝上。那甲虫缓缓向上爬行，希望能碰到蜂蜜，最终到达了塔楼顶端，大臣抓住了甲虫，取得了那细丝线，再取细绳，再取粗绳，最后取得那根粗索。大臣凭借绳索从塔楼降下，得以逃脱。在我们这个身体中，呼吸的运动便是那「细丝线」；把握住它，便抓住了神经流的细绳，继而是思想的粗绳，最终是普拉纳的粗索，掌控了普拉纳便达至自由。（参见前文。） 30→ 31→借助物质层面的事物，我们须来到越来越精微的【感知】。宇宙是一体的，无论你触碰哪一点。所有的点不过是那一点的变体。整个宇宙在【根底处】是统一的……即便经由呼吸这般粗重的事物，我也能把握灵本身。 32→ 33→通过呼吸修炼，我们开始感受到身体中那些我们【如今】感受不到的一切运动。一旦我们开始感受到它们，我们便开始驾驭它们。萌芽中的思想将向我们敞开，我们将能够把握住它们。当然，我们并非所有人都有机会、意志、耐心或信心去追求这样的事；然而这里有一个对每个人都有些许益处的常识性理念。 34→ 35→第一个益处是健康。我们百分之九十九的人根本没有正确地呼吸。我们没有充分扩张肺部……【呼吸的】规律性将净化身体，使心意平静……当你平静时，你的呼吸平和地进行，是有节律的。若呼吸是有节律的，你必定是平静的。当心意受到扰动，呼吸便紊乱。若你通过修炼强行将呼吸调整为节律性，为何你不能变得平静呢？当你受到扰动，走进房间，关上门。不要试图控制心意，而是继续进行有节律的呼吸十分钟。心灵便会变得平静。这些益处是常识性的，对每个人都适用。其余的则属于瑜伽士…… 36→ 37→深呼吸修炼【只是第一步】。有大约八十四种【姿势用于】各种修炼。有些【人】将这呼吸法当作人生的全部【追求】。他们什么都不做而不先察看呼吸。他们时时【观察】哪一个鼻孔气息更为充盈。当是右鼻孔时，【他们】会做某些事情；当是左鼻孔时，则做另一些事情；当【呼吸】通过两个鼻孔同等流通时，他们便礼拜。 38→ 39→当呼吸有节律地同时通过两个鼻孔流通时，那便是控制你的心意的时机。借助呼吸，你可以使身体的气流流向身体的任何部位，完全【依照】意志。无论【身体哪个】部位患病，就将普拉纳送至那个部位，全凭呼吸。 40→ 41→还有其他各种修炼。有些派别正在尝试完全不呼吸。他们不会做任何会使他们呼吸加速的事。他们进入一种类似出神的状态……身体几乎没有任何部位【在运作】。心脏几乎停止跳动……这些修炼大多数极为危险；更高的方法【是用于】获得更高的能力。有整个派别试图通过收摄呼吸来【使】整个身体【轻盈】，由此可在空中升起。我从未见过任何人升起……我从未见过任何人飞翔于空中，然而书中如此记载。我并不以为自己通晓一切。我始终见到最奇妙之事……【曾有一次，我观察到一位】男子从空无一物处取出水果与花卉等物。 42→ 43→……瑜伽士当他臻至完美，可使其身体小至能穿过这堵墙——就是这具身体。他可以变得极为沉重，二百人也无法将他举起。若他愿意，他可以飞翔于空中。【然而】任何人都无法像神自身那般强大。若他们能，一人创造，另一人便会摧毁…… 44→ 45→这些记载于书中。我【几乎】无法相信，也不否认。我所亲见之事，我方才接受…… 46→ 47→若世间事物的【改进】是可能的，不是通过竞争，而是通过调整心意。西方人说：「这是我们的本性，我们无能为力。」研究你们的社会问题，【我得出结论】你们同样无法解决它们。在某些方面，你们的处境比我们更糟……而这一切对世界毫无益处…… 48→ 49→强者取走一切；弱者被挤至墙角。穷人在等待……那能够夺取之人，将夺走一切。穷人憎恨那人。为何？因为他们在等待轮到自己。他们所发明的一切制度，皆教导着同样的事。问题只能在人的心灵中得到解决……没有任何法律能使他做他不愿做之事……唯有当【人】自愿为善，他才会为善。一切法律与陪审团……都无法使他为善。那强有力的人说：「我不在乎。」……唯一的解决之道是，若我们所有人都愿意为善。这如何能做到？ 50→ 51→一切知识皆在【心意之】内。谁在石头中见到了知识，或在星辰中见到了天文学？这一切都在人类的存在之中。 52→ 53→让我们实证【我们是】无限的力量。谁为心意的力量设定了限制？让我们实证，我们皆是心意。每一滴水珠中都蕴含着整个大海。这便是人的心灵。印度的心灵反思于这些【力量与潜力】之上，渴望将【它们】悉数发挥出来。对于他自身，他不在乎发生什么。达至完美需要极长的时间。若需要五万年，那又如何！…… 54→ 55→社会的根本基础，其组成方式本身便造成了缺陷。【完善】唯有在人的心灵改变之时才有可能——当他出于自身的意愿改变其心灵；而极大的困难是，他甚至无法强迫自己的心灵。 56→ 57→你们可以不相信这胜王瑜伽（Raja-Yoga）的所有主张。每个个体都能成为神圣的——这是绝对必要的。这只有当每个个体对自身思想拥有绝对的主权时才有可能……【那些思想、感官】应当全是我的仆从，而非我的主人。唯有那时，恶行才有可能消亡…… 58→ 59→教育不是用大量事实填满心灵。完善工具、对自己的心意拥有完全的主权【才是教育的理想】。若我欲将心意集中于某一点，它便前往那里；那一刻我呼唤，它便自由【再度】…… 60→ 61→这是极大的困难。经过巨大的努力，我们获得了某种专注的力量，心意对某些事物的执附之力。然而，却没有那脱离的力量。我愿以生命的一半，使心意从那对象上移开！我做不到。我们既须发展专注与执附的力量，也须发展脱离的力量。【若】那人在两者上【同等】强大——那人便已达至圆满。即便整个宇宙在他耳边倾塌，你也无法使他悲苦。什么书能教你这些？你可以阅读无数书籍……一刻间将五万个词塞入孩子脑中，教他一切理论与哲学……只有一门学科能教他事实，那便是心理学……而这工作从控制呼吸开始。
1→缓慢而渐进地，你进入心意的内室，逐渐获得对心意的掌控。这是一段漫长的【艰苦的修炼历程】。绝不应将其当作某种好奇之事来追求。当一个人想要做某事，他会有一个计划。【胜王瑜伽（Raja-Yoga）】不提出任何信仰、任何信条、任何神灵。若你相信两千位神祇，你可以尝试那个方法，为何不可？……【然而在胜王瑜伽中】，它是非人格性的原则。 2→ 3→最大的困难是什么？我们谈论和空谈。绝大多数人类必须与具体的事物打交道。对于迟钝的人，无法理解所有最高的哲学，到此就终结了。你或许在世界的一切科学上都已毕业……但若你尚未实证，你必须成为一个婴儿重新学习。 4→ 5→……若你给他们抽象而无限的东西，他们便迷失了。给他们【具体的】事情去做，一次一点一点。【告诉他们：】「你这样呼吸多少次，你这样做。」他们去做，【他们】理解它，并在其中感到喜悦。这是宗教的幼儿园。这便是为何呼吸修炼将如此有益。我恳请你们所有人不要仅仅出于好奇。修炼几天，若你没有发现任何益处，那时再来咒骂我…… 6→ 7→整个宇宙是一团能量，它存在于每一个点。一粒砂便足以供我们所有人使用，若我们知道如何取其中所有…… 8→ 9→这种必须去做的执念，是正在杀死我们的毒药……【义务（Dharma）是】让奴隶感到满足之物……【然而】我是自由的！我所做之事是我的游戏。【我不是奴隶，我】不过是在享受一点乐趣——如此而已…… 10→ 11→那些已离去的灵魂——他们软弱，正试图从我们这里汲取生命力…… 12→ 13→灵性的生命力可以从一个心灵传递给另一个心灵。给予者是古鲁（Guru）。领受者是弟子。这是灵性真理被带入世间的唯一方式。 14→ 15→【临终之际】，一切感官皆回归【心意】，心意回归普拉纳（Prana），即生命力。灵魂离去，携带着一部分心意。他携带着一定量的生命力，也携带着一定量极为精微的物质，作为灵性身体的种子。普拉纳不能在没有某种【载体】的情况下存在……它在思想中得到寄托，它将再次涌现出来。如此，你制造这具新身体和新大脑，通过它显现…… 16→ 17→【已离去的灵魂】无法制造一具身体；那些极为软弱者甚至记不得自己已经死了……他们试图通过进入他人的身体，从这【灵性】生命中获取更多的享受，而任何向他们敞开身体之人都面临可怕的危险。他们汲取他的生命力…… 18→ 19→在这个世界上，除了神之外没有任何永恒之物……救度意味着知晓真理。我们不会成为任何东西；我们本来是什么，便是什么。救度【来】于信仰而非行动。这是一个知识的问题！你必须知晓你是什么，如此便成。梦幻消散。你【和他人】在这里做着梦。当他们死去，他们前往【梦中的】天堂。他们生活在那梦中，【当它终结时】，他们取得一具美好的身体【回到这里】，他们是善良的人…… 20→ 21→【智者说：】「所有这些【欲望】已从我身上消失。这次我不再经历这一切繁文缛节。」他尝试获取知识，努力奋斗，看见这是何等的梦，何等的梦魇——【这种】梦幻，以及制造天堂、世界和更糟之物。他对此一笑置之。 22→ 23→【据《辨喜斯瓦米再访西方》（第461页）记载，此演讲于一九〇〇年三月二十九日以「呼吸的科学」为题发表。——编者按】
English
Breathing exercises have been very popular in India from the most ancient times, so much so [that] they form a part of their religion, just as going to church and repeating certain prayers.... I will try to bring those ideas before you.
I have told you how the Indian philosopher reduces the whole universe into two parts — Prâna and Âkâsha.
Prana means force — all that is manifesting itself as movement or possible movement, force, or attraction. ... Electricity, magnetism, all the movements in the body, all [the movements] in the mind — all these are various manifestations of one thing called Prana. The best form of Prana, however, is in [the brain], manifesting itself as light [of understanding]. This light is under the guidance of thought.
The mind ought to control every bit of Prana that has been worked up in the body.... [The] mind should have entire control of the body. That is not [the case] with all. With most of us it is the other way. The mind should be able to control every part of [the body] just at will. That is reason, philosophy; but [when] we come to matters of fact, it is not so. For you, on the other hand, the cart is before the horse. It is the body mastering the mind. If my finger gets pinched, I become sorry. The body works upon the mind. If anything happens which I do not like to happen, I am worried; my mind [is] thrown off its balance. The body is master of the mind. We have become bodies. We are nothing else but bodies just now.
Here [comes] the philosopher to show us the way out, to teach us what we really are. You may reason it out and understand it intellectually, but there is a long way between intellectual understanding and the practical realisation of it. Between the plan of the building and the building itself there is quite a long distance. Therefore there must be various methods [to reach the goal of religion]. In the last course, we have been studying the method of philosophy, trying to bring everything under control, once more asserting the freedom of the soul. ... "It is very difficult. This way is not for [every]body. The embodied mind tries it with great trouble" (Gita, XII. 5).
A little physical help will make the mind comfortable. What would be more rational than to have the mind itself accomplish the thing? But it cannot. The physical help is necessary for most of us. The system of Râja-Yoga is to utilise these physical helps, to make use of the powers and forces in the body to produce certain mental states, to make the mind stronger and stronger until it regains its lost empire. By sheer force of will if anyone can attain to that, so much the better. But most of us cannot, so we will use physical means, and help the will on its way.
... The whole universe is a tremendous case of unity in variety. There is only one mass of mind. Different [states] of that mind have different names. [They are] different little whirlpools in this ocean of mind. We are universal and individual at the same time. Thus is the play going on.... In reality this unity is never broken. [Matter, mind, spirit are all one.]
All these are but various names. There is but one fact in the universe, and we look at it from various standpoints. The same [fact] looked at from one standpoint becomes matter. The same one from another standpoint becomes mind. There are not two things. Mistaking the rope for the snake, fear came [to a man] and made him call somebody else to kill the snake. [His] nervous system began to shake; his heart began to beat.... All these manifestations [came] from fear, and he discovered it was a rope, and they all vanished. This is what we see in reality. What even the senses see — what we call matter — that [too] is the Real; only not as we have seen it. The mind [which] saw the rope [and] took it for a snake was not under a delusion. If it had been, it would not have seen anything. One thing is taken for another, not as something that does not exist. What we see here is body, and we take the Infinite as matter.... We are but seeking that Reality. We are never deluded. We always know truth, only our reading of truth is mistaken at times. You can perceive only one thing at a time. When I see the snake, the rope has vanished entirely. And when I see the rope, the snake has vanished. It must be one thing....
When we see the world, how can we see God? Think in your own mind. What is meant by the world is God as seen as all things [by] our senses. Here you see the snake; the rope is not. When you know the Spirit, everything else will vanish. When you see the Spirit itself, you see no matter, because that which you called matter is the very thing that is Spirit. All these variations are [superimposed] by our senses. The same sun, reflected by a thousand little wavelets, will represent to us thousands of little suns. If I am looking at the universe with my senses, I interpret it as matter and force. It is one and many at the same time. The manifold does not destroy the unity. The millions of waves do not destroy the unity of the ocean. It remains the same ocean. When you look at the universe, remember that we can reduce it to matter or to force. If we increase the velocity, the mass decreases. ... On the other hand, we can increase the mass and decrease the velocity.... We may almost come to a point where all the mass will entirely disappear. ...
Matter cannot be said to cause force nor [can] force [be] the cause of matter. Both are so [related] that one may disappear in the other. There must be a third [factor], and that third something is the mind. You cannot produce the universe from matter, neither from force. Mind is something [which is] neither force nor matter, yet begetting force and matter all the time. In the long run, mind is begetting all force, and that is what is meant by the universal mind, the sum total of all minds. Everyone is creating, and [in] the sum total of all these creations you have the universe — unity in diversity. It is one and it is many at the same time.
The Personal God is only the sum total of all, and yet it is an individual by itself, just as you are the individual body of which each cell is an individual part itself.
Everything that has motion is included in Prana or force. [It is] this Prana which is moving the stars, sun, moon; Prana is gravitation. ...
All forces of nature, therefore, must be created by the universal mind. And we, as little bits of mind, [are] taking out that Prana from nature, working it out again in our own nature, moving our bodies and manufacturing our thought. If [you think] thought cannot be manufactured, stop eating for twenty days and see how you feel. Begin today and count. ... Even thought is manufactured by food. There is no doubt about it.
Control of this Prana that is working everything, control of this Prana in the body, is called Prânâyâma. We see with our common sense that it is the breath [that] is setting everything in motion. If I stop breathing, I stop. If the breath begins, [the body] begins to move. What we want to get at is not the breath itself; it is something finer behind the breath.
[There was once a minister to a great king. The] king, displeased with the minister, ordered him to be confined in the top of [a very high tower. This was done, and the minister was left there to perish. His wife came to the tower at night and called to her husband.] The minister said to her, "No use weeping." He told her to take a little honey, [a beetle], a pack of fine thread, a ball of twine, and a rope. She tied the fine thread to one of the legs of the beetle and put honey on the top of its head and let it go [with its head up]. [The beetle slowly crept onwards, in the hope of reaching the honey, until at last it reached the top of the tower, when the minister grasped the beetle, and got possession of the silken thread, then the pack thread, then the stout twine, and lastly of the rope. The minister descended from the tower by means of the rope, and made his escape. In this body of ours the breath motion is the "silken thread"; by laying hold of it we grasp the pack thread of the nerve currents, and from these the stout twine of our thoughts, and lastly the rope of Prana, controlling which we reach freedom. (Vide ante.)
By the help of things on the material plane, we have to come to finer and finer [perceptions]. The universe is one, whatever point you touch. All the points are but variations of that one point. Throughout the universe is a unity (at bottom).... Even through such a gross thing as breath I can get hold of the Spirit itself.
By the exercise of breathing we begin to feel all the movements of the body that we [now] do not feel. As soon as we begin to feel them, we begin to master them. Thoughts in the germ will open to us, and we will be able to get hold of them. Of course, not all of us have the opportunity nor the will nor the patience nor the faith to pursue such a thing; but there is the common sense idea that is of some benefit to everyone.
The first benefit is health. Ninety-nine per cent of us do not at all breathe properly. We do not inflate the lungs enough.... Regularity [of breath] will purify the body. It quiets the mind.... When you are peaceful, your breath is going on peacefully, [it is] rhythmic. If the breath is rhythmic, you must be peaceful. When the mind is disturbed, the breath is broken. If you can bring the breath into rhythm forcibly by practice, why can you not become peaceful? When you are disturbed, go into the room and close the door. Do not try to control the mind, but go on with rhythmic breathing for ten minutes. The heart will become peaceful. These are common sense benefits that come to everyone. The others belong to the Yogi....
Deep-breathing exercises [are only the first step]. There are about eighty-four [postures for] various exercises. Some [people] have taken up this breathing as the whole [pursuit] of life. They do not do anything without consulting the breath. They are all the time [observing] in which nostril there is more breath. When it is the right, [they] will do certain things, and when [it is] the left, they do other things. When [the breath is] flowing equally through both nostrils, they will worship.
When the breath is coming rhythmically through both nostrils, that is the time to control your mind. By means of the breath you can make the currents of the body move through any part of the body, just [at] will. Whenever [any] part of the body is ill, send the Prana to that part, all by the breath.
Various other things are done. There are sects who are trying not to breathe at all. They would not do anything that would make them breathe hard. They go into a sort of trance.... Scarcely any part of the body [functions]. The heart almost ceases [to beat].... Most of these exercises are very dangerous; the higher methods [are] for acquiring higher powers. There are whole sects trying to [lighten] the whole body by withdrawal of breath and then they will rise up in the air. I have never seen anyone rise.... I have never seen anyone fly through the air, but the books say so. I do not pretend to know everything. All the time I am seeing most wonderful things.... [Once I observed a] man bringing out fruits and flowers, etc. [out of nowhere].
... The Yogi, when he becomes perfect, can make his body so small it will pass through this wall — this very body. He can become so heavy, two hundred persons cannot lift him. He will be able to fly through the air if he likes. [But] nobody can be as powerful as God Himself. If they could, and one created, another would destroy....
This is in the books. I can [hardly] believe them, nor do I disbelieve them. What I have seen I take....
If the study [improvement?] of things in this world is possible, it is not by competition, it is by regulating the mind. Western people say, "That is our nature; we cannot help it." Studying your social problems, [I conclude] you cannot solve them either. In some things you are worse off than we are, ... and all these things do not bring the world anywhere at all...
The strong take everything; the weak go to the wall. The poor are waiting.... The man who can take, will take everything. The poor hate that man. Why? Because they are waiting their turn. All the systems they invent, they all teach the same thing. The problem can only be solved in the mind of man.... No law will ever make him do what he does not want to do. ... It is only if [man] wills to be good that he will be good. All the law and juries ... cannot make him good. The almighty man says, "I do not care." ... The only solution is if we all want to be good. How can that be done?
All knowledge is within [the] mind. Who saw knowledge in the stone, or astronomy in the star? It is all in the human being.
Let us realise [that] we are the infinite power. Who put a limit to the power of mind? Let us realise we are all mind. Every drop has the whole of the ocean in it. That is the mind of man. The Indian mind reflects upon these [powers and potentialities] and wants to bring [them] all out. For himself he doesn't care what happens. It will take a great length of time [to reach perfection]. If it takes fifty thousand years, what of that! ...
The very foundation of society, the formation of it, makes the defect. [Perfection] is only possible if the mind of man is changed, if he, of his own sweet will, changes his mind; and the great difficulty is, neither can he force his own mind.
You may not believe in all the claims of this Raja-Yoga. It is absolutely necessary that every individual can become divine. That is only [possible] when every individual has absolute mastery over his own thoughts.... [The thoughts, the senses] should be all my servants, not my masters. Then only is it possible that evils will vanish....
Education is not filling the mind with a lot of facts. Perfecting the instrument and getting complete mastery of my own mind [is the ideal of education]. If I want to concentrate my mind upon a point, it goes there, and the moment I call, it is free [again]....
That is the great difficulty. By great struggle we get a certain power of concentration, the power of attachment of the mind to certain things. But then there is not the power of detachment. I would give half my life to take my mind off that object! I cannot. It is the power of concentration and attachment as well as the power of detachment [that we must develop]. [If] the man [is] equally powerful in both — that man has attained manhood. You cannot make him miserable even if the whole universe tumbles about his ears. What books can teach you that? You may read any amount of books.... Crowd into the child fifty thousand words a moment, teach him all the theories and philosophies.... There is only one science that will teach him facts, and that is psychology.... And the work begins with control of the breath.
Slowly and gradually you get into the chambers of the mind and gradually get control of the mind. It is a long, [hard struggle]. It must not be taken up as something curious. When one wants to do something, he has a plan. [Raja-Yoga] proposes no faith, no belief, no God. If you believe in two thousand gods, you can try that. Why not? ... [But in Raja-Yoga] it is impersonal principles.
The greatest difficulty is what? We talk and theorise The vast majority of mankind must deal with things that are concrete. For the dull people cannot see all the highest philosophy. Thus it ends. You may be graduates [in] all sciences in the world, ... but if you have not realised, you must become a baby and learn.
... If you give them things in the abstract and infinite, they get lost. Give them things [to do,] a little at a time [Tell them,] "You take [in] so many breaths, you do this." They go on, [they] understand it, and find pleasure in it. These are the kindergartens of religion. That is why breathing exercises will be so beneficial. I beg you all not to be merely curious. Practise a few days, and if you do not find any benefit, then come and curse me....
The whole universe is a mass of energy, and it is present at every point. One grain is enough for all of us, if we know how to get what there is....
This having to do is the poison that is killing us.... [Duty is] what pleases slaves.... [But] I am free! What I do is my play. [I am not a slave. I am] having a little fun — that is all....
The departed spirits — they are weak, are trying to get vitality from us....
Spiritual vitality can be given from one mind to another. The man who gives is the Guru. The man who receives is the disciple. That is the only way spiritual truth is brought into the world.
[At death] all the senses go into the [mind] and the mind goes into Prana, vitality. The soul goes out and carries part of the mind out with him. He carries a certain part of the vitality, and he carries a certain amount of very fine material also, as the germ of the spiritual body. The Prana cannot exist without some sort of [vehicle].... It gets lodgement in the thoughts, and it will come out again. So you manufacture this new body and new brain. Through that it will manifest....
[Departed spirits] cannot manufacture a body; and those that are very weak do not remember that they are dead.... They try to get more enjoyment from this [spirit] life by getting into the bodies of others, and any person who opens his body to them runs a terrible risk. They seek his vitality....
In this world nothing is permanent except God.... Salvation means knowing the truth. We do not become anything; we are what we are. Salvation [comes] by faith and not by work. It is a question of knowledge! You must know what you are, and it is done. The dream vanishes. This you [and others] are dreaming here. When they die, they go to [the] heaven [of their dream]. They live in that dream, and [when it ends], they take a nice body [here], and they are good people....
[The wise man says,] "All these [desires] have vanished from me. This time I will not go through all this paraphernalia." He tries to get knowledge and struggles hard, and he sees what a dream, what a nightmare this is - [this dreaming], and working up heavens and worlds and worse. He laughs at it.
[According to SWAMI VIVEKANANDA HIS SECOND VISIT TO THE WEST (P. 461), this address was delivered on 29 March 1900 under the title "The Science of Breathing". — Ed.]
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