HINTS ON PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY

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HINTS ON PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY

Posted by: " Uttishthata " uttishthata

Sun May 20, 2007 7:58 pm (PST)

HINTS ON PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY - Swami Vivekananda

(Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California)

 

The breathing exercises, called Pranayama, bring about regulation of

the breathing, rhythmic action of the Prana. When the Prana is

working rhythmically, everything works properly. When the Yogis get

control over their own bodies, if there is any disease in any part,

they know that the Prana is not rhythmic there and they direct the

Prana to the affected part until the rhythm is re-established.

 

Just as you can control the Prana in your own body, so, if you are

powerful enough, you can control, even from here another man's Prana

in India. It is all one. There is no break; unity is the law.

Physically, psychically, mentally, morally, metaphysically, it is all

one. Life is only a vibration. That which vibrates this ocean of

ether, vibrates you. Just as in a lake, various strata of ice of

various degrees of solidity are formed, or as in an ocean of vapour

there are various degrees of density, so is this universe an ocean of

matter. This is an ocean of ether in which we find the sun, moon,

stars, and ourselves -- in different states of solidity; but the

continuity is not broken; it is the same throughout.

 

Now, when we study metaphysics, we come to know the world is one, not

that the spiritual, the material, the mental, and the world of

energies are separate. It is all one, but seen from different planes

of vision. When you think of yourself as a body, you forget that you

are a mind, and when you think of yourself as a mind, you will forget

the body. There is only one thing, that you are; you can see it

either as matter or body -- or you can see it as mind or spirit.

Birth, life, and death are but old superstitions. None was ever born,

none will ever die; one changes one's position -- that is all. I am

sorry to see in the West how much they make of death; always trying

to catch a little life. " Give us life after death! Give us life! "

They are so happy if anybody tells them that they are going to live

afterwards! How can I ever doubt such a thing! How can I imagine that

I am dead! Try to think of yourself as dead, and you will see that

you are present to see your own dead body. Life is such a wonderful

reality that you cannot for a moment forget it. You may as well doubt

that you exist. This is the first fact of consciousness -- i am. Who

can imagine a state of things which never existed? It is the most

self-evident of all truths. So, the idea of immortality is inherent

in man. How can one discuss a subject that is unimaginable? Why

should we want to discuss the pros and cons of a subject that is self-

evident?

 

The whole universe, therefore, is a unit, from whatever standpoint

you view it. Just now, to us, this universe is a unit of Prana and

Akasha, force and matter. And mind you, like all other basic

principles, this is also self-contradictory. For what is force?--

that which moves matter. And what is matter?-- that which is moved by

force. It is a seesaw! Some of the fundamentals of our reasoning are

most curious, in spite of our boast of science and knowledge. " It is

a headache without a head " , as the Sanskrit proverb says. This state

of things has been called Maya. It has neither existence nor non-

existence. You cannot call it existence, because that only exists

which is beyond time and space, which is self - existence. Yet this

world satisfies to a certain degree our idea of existence. Therefore

it has an apparent existence.

 

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 2 [ Page : 31 ]

 

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Watch people do their most common actions; these are indeed the

things that will tell you the real character of a great person.

- Swami Vivekananda