The Science of
Self-Knowledge and Self-Control
Carlos Cardoso
Aveline
The fact is
well-known that special techniques of Raja Yoga quickly develop some of the potentialities
present in human consciousness.
Such a course of study, however, cannot be pursued in
the magnetic atmosphere of a materialistic civilization. From a practical
perspective, it is both harmful and unnecessary in present-day nations. It will
only lead naïve students to self-deception and defeat. The fact does not mean that
all of this Yoga should be avoided.
Raja Yoga is among the most sacred sources of
learning, as far as sincerely altruistic pilgrims are concerned. It is the
supreme or “royal” yoga. It transcends narrow, harmful aims like “individual”
power. In fact, it does not include the idea of “personal” power. Psychic or
occult potentialities can only be properly developed by someone who has fundamentally
transcended the life of the lower self. In theosophical circles, the phrase
“Raja Yogi” is sometimes used as a synonym to “Mahatma”.
Writing to a theosophist who wanted the esoteric
movement to help people develop occult powers, a Master of Eastern Wisdom said:
“… Such an organization (…) is unthinkable among
Europeans; and, it has become next to impossible even in India - unless you are
prepared to climb to a height of 18,000 to 20,000 amidst the glaciers of the
Himalayas.”
That is to say, one would have to live among the
regular disciples of the Mahatmas, in secret places and secluded ashrams, in
order to be able to learn some specific aspects of Raja Yoga. It would have to
take place at a safe distance from the “zeitgeist”, the “spirit of the times”,
the collective karma and aura of materialistic delusion.
The Master goes on in the letter, written by the end
of 1880:
“The greatest as well as most promising of such [occult] schools in Europe, the last
attempt in this direction, - failed most signally some 20 years ago in London.
It was the secret school for the practical teaching of magick, founded under
the name of a club, by a dozen of enthusiasts under the leadership of Lord
Lytton’s father. He had collected together for the purpose, the most ardent and
enterprising as well as some of the most advanced scholars in mesmerism and ‘ceremonial
magick’, such as Eliphas Levi, Regazzoni, and the Kopt Zergvan-Bey. And yet in
the pestilent London atmosphere the ‘Club’ came to an untimely end. I visited
it about half a dozen of times, and perceived from the first that there was and
could be nothing in it. And this is also the reason why, the British T.S. [1] does not progress one step
practically. They are of the Universal Brotherhood but in name, and gravitate at best towards Quietism - that utter paralysis of the Soul. They are intensely selfish
in their aspirations and will get but the reward of their selfishness.” [2]
There are various reasons why Raja Yoga - if seen as a
technical process of acquiring “occult abilities” - is impossible to pursue in our
civilization. One of them is indicated by Swami Vivekananda in his book “Raja
Yoga”. The restriction includes Asia as well, as we have seen in the above
quotation from a Mahatma.
Vivekananda writes:
“There must be perfect chastity in thought, word and
deed; without it the practice of Raja-Yoga is dangerous, and may lead to
insanity.” [3]
Although such a requirement is difficult enough in
materialistic civilizations, the rule of “absolute chastity” in thought, word
and deed does not refer to sex only.
Chastity is purity in one’s viewpoint. It means
liberty from one-sidedness and any blind personal desire. Such an emotional
independence is inseparable from a firm and spontaneous unwillingness to look
at any aspect of reality from a selfish point of view - a despicable
inclination which leads to the distortion of truth.
Although having no significant personal life or blind attachments in the field of emotions is an
essential condition to the development of psychic powers, it is not enough.
The practice of a “pure life” on the physical level is
often associated to selfishness and personal pride, and these two factors block
every progress along the path. Helena Blavatsky’s Master himself clarifies the
point in the well-known Prayag Letter. [4]
The search for “powers” must be dethroned.
In the 21st century as in any other time, the personal intention to “develop psychic
powers” is despicable in itself. It is also trivial and superficial. True Raja
Yoga is not limited to the development of “psychic powers” in the conventional
sense of the phrase. Far from it. [5]
Every pilgrim who seeks for universal truth has to
come to terms with the need of self-knowledge, self-control, and renunciation
to illusory images of oneself and others. Understanding the process of
self-delusion provokes a gradual alchemy of liberation from ignorance. The real
learning starts after one dedicates his whole life to a transcendent, long-standing
goal.
In other words, whoever wants to learn from the
Mahatmas or their teachings must face the probationary challenges belonging to
Raja Yoga. A Master wrote, referring to the candidate to discipleship:
“His course of testing - in Europe and India - is that
of Raja Yoga and its result is - as frequently explained - to develop every
germ good and bad in him in his temperament. The rule is inflexible, and not
one escapes whether he but writes to us a letter, or in the privacy of his own
heart’s thought formulates a strong desire for occult communication and
knowledge.”[6]
Raja Yoga teaches freedom from ignorance, from distortion
of facts and from narrow-mindedness. It aims at the inner liberty and
discernment necessary to work for the good of all beings. Yoga is that by which
one qualifies himself to better help mankind. As the pilgrim benefits others in
their own soul-development, he helps himself.
In the Rules of the Esoteric School that Helena
Blavatsky created in 1888, she recommended four main books to which students
should “especially attend”, one of them being “Patanjali’s Yoga Philosophy”. She
did not mention any specific edition or approach to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
[7]
There is, it seems, no single book or author whose
text is enough to understand Raja Yoga from a theosophical perspective in the
21st century conditions. The situation was the same in the 19th century.
Each student must collect by self-devised efforts the
fragments of teachings that are most useful to him, among the books available
about this science. The interruption of breathing and other forms of vital
energies manipulation should be firmly avoided. The versions of the Yoga Sutras
of Patanjali are many and they transmit lessons of fundamental importance.
Decisive information about Raja Yoga will be found in the Letters of the
Masters and the writings of Helena Blavatsky.
It is clearly stated in the Mahatma Letters, for instance, that life expresses itself through
magnetic processes. The first step to expand one’s creative energy is to stop
wasting it. Through the production of self-control and by abandoning useless
goals the individual becomes stronger in his consciousness. As the magnetic
force of life ceases to be dissipated, it expands.
Every desire is a subtle form of electricity. It must
be noble to be effective and productive. Some people gather their will force
and seek for valuable, enduring objects. They know that self-discipline brings
about inner strength. There is no need to be a victim of childish habits and
mental dispersion. It is by adopting a universal view of the world that one can
concentrate his higher magnetism and correctly use the energy belonging to each
cycle of 24 hours.
While collecting and studying the tenets most suitable
to the actual reality of our lives, we can interact in meaningful ways with the
original teachings of theosophy. Thus we create an intelligent, effective,
flexible discipline in daily life that will endure for more than one lifetime.
NOTES:
[1] T.S. - Theosophical Society.
[2] See Letter 28, pages 209-210
in the 1926 edition of “The Mahatma Letters”, published
by T. Fisher Unwin Ltd., in London, UK, with 493 pages and Index. Number of
page is the same in the TUP edition. The letter was initially thought as having
been received in 1881. The Chronological edition indicates December 1880. It is
letter 11 in the Chronological edition.
[3] “Raja Yoga, Conquering the
Internal Nature”, Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashram, Calcutta, India, 1996, 287
pp., see p. 68 (by the end of chapter V).
[4] Read “Prayag Letter - Faith in God is a Superstition”.
[5] Regarding psychic powers,
see in our websites the article “How to Develop Occult Powers”.
[6] “The Mahatma Letters”, Letter
LXV, pages 365-366.
[7] “Collected Writings”, Helena Blavatsky, TPH, USA,
1980, volume XII, p. 497.
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An initial version of the above article was published in
the form of one short note and one article at “The Aquarian Theosophist”, September
2018, pp. 1-5. The material had no indication as to the name of the author. The
main title was “Raja Yoga: Good Sense in
Approaching a Mystery”. On 23 December 2018, the texts were published in
our associated websites as one independent article.
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