Raja Yoga

My notes from ‘Vedanta: Voice of Freedom” – a selected compilation from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

“Raja Yoga” – Chapter Highlights reproduced below:

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The teachers of the science of raja yoga declare not only that religion is based upon the experience of ancient times, but that no man can be religious until he has had the same experiences himself. Yoga is the science which teaches us how to get these experiences. It is not much use to talk about religion until one has felt it. If there is a God we must see Him; if there is a soul we must perceive it; otherwise it is better not to believe. It is better to be an outspoken atheist than a hypocrite.

The science of raja yoga proposes to put before humanity a practical and scientifically worked out method of reaching this truth.

They all declare that they have found some truth higher than what the senses can bring us, and they invite verification. They ask us to take up the method and practice honestly, and then, if we do not find this higher truth, we will have the right to say that there is no truth in the claim.

But before we have done that, we are not rational in denying the truth of their assertions. So we must work faithfully, using the prescribed methods, and light will come.

The science of raja yoga proposes, in the first place, to give us such a means of observing the internal states. The instrument is the mind itself. The power of attention, when properly guided and directed toward the internal world, will analyze the mind and illumine facts for us.

It is easy to concentrate the mind on external things. The mind naturally goes outward. But it is not so in the case of religion or psychology or metaphysics, where the subject and the object are one. The object is internal— the mind itself is the object. It is necessary to study the mind itself— mind studying mind.

The goal of all its teaching is how to concentrate the mind; then, how to discover the innermost recesses of our own minds; then, how to generalize their contents and form our own conclusions from them. It never asks what our religion is— whether we are deists or atheists, whether Christians, Jews, or Buddhists.

The mind is universal. Your mind, my mind, all these little minds, are fragments of that universal mind— little waves in the ocean.

He who knows and controls his own mind knows the secret of every mind and has power over every mind.

Such is the power of yoga that even the least of it will bring a great amount of benefit. It will not hurt anyone, but will benefit everyone. First of all, it will tone down nervous excitement, bring calmness, enable us to see things more clearly. The temperament will be better and the health will be better.

Those who want to be yogis and practice hard, must take care of their diet at first. But for those who want only a little practice for every day, business sort of life, let them not eat too much; otherwise they may eat whatever they please.

Give up all argumentation and other distractions. Is there anything in dry, intellectual jargon? It only throws the mind off its balance and disturbs it. The things of the subtler planes have to be realized. Will talking do that? So give up all vain talk. Read only those books written by persons who have had realization.

The first step is not to disturb the mind, not to associate with persons whose ideas are disturbing. All of you know that certain persons, certain places, certain foods, repel you. Avoid them.

The body must be properly taken care of. The people who torture their flesh are diabolical. Always keep your mind joyful. If melancholy thoughts come, kick them out. A yogi must not eat too much, but he also must not fast; he must not sleep too much, but he must not go without any sleep. In all things only the man who holds the golden mean can become a yogi.

The same faculty that we employ in dreams and thoughts— namely, imagination— will also be the means by which we arrive at Truth. When the imagination is very powerful, the object becomes visualized. Take up an idea, devote yourself to it, struggle on in patience, and the sun will rise for you.

Every wave of passion restrained is a balance in your favor. It is therefore good policy not to return anger for anger, as with all true morality.

Never talk about the faults of others, no matter how bad they may be.

Do not recognize wickedness in others. Wickedness is ignorance, weakness. What is the good of telling people they are weak? Criticism and destruction are of no avail.

Never quarrel about religion. All quarrels and disputations concerning religion simply show that spirituality is not present.

Analyze yourselves and you will find that every blow you have received came to you because you prepared yourselves for it. You did half and the external world did the other half. That is how the blow came. That will sober us up.

A man says something very harsh to me, and I begin to feel that I am getting heated. And he goes on till I am perfectly angry and forget myself and identify myself with anger. When he first began to abuse me, I thought, “I am going to be angry.” Anger was one thing and I was another. But when I became angry, I was anger. These feelings have to be controlled in the germ, the root, in their fine forms, even before we have become conscious that they are acting on us.

To control our passions we have to control them at their very roots. Then alone shall we be able to burn out their very seeds.

Meditation is one of the great means of controlling the rising of these waves. By meditation you can make the mind subdue these waves. And if you go on practicing meditation for days and months and years— until it has become a habit, until it comes in spite of yourself— anger and hatred will be controlled and checked.

Meditation is the means of unification of the subject and object. Meditate: Above, it is full of me; below, it is full of me; in the middle, it is full of me. I am in all beings and all beings are in me. Om Tat Sat. I am It. I am the Existence above mind. I am the one Spirit of the universe. I am neither pleasure nor pain. The body drinks, eats, and so on. I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am He. I am the witness. I look on. When health comes I am the witness. When disease comes I am the witness. I am Existence, Knowledge, Bliss. I am the essence and nectar of knowledge. Through eternity I change not. I am calm, resplendent, and unchanging.

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