Dear Athos, in your essay “Arjuna, human Icon of the Path of Action which introduces to the 12 Yogas of the inner Illumination”, you mention (point 6) Raja Yoga... Can you educate us in more detail (or give us some references) on what you mean by “respiration” (its technique, I suppose) and “concentration of prana”?


Dear Friend,
As a rule I never express personal interpretations (opinions) but I try and stick to the standards of the Teaching of the so-called secret Doctrine. So-called because this is an exoterical definition, that is a common saying for those who observe it from the outside (exoterical, in fact). As a matter of fact no initiate, no matter how small, would call it “secret”; “advanced”, rather, but never secret.

Furthermore, I don’t want anyone to think that I try and educate others. Perhaps I “tickle” the attention of those who are closest to the “awakening”, in order to suggest to them to look in a “certain direction”...

At least that’s what I would like; if there’s more than this, even better. If someone complains or goes too far I try and cover him with my most beautiful blanket, like the Masters teach us.

Surely, amongst so much confusion there’s an “eternal uncertainty” and finding the right way is very hard work; strong will and courage are needed to concentrate one’s attention to one exact point. I realize that. It is necessary to persist, though, and someone will always end up understanding what is the “right and necessary direction” to reach the goal.

There’s no personal aim that is “worth a fight”, but the goal of re-joining one’s own Ego is worth all of them. This is the true triumph. Furthermore, this alliance saves “the life” of the impermanent personality which, joined to the Ego, will reach eternity. That is why in a “certain ritual” (initiation to the 3rd Degree) it is said: now I know immortality.

Every path leads to the center. If we want to walk the path of Yoga (union), a good starting landmark is to understand the Raja Yoga (the Western correspondent is the Ars Regia); what it is and what it is for. After clarifying these matters (which is something) we might try and approach the Agni Yoga. We shouldn’t deal with them one at the time, but as if they were two separate but subsequent and complementary elements.

Which is like saying: to enlighten heart and mind.

It is functional the fact that many aspects of the ancient “initiatory science” are still alive. They are expressed through different languages but they still have the same goal: knowing and evolving the planetary conscience and, as a reflection, all the fragments of individual consciences as well.

I realize that the correlation between planetary conscience (whole) and development (by reflection) of all the individual consciences (personalities) that are part of it (see Anima Mundi) can be difficult to grasp. Therefore I will reduce the terms of the matter and I will consider only the three stages of the development of the individual conscience: the subconscious (compared to hell), the conscious (impermanent reality) and the super-conscious (the Ego or superior Self) anteroom of the soul (the inner sky).

Having accepted this esoterical paradigm, we only have to see where to find what we are looking for. We’ll find out immediately, then, that all we need to discover is inside us.

The key is the mind. It is not the brain, which is only the organ of amplification of thought. It is not even the thought, because it doesn’t create but is created. It is the mind (Manas) which is the aspect that creates the thought; in his turn it creates the brain that uses to express itself.

Here is the postulate that the organ doesn’t produce the function but the function produces the organ.

In other words, it is the sight that made the eye and not the eye that made the sight.

What all this has to do with your question, you’ll ask. I’ll explain: it is the direction where to look.

The direction where to look is the mind, not the reason that serves it, but the mind.

Understanding the Raja Yoga means learning how to use the mind. It is not only about learning how to think in an unusual manner, otherwise we’ll stay what we are, half blind, but “to see” what we think, we feel, we see, we taste and we touch. For a start.

In these terms then, breathing is not only “inhaling air” but it becomes seeing the prana (ethereal energy or natural magnetism), entering ourselves through the thought and lead it where we want it to go, maybe just in the brain, to energize it more than it happens “mechanically”. This, though, happens with any part of the body, both made of physical energy and subtle ones.

The aspect “of seeing” is connected to the aspect “light”. The aspect “light” is connected to the one of “intelligence” and “knowledge”. Now you can understand how important the ability to “see” is. So, do you think that the visualization is an indefinite knowledge or a precise creative instrument (and you can’t imagine how precise it is)?

Thinking and seeing, for a start.

Fraternally
Esonet’s Editorial Staff