The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-21
HOW TO BECOME A GENIUS.
IA ABHEDLNhNDA GIVES
SOME INFdLLIBLE RULES.

-
A,,n,nv Can no II by PracticiuE y Few Breath
,,r ana Mental Exercises Regularly Uptil ne
sets UP n nh, thmic Flow OF Nervous Car
rcnts-Bsd Men who DO II Beeone Insane.
mNon con now do certain things with matter
,,h,ch his oncestors could not do, and as ho
uroyys yyisor and better he can learn to do things
boside viii h the miracles OF our time will pale
into ins,oniacnnco."
Tbi. statement Is made by a Hindu sage,
Swami Abbedapanda, who is delivering n series
NJ lecturea on the ancient Vcdanta philosophy.
Tbis vopnp Hindu is q co-worker Of Swami
yivekenanda. who by his lectures proved to DO
the chief attraction at the celebrated Congress
of Religion at Chicago In 1893. Swami Abho-
dnnanda ia seeking to teach the Western mind
the interesting secret Of Hindu psychology and
philosophy. Many of the exercises and means
whereby mental concentration and q state of
profound meditation are reached have never
boon 30 much rs published In India. Tut have
been handed down from teacher to student.
Many OF these secrets have been acquired and
kept by persons for purely selfish purposes, but
tho real Hindu sage has been averse to the re-
vcaling of his means of power from tho fear OF
their abuse and d~ebasement by less well.disposod
and philosophic mortals. Some Of the methods
by which these Hindu yogis have acquired such
marvellous psychic powers cannot fail to be of
profound interest to any reader. The Swami's
account Is as follows:
..Jn India. moro than 1000 years AGO. monks
=. -. 49,. ona ,naa. omri.t..,a. -
SAT IN their caves anu Inaoe compress anu ae-
curate astronomical calculations without an In
strumcnt Of INV kind. In their silent mcdita-
W. s..o-.s.s 49," shsSass
mont Of tho stellar world, which required years
OF observation from such men as Golilco. Sir
Isaac Newton. and Sir William Herschel TO
work out with their telescopes and mathe-
NAUTICAL Instruments. The difference between
their calculations Oh the solar eciipees ana tnose
of the Western astronomers was but q few sec
onuau IN ,ho,.r. ~ "hon,Is,,n So
eo'efou m"ns VI u Jaws y 'he's.f., eo"o
OF these discoveries are on record In India.
How did they do these things3 By psychic
,,,tno, 49, ,oa,,t o,,onn n,sn,.I n.,ion
control .he result ot long n,eh.a' eohcentration'
nation over matter. You see. our minds in the
condition mr.. ysrv oloseIv ,e.oc;otod
with our bodies. But we Know Sp' that our mind
and our body are two very different things.
separated from the body. tho moro powerful and
independent does 1t become. because this mind.
soul is immortal. by coneentra'ion 1t is able,
as 1t were. to detach itself from the body, and
the more complete this detachment the greater
w'll DO its knowledge oil mater. now conceive
II you can. OF q person who has learned by con.
sn..n - 80. ..ths 80 .na Iii -
bodies as outside Objects II The separation OF
the mind is complete enough, that person will
os Sotng nut NJ ne " room apvthinr 1bat tbn
mind haSppens to address itself to in this state il
= . nsr a n ,riib : hnoitbv hoav and mind
atny Reas nn wHna n 11eadie eayyon po of smf nnnt
centration 6y hard practice OF tho physical and
II auop.eu y! q Sosas. Al ~
nEpno.ists, ca,fxoyants mino readers, and inc
N "a "a u q
9egLee oI concentIaIioh VIII az Ior inc
ends muhs; as anu a rule pefSS" No H ind sn yoei " eyer does ioe sG that,
any mlha 70 9eGome supremacy powerlui must
tbsrsf no n nnssihis s az cnmnar a OF 1r,S 1s ssW Sor III =
one time to rise to a very high psychic state;
r rbes she So nnd Involve v not only the VOWS y Ss OF
and months Of continuons meditation. Some per.
sons 30 are corn prea1sposeG 20 TINS psyGnle STATE;
to 6lunde- uEon 1t without owl just how
they got their poTer RI ~ Every great h genius,
any sort must have more or less Of r.
pendent SSTsIo 20 fne Wi nno Al three Sr .i thines Is ds,
brain. tho spinal cord and the breath. Ihese
three must work IN aoeolute narmohy oeiore
Of r a mi1u o ide tu! WiitSont' Conoentratidpn is the
goal. Now. 1t has been found that tho brain.
the spinal cord; and the breathing can be
full rhythmic flow OF nervous energy can DO
III This -t tremend1 Gus current SlpTe n- OF nervous on.
hOtky upoh foachihB Nv "a piouuSc Sh-
new reactions. Every thought or idea
produced by means Of the brain Is tho result
Of some sort of reaction taking, place. The
yividness Of such ideas depends upon the
intensity OF the reaction, and the intensity OF the
reaction depends upon the strength OF the nerve
producing 1t. These nerve cur ents are
to the brain and resulting In reactions
every moment Of our lives. although we are not
of a great many OF them. Now, II
one can manage to send new and greatly In.
nerve currents to ones brain they are
sure to produce now and greater reactions. That
Is just what occurs when the brain, the spinal
CORD; and the breathing are working In harmony,
for then the motion Of the current Ia rhythmic.
from foot TO head.
The manner Of breathing has much to do
with the result When the breath passes, into
the lungs. just opposite the thorax, 1t sets In, or
rather keeps up, tho two nerve currents, that
pass up and down the spinal column TO the brain
and other parts Of the body. Every ,nhalstion
Of these currents. II the inhalation and exhala-
tion are Irregular, the currenta are OF necessity
irregular. Irregular currents are without
rhythm. and 1t Is the rhythmic motion Of the
currents that produces the wonderful thrilling
renGtion Of the brain.
But what Is rhythm in this easel All
electric currents are by nature rhythmic;, that
Is, the motion is all in the same direction, In an
ordinarily Oniaf room there Ia n U00d DIAL nj