INTRODUCTORY.(4/10)

The science of Raja Yoga proposes to put before humanity a practical and scientifically worked-out method of reaching this truth. In the first place, every science must have its own method of investigation.If you want to become an astronomer, and sit down and cry “Astronmoy, Astronmoy!” it will never come to you.The same with chemistry. A certain method must be followed. You must go to the laboratory, take the different substance, mix them up, compound them, experiment with them, and out of that will come a knowledge of chemistry. If you want to be an astronomer you must go to the observatory, take a telescope, study the stars and planets, and then you will become an astronomer. Each science must have its own methods.I could preach you thousands of sermons, but they would not make you religious, until you first practiced the method. These are the truths of the sages of all countries, of all ages,men pure and unselfish, who had no motive but to do good to the world. They all declare that they have found some truth higher than that the senses can bring to us, and they challenge verification. They say to you, take up the method and practise honestly, and then, if you do not find this higher truth, you will have the right to say that there is no truth in the claim, but before you have done that, you are not rational in denying the truth of these assertions.So we must work faithfully, using the prescribed methods, and light will come.
In acquiring knowledge we make use of generalisation, and generalisation is based upon observation.We first observe facts, and then we generalise, and then we draw our conclusions or principles.The knowledge of the mind, of the internal nature of man, of though, can never be had until we have the power of first observing the facts that are going on within.It is very easy to observe facts in the external world, and many thousand instruments have been invented to observe every point of nature, but in the internal world we find no instrument to help us.Yet we know we must observe in order to have a real science. Without a proper analysis, any science will be hoepless, mere theorising, and that is why all the psychologists have been quarrelling among themselves since the beginning of time, except those few who found out the means of observation.