2 THE ROAD TO WISDOM Swami Vivekananda on The Mechanics of Prana ll the automatic movements and all the Aconscious movements are the working of Prana through the nerves. It will be a very good thing to have control over the unconscious actions. Man is an infinite circle whose circumference is nowhere, but the centre is located in one spot; and God is an infinite circle whose circumference is nowhere, but whose centre is everywhere. man could refrain from doing evil. All the He works through all hands, sees through systems of ethics teach, ‘Do not steal!’ Very all eyes, walks on all feet, breathes through good; but why does a man steal? Because all all bodies, lives in all life, speaks through stealing, robbing, and other evil actions, as a every mouth, and thinks through every rule, have become automatic. The systematic brain. Man can become like God and robber, thief, liar, unjust man and woman, acquire control over the whole universe if are all these in spite of themselves! It is he multiplies infinitely his centre of self- really a tremendous psychological problem. consciousness. Consciousness, therefore, is We should look upon man in the most the chief thing to understand. Let us say charitable light. It is not easy to be good. that here is an infinite line amid darkness. What are you but mere machines until We do not see the line, but on it there is one you are free? Should you be proud because luminous point which moves on. As it moves you are good? Certainly not. You are good along the line, it lights up its different parts because you cannot help it. Another is bad in succession, and all that is left behind because he cannot help it. If you were in becomes dark again. Our consciousness may his position, who knows what you would well be likened to this luminous point. Its have been? The woman in the street, or the past experiences have been replaced by the thief in the jail, is the Christ that is being present, or have become subconscious. We sacrificed that you may be a good man. Such are not aware of their presence in us; but is the law of balance. All the thieves and the there they are, unconsciously influencing murderers, all the unjust, the weakest, the our body and mind. Every movement that wickedest, the devils, they all are my Christ! is now being made without the help of I owe a worship to the God Christ and the consciousness was previously conscious. demon Christ! That is my doctrine, I cannot Sufficient impetus has been given to it to help it. work of itself. The great error in all ethical systems, without exception, has been the rom The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, failure of teaching the means by which F(Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2016), 2.32-4. Vol. 125, No. 4 RABUDDHA 3 April 2020 P HARATA B or AWAKENED INDIA Managing Editor A monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order Swami Shuddhidananda started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896 Editor Swami Narasimhananda Associate Editor and Design Contents Swami Shantachittananda Production Editor Traditional Wisdom 391 Swami Chidekananda This Month 392 Cover Design Subhabrata Chandra Editorial: The Fading Smile in Words 393 Print Production Coordination The Birds of Sri Ramakrishna: The Chataka 395 Swami Vedavratananda Dr Suruchi Pande Internet Edition Coordination The Evolving Science of Meditative Practices 400 Swami Jnanishananda Gautam Sharda Circulation Indrajit Sinha The Vedic and Upanishadic Understanding 406 Tapas Jana of Manas or Mind Editorial Office Father Rajen Lakra, OP Prabuddha Bharata Swami Vivekananda’s Vision of the Cycles 413 Advaita Ashrama PO Mayavati, Via Lohaghat of Civilisation: An Analysis Dt Champawat · 262 524 Pravasi Dholakia Uttarakhand, India The Psychology of the Gita 418 Tel: 91 · 96909 98179 [email protected] Swami Narasimhananda [email protected] Advaita Vedanta: Swami Vivekananda 423 Printed and Published by and the Global Context Swami Vibhatmananda Swami Satyapriyananda Publication Office Young Eyes: Why Should We Help Others? 426 Advaita Ashrama 5 Dehi Entally Road Balabodha: Punya 428 Kolkata · 700 014 West Bengal, India Traditional Tales: Should We Lie? 429 Tel: 91 · 33 · 2289 0898 / 2286 6450 Reviews 431 [email protected] Manana 433 Internet Edition www.advaitaashrama.org Reports 435 —No bleed here— 4 Subscribe to Prabuddha Bharata 5 Become a Patron Subscriber and support the rich legacy left to all of us by Swami Vivekananda; patrons’ names are published in Prabuddha Bharata. 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