The Training of the Conscious Mind

The conscious mind of man must ever stumble and falter along on its own, as long as it remains in ignorance of the higher powers within and how to use them. Only when the conscious mind has become fully awakened to its own interior powers can it manifest its full significance. Before the conscious mind can demonstrate its highest powers, it must have proper training. Of all the efforts that man can dedicate his time to, the one which offers the greatest reward by far is cultivation of the mind. There is absolutely nothing which can be of more value to the individual than the development of his own mind. This matter could never be emphasized too strongly. The difference between men and the life they lead is the difference of their mind.

Though the conscious mind is in a sense the most limited, it is the most important because it has complete control over the infinite subliminal mind. We have within us the ability to govern a super cosmic power, to control a mind which we can not even comprehend. Within us lies this universal power, yet its use and control is in our own hands. What good are these infinite powers if man gropes about blindly, ignorant of their existence? Of what use is all the power in the universe if man does not know how to use it?

The one who would reach out for the higher life, the one who would realize his full potential as a human being, must begin with the education, training and development of the conscious mind. For it is through his conscious mind that man learns to control the mighty powers of the sub-conscious mind and to contact his own life source, the Super-Conscious Mind. We saw in a previous Lesson how brain-power could be increased, through increasing the mental circuitry, by thinking along new lines of thought and associating ideas. We also saw that the brain was a very delicate instrument through which the mind expresses itself. We will now see how the conscious mind can be controlled, trained, and developed.

When a statement or concept is pondered on, weighed out and analyzed by the bio-computer, it is either accepted or rejected. Those thoughts which are accepted become woven into our mental fabric; they become a part of us. The type of fabric we weave determines the type of life we lead. Our object in training the conscious mind is to weave the fabric of our life with the threads of truth.

We have two faculties with which we perceive truth--the intellect and the intuition. The intellect is considered a sufficient means of perceiving truth if it has been properly trained in the arts of logic, reason, and scientific observation. However, no matter how well the intellect is trained it is still the subject to error because it is dependent upon the senses, and the senses often deceive. The intuition is the one great source of truth, but the inner feelings are often clouded by the emotions. How then may we perceive truth? Until we reach the stage of mental attunement where we can allow the intuitive perceptions to flow freely, we must scrutinize every new thought or important idea with both faculties. If new ideas appeal to the intellect but not the "inner feelings" it is best not to accept it as part of your mental stock until it can be further investigated. If an idea or statement feels intuitively to be truth but does not appeal to the intellect, it must be further investigated until there is a harmonizing of the faculties. One truth will always verify all other truths. As the mental powers are unfolded you will acquire a type of sense for truth; you will literally be able to feel if an idea is true. But for the time being it is necessary to examine our mental fabric with intellect as well as intuition. Any threads that do not stand up to the test of logic, reason, and intuitive perceptions must be removed from the fabric of the mind.

In their place we must interweave the threads of actual truth. Any other fiber will be a weak spot in the mental material, which will tear apart at the seams when put to the test. A torn mental fabric is absolutely useless to anyone. To build a strong mind it must be founded upon truth. It is on the solid rock foundation of truth that we will erect the structure of a super-mind.

Once the process is started where the individual begins to rearrange his mental stock, by rejecting old ideas and falsehoods and replacing them by new concepts based upon known universal law and obvious cosmic facts, then a new harmony is established not only in the mind but in the life and circumstances. After establishing one's self in truth concerning the basic facts of life such as one's position in relation to the whole, the source of all life and existence, one's purpose in being here, etc. The individual is finally prepared to unfold the highest powers of his mind.

The quickest, most efficient method for anyone to increase the powers of the conscious mind at least ten-fold is to learn to make the mind one pointed, LEARN TO CONCENTRATE!!! The scattered rays of the sun produce ordinary results, but the same rays focused by means of a magnifying lens yields a power many times greater than the scattered force. When you focus your mind you increase its strength.

Concentration is defined in the Dictionary of Mysticism as:

"The act and state of focusing ones entire attention and perception upon a certain object or idea, to the complete exclusion of all others, and under total inactivity of all the physical senses except the ones used in this act (e.g., sight, hearing, etc.)"

"When the mind is in an undisciplined state the emotions, impulses, thoughts and passions have control over the individual, not because the mind is weak, but because the mind is untrained. Concentration, first, last, and always, means strength of mind. As the mind is disciplined and concentration is improved, one is better able to govern himself and centralize his powers. This invariably improves one's chances for success. Like a steam engine with all its valves open, most people dissipate their mental energies without ever going anywhere. To move forward in life, we must learn to close all valves and direct our mental steam toward one purpose." (Theron Q. Dumont, Power of Concentration).

Development and training of the mind is quite similar to the development of physical strength. The number one prerequisite is strong desire. The realization of the importance and rewards of a strong concentrated mind will help greatly in the generation of this desire. The higher life does not come to one with a scattered mind, but is earned by him who concentrates his mental powers in securing control of his life and circumstances.

The primary piece of mental equipment which you will use to develop and train your mind is the WILL. The "Will" is a very difficult phenomenon to explain. If you could imagine your awareness of Self or "I AM" or Ego as being the center of your being, the will would be right next to this. It is through the application of the will, by the ego, that all voluntary action takes place. I can not tell you how to apply your own will. For instance, in order to raise your arm up and down, you must exert a certain amount of will force. You can sit and tell your arm to move all day and it will remain absolutely motionless until you will it to move. Try this simple experiment and see that the only thing that can be said about applying the will is JUST DO IT!!! It is the same case in controlling the mind in concentration: FORGET ABOUT CONSCIOUS COMMANDS AND JUST CONCENTRATE.

Many books have been written on the subject of concentration. Each and every one is in agreement that it is more beneficial to spend a short time each day trying to make the mind one pointed, than to spend an entire hour whenever one feels like it. This is an important point to remember; the one who would develop his mind must discipline himself into a training schedule. It is only necessary to spend ten minutes a day in concentration. If you lack the self-control to discipline yourself for ten minutes a day, you of all people need to start training yourself immediately.

There are hundreds of exercises in the books on concentration, all of which will work quite well. They consist mainly of choosing a particular object or idea and focusing all the mental energies directly upon it to the exclusion of all else. We all concentrate quite well and naturally upon anything that we are intently interested in, so the secret to the exercises is to choose something that is not particularly interesting. The second hand of a clock, a door knob, or a thumb nail, will work nicely. The important thing to remember is that whatever you choose as an object of concentration, stick with it until the powers are developed. Let us say that you have chosen the point of a pencil as your object of concentration. On your first attempts you will undoubtedly find that the mind will begin to roam and commence thinking of new ideas and more interesting subjects. Immediately upon becoming aware of this drifting process, the mind must be forced to re-center on the pencil point. The mind will then no doubt rebel and send messages of the absurdity and uselessness of the efforts, but each time the mind must be re-centered on the object until the session is over. In time you will become aware of a new power, a powerful force that you can direct towards anything you desire, as long as you desire. Start now with your concentration training by choosing an object, time, and place. Here are a few valuable hints to help you get started:

1. The best time to concentrate is after reading something inspiring, as you are then mentally and spiritually exalted in the desired realm.

2. Concentrate in a state of deep relaxation. This state can be reached by slow, steady, rhythmic breathing. (More will be said about breathing and relaxation later.)

3. If possible, concentrate at the same time and place every day.

4. Avoid any heavy eye strain.

5. A good practice is to concentrate on positive mental states. Concentrate on joy for several minutes, then concentrate on peace. Then associate the two and decide which mental state brought the greatest pleasure.

6. Never concentrate on negative mental states such as hate, revenge, lust, etc.

7. Spend at least five minutes a day making the body motionless and the mind completely calm. You will find this practice very relaxing and very beneficial.

8. Take close notice of the amount of energy you expend in useless motion; moving of the hands and arms, tapping of the fingers and feet, fidgeting in a seat. Concentrate on stopping all sporadic and useless motion; by making the body calm we make the mind composed.

Through the use of simple exercises such as these we not only strengthen the mind but also the powers of the will. When the powers of concentration and attention are brought under full control of the will, the education of the conscious mind becomes relatively simple. Whatever thing you wish to learn, it is only necessary to focus your attention on it until the desired knowledge is obtained. The most beneficial knowledge that can be obtained by the conscious mind is the knowledge of its own higher powers and how to develop and control them. This matter is taken up in the next lesson.

As powerful as the conscious mind is, it appears to have one limitation. It can only direct its attention upon one thing at a time. But this is not to be misconstrued as a limitation. IT IS AN ADVANTAGE! And the greater that you can focus the attention on only one thing the greater is your advantage.

There is one thing that every genius possesses that if taken away would render him an ordinary man and that is his power of attention and concentration.

On the other hand, there is one thing that could be given to any ordinary man and make of him a genius and that is the power of attention and concentration.

It is important to note here that the mere possession of attention will not make of you an Edison, or Lincoln, or Plato, or Shakespeare, but WHAT you direct the powers of attention and concentration on will!!

Who possesses the greater concentration, the master safe-cracker or the candle stick maker? Concentration simply insures greater success in the chosen field of endeavor. You must decide where you want to succeed.

In your pursuit of the higher life, you must realize that in order for you to achieve your greatest station in life, you must learn to concentrate your powers of attention on only one thing at a time, and always keep this in mind--whatever you concentrate upon will determine your destiny.

It is true that you gradually grow into the likeness of that upon which you meditate, and it is equally true that whatever you concentrate the full mental powers upon, you will materialize in a lesser time, in proportion to the intensity of your application.

Here is a good rule of thumb to follow in the development of your attentive faculties:

1. Choose one single point or thought as the object of meditation. One thing and one thing ONLY!

2. Persist and persevere until you can focus the attention uninterrupted for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Once you've learned to concentrate, the exercises will no longer be necessary as concentration is a natural process. It is the flow of attention to the one thing the mind is interested in.
As you must crawl before you can walk, but upon learning to walk find it no longer necessary to crawl, so too when you learn to focus your entire being on one point in life, you will find it no longer necessary to go through life only half conscious.

4. There are three types of concentration exercise:

a. those that focus the entire attention on one thing or point.

b. those that focus the attention on the accomplishment of a physical task, and

c. those that concentrate the mental energies on one concept or mental image. Those that concentrate the mental energies on a mental image is known as creative visualization. (covered fully in Lesson 14)

5. We would suggest one of each of these types including concentrating the entire mental faculties on the ideal image of your ideal self.

6. As much as possible, focus all the powers of concentration upon the mental states of success, power, strength, courage, health, happiness, joy, prosperity, peace or any other phase of life we wish to experience.

7. Always remember, the thoughts that flow into your mind do not determine our lives, but the ones we give our attention to, do.

As your concentration increases, you will find that without any additional efforts your memory faculties will have increased also. For we only remember that which we direct our attention to. And the greater the amount of attention, the more indelibly is it stamped into our memory. Experience without attention is like a camera without film. The better your memory is, the greater you can benefit by past experience.

There is not a day in your life that isn't filled with the potential of growth and development. If we could only extract the wisdom from the experiences of one day, it would put us ahead of the rest of the race by years. Pay close attention to the experiences of life, for in them lies the catalyst of your personal evolution. We hope that in this brief lesson we have impressed upon you the importance of concentrating the powers of attention in developing the faculties of the conscious mind. There are many areas in which the mind can be developed extensively, but in each area the secret of success is in concentrating the attention on that one thing, and only that thing.

If you develop greater attentive powers, you automatically increase your powers of perception. If you increase your powers of perception, you will naturally be more aware. You can not add to any area of the mind without adding to the power of the whole. You can not add to the power of the whole without becoming yourself more dynamic, more intelligent, more sensitive, more attuned, more aware and much more alive!

Put all the powers of your being into experiencing as much out of life as you are capable and your powers of mind will unfold and develop naturally to handle the influx.

The best and most natural way to activate and strengthen the mental faculties is to put yourself in a surrounding of natural beauty. The mountains, the forest, the river bank, the seashore, the garden, the fields and hills, etc., etc., and try to open yourself up to all that's there. In the natural act of enjoying nature's beauty, we find the classic art of mental development. The powers of concentration and attention are at their strongest, the powers of perception are striving their hardest, the senses are stimulated fully, and one's awareness is trying its best to expand.

It is under circumstances such as these that man begins to experience the first faint glimmerings of what might be termed his mystical sense.

With all his mental faculties functioning at their keenest and most perceptive, he begins to sense that which is beyond his senses. He knows that there is a force higher than himself, yet at the same time within himself.

This is when the conscious mind awakens into fullness of power. When it realizes it can manipulate a power it can not comprehend. The "I am" has the divine heritage that enables it to wield a mentative force which its mind knows not the limits.

The training of these higher powers is one of the highest aspects of man's existence. For it is through man's higher powers that he controls the forces of life. It has been accurately put, "that until man reaches this stage he has not begun to really live."