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A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga558
Attention is the only power of the Will, and that that power is sufficient, for if
the Attention be firmly fixed, and held upon an object the mind will “do the
rest.” We do not agree with this school of philosophers, but merely mention
the fact as an illustration of the importance attributed by psychologists to
this matter of Voluntary Attention.
A man of a strongly developed Attention often accomplishes far more
than some much brighter man who lacks it. Voluntary Attention and
Application is a very good substitute for Genius, and often accomplishes far
more in the long run.
Voluntary Attention is the fixing of the mind earnestly and intently upon
some particular object, at the same time shutting out from consciousness
other objects pressing for entrance. Hamilton has defined it as “consciousness
voluntarily applied under its law of limitations to some determinate object.”
The same writer goes on to state that “the greater the number of objects
to which our consciousness is simultaneously extended, the smaller is the
intensity with which it is able to consider each, and consequently the less
vivid and distinct will be the information it contains of the several objects.
When our interest in any particular object is excited, and when we wish to
obtain all the knowledge concerning it in our power, it behooves us to limit
our consideration to that object to the exclusion of others.”
The human mind has the power of attending to only one object at a time,
although it is able to pass from one object to another with a marvelous
degree of speed, so rapidly, in fact, that some have held that it could grasp
several things at once. But the best authorities, Eastern and Western, hold
to the “single idea” theory as being correct. On this point we may quote a
few authorities.
Jouffroy says that “It is established by experience that we cannot give our
attention to two different objects at the same time.” And Holland states that
“Two thoughts, however closely related to one another, cannot be presumed
to exist at the same time.” And Lewes has told us that “The nature of our
organism prevents our having more than one aspect of an object at each