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A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga668
the changing of Character is the changing of Habits. It will be well for you to
settle this fact in your own mind, for it will give you the secret of many things
connected with the subject.
And, remember this, that Habit is almost entirely a matter of the subconscious
mentality. It is true that Habits originate in the conscious mind, but
as they are established they sink down into the depths of the sub-conscious
mentality, and thereafter become “second nature,” which, by the way, is
often more powerful than the original nature of the person. The Duke of
Wellington said that habit was as strong as ten natures, and he proceeded to
drill habits into his army until they found it natural to act in accordance with
the habits pounded into them during the drills. Darwin relates an interesting
instance of the force of habit over the reason. He found that his habit of
starting back at the sudden approach of danger was so firmly established
that no will-power could enable him to keep his face pressed up against the
cage of the cobra in the Zoölogical Gardens when the snake struck at him,
although he knew the glass was so thick that there could be no danger, and
although he exerted the full force of his will. But we venture to say that one
could overcome even this strongly ingrained habit, by gradually training the
sub-conscious mentality and establishing a new habit of thought and action.
It is not only during the actual process of “willing” the new habit that the
work of making the new mental path goes on. In fact, the Yogis believe that
the principal part of the work goes on sub-consciously between the intervals
of command, and that the real progress is made in that way, just as the real
work of solving the problem is performed sub-consciously, as related in our
last lesson. As an example, we may call your attention to some instances of
the cultivation of physical habits. A physical task learned in the evening is
much easier to perform the following morning than it was the night before,
and still easier the following Monday morning than it was on the Saturday
afternoon previous. The Germans have a saying that “we learn to skate in
summer, and to swim in winter,” meaning that the impression passed on to
the sub-conscious mentality deepens and broadens during the interval of