Reading for Sunday, October 18, 2009
Healing Papers
Volume 2, Number 1, Lesson 15
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Thought is conveyed without speech through the breath. The true wireless telegraphy is the rightly established current of breath. It is difficult for any man to try it, without practice in concentration and lacking development of breath, though unconsciously thoughts are always exchanged through the agency of the breath.. The scientist is ready to believe that contagious diseases are spread by means of the breath, but it is the providence of psychology to realize that thoughts and mental states, such as hilarity, depression, energy, or sloth, are conveyed by means of the breath. In the presence of a cold person one becomes cold, the contact of a warm-hearted person warms one; and all this is done through the breath as the medium. If an angry person were to close his breath while angry much less of his feeling would affect another. If a person who is prone to hilarity would close his breath in the presence of an expert comedian he could protect himself from being influenced by him.
Yogis who rise above the thoughts and feelings of those around them attain power by control of the breath. So the method of the inner cult of Sufis also depends upon the science of breath. Knowledge of another person’s pleasure or displeasure, the message of affection, the warning of hostility, all are received by way of the breath. The one who is conscious of the rhythm of the breath and whose breath is pure from grossness begins to perceive a sense which in time. becomes a language to him. Thought-reading is not necessarily intuition, although many people confound thought-reading and intuition. There is not much difference between the action of these two faculties; the difference is like that between the telephone and the telegraph. Thought-reading comes from without, intuition come from within; yet for both rhythmic breath and a clear mind are necessary.
The rhythmic breath helps the mind to be clear. Breath breaks the congestion which in the head produces confusion, and in the heart depression, which covers the thoughts of others from one’s perception, even from one’s own intuition. A thought is better conveyed to another through breath than by speech, for a feeling put into words becomes half dead. Feeling in its own sphere is fully living and when conveyed from there through the breath it reaches the mind to which it is sent. When a person has not developed his mind by concentration and tries to send his thought by the breath he is not always successful. He is like a person trying to hit the target without ever having practiced in his life. It is practice which makes man perfect.
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