The first Principle of Man
…as taught from Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy by Yogi Ramacharaka
This book was published in 1903 by the Yogi Publication Society in Chicago. As a student of yoga, I seek out books that were written by people who lived outside of the influence of our current societal trends. In doing so, it cultivates a knowledge base that it not skewed by the agenda of the present world events. It is also important to acknowledge that it is susceptible to the agenda of their own time. Because yoga has been around for many eras of human evolution, Time has the sifting power to shake out the agenda driven messages and Truth makes it way through the ages. Those who are seeking it will find it.
“Know, O disciple! that those who have passed through the silence, and felt its peace, and retained its strength, they long that you shall pass through it also. Therefore, in the Hall of Learning, when he is capable of entering there, the disciple will always find his master [Truth].” Light on the Path
It is important to mention that it was only in 1880 that germ theory was recognized and finally widely accepted in the medical community and Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were at the forefront of the field of psychology. In 1860, Emerson became a member of the The American Oriental Society (an organization that studied the continent of Asia, but the region mostly focused on was India). During this time, much of the orient was thought to be exotic and mystical and a guest speaker at the Chicago World Fair expounded on the teachings of yoga and the audience was intrigued. This book, The Fourteen Lessons in Yoga Philosophy, was written in this landscape.
As listed in the First Lesson: The first three principles…
The Physical Body
The Astral Body
Prana or Vital Force
The first priniciple: The Physical Body
There was still much unknown about the physical body. Yogi Ramacharaka taught that the physical body was the lowest on the scale of principles and the crudest manifestation of the man.
In this time frame, surgeries were still performed at home, tonics and home remedies were unregulated and sold to Americans and miracle cures. Drainage, poultices, and ointments, were the modes of treatment in the case of local infections, and rest and nourishment for severe diseases.
“…the physical body is built up of cells, each cell containing within it a miniature “life”, which controls its actions. These “lives” are really bits of intelligent mind of a certain degree of growth, which enable the cells to perform the work properly. “ - Yogi Ramacharaka
These cells of miniature life were a collective that listened to and obeyed the central mind of man to do the things required for the body to survive and live (ie. circulation, digestion, and other bodily functions performed consciously or subconsciously). The physical body was looked at as the thing that held the Spirit. So rather than despising it, or disregarding it, it was most important to take good care of it for it was the vehicle of growth and to reach higher levels of consciousness. If the body were to become sick or filled with disease, it would not allow the spirit to evolve. It was important for man to have good control of their central mind so that they would not be a slave to the body, but rather the body listen to the controlled mind.
“The body should be kept in good health and condition and trained to obey the orders of the mind, rather than to rule the mind [.]” - Yogi Ramacharaka
