" It is unquestionably
one of the noblest and most sacred scriptures which have come
down to us. Books are to be distinguished by the grandeur of
their topics, even more than by the manner in which they are
treated. The Oriental philosophy approaches, easily, loftier
themes than the modern aspires to; and no wonder if it sometimes
prattle about them. _It_ only assigns their due rank respectively
to Action and Contemplation, or rather does full justice to the
latter. Western philosophers have not conceived of the
significance of Contemplation in their sense. Speaking of the
spiritual discipline to which the Brahmans subjected themselves,
and the wonderful power of abstraction to which they attained,
instances of which had come under his notice, Hastings says:--
"To those who have never been accustomed to the separation of
the mind from the notices of the senses, it may not be easy to
conceive by what means such a power is to be attained; since
even the most studious men of our hemisphere will find it
difficult so to restrain their attention, but that it will
wander to some object of present sense or recollection; and
even the buzzing of a fly will sometimes have the power to
disturb it.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213