Paramhansa Yogananda

A theory has been advanced that thought is a product of the endocrine glands. Such a conception is unfounded. Flesh cannot produce thought. Mind is the architect of the microcosm and the macrocosm. As water by cooling and condensation becomes ice, so thought by condensation assumes physical form. Everything in the universe is through in material form. The endocrine organ is just a physical structurizations of a microcosmic thought-blueprint.

The physical and mental aspects of man are closely interrelated; it is commonly observed that a person whose liver is out of order becomes cranky. When you are bilious, you don’t feel like smiling and saying “Peace” to everyone! You feel unamiable. Your thoughts and emotions are affected by your physical state.

A weakening of the organs has a corresponding weakening effect on mental power. Those who eat a great deal of meat are often surly and full of vexation. If I were to put you on a grape juice diet for a week, it is likely you would feel uplifted and harmoniously disposed toward all.*

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[*Overeating and improper eating create in the body excessive toxins that have a definite negative effect on the mind, making it both sluggish and irritable. Occasional fasting on grape or orange juice has a cleansing effect on the system, which in turn vitalizes the brain. Such fasts, undertaken one day a week, or occasionally for three days at a time, have been found effective in helping to keep the body properly cleansed of impurities. Fasting for longer than three days at a time should be under the supervision of someone well trained in the science of fasting.

I recently met a man who was wearing just a lightweight suit and no overcoat, although it was terribly cold. He said he was seventy years old, and that he never feels cold. He didn’t even wear socks! He had accustomed his body to chilly weather. Mind influences body more than vice versa, but the bodily chemicals do exercise a constant influence on the mind. Body and mind are interdependent.