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Transcript of James Allen Foundation Stones to Prosperity and Success
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8/14/2019 James Allen Foundation Stones to Prosperity and Success
1/23
THEJAM
ESALLEN
FREE
LIBRARY
HTTP
://JAM
ES-ALLEN.IN1W
OORD.N
L/
Foundationstonestohappinessand
su
ccess.ByJamesAllen.
CO
NTENTS
1.Foreword
2.Rightprinciples
3.Soundmethods
4.Trueactions
5.Truespeech
6.Equal-mindedness
7.Goodresults
ED
ITORSPREFAC
E
ThisisoneofthelastM
SS.writtenbyJame
sAllen.Likeall
his
worksitiseminentlypractical.Henever
wrotetheories,
orforthesakeofwriting,ortoaddanoth
ertohismany
boo
ks;buthewrotewh
enhehadamessage,anditbecame
am
essageonlywhenhehadliveditoutinhisownlife,and
knewthatitwasgood.
Thushewrotefacts,whichhehad
pro
venbypractice.
To
liveouttheteachingofthisbookfaithfullyinevery
det
ailoflifewilllead
onetomorethan
happinessand
suc
cesseventoBlessedness,SatisfactionandPeace.
LIL
Y
L.
ALLEN
Br
yngoleu,
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Ilfr
acombe,
England.
FO
REWORD
Howdoesamanbeginthebuildingofahouse?Hefirst
securesaplanoftheproposededifice,andthenproceedsto
buildaccordingtothe
plan,scrupulously
followingitin
eve
rydetail,beginningwiththefoundation.Shouldhe
neg
lectthebeginning-thebeginningonamathematical
plan-hislabourwould
bewasted,andhisbuilding,should
itr
eachcompletionwithouttumblingtop
ieces,wouldbe
insecureandworthless
.Thesamelawholdsgoodinany
importantwork;therig
htbeginningandfir
stessentialis
a
definitementalplanon
whichtobuild.
Naturewillhavenoslip
shodwork,noslove
nlinessandshe
ann
ihilatesconfusion,
orrather,confusionisinitself
ann
ihilated.Order,definiteness,purpose,eternallyprevail,
and
hewhoinhisoperationsignoresthes
emathematical
elementsatonce
de
priveshimselfof
substantiality,
com
pleteness,happines
sandsuccess.
JAMESALLEN
1.
RIGHTPRINCIP
LES
Itiswisetoknowwhat
comesfirst,andwhattodofirst.To
beg
inanythinginthemiddleorattheen
distomakea
mu
ddleofit.Theathle
tewhobeganbybreakingthetape
wouldnotreceivetheprize.Hemustbeginbyfacingthe
starterandtoeingthemark,andeventhen
agoodstartis
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importantifheistow
in.Thepupildoes
notbeginwith
algebraandliterature,
butwithcountingandABC.Soin
life
thebusinessmenwhobeginatthebottomachievethe
mo
reenduringsuccess
;andthereligiousmenwhoreach
the
highestheightsofs
piritualknowledgeandwisdomare
theywhohavestooped
toserveapatientap
prenticeshipto
the
humblertasks,an
dhavenotscornedthecommon
exp
eriencesofhumanity,oroverlookedth
elessonstobe
learnedfromthem.
Thefirstthingsinaso
undlife-andtherefore,inatruly
hap
pyandsuccessfullife-areright
prin
ciples.Without
rightprinciplestobegin
with,therewillbewrongpractices
tofollowwith,andabu
ngledandwretched
lifetoendwith.
All
theinfinitevariety
ofcalculationswhi
chtabulatethe
com
merceandscience
oftheworld,come
outoftheten
figu
res;allthehundredsofthousandso
fbookswhich
con
stitutetheliteratur
eoftheworld,and
perpetuateits
tho
ughtandgenius,are
builtupfromthetw
enty-sixletters.
Thegreatestastronom
ercannotignorethetensimple
figu
res.Theprofounde
stmanofgeniusc
annotdispense
withthetwenty-sixsim
plecharacters.Thef
undamentalsin
allthingsarefewands
imple:yetwithoutthemthereisno
kno
wledgeandnoach
ievement.Thefund
amentals-the
bas
icprinciples-inlife,ortrueliving,arealsofewand
sim
ple,andtolearnthemthoroughly,andstudyhowto
app
lythemtoallthed
etailsoflife,istoa
voidconfusion,
and
tosecureasubstantialfoundationfortheorderly
bui
ldingupofaninvinciblecharacteran
dapermanent
suc
cess;andtosucceed
incomprehendingthoseprinciples
in
theirinnumerable
ramificationsinth
elabyrinthof
con
duct,istobecomea
MasterofLife.
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Thefirstprinciplesin
lifeareprinciples
ofconduct.To
nam
ethemiseasy.As
merewordstheya
reonallmens
lips,butasfixedsourcesofaction,ad
mittingofno
com
promise,fewhavelearnedthem.Inthis
shorttalkIwill
dea
lwithfiveonlyoftheseprinciples.These
fiveareamong
the
simplestoftheroot
principlesoflife,bu
ttheyarethose
tha
tcomenearesttotheeverydaylife,for
theytouchthe
artisanthebusinessman,thehouseholder
,thecitizenat
eve
rypoint.Notoneof
themcanbedispen
sedwithbutat
severecost,and
he
who
perfectshimselfin
their
app
licationwillrisesuperiortomanyofthetroublesand
failuresoflife,andw
illcomeintothesespringsand
cur
rentsofthoughtwh
ichflowharmoniou
slytowardsthe
regionsofenduringsuccess.Thefirstoftheseprinciplesis-
DU
TY-Amuch-hackneyedword,Iknow,b
utitcontainsa
rarejewelforhimwhowillseekitbyassiduousapplication.
Theprincipleofdutym
eansstrictadherencetoonesown
bus
iness,andjustasstrictnon-interference
inthebusiness
ofothers.Themanwh
oiscontinuallyinstructingothers,
gra
tis,howtomanage
theiraffairs,isthe
onewhomost
mismanageshisown.D
utyalsomeansundividedattention
tothematterinhand,intelligentconcentrationofthemind
on
theworktobedon
e;itincludesallth
atismeantby
tho
roughness,exactness,andefficiency.
Thedetailsof
dut
iesdifferwithindiv
iduals,andeachma
nshouldknow
his
owndutybetterth
enheknowshisneighbours,and
betterthanhisneighb
ourknowshis;bu
talthoughthe
workingdetailsdiffer,
theprincipleisalwaysthesame.
Wh
ohasmasteredthed
emandsofduty?
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HO
NESTYisthenextprinciple.Itmeansnotcheatingor
ove
rcharginganother.
Itinvolvestheabsenceofall
tric
kery,lying,anddeceptionbyword,look,orgesture.It
includessincerity,the
sayingwhatyoumean,andthe
meaningwhatyousa
y.Itscornscringingpolicyand
shiningcompliment.Itbuildsupgoodreputations,and
goo
dreputationsbuild
upgoodbusinesses,andbrightjoy
accompanieswell-earn
edsuccess.Whohasscaledthe
heightsofHonesty?
ECONOMYisthethird
principle.Theconse
rvationofones
financialresourcesism
erelythevestibuleleadingtowards
the
morespaciouscham
bersoftrueeconom
y.Itmeans,as
well,thehusbandingofonesphysicalvita
lityandmental
resources.Itdemands
theconservationofenergybythe
avo
idanceofenervatingself-indulgencesand
sensual
hab
its.Itholdsfor
itsfollowerstreng
th,endurance,
vigilance,andcapacity
toachieve.Itbestowsgreatpower
on
himwholearnsitw
ell.Whohasrealizedthesupreme
strengthofEconomy?
LIB
ERALITYfollowsec
onomy.Itisnotopp
osedtoit.Only
the
manofeconomy
canaffordtobe
generous.The
spe
ndthrift,whetherin
money,vitality,or
mentalenergy,
wastedsomuchonhis
ownmiserablepleasuresastohave
non
elefttobestowuponothers.Thegiving
ofmoneyisthe
smallestpartofliberality.Thereisagivingo
fthoughts,and
dee
ds,andsympathy,thebestowingofgoodwill,thebeing
gen
eroustowardscalu
mniatorsandopponents.Itisa
principlethatbegetsanoble,far-reachin
ginfluence.It
bringslovingfriendsan
dstaunchcomrades,andisthefoe
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oflonelinessanddespa
ir.Whohasmeasuredthebreadth
ofL
iberality?
SELFCONTROListhe
lastofthesefiveprinciples,yetthe
mostimportant.Itsneglectisthecause
ofvastmisery,
inn
umerablefailures,a
ndtensofthousan
dsoffinancial,
phy
sical,andmentalw
recks.Showmeth
ebusinessman
wholoseshistemper
withacustomerov
ersometrivial
matter,andIwillshow
youamanwho,bythatconditionof
mind,isdoomedtofailure.Ifallmenpra
ctisedeventhe
initialstagesofself-con
trol,anger,withits
consumingand
des
troyingfire,wouldb
eunknown.Theless
onsofpatience,
pur
ity,gentleness,kind
ness,andsteadfastness,whichare
con
tainedintheprincip
leofself-control,areslowlylearned
bymen,yetuntiltheyaretrulylearnedamanscharacter
and
successareuncertainandinsecure.Whereistheman
whohasperfectedhimselfinSelf-Control?
Wherehemay
be,
heisamasterindeed.
Thefiveprinciplesarefivepractices,fiveavenuesto
ach
ievement,andfive
sourceofknowledg
e.Itisanold
sayingandagoodrule
thatPracticemakesperfect,and
hewhowouldmakehisownthewisdomwhichisinherent
inthoseprinciples,mustnotmerelyhavethemonhislips,
theymustbeestablishedinhisheart.Toknowthemand
receivewhattheyalonecanbring,hemus
tdothem,and
givethemoutinhisactions.
2.
SOUND
METHODS
Fro
mthefiveforegoin
gRightPrinciples,
whentheyare
trulyapprehended
andpractised,will
issue
Sound
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Me
thods.Rightprincip
lesaremanifested
inharmonious
action,andmethodis
tolifewhatlawistotheuniverse.
Eve
rywherein
theuniversethereistheharmonious
adjustmentofparts,an
ditisthissymmetr
yandharmony
thatrevealsacosmos,
asdistinguishedfro
mchaos.Soin
hum
anlife,thedifferencebetweenatruelifeandafalse,
betweenonepurposefu
landeffectiveandonepurposeless
and
weak,isoneofmethod.Thefalselifeisanincoherent
jum
bleofthoughts,passions,andactions;thetruelifeisan
ord
erlyadjustmentofallitsparts.Itisallthedifference
betweenamassoflumb
erandasmoothlyw
orkingefficient
machine.Apieceofma
chineryinperfectw
orkingorderis
not
onlyauseful,butan
admirableandattractivething;but
whenitspartsarealloutofgear,and
refusetobe
readjusted,itsusefulne
ssandattractivenessaregone,and
itisthrownonthesc
rap-heap.Likewise
alifeperfectly
adjustedinallitsparts
soastoachievethehighestpointof
efficiency,isnotonly
apowerful,butan
excellentand
bea
utifulthing;whereasalifeconfused
,inconsistent,
discordant,isadeplorableexhibitionofwastedenergy.
Iflifeistobetrulylived,methodmustenterinto,and
regulate,everydetailofit,asitentersand
regulatesevery
detailofthewondrous
universeofwhichweformapart.
Oneofthedistinguishingdifferencesbetweenawiseman
and
afoolishis,thatthewisemanpayscarefulattentionto
the
smallestthings,whilethefoolishmans
lursoverthem,
or
neglects
them
a
ltogether.
Wisdom
consists
in
maintainingthingson
theirrightrelations
,inkeepingall
things,thesmallestaswellasthegreatest,
intheirproper
placesandtimes.Tovi
olateorderistopro
duceconfusion
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and
discord,andunhappinessisbutanothernamefor
discord.
Thegoodbusinessman
knowsthatsystemisthreepartsof
success,andthatdisordermeansfailure.
Thewiseman
kno
wsthatdisciplined,methodicallivingisthreepartsof
hap
piness,andthatloosenessmeansmisery.Whatisafool
but
onewhothinks
carelessly,actsrashly,andlives
loosely?Whatisawise
manbutonewhot
hinkscarefully,
actscalmly,andlivesco
nsistently?
The
true
method
doesnotend
with
the
orderly
arrangementofthema
terialthingsandexternalrelations
of
life;thisisbutitsbeginning;itentersintothe
adjustmentofthemind
-thedisciplineofthepassions,the
elim
inationandchoiceofwordsinspee
ch,thelogical
arrangementoftheth
oughts,andtheselectionofright
actions.
To
achievealiferenderedsound,successfu
l,andsweetby
the
pursuanceofsoundmethods,onemus
tbegin,notby
neg
lectofthelittlee
verydaythings,butbyassiduous
attentiontothem.Thus
thehourofrisingis
important,and
itsregularitysignificant
;asalsoarethetimingofretiringto
rest,andthenumberofhoursgiventoslee
p.Betweenthe
regularityandirregularityofmeals,and
thecareand
carelessnesswithwhich
theyareeaten,isallthedifference
betweenagoodand
baddigestion(withallthatthis
app
lies)andanirritab
leorcomfortableframeofmind,
withitstrainofgoodor
badconsequences,for,attachingto
thesemeal-timesand
meal-waysarem
attersofboth
phy
siologicaland
psy
chologicalsignifica
nce.Thedue
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divisionofhoursforbusinessandforplay
,notconfusing
the
two,theorderlyfittinginofallthedetailsofones
bus
iness,timesforso
litude,forsilentth
oughtandfor
effe
ctiveaction,foreatingandforabstine
nce-allthese
thingsmusthavetheirlawfulplaceinthelifeofhimwhose
da
ilyroundistopro
ceedwiththeminimumdegreeof
fric
tion,whoistogetth
emostofusefulness
,influence,and
joy
outoflife.
Butallthisisbutthe
beginningofthat
comprehensive
methodwhichembracesthewholelifean
dbeing.When
thissmoothorderandlogicalconsistencyis
extendedtothe
wordsandactions,to
thethoughtsand
desires,then
wisdom
emergesfrom
folly,andoutofw
eaknesscomes
pow
ersublime.When
amansoordershismindasto
pro
duceabeautifulworkingharmonybetweenallitsparts,
thenhereachesthehighestwisdom,thehighestefficiency,
the
highesthappiness.
Butthisistheend;and
hewhowouldreac
htheendmust
beg
inatthebeginning
.Hemustsystematiseandrender
logicaland
smooth
thesmallestdetailsofhislife,
pro
ceeding
step
by
step
towards
the
finished
accomplishment.Buteachstepwillyieldits
ownparticular
measureofstrengthand
gladness.
To
sumup,methodproducesthatsmoothn
esswhichgoes
withstrengthandefficiency.Disciplineismethodapplied
tothemind.Itproducesthatcalmnessw
hichgoeswith
pow
erand
happiness
.Method
isworkingby
rule;
disciplineis
livingbyrule.Butworkingandlivingarenot
sep
arate;theyarebuttw
oaspectsofcharact
er,oflife.
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The
refore,beorderlyinwork;beaccurateinspeech,be
logicalin
thought.Between
these
and
slovenliness,
inaccuracyandconfusio
n,isthedifferenceb
etweensuccess
and
failure,musicandd
iscord,happinessan
dmisery.
The
adoption
ofsoundmethodsofworking,acting,
thinkinginaword,
ofliving,isthesu
restandsafest
foundationforsoundhealth,soundsuccess,soundpeaceof
min
d.Thefoundationo
funsoundmethodswillbefoundto
be
unstable,andtoyieldfearandunrestevenwhileit
app
earstosucceed,and
whenitstimeoffailurecomes,itis
grie
vousindeed.
3.
TRUEACTIONS
FollowingonRightPrinciplesandMethodscomeTrue
Actions.Onewhoisstrivingtograsptrue
principlesand
workwithsoundmethodswillsooncometoperceivethat
detailsofconductcan
notbeoverlooked
-that,indeed,
thosedetailsarefund
amentallydistinctiveorcreative,
accordingtotheirnature,andare,ther
efore,ofdeep
significanceand
comprehensiveimporta
nce;and
this
perceptionandknowledgeofthenature
andpowerof
pas
singactionswillgraduallyopenandgrowwithinhimas
an
addedvision,ane
wrevelation.Asheacquiresthis
insighthisprogresswillbemorerapid,his
pathwayinlife
moresure,hisdaysmoresereneandpeaceful;inallthings
he
willgo
thetrue
and
directway,
unswayed
and
unt
roubledbytheexternalforcesthatplayaroundand
abo
uthim.Notthathewillbeindifferentto
thewelfareand
hap
pinessofthoseabouthim;thatisquite
anotherthing;
but
hewillbeindifferenttotheiropinions,totheir
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ignorance,totheirungovernedpassions.ByTrueA
ctions,
indeed,ismeantactin
grightlytowardso
thers,andthe
righ
t-doerknowsthata
ctionsinaccordancewithtruthare
but
forthehappinessofthoseabouthim,
andhewilldo
themeventhoughano
ccasionmayarisew
hensomeone
nea
rtohimmayadvise
orimplorehimtodo
otherwise.
Tru
eactionsmayeasilybedistinguishedfromfalsebyall
whowishsotodisting
uishinorderthattheymayavoid
fals
eaction,andadopt
true.Asinthematerialworldwe
distinguishthingsbyth
eirform,colour,size,etc.,choosing
thosethingswhichwerequire,andputting
bythosethings
whicharenotusefultous,sointhespiritualworldof
dee
ds,wecandistinguishbetweenthoseth
atarebadand
thosethataregoodby
theirnature,their
aim,andtheir
effe
ctandcanchoosea
ndadoptthosethataregood,and
ignorethosethatarebad.
In
allformsofprogress,avoidanceofthebadalways
precedesacceptanceandknowledgeofthe
good,justasa
childatschoollearns
todoitslessonsr
ightbyhaving
repeatedlypointedouttoithowithasdone
themwrong.If
one
doesnotknowwha
tiswrongandhowtoavoidit,how
can
heknowwhatisrightandhowtoprac
tiseit?Bad,or
unt
rue,actionsarethosethatspringfromaconsideration
ofonesownhappiness
only,andignoreth
ehappinessof
others,thatariseinvio
lentdisturbancesofthemindand
unlawfuldesires,orthatcallforconcealm
entinorderto
avo
idundesirablecomplications.Goodortrueactionsare
thosethatspringfroma
considerationforothers,thatarise
incalmreasonandhar
moniousthoughtframedonmoral
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principlesorthatwill
notinvolvethedoerinshameful
con
sequencesifbroughtintothefulllightof
day.
The
right-doerwillavo
idthoseactsofpersonalpleasure
and
gratificationwhich
bytheirnaturebringannoyance,
pain,orsufferingtoothers,nomatterho
winsignificant
thoseactionsmayappeartobe.Hewillbeginbyputting
awa
ythese;hewillgainaknowledgeoftheunselfishand
truebyfirstsacrificingtheselfishanduntru
e.Hewilllearn
not
tospeakoractinan
ger,orenvy,orresentment,butwill
studyhow
tocontrol
hismind,andwillrestoreitto
calmnessbeforeacting;and,mostimportantofall,hewill
avo
id,ashewouldthed
rinkingofdeadlypo
ison,thoseacts
oftrickery,deceit,double-dealing,inorde
rtogainsome
personalprofitofadvantage,andwhichlead,sooneror
late
r,toexposureandshameforthedoerof
them.Ifaman
isp
romptedtodoathingwhichheneedstoconceal,and
whichhewouldnotlaw
fullyandfranklydefendifitwere
examinedofwitness,h
eshouldknowbythatthatitisa
wro
ngactandtherefore
tobeabandonedwithoutafurther
momentsconsideration
.
The
carryingoutofthisprincipleofhonestyandsincerity
ofaction,too,willfurtherleadhim
into
suchapathof
thoughtfulnessinright-doingaswillenablehimtoavoid
doingthosethingsw
hich
wouldinvolv
ehim
in
the
deceptivepracticesofo
therpeople.Before
signingpapers,
or
enteringinto
verbalorwritten
arr
angements,or
eng
aginghimselftoothersinanywayattheirrequest,
particularlyiftheybestrangers,hewillfirstinquireinto
the
natureoftheworko
rundertaking,andso,enlightened,
hewillknowexactlywh
attodo,andwillbefullyawareof
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the
importofhisaction
.Totheright-doerthoughtlessness
isa
crime.Thousandsofactionsdonewithg
oodintentlead
to
disastrousconsequ
encesbecausethe
yareactsof
thoughtlessness,andit
iswellsaidthatth
ewaytohellis
pav
edwithgoodintentions.Themanof
trueactionsis,
abo
veallthings,thou
ghtful:-Beyethe
reforewiseas
serpentsandharmlessa
sdoves.
The
termThoughtlessn
esscoversawidefie
ldintherealm
ofdeeds.Itisonlybyincreasinginthoughtfulnessthata
mancancometounderstandthenatureofactions,and
can
,thereby,acquirethepowerofalw
aysdoingthatwhich
isr
ight.Itisimpossible
foramantobetho
ughtfulandact
foolishly.Thoughtfulnessembraceswisdom.
Itisnotenoughthat
anactionispromp
tedbyagood
imp
ulse
or
intention
;itmust
arise
inthoughtful
con
siderationifitisto
beatrueaction;an
dthemanwho
wishestobepermanent
lyhappyinhimselfandapowerfor
goo
dtoothersmustcon
cernhimselfonlywithtrueactions.
Id
iditwiththebesto
fintentions,isapo
orexcusefrom
one
whohasthoughtlesslyinvolvedhimselfinthewrong-
doingofothers.Hisbit
terexperienceshouldteachhimto
act
morethoughtfullyin
thefuture.
Tru
eactionscanonlyspringfrom
atruemind,and
thereforewhileamanislearningtodistingu
ishandchoose
betweenthefalseandthetrue,heis
correctingand
perfectinghismind,a
ndistherebyrenderingitmore
harmoniousandfelicito
us,moreefficientandpowerful.As
heacquirestheinnereyetoclearlydistin
guishtheright
ina
llthedetailsoflife,
andthefaithandknowledgetodo
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it,hewillrealisethat
heisbuildingthehouseofhis
cha
racterandlifeupon
arockwhichthew
indsoffailure
and
thestormsofpersecutioncanneverund
ermine.
4.
TRUESPEECH
Tru
thisknownbypra
cticeonly.Without
sinceritythere
can
benoknowledge
ofTruth;andtrue
speechisthe
beg
inningofallsincerit
y.Truthinallitsna
tivebeautyand
orig
inalsimplicityconsistsinabandoningandnotdoingall
thosethingswhichareuntrue,andinembracinganddoing
allthosethingswhicharetrue.Truespeechisthereforeone
of
the
elementary
beginningsin
the
lifeofTruth.
Falsehood,andallfor
msofdeception;s
landerandall
formsofevil-speaking
-thesemustbetotallyabandoned
and
abolishedbeforethemindcanreceiveevenasmall
deg
reeofspiritualenlig
htenment.Theliara
ndslandereris
lost
indarkness;sode
epishisdarkness
thathecannot
distinguishbetweengoodandevil,and
hepersuades
him
selfthathislyingandevil-speakingare
necessaryand
goo
d,thatheistherebyprotectinghim
selfandother
peo
ple.
Let
thewould-bestudentofhigherthings
looktohimself
and
bewareofself-delusion.Ifheisgivento
utteringwords
thatdeceive,ortospeakingevilofothers
ifhespeaksin
insincerity,envy,orma
lice-thenhehasnotyetbegunto
studyhigherthings.Hemaybestudyingm
etaphysics,or
mir
acles,orpsychicph
enomena,orastral
wondershe
maybestudyinghowto
communewithinvisiblebeings,to
trav
elinvisiblyduring
sleep,orto
pr
oducecurious
phe
nomena-hemaye
venstudyspiritualitytheoretically
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and
asamerebookst
udy,butifheisa
deceiveranda
backbiter,thehigherlifeishiddenfromhim
.Forthehigher
thin
gsarethese
uprightness,sincerity,innocence,
purity,kindness,gentleness,faithfuln
ess,humility,
patience,pity,sympath
y,self-sacrifice,joy
,goodwill,love
a
ndhewhowoulds
tudythem,knowth
em,andmake
themhisown,mustpra
cticethem,thereisn
ootherway.
Lyingandevil-speakin
gbelongtothelo
westformsof
spiritualignorance,an
dtherecanbeno
suchthingas
spiritualenlightenmentwhiletheyarep
ractised.Their
parentsareselfishnessa
ndhatred.
Slanderisakintolying,butitisevenmore
subtle,asitis
freq
uentlyassociatedw
ithindignation,an
dbyassuming
moresuccessfullythe
appearanceoftruth,itensnares
manywhowouldnotte
lladeliberatefalsehood.Forthere
are
twosidestoslander
-thereis
themakingofrepeating
ofit,andthereis
thelisteningtoitandactinguponit.The
slan
dererwouldbepow
erlesswithoutaliste
ner.Evilwords
requireanearthatisr
eceptivetoevilinw
hichtheymay
fall,beforetheycanflourish;thereforehew
holistenstoa
slan
derer,whobelievesit,andallows
himselftobe
influenced
againstth
eperson
whose
characterand
reputationaredefamed
,isinthesamepositionastheone
whoframedorrepeated
theevilreport.The
evil-speakeris
apositiveslanderer;the
evil-listenerisapassiveslanderer.
The
twoareco-operator
sinthepropagation
ofevil.
Slanderisacommonv
iceandadarkand
deadlyone.An
evil
reportbeginsinignorance,andpursues
itsblindwayin
darkness.Itgenerallytakesitsriseinamis
understanding.
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Som
eonefeelsthathe
orshehasbeenbad
lytreated,and,
fille
dwithindignationandresentment,unb
urdenshimself
to
his
friends
and
others
in
vehem
ent
language,
exaggeratingtheenormityofthesupposedoffenceon
accountofthefeelingofinjurybywhichheispossessed;he
islistenedtoandsymp
athisedwith;thelis
teners,without
hea
ringtheotherperso
nsversionofwhath
astakenplace,
and
onnootherproofthantheviolentwordsofanangry
manorwoman,becomecoldintheirattitu
detowardsthe
one
spokenagainst,an
drepeattootherswhattheyhave
beentold,andassuch
repetitionisalway
smoreorless
inaccurate,adistorteda
ndaltogetheruntruereportissoon
passingfrommouthtomouth.
Itis
becauseslanderiss
uchacommonvicethatitcanwork
the
sufferingandinjury
thatitdoes.Itisbecausesomany
(notdeliberatewrong-d
oers,andunconsciousofthenature
oftheevilintowhichth
eysoeasilyfall)are
readytoallow
themselvestobeinflue
ncedagainstonew
homtheyhave
hith
ertoregardedashonourable,thatanevilreportcando
itsdeadlywork.Yetitsworkisonlyamongstthosewho
hav
enotaltogetheracq
uiredthevirtueoftruespeech,the
causeofwhichisatruth-lovingmind.Whe
nonewhohas
not
entirelyfreedhims
elffromrepeatingorbelievingan
evil
reportaboutanother,hearsofanevilreportabout
him
self,
his
mind
becomes
aflame
with
burning
resentment,hissleepisbrokenandhispe
aceofmindis
destroyed.Hethinksth
ecauseofallhissufferingisinthe
othermanandwhatth
atmanhassaidabouthim,andis
ignorantofthetruth
thattheroot
andcauseofhis
sufferingliesinhisownreadiness
tobelieveanevilreport
abo
utanother.Thevirt
uousman-hewho
hasattainedto
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truespeech,andwhosemindissealedag
ainsteventhe
app
earanceofevil-speaking-cannotbeinjuredand
disturbedaboutanyev
ilreportsconcernin
ghimself;and
alth
oughhisreputation
mayforatimebe
stainedinthe
mindsofthosewhoar
epronetosuggestionsofevil,his
inte
grityremainsuntouchedandhischaract
erunsoiled;for
noonecanbestainedbytheevildeedsofan
other,butonly
by
his
own
wrongdoing.
And
so,
through
all
mis
representation,misu
nderstanding,andc
ontumely,heis
untroubledandunreven
geful;hissleepisundisturbed,and
hismindremainsinpea
ce.
Tru
espeechisthebeginningofapure,wiseandwell-
orderedlife.Ifonewouldattaintopurityoflife,ifhewould
less
entheevilandsufferingoftheworld,le
thimabandon
falsehoodandslanderinthoughtandword
,lethimavoid
eventheappearanceof
thesethings,forth
erearenolies
and
slanderssodeadly
asthosewhicharehalf-truths,and
lethimnotbeaparticipantinevil-speaking
bylisteningto
it.Lethim
alsohave
compassiononth
eevil-speaker,
kno
winghowsuchaoneisbindinghimselftosufferingand
unr
est;fornoliarcanknowtheblissofTruth;noslanderer
can
enterthekingdomo
fpeace.
Bythewordswhichheuttersisamansspiritualcondition
declared;bythesealsoishefinallyandinfalliblyadjudged,
for
astheDivineMa
steroftheChristianworldhas
declared,Bythywordsshaltthoubejustif
ied,andbythy
wor
dsshaltthoubecondemned.
5.
EQUAL-MINDED
NESS
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Tobeequally-mindedis
tobepeacefully-minded,foraman
cannotbesaidtohavearrivedatpeacewhoallowshismind
tob
edisturbedandthro
wnoffthebalancebyoccurrences.
The
manofwisdomisdispassionate,andm
eetsallthings
withthecalmnessof
amindinrepose
andfreefrom
prejudice.Heisnotapartisan,havingputawaypassion,
and
heisalwaysatpea
cewithhimselfand
theworld,not
takingsidesnordefend
inghimself,butsym
pathisingwith
all.The
partisanissoconvincedthathisowno
pinionandhis
own
sideisright,and
allthatgoescontr
arytothem
is
wro
ng,thathecannott
hinkthereisanygo
odintheother
opinionandtheothers
ide.Helivesinacontinualfeverof
atta
ckanddefence,an
dhasnoknowledg
eofthequiet
peaceofanequalmind.
The
equal-mindedman
watcheshimselfin
ordertocheck
and
overcome
even
theappearanceofpassion
and
prejudiceinhismind
,andbysodoinghedevelops
sym
pathyforothers,
andcomestoun
derstandtheir
positionandparticular
stateofmind;andashecomesto
und
erstandothers,he
perceivesthefollyofcondemning
themandopposinghimselftothem.Thusth
eregrowsupin
his
heartadivinecharitywhichcannotbelimited,but
whichisextendedtoallthingsthatliveandstriveand
suffer.
Whenamanisunderth
eswayofpassionandprejudicehe
isspirituallyblind.Seeingnothingbutgoodinhisownside,
and
nothingbutevilintheother,hecannot
seeanythingas
itreallyis,notevenhisownside;andnot
understanding
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him
self,hecannotund
erstandthehearts
ofothers,and
thin
ksitisrightthathe
shouldcondemnth
em.Thusthere
growsupinhisheartadarkhatredforthosewhorefuseto
see
withhimandwhocondemnhiminretu
rn,hebecomes
separatedfromhisfellow-men,andconfineshimselftoa
narrowtorturechamber
ofhisownmaking.
Swe
etandpeacefulare
thedaysoftheequa
l-mindedman,
frui
tfulingood,andric
hinmanifoldblessings.Guidedby
wisdom,heavoidstho
sepathwayswhich
leaddownto
hatredandsorrowandpain,andtakesthosewhichleadup
toloveandpeaceandb
liss.Theoccurrence
soflifedonot
trou
blehim,nordoeshegrieveoverthosethingswhichare
regardedbymankindasgrievous,butwhich
mustbefallall
menintheordinarycourseofnature.Heisneitherelated
bysuccessnorcastdow
nbyfailure.Hesee
stheeventsof
hislifearrayedintheirproperproportions,andcanfindno
room
for
selfish
wishes
or
vain
regrets,for
vain
anticipationsandchildishdisappointments.
And
howisthisequal-mindedness-thisb
lessedstateof
min
dandlife-acquire
d?Onlybyovercom
ingonesself,
onlybypurifyingoneso
wnheart,forthepurificationofthe
heartleads
to
unb
iased
comprehension,
unbiased
com
prehensionleadstoequal-mindedness,andequal-
min
dednessleadstopeace.Theimpure
manisswept
helplesslyawayonthe
wavesofpassion;
thepureman
guideshimselfintothe
harbourofrest.Thefoolsays,I
haveanopinion;thewisemangoesabouth
isbusiness.
6.
GOOD
RESULTS
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Aconsiderableportiono
fthehappeningsoflifecomestous
withoutanydirectchoosingon
ourpart,and
such
hap
peningsaregenerallyregardedashavingnorelationto
our
willorcharacter,
butasappearingfortuitously;as
occurringwithoutacau
se.Thusoneisspokenofasbeing
luc
ky,andanotherunlucky,theinfere
ncebeingthat
eachhasreceivedsomethingwhichheneverearned,never
caused.Deeperthough
t,andaclearerin
sightintolife
convincesus,however,thatnothinghapp
enswithouta
cause,andthatcause
andeffectarealw
aysrelatedin
perfectadjustmentandharmony.Thisb
eingso,every
hap
peningdirectlyaffectingusisintimatelyrelatedtoour
own
willandcharacter,
is,indeed,aneffectjustlyrelatedto
acausehavingitsseat
inourconsciousness.Inaword,
involuntaryhappenings
oflifearetheresu
ltsofourown
thoughtsanddeeds.Th
is,Iadmit,isnota
pparentonthe
surface;butwhatfund
amentallaw,eveninthephysical
universe,issoapparent?Ifthought,investigation,and
experimentarenecessarytothediscoveryo
ftheprinciples
whi
chrelateonematerialatomtoanother,e
vensoarethey
imp
erativetotheperc
eptionandunderstandingofthe
modeofactionwhich
relateonementa
lconditionto
ano
ther;andsuchmodes,suchlaws,are
knownbythe
righ
t-doer,byhim
wh
ohasacquiredan
understanding
min
dbythepracticeoftrueactions.
We
reapaswesow.Tho
sethingswhichcom
etous,though
not
byourown
choosing,arebyour
causing
.Thedrunkard
did
notchoosethede
lirium
tremensor
insanitywhich
overtookhim,buthecauseditbyhisown
deeds.Inthis
casethelawisplainto
allminds,butwhereitisnotso
plain,itisnonethelesstrue.Withinourselv
esisthedeep-
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seatedcauseofallours
ufferings,thespring
ofallourjoys.
Alte
rtheinnerworldo
fthoughts,andthe
otherworldof
eventswillceasetobrin
gyousorrow;make
theheartpure,
and
toyouallthingsw
illbepure,alloccurrenceshappy
and
intrueorder.
Within
yourselves
deliverance
must
b
esought,
Each
man
his
prison
makes.
Each
hath
such
lordship
as
the
loftiest
ones;
Nay,
for
with
P
owers
above,
aroun
d,below,
As
with
all
flesh
and
whatsoever
lives,
Actmakethjoyorwoe.
Our
lifeisgoodorbad
,enslavedorfree,a
ccordingtoits
causationinourthough
ts,foroutoftheset
houghtsspring
allourdeeds,andfrom
thesedeedscomeeq
uitableresults.
We
cannotseizegood
resultsviolently,likeathief,and
claimandenjoythem,
butwecanbringth
emtopassby
settinginmotionthecauseswithinourselves.
Menstriveformoney,sighforhappiness,an
dwouldgladly
possesswisdom,yetfailtosecurethesethings,whilethey
see
otherstowhom
theseblessingsap
peartocome
unb
idden.Thereasonisthattheyhavege
neratedcauses
whichpreventthefulfilm
entoftheirwishesandefforts.
Eachlifeisaperfectlyw
ovennetworkofcau
sesandeffects,
ofe
fforts(orlackofefforts)andresults,an
dgoodresults
can
onlybereachedbyinitiatinggoodefforts,goodcauses.
The
doeroftrueactio
ns,whopursuessoundmethods,
groundedonrightprin
cipleswillnotneedtostriveand
stru
ggleforgoodresults;theywillbethereastheeffectsof
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his
righteousruleoflife.Hewillreapthef
ruitofhisown
actionsandthereapingwillbeingladnessandpeace.
Thistruthofsowingan
dreapinginthemo
ralsphereisa
simpleone,yetmenareslowtounderstandandacceptit.
We
havebeentoldby
aWiseOnethatthechildrenof
darknessarewiserinth
eirdaythanthechildrenoflight,
and
whowouldexpect,
inthematerialwor
ld,toreapand
eat
wherehehadnotsownandplanted?
Orwhowould
expecttoreapwheatin
thefieldwhereheh
adsowntares,
and
wouldfalltoweepingandcomplaining
ifhedidnot?
Yet
thisisjustwhatmendointhespiritua
lfieldofmind
and
deed.Theydoevil,
andexpecttogetfro
mitgood,and
whe
nthebitterharvestingcomesinallitsripenedfullness,
theyfallintodespair,andbemoanthe
hardnessand
inju
sticeoftheirlot,usuallyattributingittotheevildeeds
ofo
thers,refusingeven
toadmitthepossibilityofitscause
bein
ghiddeninthems
elves,intheirown
thoughtsand
deeds.Thechildrenoflight-thosewhoaresearchingfor
the
fundamentalprinciplesofrightliving,
withaviewto
makingthemselvesintowiseandhappybeingsmust
trainthemselvestoobservethislawofcauseandeffectin
thought,wordanddeed
,asimplicitlyandobedientlyasthe
gardenerobeysthelawofsowingandreapin
g.Hedoesnot
evenquestionthelaw;
herecognisesandobeysit.When
the
wisdomwhichhein
stinctivelypractices
inhisgarden,
ispracticedbymeninth
egardenoftheirmindswhenthe
law
ofthesowingofdeedsissofullyrecogn
isedthatitcan
nolongerbedoubtedor
questionedthenitwillbejustas
faithfullyfollowedbythesowingofthoseactionswhichwill
brin
gaboutareapingo
fhappinessandwell-beingforall.
Asthechildrenofmatte
robeythelawsofm
atter,soletthe
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childrenofspiritobey
thelawsofspirit,
forthelawof
matterandthelawof
spiritareone;the
yarebuttwo
aspectsofonething;theout-workingofoneprinciplein
opp
ositedirections.
Ifw
eobserverightpr
inciples,orcauses,
wrongeffects
cannotpossiblyaccrue.Ifwepursuesoun
dmethods,no
shoddythreadcanfind
itswayintotheweb
ofourlife,no
rott
enbrickenterinto
thebuildingofou
rcharacterto
renderitinsecure;andifwedotrueactions,whatbutgood
resu
ltscancometopass;fortosaythatgoodcausescan
producebadeffectsisto
saythatnettlescan
bereapedfrom
aso
wingofcorn.
He
whoordershislife
alongthemorallin
esthusbriefly
enu
nciated,willattain
tosuchastateofinsightand
equilibrium
astorenderhim
permanentlyhappyand
perenniallyglad;allhis
effortswillbeseasonallyplanted;
allt
heissuesofhislifew
illbegood,andthoughhemaynot
becomeamillionaireasindeedhewillhavenodesireto
becomesuchhewill
acquirethegiftofp
eace,andtrue
successwillwaituponhimasitscommandin
gmaster.