Byways to Blessedness (1904)

Strategic Next Actions

Continue to make sure that you are spending 3 hours (Strategic Block) of alone time everyday.
Continue to complete spiritually orientated book reviews as a priority and way to accelerate your spiritual development.
Continue to inform Involgizers of the primary importance of spiritual books in regard to developing their unique Genius.
Consider completing a book review in relation to “The Four Agreements.”
Continue to focus on completing the small things everyday that will lead you to your vision of the future (trading posts, spiritual book reviews, solitude and silence, etc).
Remember, absolutely everything starts with our thoughts (“As a Man Thinketh”) so true masters are master thinkers.
Remember, the key to a peaceful mind is to always be thinking about the well-being of others (unselfishness): earnestness (serious mindedness) and selflessness.
Continue to be willing to function in ways that may evoke no applause or promise of reward in order to become a truly great person (self-mastery).
Continue to always pay attention to detail, as genius is just thoroughness.
Continue to simply grow little by little and day after day, by adding thought to thought, effort to effort, deed to deed.
Remember the paradox of Truth that we gain by giving up.
Become better at showing others gentleness and empathy.
Continue stressing to others the spiritual importance of discovering their unique Genius.
Experiment with your Mind Movie containing the things that you have to focus on everyday only with the intention to stay in love with the process.
Continue to build Involgize Capital in silence and not draw attention to its existence.
Continue to do your best to live in relative obscurity and silence.
Continue to make sure that you do not use social media for two-way interaction (only as a signalling tool).
Continue to take the approach of letting all of your actions speak for you (purposely choosing to do no talking).
Remember that saving your mental energy is actually how you save your physical energy.
Make sure you regularly nourish your spirit in solitude on pure and holy thoughts or your spirit will lose its freshness and strength (hence weekly planning day).
Remember that solitude acts exactly like the hidden foundation of a building, without it you will fall.
Continue to cultivate solitude when you are in LA.
Continue, strategically, to utilise Ra Un Nefer Amen’s full body of spiritual work to become a “Master of Creative Thought” relatively quickly.
Acknowledge that every Involgizer will have to go through a period of solitude for many years if they want to become a great person.
Remember you (Involgize) will never go wrong if your actions always encourage people to go within themselves.
Remember that it is a life of peace that leads to highly concentrated activity, to the full employment of power, and to a life so rich, so glorious, and so abundantly blessed as to be incomprehensible to those who hunger for pleasures and possessions.
Continue to just try to do your best concerning whatever you are doing, to ensure your continous growth (“The Four Agreements”).

Strategic Learning Points

This paragraph makes me think about the importance of creating spaces (rest-houses) of peace for myself that will keep me away from the heats of passion, especially as I achieve higher levels of self-mastery. I guess this is why I like being in Los Angeles so much.
Learning from my 2^nd and 3^rd Brain trading development, now I see (clearer than ever) the primary significance of ensuring that we are carrying out the process of elaboration in relation to our spiritual development if we intend to not regress, and continue growing spiritually. This, essentially, will result in us becoming some sort of spiritual writers by default. Allowing me to better appreciate why and how others become new age coaches and thinkers. For me, this will look like an endless stream of spiritual book reviews with their own dedicated section on my website that, in time, I may share with others and collate into my own spiritual book.
Yesterday, Melvin’s Involgize questions enabled me to see that our spiritual development, and reading spiritual books specifically, is a key component of continuing to develop our Genius. Without it, then it becomes extremely difficult (if not impossible) to make ourselves embrace solitude and silence, the necessary ingredients required to cultivate our unique ability. I now appreciate better than ever that the solitary life that I lived roughly from the age of 20 to 30 years old was vital. Without it, I definitely would not have been able to discover, then start the journey of mastering my Genius (“Mastering-Self”). With the reading of spiritual books, powerfully, a person will start looking forward to spending time alone. Which makes these books kind of irreplaceable for this reason.
Maybe the point of Involgize is to become a rest-house that inspires others to be silent and solitary?
I was correct when I previously concluded that it was through writing that James Allen, and Ra Un Nefer Amen were able to become master spiritual teachers. As it is in the process of writing that they are able to allow their minds and spirits to become totally immersed and saturated within the subject’s frequency, energy, and so forth for thousands of hours. The inevitable result is that the things they say and express will contain the residue of all of their fortunate emersion. This is why it is now time for me to no longer just read spiritual literature, but to continue my learning by now reflecting and writing about it (elaboration) in my characteristic methodical and systematic way (I get the sense I am now on the verge of creating another new learning method again – let’s see how this plays out). In this respect, I have definitely got to carry out a book review in regard to “The Four Agreements” because it’s all about the process, and not the end product.
The spiritual journey is described simply to be like climbing a mountain. We may not be able to fly and soar (without wings), but we can always climb and crawl.
“The greatest things proceed from smallest beginnings…” such a powerful statement that is true to everything in life. Everything that I have ever done, and will forever do, will always be the accumulative results of taking a single step or laying a single brick. Raising the question, what am I doing today to give effect to this fundamental principle? My answer: (1) my continued reading of books per week… (2) carrying out trading journal post each day… (3) writing this book review concerning spiritual matters.
Wrong beginnings will be a result of the taking of some small wrong steps just like right beginnings will flow from the taking of a few little correct movements. Raising the question, what wrong small steps may have I been taking lately? And how can I take some small action to rectify or change course? My answer: increase your level of silence and solitude.
James Allen encourages us to become aware of the very thoughts that give birth to our actual first physical steps as the root or true source of our right or wrong beginnings. As everything starts with our thoughts.
The key to acquiring and remaining steeped in a peaceful state of mind is just to always think unselfishly. To be non-possessive… to just let go.
“The great man has become such by the scrupulous and unselfish attention which he has given to small duties. He has become wise and powerful by sacrificing ambition and pride in the doing of those necessary things which evoke no applause and promise no reward.” So in essence, we can only become great to the extent to which we pay attention to detail. For me, that meant purposefully ignoring what society tried to suggest that I should do (like pursue a career at the bar, and so forth) in favour of acknowledging that I was, relatively, dumb and stupid. And I was going to remain so if I did not use the majority of my time to get smarter as quickly as possible. In practice, that meant completing books each week at the expense of losing earnings, and with no short-term gains, or recognition.
James Allen reveals that a person who pays attention to detail (never rushing) will inevitably find that their duties fulfilled will lead to the performance of higher quality activities. This is because paying attention to detail causes the development of their talent, genius, goodness, and character. And the growth of these characteristics will naturally result in the combination of even higher and higher responsibilities.
I am reminded that I am completing this book review in order to achieve the following: “a man must learn how to grow little by little and day after day, by adding thought to thought, effort to effort, deed to deed.”
“The true Master is master of himself” everything else is just weakness. And achieving mastery is just a case of focusing all of our energy, intelligence, and attention on the thing that is in front of us, no matter how small. It’s about shutting all else out from our minds, detaching ourselves from all reward, only striving to do that one thing that matters. In my case that often means involgizing: loading up on information quietly and consistently day after day whilst running a timer.
“Thoroughness is genius.” I could not have put this more succinctly. Everything is about how thorough we can become with everything. In other words, how intentional can we be with everything that we do in life?
It is all about making sure that everything we focus on everyday requires these two qualities: earnestness (serious mindedness) and selflessness (for others), as this will ultimately result in all of our actions becoming pure and true.
In typical James Allen style, he makes a classic point about difficulties. He argues that for the wise person difficulties is just a useful feedback mechanism that lets them know that their existing systems are weak, and require spiritual strengthening in some way. Just like what is difficult for a child will not be troublesome for an adult, difficulties tend to call for the attainment of more knowledge and strength (problem-solving).
“Howsoever tightly a man may have bound himself round he can always unbind himself.” This powerfully reminded me that nothing happens by accident. Just like I can tightly bound myself around something or someone over time, I can just as easily start to unbind myself by moving in the opposite direction. Just like it took time to become bound, with enough time, I will inevitably become unbound also. It just a case of using patience and discipline, similar to when trading.
It does not matter what trouble we get ourselves into, we can always get back on the lost highway of simplicity that is straight and clear, and leads us to peace and wisdom.
Growing up in Tottenham taught me how to face any difficulties calmly and bravely; confront them with all the dispassion and dignity that I could muster; weigh up their proportions; analyse them; grasp their details; measure their strength; understand them; attack them, and finally outgrow them.
They are all gateways: we must pass through the tunnel of agony to get to the open space of rest… and through hallway of loneliness to get to the room of peace.
At first, and for a time, the weight of selfishness is not felt… but day after day the weight is being added too. Eventually, as the weights pile up, the accumulated burden is felt, the bitter fruits of selfishness are all brought together in one place, and the heart is now troubled with the extreme tiredness that they cause. At this point, it is time to drop everything, and turn to simple and pure life demanded by wise decisions.
“It is one of the paradoxes of Truth that we gain by giving up.”
When selfishness is “… offered up on the altar of unselfishness, then is realised and enjoyed the blessedness of a strong, quiet, and peaceful mind.” So, it goes hand in hand. If we want to experience the strongest, quietest, and most peaceful mind then, in turn, we have to hand over our deepest wants and desires. The reason, therefore, that I was able to experience having a strong, quiet, and peaceful mind was because I had given up a lot of my previous passions and wishes (seeing myself in the past as being very monk like).
The story of the two wolves, the one we feed becomes the strongest. Hence the reason why I am dedicating several hours to completing this book review to enable my mind to digest the highest quality spiritual knowledge.
The giving up of self-assertion. In other words, deciding to not interfere in the lives, views, or religion of others in the name of love and inner-standing. Reminds me of my position in the respect that I really do not care what another person chooses to do or believe in. It is entirely up to them. I feel obligated, however, to reveal as best as I can that there may be an alternative. But even then, if they really do not want one, it is neither here nor there. I am going to do my thing regardless and so I really do not expect others to do anything different.
“The person who lacks consciousness is the child; the person with the higher levels of consciousness is the grown man. He who separates himself from those who lack consciousness, regarding them as wicked men to be avoided, is like a man avoiding contact with little children because they are unwise, disobedient, and play with toys.”
“The flowers of love and wisdom must have time to grow.” Essentially, we must give ourselves and others time in order to make any transition that we seek.
“The righteous man does not need your sympathy, but the unrighteous; he who, by his wrong-doing, is laying up for himself long periods of suffering and woe is in need of it.” This sentence reminded me how a wise person will always be miles or 10 steps ahead of anyone who lacks a high level of spiritual consciousness. It just the nature of things. Developing spiritual understanding is another way of just being able to see all the chess moves of our lives playing out in real time, way in advance. Therefore, not building our spiritual inner-standing (Genius) in the short-term is one of the worse things we can do in our lives.
“… rejoicing with all those who are more successful than we are.” The importance of being so focused on our process and journey in life that we simply do not have time for envy and jealousy. In fact, if we feel any of those feelings in any shape or form then that is a brilliant sign that we need to improve our alignment in some way, and should immediately get busy reprogramming our minds in a certain direction.
A clear sign that there is no hatred in my heart for others may be the fact that I have been able to build something (IVG) whilst experiencing peace and joy. This is because as James Allen points out… birds cannot build and sing in a burning bush, suggesting that we require the mindset of forgiveness in order to truly tap into our creative power. Nonetheless, I would argue the importance of fluctuating consistently between subjects matters (some containing hateful feelings) to get the best of all worlds.
“… for he who hurts none fears none.” I feel this phrase reveals the very essence of why people of African descent may be so hated and feared by other groups. It is almost like these other groups know deep down that historically, and currently, they are hurting Africans or black people, and so now fear karma or some form of retribution.
“Thus hatred ceases by not-hatred by forgiveness” makes me immediately think of Nelson Mandela. But don’t get it twisted. We are not talking about hating wrong-doers, instead, we are talking about protection: making sure oppressors can never get back in a position to damage us if they decide to resume any form of hating.
Re-acknowledged that I will never be in a position to fully judge another person, because there is highly likely to always be ample spiritual things for me to focus on improving concerning myself. It is for this reason that I will never have to concern myself with whether others adopt my way of thinking or believe that how I approach things in life will always been the best method for everybody. My first message will always be… “do you”… “just set out to become the best version of you that you can be, whatever that may entail.” But even then, likewise, feel free to completely ignore anything I say.
“When Self is abandoned then Imperishable Joy can take hold.” This is one of the reasons why I stopped watching my Mind Movie everyday. I felt that it was making me focus on Self because it contained images of me doing various things in the past. On the one hand, I do not want to forget who I am and what I have experienced in my life (my story) so that I do not take anything for granted. While, on the other hand, I do not want to remember the past so well, or be so focused on the future, that I am not grounded and immersed in the present. With this knowledge, I guess it would make sense to create a Mind Movie that only contains the things that I have got to do today. The same things that will eventually take me to the future I envisioned anyway. This means that maybe my Mind Movie should just contain images of my trading activities or anything else that relates to my daily processes: hmm? I will think more about this in order to determine my next course of action.
The key to the deepest and sweetest joy is to increase the way, and the extent to which we serve others. It is this simple. For me that means I have to continue to do everything in my power to assist everybody that I come into contact with regardless.
“The greatest men teach us most effectively when they are purposely silent.” In other words, actions will always speak louder than words. For me, this makes me think of Involgize Capital. I have chosen to be purposely silent about it (keep it off social media and not mention it to others) in order to be happy building it in the dark. This allows me to stay fully emersed within my learning process without any distracting thoughts or energy. It also prevents me causing others to experience cognitive overload, as I can avoid having to explain why and how I am creating it as a continuation of Involgize’s intelligence formula. This is also the reason why I have stuck to posting book after book on my instagram profile: marketing the accumulation of intelligence in real time because talk is cheap.
“Living in comparative obscurity and silence, not courting the ear of men, and never going out to teach.” This raises the question for me, how do I ensure that I continue to be relatively unknown and silent, and never going out to teach others? (1) Continue to not carry out any mainstream school programme? (2) Continue to just keep your head down and keep yourself to yourself? (3) Continue to not tell anybody what I do? (4) Continue to create online tools and systems that allow me to spread the influence remotely? (5) Continue to be restrictive about when and who I meet in person?
“By curbing his tongue a man gains possession of his mind, and to have complete possession of one’s mind is to be a Master of Silence.” I feel like this sentence captures exactly what I have been looking for in the last few days or so. I have been looking to sense the complete possession of my mind in the knowledge that spending solitary time every morning is key to achieving this feeling. As for being a “Master of Silence,” there is levels to the game! So, if this is what it is going to take to gain full possession of my mind, then I have got work to do (hence the writing of this book review).
Instagram, and other forms of social media, cause people to lose the energy they need to find and focus on their ‘One Thing,’ as they get sucked into self-glorification. There is simply no upside to self-glorification as it decreases the time available to, actually, build things of the highest value. And it is only when a comparison is made with a non or clever user of social media, after a substantial period has passed, will its true devastating cost be apparent. This is another reason why the wise choose to speak with their actions instead of using words I guess. I have got to make sure that I do not fall into this trap, or climb my way out, if I have already.
Real talk: “the most powerful disintegrating forces make no noise.” Definitely something I feel inspired to emulate in my life.
The Art of War: “when attacked remain silent: in this way you will conquer yourself, and will, without the use of words, teach others.
Conserving your mental energy is similar to how we should conserve our physical energy. In fact, conserving our mental energy is also how we save our physical energy. This would suggest that those who look younger than their biological age have been far more successful maintaining their mental energy than the average person.
All pain and sorrow are just feedback or signs of spiritual starvation. Increase your spiritual in-take and the pain and sorrow shrink, then evaporate. The “spirit must be regularly nourished in solitude on pure and holy thoughts or it will lose its freshness and strength.” Moreover, our spirit cannot be found as it is always there. What actually happens is that it gets drowned out by our senses and sexual desires. So solitary time with purified thoughts, in time, removes distractions enabling our spirit to shine.
In the name of self-conquest or mastering-self, we have to withdraw into solitude in order to grapple with our lower nature.
Solitude is like the hidden and unseen foundation of a building. Without it we will not be able to stand or properly function. The reverse is true: those who are functioning at the highest level will have a lot of unseen solitary time behind them.
James Allen continues to make reference to the cultivation of true Genius being an inevitable by-product of spiritual development, going within instead of focusing on the outside. This makes me conclude that being in Los Angeles heightens my Genius because I purposely cultivate my solitude, in gratitude, when I am out there. “And so with all genius: it is the child of solitude.”
James Allen is very critical towards those who just read but do not build their spiritual consciousness by utilising solitude and silence to go within. From an Involgize perspective, the point he makes is immaterial because we encourage people to do both together. To use spiritually orientated books as a means, or device, to spend increased time alone in silence and solitude. In fact, I am now experimenting with the method to include the writing of spiritually orientated book reviews to heightened and strengthen our spiritual development.
This text is inspiring me to set out to become a “Master of Creative Thought.” As a result, I just re-visited Ra Un Nefer Amen’s website (Kamitic Legacy) as I believe his work (books) will be key to achieving this type of development easily. It does seem to be all about, really, leveraging the work of those who have come before us for sure.
We will not be able to obtain the necessary spiritual power until we have spent many years frequently being alone in solitude. However, whatever power we gain, we will find that we are able to maintain it under the most trying circumstances. This means, essentially, that every Involgizer will have to go through a period of solitude for many years. The only difference would be that an offline and online Involgize community could encourage them to start and stay on their solitary course. And they will have the reassurance that, at any point, they could obtain the companionship of others (who totally understand what they going through) to re-charge.
It may be important to ensure that an Involgizer reads a book review like this to be aware in advance that they are likely to require a period of solitude for many years in order to continue their overall genius-development.
Make sure that without fail you continue to spend a good portion of everyday in silence and solitude (ideally a 3 hour strategic block at the least). Because to become great, we must become solitary. The Way to all knowledge, all wisdom, all truth, all power lies through soundless solitudes and the unexplored silences of man’s being. And the Way is for ever open.
Involgize should never stray from teaching others… “to have a mind of their own… how to clarify their mind… how to have a judgment… how to use and improve their judgment… to use their will… how to employ and strengthen their will… to use their knowledge… how to increase their knowledge… that there is a light within their soul… how to watch their soul… tend their soul… encourage their soul… shield their soul from the winds of passion… and help their soul to burn with a steadier and ever steadier radiance… to leave the world and come back to themselves… to think as a divine being, act as a divine being, live as a divine being… to be rich in themselves… to be complete in themselves… find the abiding centre within themselves and obey it.
This text forewarns that if at any point others start to censure Involgize information in any shape or form, ignore them completely. Because Involgize should be all about the truth, and this alone is all that is necessary to validate and continue the body of work. So do not ask yourself if your content will please others but, rather, ask yourself is your content conveying the deepest truths. If it is, it will survive on its own merit. But, if it is not, it will die of itself anyhow. This makes me think that, in time, Involgize may become timeless because it is all about the revealing the never-ending truth of real human potential (as captured in Noah’s video – 95 books in 2 years from 14 to 16 years old).
A life of peace “… leads to highly concentrated activity, to the full employment of power, and to a life so rich, so glorious, and so abundantly blessed as to be incomprehensible to those who hunger for pleasures and possessions.” It seems like this is the type of life that I may be heading towards, today, if I successfully continue to practice being silent and alone. It is intriguing how simple it is to live a powerful life (peace), and it now makes more sense (to me) how Ra Un Nefer Amen was able to write the “Metu Neter Volumes” and “The 11 Laws of God.”
I sincerely did my best (The Four Agreements) throughout my 20’s to control my selfish desires. Because I knew, at the time, that if I failed to do so, then I most likely would never be able to achieve self-mastery. And failing to achieve self-mastery would further mean that I would never come up with something that may solve the problems that the demographic faces across the world. I knew, however, that the reverse was also true. If I could achieve a high level of self-mastery, then this would probably be the key to knowing how to change everything for the collective, as my very existence could act as a small sample of the larger population. This lead me to spend the majority of my time alone so that I could really experiment on myself and go within. This text has now revealed to me, in depth, the precise process of transformation that I went through. With gratitude, I better acknowledge how important it is that I am now extremely careful about the way I treat anybody that I come into contact with.
Using the analogy of a climbing a mountain, James Allen makes the vital point that spiritual development requires hard-work. There is no way around it. If we make the necessary sacrifices in order to stay focused and continue our climb, then eventually we will get to the spiritual summit with all the benefits that result from reaching it. Right now for me that means that if I do not carry out the hard-work of completing these spiritually orientated book reviews, then my spiritual development will not increase.

Key Strategic Sentences and Paragraphs from ‘Byways to Blessedness (1904)’

“Along the great highway of life there are such resting places; away from the heat of passion and the dust of disappointment, under the cool and refreshing shade of lowly wisdom, are the humble, unimposing “rest-houses” of peace, and the little, almost unnoticed, byways of blessedness, where alone the weary and footsore can find strength and healing (p. 90).”

“But he who will step aside from the passionate press, and will deign to notice and to enter the byways which are here presented, his dusty feet shall press the incomparable flowers of blessedness, his eyes be gladdened with their beauty, and his mind refreshed (p. 90).”

1 Right Beginnings

We have not wings, we cannot soar; But we have feet to scale and climb” (p. 91).”

“Consider, also, how in the spiritual world the greatest things proceed from smallest beginnings (p. 91).”

“There are right beginnings and wrong beginnings, which are followed by effects of a like nature. You can, by careful thought, avoid wrong beginnings and make right beginnings, and so escape evil results and enjoy good results (p. 91).”

“What answer can you give your heart to these important questions? You will find that much happiness or unhappiness follows upon the right or wrong beginning of the day, and that, when every day is wisely begun, happy and harmonious sequences will mark its course, and life in its totality will not fall far short of the ideal blessedness (p. 91).”

“But not only mechanical and commercial enterprise – all undertakings, of whatsoever nature, come under this law. The author’s book, the artist’s picture, the orator’s speech, the reformer’s work, the inventor’s machine, the general’s campaign, are all carefully planned in the mind before the attempt to actualise them is commenced; and in accordance with the unity, solidarity, and perfection of the original mental plan will be the actual and ultimate success of the undertaking (p. 92).”

“Hateful, angry, envious, covetous, and impure thoughts are wrong beginnings, which lead to painful results (p. 83).”

“None but right acts can follow right thoughts; none but a right life can follow right acts – and by living a right life all blessedness is achieved (p. 93).”

2 Small Tasks and Duties

“Not only great happiness but great power arises from doing little things unselfishly, wisely, and perfectly, for life in its totality is made up of little things (p. 93).”

“Everything in the universe is made up of little things, and the perfection of the great is based upon the perfection of the small. If any detail of the universe were imperfect the Whole would be imperfect (p. 93).”

“Without a grain of dust there could be no world, and the world is perfect because the grain of dust is perfect (p. 93).”

“By laying stone upon stone, plumbing and fitting each with perfect adjustment, the temple at last stands forth in all its architectural beauty. The small precedes the great. The small is not merely the apologetic attendant of the great, it is its master and informing genius (p. 93).”

“The great man has become such by the scrupulous and unselfish attention which he has given to small duties. He has become wise and powerful by sacrificing ambition and pride in the doing of those necessary things which evoke no applause and promise no reward (p. 94).”

“The great man knows the vast value that inheres in moments, words, greetings, meals, apparel, correspondence, rest, work, detached efforts, fleeting obligations, in the thousand-and-one little things which press upon him for attention – briefly, in the common details of life (p. 94).”

“He neglects nothing; does not hurry; seeks to escape nothing but error and folly; attends to every duty as it is presented to him, and does not postpone and regret. By giving himself unreservedly to his nearest duty, forgetting alike pleasure and pain, he attains to that combined childlike simplicity and unconscious power which is greatness (p. 94).”

“The giving of one’s entire and unselfish attention to every duty in its proper place evolves, by a natural growth, higher and ever higher combinations of duties, because it evolves power and develops talent, genius, goodness, character (p. 94).”

“All unnatural forcing and straining in order to gain “power” should be abandoned (p. 94).”

“A man must learn how to grow little by little and day after day, by adding thought to thought, effort to effort, deed to deed (p. 94).”

“True will-power consists in overcoming the irritabilities, follies, rash impulses and moral lapses which accompany the daily life of the individual, and which are apt to manifest themselves on every slight provocation; and in developing calmness, self-possession, and dispassionate action in the press and heat of worldly duties, and in the midst of the passionate and unbalanced throng (p. 94).”

“The true Master is master of himself; anything other than this is not mastery but delusion. The man who sets his whole mind on the doing of each task as it is presented, who puts into it energy and intelligence, shutting all else out from his mind, and striving to do that one thing, no matter how small, completely and perfectly, detaching himself from all reward in his task – that man will every day be acquiring greater command over his mind, and will, by ever-u ascending degrees, become at last a man of power – a Master (p. 94).”

“The great man, the wise man does small things greatly regarding nothing as “trivial” that is necessary. The weak man, the foolish man, does small things carelessly, and meanly, hankering the while after, some greater work for which, in his neglect and inability in small matters, he is ceaselessly advertising his incapacity (p. 95).”

“The wise man, or he who is becoming wise, sees the danger which lurks in those common personal faults which men mostly commit thoughtlessly and with impunity; he also sees the salvation which inheres in the abandonment of those faults, as well as in the practice of virtuous thoughts and acts which the majority disregard as unimportant, and in those quiet but momentous daily conquests over self which are hidden from other’s eyes so he watches, guards, purifies, and perfects himself little by little and step by step (p. 95).”

“Thoroughness is genius (p. 96).”

“Do not long to do great and laudable things; these will do themselves if you do your present task nobly. Do not chafe at the restrictions and limitations of your present duty but be nobly unselfish in the doing of it, putting aside discontent, listlessness, and the foolish contemplation of great deeds which lie beyond you – and lo! (p. 96).”

“See that your every fleeting moment is strong, pure, and purposeful; put earnestness and unselfishness into every passing task and duty; make your every thought, word, and deed sweet and true; thus learning, by practice and experience, the inestimable value of the small things of life, you will gather, little by little, abundant and enduring blessedness (p. 96).”

3 Transcending Difficulties and Perplexities

“… the curses of the foolish are the blessings of the wise. Difficulties arise in ignorance and weakness, and they call for the attainment of knowledge and the acquisition of the strength (p. 96).”

“That which is difficult to a child presents no difficulty to the matured mind of the man; and that which to the mind of an unintelligent man is surrounded with perplexity would afford no ground for perplexity to an intelligent man (p. 96).”

“No situation can be difficult of itself; it is the lack of insight into its intricacies, and the want of wisdom in dealing with it, which give rise to the difficulty (p. 97).”

“Howsoever tightly a man may have bound himself round he can always unbind himself (p. 97).”

“Into whatsoever morasses of trouble and trackless wastes of perplexity he may have ignorantly wandered he can always find his way out again, can always recover the lost highway of uninvolved simplicity which leads, straight and clear, to the sunny city of wise and blessed action (p. 97).”

“But he will never do this by sitting down and weeping in despair, nor by complaining and worrying and aimlessly wishing he were differently situated. His dilemma calls for alertness, logical thought, and calm calculation. His position requires that he shall strongly command himself; that he shall think and search, and rouse himself to strenuous and unremitting exertion in order to regain himself (p. 97).”

“… riper judgement and clearer wisdom would have enabled him to take an altogether different and truer course. Having proceeded thus far, and extracted from his past conduct this priceless grain of golden wisdom, his difficulty will already have assumed less impregnable proportions, and he will then be able to bring to bear upon it the searchlight of dispassionate thought, to thoroughly anatomize it, to comprehend it in all its details, and to perceive the relation which those details bear to the motive source of action and conduct within himself. This being done, the difficulty will have ceased, for the straight way out of it will plainly appear, and the man will thus have learned, for all time, his lesson; will have gained an item of wisdom and a measure of blessedness of which he can never again be deprived (p. 97).”

“Do not regard your difficulties and perplexities as portentous of ill; by so doing you will make them ill; but regard them as prophetic of good, which, indeed, they are. Do not persuade yourself that you can evade them; you cannot. Do not try to run away from them; this is impossible, for wherever you go they will still be there with you – but meet them calmly and bravely; confront them with all the dispassion and dignity which you can command; weigh up their proportions; analyse them; grasp their details; measure their strength; understand them; attack them, and finally vanquish them (p. 98).”

4 Burden-Dropping

“I will give my cheerful, unselfish, and undivided attention to the doing of all those things which enter into my compact with life, and, though I walk under colossal responsibilities, I shall be unconscious of any troublesome weight or grievous burden (p. 99).”

“Eliminate passion, folly and selfishness from your mind and conduct and you will eliminate suffering from your life (p. 99).”

“When love of pleasure is to the fore, heaviness and anguish compose the rear. You are free to choose. Even if you are bound by passion, and feel helpless, you have bound yourself, and are not helpless. Where you have bound you can unbind. You have come to your present state by degrees, and you can recover yourself by degrees, can reinstate reason and dethrone passion (p. 99).”

“Responsibilities lose their weight when carried lovingly and wisely (p. 99).”

“How unbearably labourious her work would become! How every little domestic duty would hang like a millstone about her neck, dragging her down to the grave which, unless she altered her state of mind, she would quickly reach, killed by – selfishness! (p. 100).”

“Self-love knows no joyful labour (p. 100).”

“If I had not burdened myself with a wife and family I could have done a great work; and had I known years ago what I know now I would never have married.” I know that that man has not yet found the commonest and broadest way of wisdom (for there is no greater folly than regret), and that he is incapable of the great work which he is so ambitious to perform (p. 100).”

“While he pities himself and confounds suffering with holiness he will remain in suffering: but when, casting off the last unholy rag of self-pity, he perceives that suffering is a means and not an end, that it is a state self-originated and self-propagated, then, converted and right-minded, he will rapidly pass through the outer courts, and reach the inner abode of peace (p. 100).”

“It is true therefore, that we must pass through agony to rest, through loneliness to peace; but let the sufferer not forget that it is a “passing through;” that the agony is a gateway and not a habitation; that the loneliness is a pathway and not a destination; and that a little farther on he will come to the painless and blissful repose (p. 100).”

“At first, and for a time, the weight is not felt; but it is being added to day after day, and the time comes when the accumulated burden is felt in all its galling weight, when the bitter fruits of selfishness are gathered, and the heart is troubled with the weariness of life. When this period arrives let the sufferer look to himself; let him search for the blessed way of burden-dropping, finding which he will find wisdom to live better, purity to live sweeter, love to live nobler; will find, in the reversal of that conduct by which his burdens were accumulated, light-hearted nights and days, cheerful action, and unclouded joy (p. 101).”

5 Hidden Sacrifices

“It is one of the paradoxes of Truth that we gain by giving up; we lose by greedily grasping. Every gain in virtue necessitates some loss in vice; every accession of holiness means some selfish pleasure yielded up; and every forward step on the path of Truth demands the forfeit of some self-assertive error (p. 101).”

“No man loses by the sacrifice of self, or some portion of self; nevertheless, he thinks he will lose by so doing, and because he so thinks he suffers and this is where the sacrifice comes in – this is where he gains by losing (p. 102).”

“Offer up all unkindness, all anger. “It takes two to make a quarrel;” don’t be the “other one.” If one is angry or unkind to you try to find out where you have acted wrongly; and, whether you have acted wrongly or not, do not throw back the angry word or unkind act. Remain silent, self-contained, and kindly disposed; and learn, by continual effort in right-doing, to have compassion upon the wrongdoer (p. 102).”

“When impatience and irritability are entirely put away, are finally offered up on the altar of unselfishness, then is realised and enjoyed the blessedness of a strong, quiet, and peaceful mind (p. 102).”

“The pandering to the animal nature, even when it appears innocent and seems sweet, leads away from truth and blessedness. Each time you give way to the animal within you, and feed and gratify him, he waxes stronger and more rebellious, and takes firmer possession of your mind, which should be in the keeping of Truth (p. 103).”

“Sacrifice your cherished and coveted indulgence; fix your mind on something higher, nobler, and more enduring than ephemeral pleasure; live superior to the craving for sense-excitement, and you will live neither vainly nor uncertainly (p. 103).”

“Very far-reaching in its effect upon others, and rich with the revelations of Truth for him who makes it, is the sacrifice of self-assertion – the giving up of all interference with the lives, views, or religion of other people, substituting for it an understanding love and sympathy (p. 103).”

“He who sacrifices the spirit of self-assertion, who in his daily contact with others put aside his prejudices and opinions, and strives both to learn from others and to understand them as they are, who allows to others perfect liberty (such as he exercises himself) to choose their own opinions, their own way in life – such a man will acquire a deeper insight, a broader charity, and a richer bliss than he has hitherto experienced, and will strike a byway of blessedness from which he has formerly shut out (p. 103).”

“Whatever others may say of you, whatever they may do to you, never take offence. Do not return hatred with hatred (p. 104).”

“They will not know what silent battles you are fighting, what eternal victories over self you are achieving, but, they will feel your altered attitude, your new mind, wrought of the fabric of love and loving thoughts, and will share somewhat in its happiness and bliss (p. 104).”

“He who each day accomplishes some victory over himself, who subdues and puts behind him some unkind thought, some impure desire, some tendency to sin, is everyday growing stronger, purer, and wiser, and every dawn finds him nearer to that final glory of Truth which each self-sacrificing act reveals in part (p. 104).”

6 Sympathy

“for egotism and sympathy cannot dwell together (p. 105).”

“The sinner is the child; the saint is the grown man. He who separates himself from sinners, regarding them as wicked men to be avoided, is like a man avoiding contact with little children because they are unwise, disobedient, and play with toys (p. 105).”

“When a man comes to understand that every sin, whether of thought or deed, receives its just quota of suffering he ceases to condemn and begins to sympathise, seeing the sufferings which sin entails; and he comes to such understanding by purifying himself (p. 106).”

“He also sees that though this growth can be encouraged, helped, and stimulated by the influence of a riper example, by seasonable words and well-timed instruction, it cannot be unnaturally forced; the flowers of love and wisdom must have time to grow, and the barren branches of hatred and folly cannot be all cut away at once (p. 106).”

“The righteous man does not need your sympathy, but the unrighteous; he who, by his wrong-doing, is laying up for himself long periods of suffering and woe is in need of it (p. 107).”

“The truly good and wise man condemns none, having put away all blind passion and selfishness he lives in the calm regions of love and peace, and understands all modes of sin, with their consequent sufferings and sorrows. Enlightened and awakened, freed from all selfish bias, and seeing men as they are, his heart responds in holy sympathy with all. Should any condemn, abuse, or slander him he throws around them the kindly protection of his sympathy, seeing the ignorance which prompts them so to act, and knowing that they alone will suffer for their wrong acts (p. 107).”

“Another form of sympathy is that of rejoicing with those who are more successful than ourselves, as though their success were our own. Blessed indeed is he who is free from all envy and malice, and can rejoice and be glad when he hears of the good fortune of those who regard him as an enemy (p. 107).”

“He kept the mouse in an old boot in his cell, fed, tended, and loved it, and in his love for the weak and helpless he forgot and lost his hatred for the strong (p. 108).”

7 Forgiveness

“Do birds resort to a burning bush wherein to build and sing? Neither can happiness inhabit in that breast that is aflame with burning thoughts of resentment. Nor can wisdom come and dwell where such folly resides (p. 108).”

“The unforgiving and resentful spirit is a source of great suffering and sorrow, and he who harbours and encourages it, who does not overcome and abandon it, forfeits much blessedness, and does not obtain any measure of true enlightenment. To be hard-hearted is to suffer, is to be deprived of light and comfort; to be tender-hearted is to be serenely glad, is to receive light and be well comforted (p. 108).”

“… the abandonment of the deeply-rooted idea of the importance of one-self and of the necessity for protecting and defending that self (p. 109).”

“Don’t take offence or allow your feelings to be hurt, which means – get rid of pride and vanity (p. 109).”

“He will also be free from all fear concerning the actions of others towards him, for he who hurts none fears none (p. 109).”

“And there and then did Brahmadatta and Dirghayu grant each other life, took hands, and solemnly vowed never to harm each other. And so overcome was the king by the noble and forgiving spirit of Dirghayu that he gave him his daughter in marriage, and restored to him his father’s kingdom (p. 110).”

“Nah bro lol forgive but don’t forget… its not about revenge … or having a revengeful spirit… but I guess I would say there is justice and divine law … the story should perhaps end with the prince still doing nothing because he knew that divine laws will deal with the king, which would suggest that there is still justice. In this story, the fact that the king suffered turmoil throughout the years does not appear to be an equitable ending for the lives that he took and destroyed. Rather, the ending should have been that after restoring the prince’s fathers kingdom, he then completely lost his as a true warning to others that defying divine laws is pointless (p. 110).”

“Thus hatred ceases by not-hatred by forgiveness (p. 110).”

8 Seeing No Evil

“… heart he sees that it is a thing that does not call for hatred and fear and resentment but for consideration, compassion, and love (p. 111).”

“The truly wise and good man sees good in all, evil in none. He has abandoned the folly of wanting others to think and act as he thinks and acts, for he sees men are variously constituted, are at different points in their spiritual evolution, and must, of necessity, think and act differently. Having put away hatred, condemnation, egotism, and prejudice he has become enlightened, and sees that purity, love compassion, gentleness, patience, humility, and unselfishness are manifestations of light and knowledge; while impurity, hatred, cruelty, passion, darkness and ignorance; and that whether men are living in light or darkness they are one and all doing that which they think is necessary, are acting in accordance with their own measure of light or darkness (p. 112).”

“Am I so pure and sinless that I arraign men and pass the judgment of evil upon them? Rather let me humble myself, and correct mine own errors, before assuming the position of supreme judge of those of other men” (p. 113).”

“Nor will the purified man, who has ceased to see evil in others, have any desire to win men to his own ways or opinions, but will rather help them in their own particular groove, knowing that an enlarged experience only, and not merely change of opinion can lead to higher knowledge and greater blessedness (p. 114).”

“D-’s individual liberty is equal to that of other men, and he has a right to hate another if he so wishes, nor will he abandon his hatred until he discovers, by the sorrow and unrest which it entails, how wrong and foolish and blind it is, and how, by its practice, he is injuring himself (p. 115).”

9 Abiding Joy

“But when sin and self are abandoned, when the clinging to things for personal pleasure is put away, then the shadows of grief disappear, and the heart is restored to its Imperishable Joy (p. 116).”

“So, with human life; at first the blind groping for the light in the dark soil of selfishness and ignorance; then the coming into the light, and the gradual overcoming of selfishness (p. 116).”

“Seek the highest Good, and as you find it, as you practise it and realise it, you will taste the deepest, sweetest joy. As you succeed in forgetting your own selfish desires in your thoughtfulness for others, in your care for others, in your service for others, just so far and no further will you find and realise the abiding joy in life (p. 117).”

10 Silentness

“In the words of a wise man there is great power, but his silence is more powerful still. The greatest men teach us most effectively when they are purposely silent (p. 117).”

“Lao-Tze, in his own life, exemplified his teaching that the wise man “teaches without words” (p. 118).”

“Living in comparative obscurity and silence, not courting the ear of men, and never going out to teach, men sought him out and learned of him wisdom (p. 118).”

“The silent acts of the Great Ones are beacons to the wise, illuminating their pathway with no uncertain radiance, for he would attain to virtue and wisdom must learn, not only when to speak and what to say, but also when to remain silent and what not to say (p. 118).”

“By curbing his tongue a man gains possession of his mind, and to have complete possession of one’s mind is to be a Master of Silence (p. 118).”

“The boaster fails; his mind is diverted from the main purpose; and his energies are frittered away upon self-glorification. His forces are divided between his task and the reward to himself, the greater portion going to feed the lust of reward. He is like an unskilful general who loses the battle through dividing his forces instead of concentrating them upon a point (p. 118).”

“The modest, silent, earnest man succeeds: freed from vanity, and avoiding the dissipation of self-glorification, all his powers are concentrated upon the successful performance of his task (p. 118).”

“The noisy and boasting Charles will ever be thrown by the quiet and modest Orlando (p. 118).”

“Success, worldly or spiritual, is the willing servant of strong, steady, silent, unflinching purpose (p. 118).”

“The most powerful disintegrating forces make no noise. The greatly-overcoming mind works silently (p. 118).”

“If you would be strong, useful, and self-reliant learn the value and power of silentness. Do not talk about yourself. The world instinctively knows that the vain talker is weak and empty, and so it leaves him to his own vanity. Do not talk about what you are going to do but do it, and let your finished work speak for itself. Do not waste your forces in criticising and disparaging the work of others but set about to do your own work thoroughly and well (p. 118).”

“When attacked remain silent: in this way you will conquer yourself, and will, without the use of words, teach others (p. 119).”

“While passions, temptations, and sorrows disturb, the holier, profounder depths of silence are yet to be sounded. To smart under the words and actions of others means that you are yet weak, uncontrolled, unpurified. So rid your heart of the disturbing influences of vanity and pride and selfishness that no petty spite can reach you, no slander or abuse disturb your serene repose (p. 119).”

“There is no commoner error amongst men than that of supposing that nothing can be accomplished without much talking and much noise (p. 119).”

“He who conserves his mental forces also conserves his physical forces (p. 119).”

“The strongly quiet, calm man lives to a greater age, and in the possession of better health than the hurrying, noisy man (p. 119).”

“Quiet, subdued mental harmony is conducive to physical harmony – health (p. 119).”

“As he succeeds in living to a purpose and not to the pleasures of self he withdraws himself from the outer discords of the world and reaches to the inward music of peace. Then when he speaks there is purpose and power behind his words, and when he maintains silence there is equal or even greater power therein. He does not utter that which is followed by pain and tears; does not do that which is productive of sorrow and remorse. But, saying and doing those things only which are ripe with thoughtfulness, his conscience is quiet, and all his days are blessed (p. 119).”

11 Solitude

“Man’s essential being is inward, invisible, spiritual, and as such it derives its life, strength, from within, not from without (p. 120).”

“It is the same with the spirit: it must be regularly nourished in solitude on pure and holy thoughts or it will lose its freshness and strength, and will at last cry out in its painful and utter starvation (p. 120).”

“All pain and sorrow is spiritual starvation, and aspiration is the cry for food (p. 120).”

“The pure life of the spirit cannot be found; but is lost, in the life of the senses. The lower desires are ever clamorous for more, and they afford no rest (p. 120).”

“Just as the body requires rest for the recuperation of its forces, so the spirit requires solitude for the renewal of its energies. Solitude is as indispensable to man’s spiritual welfare as sleep is to his bodily well-being; and pure thought, or meditation, which is evoked in solitude, is to the spirit what activity is to the body (p. 120).”

“Man, as a spiritual being, cannot be maintained in strength, uprightness, and peace except he periodically withdraw himself from the outer world of perishable things and reach inwardly towards the abiding and imperishable realities (p. 120).”

“The man who has not learned to control and purify his mind in seasons of chosen solitude, yet whose awakening aspirations grope for something higher and nobler than he yet possesses, feels the necessity for the aid of ceremonial religion; but he who has taken himself in hand with a view to self-conquest, who withdraws into solitude in order to grapple with his lower nature, and masterfully bend his mind in holy directions, requires no further aid from book or priest or Church. The Church does not exist for the pleasure of the saint but for the elevation of the sinner (p. 120).”

“As a building is preserved and sustained by virtue of the foundation which is hidden and unobserved, so a man is maintained perpetually in strength and peace by virtue of his lonely hour of intense thought which no eye beholds (p. 120).”

“But he who loves Truth, who desires and seeks wisdom, will be much alone (p. 120).”

“Drifting upon the ocean of life in search of selfish indulgences men are caught in its storms and only after many tempests and much privation do they fly to the Rock of Refuge which rests in the deep silence of their own being (p. 120).”

“While a man is absorbed in outward activities he is giving out his energies and is becoming spiritually weaker, and in order to retain his moral vigour he must resort to solitary meditation (p. 120).”

“So needful is this that he who neglects it loses or does not attain the right knowledge of life; nor does he comprehend and overcome those most deeply rooted and subtlest of sins which appear like virtues deceiving the elect, and to which all but the truly wise succumb (p. 120).”

“He, also, whose whole life, even if not one of lust for pleasure, is centered in outward works, who deals only with the changing panorama of visible things, never falling back, in solitude, upon the inner and invisible world of permanent being, such a man does not attain knowledge and wisdom, but remains empty; he cannot aid the world, cannot feed its aspirations, for he has no food to offer it, his spiritual store being empty (p. 121).”

“The difference between a genius and an ordinary man is this – the one lives in inward realities, the other in outward appearances; the one goes after pleasure, the other after wisdom; the one relies on books, the other relies upon his own being. Book-learning is good when its true place is understood, but is not the source of wisdom. The source of wisdom is in life itself, and is comprehended by effort, practice, and experience (p. 121).”

“The man who relies entirely upon books, and does not go to the silent resources within himself, is superficial, and becomes rapidly exhausted (p. 121).”

“The inspiration of genius and greatness is fostered, evolved, and finally completed in solitude. The most ordinary man who conceives a noble purpose, and, summoning all his energies and will, broods upon and ripens his purpose in solitude will accomplish his object and become a genius. The man who renounces the pleasure of the world, who avoids popularity and fame, and who works in obscurity and thinks in solitude for the accomplishment of a lofty ideal for the human race, becomes a seer and a prophet. He who silently sweetens his heart, who attunes his mind to that which is pure and beautiful and good, who in long hours of lonely contemplation strives to reach to the central an eternal heart of things, brings himself in touch with the inaudible harmonies of being, opens himself for the reception of the cosmic song, and becomes at last a singer and a poet (p. 121).”

“And so with all genius: it is the child of solitude (p. 121).”

“… a very simple-hearted child – wide-eyed and listening and beautiful, yet withal to (p. 121).”

“Even after they had attained, and had scaled the lofty heights of divine knowledge these Great Souls were much alone, and retired frequently for brief seasons of solitude (p. 122).”

“The greatest man will fall from his moral height and lose his influence if he neglects that renewal of power which can only be obtained in solitude (p. 122).”

“These Masters attained their power by consciously harmonising their thoughts and lives with the creative energies within themselves, and by transcending individuality and sinking their petty personal will in the Universal Will they became Masters of Creative Thought, and stand as the loftiest instruments for the outworking of cosmic evolution (p. 122).”

“Every poet, painter, saint, and sage is the mouth-piece of the Eternal. The perfection of the message varies with the measure of individual selflessness (p. 122).”

“In so far as self intervenes the distinctness of the work and message becomes blurred (p. 122).”

“Perfect selflessness is the acme of genius, the consummation of power (p. 122).”

“A man cannot gather together and concentrate his spiritual forces while he is engaged in spending those forces in worldly activities, and although after power is attained the balance of forces can be maintained under all circumstances, even in the midst of the antagonistic throng, such power is only secured after many years of frequent and habitual solitude (p. 122).”

“Man’s true Home is in the Great Silence – this is the source of all that is real and abiding within him; his present nature, however, is dual, and outer activities are necessary (p. 122).”

“He who does this, spending some portion of each day in sacred and purposeful solitude, will become strong and useful and blessed (p. 122).”

“Solitude is for the strong, or for those who are ready to become strong (p. 122).”

“When a man is becoming great, he becomes solitary. He goes in solitude to seek, and that which he seeks, he finds, for there is a Way to all knowledge, all wisdom, all truth, all power. And the Way is for ever open, but it lies through soundless solitudes and the unexplored silences of man’s being (p. 122).”

12 Standing Alone

“A man does not commence to truly live until he finds an immovable center within himself on which to stand, by which to regulate his life, and from which to draw his peace (p. 122).”

“As a child learns to walk in order to go about from place to place of itself strong and unaided, so should a man learn to stand alone, to judge and think and act for himself, and to choose, in the strength of his own mind, the oath-way which he shall walk (p. 123).”

“… have a mind, clarify it; you have a judgment, use and improve it; you have a will, employ and strengthen it; you have knowledge, increase it; there is a light within your soul, watch it, tend it, encourage it, shield it from the winds of passion, and help it to burn with a steadier and ever steadier radiance. Leave the world and come back to yourself. Think as a man, act as a man, live as a man. Be rich in yourself, be complete in yourself. Find the abiding center within you and obey it (p. 123).”

“But the self-reliant man stands, not upon personal pride, but on an abiding law, principle, ideal, reality within himself. Upon this he poises himself, refusing to be swept from his strong foothold either by the waves of passion within or the storms of opinion without, but should he at any time lose his balance he quickly regains himself, and is fully restored. His happiness is entirely in his own hands (p. 123).”

“Find your center of balance and succeed in standing alone, and, whatever your work in life may be, you will succeed; you will accomplish what you set your mind upon , for the truly self-reliant man is the invincible man (p. 123).”

“You can not have too much humility; the most self-reliant men are the most humble (p. 123).”

“Learn of all men, and especially of the masters of Truth, but do not lose your hold upon the truth that the ultimate guidance is in yourself. A master can say : “Here is the path,” but he can neither compel you to walk it nor walk it for you. You must put forth your own efforts, must achieve by your own strength, must make his truth your truth by your own unaided exertions; you must implicitly trust yourself (p. 123).”

“If men should censure your work, heed them not. It sufficeth that your work be true: rest you in this sufficiency (p. 123).”

“Do not ask : “Will my work please?” but : “Is it real?” If your work be true the criticism of men cannot touch it; if it be false their disapproval will not slay it quicker than it will die of itself (p. 123).”

13 Understanding the Simple Laws of Life

“Human life when rightly lived is simple with a beautiful simplicity, but it is not rightly lived while it is bound to a complexity of lusts, desires, and wants – these are not the real life but the burning fever and painful disease which originate in an unenlightened condition of mind (p. 124).”

“The curtailing of one’s desires is the beginning of wisdom; their entire mastery its consummation (p. 124).”

“Now lust, or desire, is not need, but a rebellious superfluity, and as such it leads to deprivation and misery (p. 124).”

“Reality, should not be confounded with desire: it is aspiration. Desire is the craving for possession: aspiration is the hunger of the heart for peace. The craving for things leads ever farther and farther from peace, and not only ends in deprivation but is, in itself, a state of perpetual want (p. 124).”

“The hunger for things can never be satisfied, but the hunger for peace can and the satisfaction of peace is found, is fully possessed, when all selfish desire is abandoned (p. 124).”

“Instead, it leads to highly concentrated activity, to the full employment of power, and to a life so rich, so glorious, and so abundantly blessed as to be incomprehensible to those who hunger for pleasures and possessions (p. 124).”

“When a man is rescued from selfish desire his mind is unencumbered, and he is free to work for humanity. No longer racing after those gratifications which leave him hungry still, all his powers are at his immediate command. Seeking no rewards he can concentrate all his energies upon the faultless completion of his duties, and so accomplish all things and fulfil all righteousness (p. 125).”

“The fully enlightened and fully blessed man is not prompted to action be desire but works from knowledge (p. 125).”

“The man of desire needs the promise of reward to urge him to action. He is as a child working for the possession of a toy. But the man of knowledge, living in the fulness of life and power, can at any moment bring his energies into requisition for the accomplishment of that which is necessary (p. 125).”

“The miser who clings to his money and will not give up any of it because of the pleasure which its possession affords him cannot have any of the material comforts of life. He lives in continual want and discomfort in spite of all his wealth. The man who will not give up his passions, who clings to anger, unkindness, sensuality, pride, vanity, self-indulgence, for the momentary pleasure which their gratification affords him is a spiritual miser; he cannot have any spiritual comforts, and suffers continual spiritual want and uneasiness in spite of the wealth of worldly pleasures which he fondly hugs and refuses to give up (p. 125).”

“He must curb his tongue and his impulses, not wasting his energy in idle gossip, vain argument, or excesses of temper (p. 126).”

“The man who follows his blind impulses and desires and does not control and govern his mind is a spiritual spendthrift. He can never become rich in divine things (p. 126).”

“It is a physical law that if we would reach the summit of a mountain we must climb thither. The path must be sought and then carefully followed, and the climber must not give up and go back because of the labour involved and the difficulties to be overcome, nor on account of aching climbs, otherwise his object cannot be accomplished. And this law is also spiritual. He who would reach the high altitudes of moral or intellectual grandeur must climb thither by his own efforts. He must seek out the pathway and then assiduously follow it, not giving up and turning back, but surmounting all difficulties, and enduring for a time trials, temptations, and heartaches, and at last he will stand upon the glorious summit of moral perfection, the world of passion, temptation, and sorrow beneath his feet, and the boundless heavens of dignity stretching vast and silent above his head (p. 126).”

Happy Endings

“A pleasant home is a happy ending; a successful life is a happy ending; a task well and faithfully done is a happy ending; to be surrounded by kind friends is a happy ending. A quarrel put away, grudges wiped out, unkind words confessed and forgiven, friend restored to friend – all these are happy endings (p. 127).”

“Sweet is the rest and deep the bliss of him who has freed his heart from its lusts and hatreds and dark desires (p. 127).”