1. Welcome to NoFap! We have disabled new forum accounts from being registered for the time being. In the meantime, you can join our weekly accountability groups.
    Dismiss Notice

James Allen Daily

Discussion in 'Self Improvement' started by 虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず, Dec 23, 2016.

  1. I will be sharing daily (for the most part) entries here from the works of the late New Thought author James Allen.

    Might share reflections on my own improvement efforts along the way or bring up random discussion on self-improvement topics from time to time. The daily entries shall provide a structure for the overall thread however as I feel these words are foundational for any of my own improvements; the timeless, universal wisdom these words embody that is. I already eat insanely healthy and know more than I need to about fitness and wellness for a lifetime. Time to get down and dirty with the inner improvements, in character and mind.

    Every resource is already with you and within you.

    December Twenty-Fourth.
    JUST as the strong doing of small tasks leads to greater strength, so the doing of those tasks weakly leads to greater weakness. What a man is in his fractional duties that he is in the aggregate of his character. Weakness is as great a source of suffering as sin, and there can be no true blessedness until some measure of strength of character is evolved. The weak man becomes strong by attaching value to little things and doing them accordingly. The strong man becomes weak by falling into looseness and neglect concerning small things, thereby forfeiting his simple wisdom and squandering his energy.

    There is no way to strength and wisdom but by acting strongly and wisely in the present moment.

    Twenty-Fourth Morning
    Not by learning will a man triumph over
    evil; not by much study will he overcome
    sin and sorrow. Only by conquering
    himself will he conquer evil; only by
    practising righteousness will he put an
    end to sorrow.

    Not for the clever, nor the learned, nor
    the self-confident is the Life Triumphant,
    but for the pure, the virtuous and wise.
    The former achieve their particular success
    in life, but the latter alone achieve the
    great success so invincible and complete
    that even in apparent defeat it shines with
    added victory.

    Twenty-Fourth Evening
    The true silence is not merely a silent
    tongue; it is a silent mind. To merely hold
    one’s tongue, and yet to carry about a
    disturbed and rankling mind, is no remedy
    for weakness, and no source of power.

    Silentness, to be powerful, must
    envelop the whole mind, must permeate
    every chamber of the heart; it must be
    the silence of peace.

    To this broad, deep, abiding silentness
    a man attains only in the measure that
    he conquers himself.



    [​IMG]

     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2016
    black_coyote likes this.
  2. Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
    And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
    The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
    Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—
    He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
    Environment is but his looking-glass.




    I apologize ahead of time for a lack of structure. The only seemingly coherent structure will be the daily entries. Outside those daily posts we will traverse all areas of the mind and reality with the end goal being achieving nothing short of an elevated existence.

    1. Thought and Character
    THE aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

    As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those, which are deliberately executed.

    Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

    "Thought in the mind hath made us, What we are
    By thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind
    Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
    The wheel the ox behind....

    ..If one endure
    In purity of thought, joy follows him
    As his own shadow—sure."

    Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts.

    Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.

    Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this—that man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

    As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.

    Man is always the master, even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self analysis, and experience.

    Only by much searching and mining, are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the moulder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened;" for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2016
  3. 2. Effect of Thought on Circumstances
    MAN’S mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.

    Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought-forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.

    Thought and character are one, and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. This does not mean that a man’s circumstances at any given time are an indication of his entire character, but that those circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought-element within himself that, for the time being, they are indispensable to his development.

    Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err. This is just as true of those who feel "out of harmony" with their surroundings as of those who are contented with them.

    As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn that he may grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances.

    Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.

    That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows who has for any length of time practised self-control and self-purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition. So true is this that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in his character, and makes swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly through a succession of vicissitudes.

    The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires,—and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.

    Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.

    The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors, which make for the ultimate good of the individual. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss.

    Following the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts, by which he allows himself to be dominated, (pursuing the will-o’-the-wisps of impure imaginings or steadfastly walking the highway of strong and high endeavour), a man at last arrives at their fruition and fulfilment in the outer conditions of his life. The laws of growth and adjustment everywhere obtains.

    A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations; and man, therefore, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself the shaper and author of environment. Even at birth the soul comes to its own and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage it attracts those combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are the reflections of its own purity and, impurity, its strength and weakness.

    Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step, but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food, be it foul or clean. The "divinity that shapes our ends" is in ourselves; it is our very self. Only himself manacles man: thought and action are the gaolers of Fate—they imprison, being base; they are also the angels of Freedom—they liberate, being noble. Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

    In the light of this truth, what, then, is the meaning of "fighting against circumstances?" It means that a man is continually revolting against an effect without, while all the time he is nourishing and preserving its cause in his heart. That cause may take the form of a conscious vice or an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it stubbornly retards the efforts of its possessor, and thus calls aloud for remedy.

    Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he who would realize a strong and well-poised life?

    "So You will be what you will to be;
    Let failure find its false content
    In that poor word, ’environment,’
    But spirit scorns it, and is free.

    "It masters time, it conquers space;
    It cowes that boastful trickster, Chance,
    And bids the tyrant Circumstance
    Uncrown, and fill a servant’s place.

    "The human Will, that force unseen,
    The offspring of a deathless Soul,
    Can hew a way to any goal,
    Though walls of granite intervene.

    "Be not impatient in delays
    But wait as one who understands;
    When spirit rises and commands
    The gods are ready to obey."
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2016
    The |E|volutionary likes this.
  4. Self-Improvement Update:

    I no longer listen to aggressive music. I used to be a fan of metalcore and electronic stuff, really positive lyrics actually just very intense, raw music. I have not listened to it in quite sometime until recently, paid a few record labels a visit on YouTube. Rise and Fearless Records, anyone?

    Anyways, I pretty much only listened to music working out, biking, or running. It was like a natural sort of workout booster. I find myself not wanting to do this anymore however. I think this is a critical point in my own personal growth. Music very much can be similar to a drug of sorts. It does increase neurotransmitters and has a definite physiological effect on you when you're working out to music you enjoy. But this also spends energy, if you become sensitive to energies within you, you may understand music can actually drain your energy if listened to excessively. I find myself more drained after working out while listening to intense music than while not listening to any music or perhaps listening to a podcast. I may perceive it helped me workout more intensely, which may actually not be the case at all. I think I may focus with more intensity when not listening to any music.

    I think I'm growing out of alot of music, but surely not all music. I still would like to listen to some sounds in the future but I want them to be elegant and refined. The beast inside me is dying, and I no longer wish to blast intense music in my ear drums for a rush while exercising haha.

    Will report back with how my workouts are going and if I struggle with any craving for music during them.

    On that note, enjoy this lovely Tiny Desk Concert, quite a bit different than what I was once a fan of. I hope my taste in music will become refined, sophisiticated, and elegant. Not for some pretentious reason hahaha, rather I think our choice of music is a reflection of our mental condition. The intense, almost violent mental state I once routinely dwelled in (not violent as in abusing others lol, more like harsh thoughts and strong selfish desires) is dying I feel. Where it is withering there is something new blossoming. I hope this is me starting to become a real man. A man with a flower of mindfulness and peace inside his heart.

     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2016
  5. Happy Holiday wishes! Whatever that may mean for you. I grew up celebrating Xmas but now I'm a bit wiser as to just where that came from. I'd feel more comfortable celebrating Alban Arthan to be perfectly honest but that ain't happenin. Xmas keeps the family happy hehe...

    [​IMG]

    Once upon a time,
    Alphie, the elf, confronted
    the toxic materialism
    that undermines the
    true meaning of Christmas.

    [​IMG]

    He was roundly castigated and
    cast out from his friends and
    family, never to be heard from again.

    THE END



    The year is passing, and blessed are they who can let its mistakes, its injuries, and wrongs pass away for ever, and be remembered no more.


    December Twenty-Fifth.
    THE past is dead and unalterable ; let it sink into oblivion, but extract and retain its divine lessons; let those lessons be strength to you now, and make them the starting-points of a nobler, purer, more perfect life in the coming years. Let all thoughts of hatred, resentment, strife, and ill-will die with the dying years ; erase from the tablet of your heart all malicious memories, all unholy grudges. Let the cry, " Peace on earth and good-will to men ! " which at this season re-echoes through the world from myriads of lips, be to you something more than an oft-reiterated platitude. Let its truth be practised by you ; let it dwell in your heart; and do not mar its harmony and peace by thoughts of ill-will.

    Blessed is he who has no wrongs to remember, no injuries to forget; in whose pure heart no hateful thought about another can take root and flourish.

    Twenty-Fifth Morning
    By curbing his tongue, a man gains
    possession of his mind.

    The fool babbles, gossips, argues,
    and bandies words. He glories in the fact
    that he has had the last word, and has
    silenced his opponent. He exults in his
    own folly, is ever on the defensive, and
    wastes his energies in unprofitable channels.
    He is like a gardener who continues to dig
    and plant in unproductive soil.

    The wise man avoids idle words, gossips,
    vain argument, and self-defence. He is
    content to appear defeated; rejoices when
    he is defeated; knowing that, having found
    and removed another error in himself, he
    has thereby become wiser.

    Blessed is he who does not strive for
    the last word.

    Twenty-Fifth Evening
    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. Until it comes
    to an end, rest and satisfaction are
    impossible.

    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. Then there is fullness of joy,
    abounding plenty, and rich and complete
    blessedness.
     
  6. Probably should have like put some kind of warning or disclaimer in the first post, eh, well here's a warning: James Allen did not write for the faint of heart. Surely not everyone wants to partake of insight this deep, not everyone is trying to improve in the same manner. As James said himself,

    '...I dreamed of writing books which would help men and women, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, worldly or unworldly to find within themselves the source of all success, all happiness, accomplishment, all truth. And the dream remained with me, and at last became substantial; and now I send forth these books into the world on a mission of healing and blessedness, knowing that they cannot fail to reach the homes and hearts of those who are waiting and ready to receive them.

    I write for men, not for babes; for those who are eager to learn, and earnest to achieve; for those who will put away (for the world's good) a petty personal indulgence, a selfish desire, a mean thought, and live on as though it were not, sans craving and regret.'

    1. The Heart and The Life
    AS THE HEART, SO IS THE LIFE. The within IS ceaselessly becoming the without. Nothing remains unrevealed. That which is hidden is but for a time; it ripens and comes forth at last. Seed, tree, blossom, and fruit are the fourfold order of the universe. From the state of a man’s heart proceed the conditions of his life. His thoughts blossom into deeds; and his deeds bear the fruitage of character and destiny.

    Life is ever unfolding from within, and revealing itself to the light, and thoughts engendered in the heart at last reveal themselves in words, actions, and things accomplished.

    As the fountain from the hidden spring, so flows forth a man’s life from the secret recesses of his heart. All that he is and does is generated there. All that he will be and do will take its rise there.

    Sorrow and happiness, suffering and enjoyment, fear and hope, hatred and love, ignorance and enlightenment, are nowhere but in the heart. They are solely mental conditions.

    Man is the keeper of his heart; the watcher of his mind; the solitary guard of his citadel of life. As such, he can be diligent or negligent. He can keep his heart more and more carefully. He can more strenuously watch and purify his mind; and he can guard against the thinking of unrighteous thoughts—this is the way of enlightenment and bliss.

    On the other hand, he can live loosely and carelessly, neglecting the supreme task of rightfully ordering his life—this is the way of self-delusion and suffering.

    Let a man realize that life in its totality proceeds from the mind, and lo, the way of blessedness is opened up to him! For he will then discover that he possesses the power to rule his mind, and to fashion it in accordance with his Ideal. So will he elect to strongly and steadfastly walk those pathways of thought and action which are altogether excellent. To him, life will become beautiful and sacred; and sooner or later, he will put to flight all evil, confusion, and suffering. For it is impossible for a man to fall short of liberation, enlightenment, and peace, who guards with unwearying diligence the gateway of his heart.
     
  7. I sought the world, but Peace was not there;
    I courted learning, but Truth was not revealed;
    I sojourned with philosophy, but my heart was sore with vanity.
    And I cried, Where is Peace to be found!
    And where is the hiding place of truth!

    ~ Filius Lucis

    "Strong is the soul, and wise and beautiful;
    The seeds of God-like power are in us still;
    Gods are we, bards, saints, heroes, if we will."

    Know this: — thou makest and unmakest thyself; thou standest and fallest by what thou art. Thou art a slave if thou preferrest to be; thou art a master if thou wilt make thyself one. Build upon thy animal desires and intellectual opinions, and thou buildest upon the sand; build upon Virtue and Holiness, and no wind nor tide shall shake thy strong abode. So shall the Unfailing Wisdom uphold thee in every emergency, and the Everlasting Arms gather thee to thy peace.

    "Lay up each year Thy harvest of well-doing, wealth that kings
    Nor thieves can take away. When all the things
    Thou callest thine, goods, pleasures, honours fall,
    Thou in thy virtue shalt survive them all."
     
    black_coyote likes this.
  8. Perhaps the biggest mistake I ever made in my own recovery was blaming factors outside myself for having this issue. Viewing this issue as something that was an external power that rendered me helpless, and seeing myself as a victim rather than what I had truly chose to become, a weak slave to my own biological impulses and lusty desires. Not taking personal accountability for my own thoughts and actions.



    I've been given more support than I could have ever wished for. I know enough about addiction (any addiction) to understand there really is no such thing as addiction. And I completely understand now a person will quit not when they receive the right amount of help, gain a certain amount of knowledge, and although therapy and recovery knowledge can be valuable, they will only quit when they make the personal choice to no longer be a weak slave.
     
  9. Sometimes James' words are incredibly lofty and daunting. That's only so because of being attached to the world and its pleasures.

    I don't expect to renounce the world or become some enlightened being today, tomorrow, or even in a couple years. I don't expect to stop seeking pleasures entirely, however what must stop right now is my attachment to self-destructive pleasures, improper sex and taking of intoxicants. To engage in these would be to turn my back on all self-improvement efforts. Where as say I watch a little too much television or drink too much caffeine, well oops I should think about why I did that but it's not going to make me lose all my progress in walking this path of self-improvement as fapping or drinking alcohol would inevitably cause to happen.

    I had a successful visit with the parents. Usually Xmas is a highly vulnerable time for me, going over to see my parents tends to result in pill popping or wine drinking, thankfully none of that happened. I knew when it was time to leave and I didn't try to meander off into the dark maze of getting inebriated. I feel much happier compared to last Xmas where I undoubtedly gratified myself with wine and fapping, leading me to a miserable state of mind. I suppose only people who have tasted hellfire levels of regret from their journey into byways of indulgences can ever truly appreciate the joy of total renunciation. I'm ecstatic to be able to sit clear minded and meditate now, having not succumbed to indulgence which would have blinded me for the rest of the day and who knows when I would have been able to see clearly again once the relapse somehow grinded to an ugly halt.

    "There are happy endings which belong solely to the material world; these are transient, and they pass away. These are happy endings which belong to the spiritual world; these are eternal, and they do not pass away. Sweet are companionships, pleasures, and material comforts, but they change and fade away. Sweeter still are Purity, Wisdom, and the knowledge of Truth, and these never change nor fade away. Wherever a man goes in this world he can take his worldly possessions with him; but soon he must part company with them, and if he stands upon these alone, deriving all his happiness from them, he will come to a spiritual ending of great emptiness and want. But he has attained to the possession of spiritual things can never be deprived of his source of happiness: he will never have to part company with it, and wherever he goes in the whole universe he will carry his possession with him. His spiritual end will be the fulness of joy.

    Happy in the Eternal Happiness is he who has come to that Life from which the thought of self is abolished. Already, even now and in this life, he has entered the Kingdom of Heaven, Nirvana, Paradise, the New Jerusalem, the Olympus of Jupiter, the Valhalla of the Gods. He knows the Final Unity of Life, the Great Reality of which these fleeting and changing names are but feeble utterances. He is at rest on the bosom of the Infinite.

    Sweet is the rest and deep the bliss of him who has freed his heart from its lusts and hatreds and dark desires; and he who, without any shadow of bitterness or selfishness resting upon him, and looking out upon the world with boundless compassion and love, can breathe, in his inmost heart, the blessing:

    Peace unto all living things,

    making no exceptions or distinctions - such a man has reached that happy ending which can never be taken away, for this is the perfection of life, the fulness of peace, the consummation of perfect blessedness."
     
    black_coyote likes this.


  10. 20. Pleasant Pastures of Peace

    He who aspires to the bettering of himself and humanity should ceaselessly strive to arrive at the exercise of that blessed attitude of mind by which he is enabled to put himself, mentally and sympathetically in the place of others, and so, instead of harshly and falsely judging them, and thereby making himself unhappy without adding to the happiness of those others, he will enter into their experience, will understand their particular frame of mind, and will feel for them and sympathise with them.

    One of the great obstacles to the attainment of such an attitude of mind is, prejudice, and until this is removed it is impossible to act toward others as we would wish others to act toward us.

    Prejudice is destructive of kindness, sympathy, love and true judgement, and the strength of a man’s prejudice will be the measure of his harshness and unkindness toward others, for prejudice and cruelty are inseparable.

    There is no rationality in prejudice, and, immediately when it is aroused in a man he ceases to act as a reasonable being, and gives way to rashness, anger, and injurious excitement. He does not consider his words nor regard the feelings and liberties of those against whom his prejudices are directed. He has, for the time being, forfeited his manhood, and has descended to the level of an irrational creature.

    While a man is determined to cling to his preconceived opinions, mistaking them for Truth, and refuses to consider dispassionately the position of others, he cannot escape hatred nor arrive at blessedness.

    The man who strives after gentleness, who aspires to act unselfishly toward others, will put away all his passionate prejudice and petty opinions, and will gradually acquire the power of thinking and feeling for others, of understanding their particular state of ignorance or knowledge, and thereby entering fully into their hearts and lives, sympathizing with them and seeing them as they are.

    Such a man will not oppose himself to the prejudices of others by introducing his own, but will seek to allay prejudice by introducing sympathy and love, striving to bring out all that is good in men, encouraging the good by appealing to it, and discouraging the evil by ignoring it. He will realise the good in the unselfish efforts of others, though their outward methods may be very different from his own, and will so rid his heart of hatred, and will fit it with love and blessedness.

    When a man is prone to harshly judge and condemn others, he should inquire how far he falls short himself; he should also reconsider those periods of suffering when he himself was misjudged and misunderstood, and, gathering wisdom and love from his own bitter experience, should studiously and self-sacrificingly refrain from piercing with anguish hearts that are as yet too weak to ignore, too immature and uninstructed to understand.

    Sympathy is not required towards those who are purer and more enlightened than one’s self, as the purer one lives above the necessity for it. In such a case reverence should be exercised, with a striving to lift one’s self up to the purer level, and so enter into possession of the larger life. Nor can a man fully understand one who is wiser than himself, and before condemning, he should earnestly ask himself whether he is, after all, better than the man whom he has singled out as the object of his bitterness. If he is, let him bestow sympathy. If he is not, let him exercise reverence.

    For thousands of years the sages have taught, both by precept and example, that evil is only overcome by good, yet still that lesson for the majority, remains unlearned. It is a lesson profound in its simplicity, and difficult to learn because men are blinded by the illusions of self. Men are still engaged in resenting, condemning, and fighting the evil in their own fellow-men, thereby increasing the delusion in their own hearts, and adding to the world’s sum of misery and suffering. When they find out that their own resentment must be eradicated, and love put in its place, evil will perish for lack of sustenance.

    “With burning brain and heart of hate,
    I sought my wronger, early, late,
    And all the wretched night and day
    My dream and thought was slay, and slay.
    My better self rose uppermost,
    The beast within my bosom lost
    Itself in love; peace from afar
    Shone o’er me radiant like a star.
    I Slew my wronger with a deed,
    A deed of love; I made him bleed
    With kindness, and I filled for years
    His soul with tenderness and tears.”

    Dislike, resentment, and condemnation are all forms of hatred, and evil cannot cease until these are taken out of the heart.

    But the obliterating of injuries from the mind is merely one of the beginnings in wisdom. There is a still higher and better way. And that way is so to purify the heart and enlighten the mind that, far from having to forget injuries, there will be none to remember. For it is only pride and self that can be injured and wounded by the actions and attitudes of others; and he who takes pride and self out of his heart can never think the thought, “I have been injured by another” or “I have been wronged by another.”

    From a purified heart proceeds the right comprehension of things; and from the right comprehension of things proceeds the life that is peaceful, freed from bitterness and suffering, calm and wise. He who thinks, “This man has injured me,” has not perceived the Truth in life; falls short of that enlightenment which disperses the erroneous idea of evil as a thing to be hatefully resented. He who is troubled and disturbed about the sins of others is far from Truth; he who is troubled and disturbed about his own sins is very near to the Gate of Wisdom. He in whose heart the flames of resentment burn, cannot know Peace nor understand Truth; he who will banish resentment from his heart, will know and understand.

    He who has taken evil out of his own heart cannot resent or resist it in others, for he is enlightened as to its origin and nature, and knows it as a manifestation of the mistakes of ignorance. With the increase of enlightenment, sin becomes impossible. He who sins, does not understand; he who understands does not sin.

    The pure man maintains his tenderness of his heart toward those who ignorantly imagine they can do him harm. The wrong attitude of others toward him does not trouble him; his heart is at rest in Compassion and Love.

    Blessed is he who has no wrongs to remember, no injuries to forget; in whose pure heart no hateful thought about another can take root and flourish. Let those who aim at the right life, who believe that they love Truth, cease to passionately oppose themselves to others, and let them strive to calmly and wisely understand them, and in thus acting toward others they will be conquering themselves; and while sympathizing with others, their own souls will be fed with the heavenly dews of kindness, and their hearts be strengthened and refreshed in the Pleasant Pastures of Peace.
     
  11. Porn addiction. Drug addiction. Sex addiction. Food addiction. Alcohol-ism.

    What do these all have in common?

    They're all fake constructs of the modern mental health system. People who seem incapable of helping themselves and run into dire consequences in life due to their own thinking patterns and choices are fed into a monetized recovery industry. It's just big business folks. It's a system of fabricated 'dis-ease' and treatment. www.lancedodes.com

    OWN UP. TAKE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE.



    GET HIGH ON NATURE IF YOU MUST GET HIGH:

     
  12. So easy to blame an addiction for everything wrong with your life. So easy to blame an addiction for your perceived inability to quit on your own, if you are the type to place blame on something other than your own thoughts and decisions.

    Compulsions are powerful, they are. Emotional wounds hurt, they do. But you can stop acting out destructively anytime you will yourself to. Telling yourself you have a porn addiction is the worst thing you could do to yourself, IMO. Sure you should admit you may have a powerful compulsion, but that can change. Take ownership of your mind. Transform that compulsion into a new life. Don't view yourself as a porn addict, that is just so destructive. I suppose some people find respite in placing the accountability of their compulsion into the hands of an 'addiction'. Maybe their family is eased by the fact that their loved one is 'sick' is some way. Perhaps this takes blame off of the individual who was acting out and hurting themselves and others.

    ENOUGH ABOUT THIS. NOT ONE MORE WORD OF ADDICTION IN THIS THREAD.
     
  13. 'Men are asking God to give them peace and purity, and righteousness and blessedness, but are not obtaining these things; and why not? Because they are not practising them, not sowing them. I once heard a preacher pray very earnestly for forgiveness, and shortly afterwards, in the course of his sermon, he called upon his congregation to “show no mercy to the enemies of the church.” Such self-delusion is pitiful, and men have yet to learn that the way to obtain peace and blessedness is to scatter peaceful and blessed thoughts, words, and deeds.

    Men believe that they can sow the seeds of strife, impurity, and unbrotherliness, and then gather in a rich harvest of peace, purity and concord by merely asking for it. What more pathetic sight than to see an irritable and quarrelsome man praying for peace. Men reap that which they sow, and any man can reap all blessedness now and at once, if he will put aside selfishness, and sow broadcast the seeds of kindness, gentleness, and love.

    If a man is troubled, perplexed, sorrowful, or unhappy, let him ask:

    “What mental seeds have I been sowing?”

    “What seeds am I sowing?”

    “What have I done for others?”

    “What is my attitude towards others?”

    “What seeds of trouble and sorrow and unhappiness have I sown that I should thus reap these bitter weeds?”

    Let him seek within and find, and having found, let him abandon all the seeds of self, and sow, henceforth, only the seeds of Truth.

    Let him learn of the farmer the simple truths of wisdom.'



    I'm just loving Vimeo. Terribly small amount of content compared to the behemoth that is YouTube though.
     
  14. How painful it can be to accept responsibility for one's life. Always reaching outside ourselves for an answer, for some external solution.



    How liberating it is when one finds the answer within.
     
  15. I was once a worldly man caught fast in lust for riches, power, sex, and reputation. I still have worldly desires, but I have begun walking away from dark lusts and shallow desires for wealth, reputation, and sensual indulgences. I realize those things will provide nothing at the end of life, only a deep thirst and longing to remain when one takes their final breath in this world.



    Discourse Concerning The Way of Truth

    1. Self - Restraint

    WHAT is Truth ?
    It resides in the silence of Perfect Deeds.
    That silence is sufficient for the wise.
    I, therefore, discourse not upon Truth,
    I discourse upon the Way which leads thither;
    For Truth is not of words, but of life,
    And though Truth govern the tongue, its seat is not there,
    Its seat is in the heart.
    What words shall add beauty to the ineffable?
    And what man shall glorify Truth?
    Let the ineffable give beauty to words,
    And let man be glorified by Truth,
    I, therefore, point the Way which leads to Truth.
    Not by speculation do I point the Way,
    But by practice and attainment:
    The Way is named Self - conquest.
    I write for believers,
    For them that believe that self can be overcome.
    I write not for them that deny that self can be overcome,
    And who thus exalt and give dominion to self.
    He who believes, will walk the holy Way,
    And, walking it, will reach the highest Truth.
    Let him who thus believes, equip himself :–
    Helmeted with Faith, Armoured with Patience,
    And armed with the sharp Sword of Resolution,
    He will be prepared to attack the enemies of Truth within-himself;
    He will enter upon the Practices of Truth.
    By practice the artisan becomes accomplished in his craft,
    By practice the Truth - lover becomes accomplished in Truth.
    The Way of Truth is marked by three Great Practices,–
    The first is Self - Restraint,
    The second, Self - Examination,
    The third, Self- Surrender ;
    These three include all others,
    He who refuses to practise Self - Restraint,
    Who says in his heart, –
    " I will eat and drink, and make me garlands of pleasure,"
    He cannot find the Way which leads to peace.
    But he who says within himself,–
    " I will dwell with Abstinence,
    I will make my abode with Chastity,
    Integrity shall be my companion,
    And faith shall light up my darkness,
    Yea, Virtue shall be my refuge and my stay,"
    He will find the Way which leads to Truth,
    Lo! he hath already found it,
    For the practice of virtue is the entrance to the Way.
    The vicious man destroys, but the virtuous man builds ;
    He slays himself who thinks only of his own pleasure;
    He preserves himself who controls himself.
    He who renounces pleasure, and restrains his passions,
    Preferring steadfastness and integrity to gratification,
    Will partake of the joys of virtue :
    Pleasant will be his friendships,
    Pure his affections,
    And long and prosperous his days ;
    Thus walking with virtue, happiness will wait upon him,
    Partial blessedness will be his portion,
    And he will reach the first great Resting-Place;
    Yet, staying there, he will not reach the Highest.

    2. Self-Examination
    He who seeks the Highest will enter upon the practice of Self - Examination.
    Searching the inmost recesses of his heart,
    Following up the intricate threads of thought,
    Rigorously testing the quality of his motives,
    He will find out the hidden springs of desire,
    He will lay bare the roots of the tree of life,
    And finding the Eternal Cause, he will know both Good and evil,
    He will see the Highest, and will no more perish.
    As a beautiful flower is formed, its growth not being seen,
    So will he grow in wisdom, unseen of men.
    Yet when wisdom is fully formed,
    When the flower of Truth becomes manifest in all its beauty,
    Men unacquainted with its silent growth will say.
    "This man is wise, whence obtained he his wisdom ?
    How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?"
    As a child in the womb.
    As a plant in the earth,
    As an object in the eye of the approaching traveller,
    So wisdom is formed in the heart,
    So knowledge grows in him who diligently examines himself;
    Who, having found the roots of evil,
    Tears them up with the hands of Renunciation,
    And burns them to ashes in the fire of Knowledge.
    He who thus examines himself,
    Who rectifies his inmost heart,
    And rejects all the errors of his mind,
    Who, seeking out and humbly acknowledging his own faults,
    Refusing to dwell upon the faults of others,
    Will make swift progress toward the goal of peace.
    He will cleanse his heart ;
    He will purify his understanding ;
    Subduing self, he will no longer look through the eye of self;
    Apprehending Truth, he will perceive with the unveiled eye of Truth ;
    He will know both self and Truth.
    All his works will prosper, for his acts will be righteous ;
    His tongue will speak wisdom, for his heart will be pure ;
    And where his feet have trodden, the flowers of Love and Peace will grow.
    He will refuse to dwell with unrighteousness.
    Folly and impurity he will reject,
    And he will say unto strife and hatred, " Depart ye from me."
    Kindling the fire of inward knowledge,
    Keeping bright and constant its flame,
    And feeding it with patient and loving sacrifice,
    Let a man burn up all that is perishable within him,
    Only thus will he find the Imperishable ;
    Let him eliminate the dross of error,
    Only thus will he discover the gold of Truth :
    Let him destroy all sin, Only thus will he find the Stainless One,
    Only thus will he approach the Highest.
    Thus seeking out the source within himself.
    Passion will not long torment him ;
    Finding the cause of passion, he will destroy it,
    And self - restraint will give way to composure of mind and heart,
    Far will he travel on the Way of Peace,
    And, reaching the second Resting - Place,
    Will taste of fuller joy and blessedness.
    Yet, staying there, he will not reach the Highest.

    3. Self - Surrender
    Having well restrained himself,
    Having deeply examined himself,
    Let the lover of Truth now enter upon the practice of Self - Surrender.
    He who practises self - restraint travels well;
    He who practises self - examination travels better;
    He who practises self - surrender travels best.
    He only can know the Highest who surrenders self,
    Who makes the inward sacrifice complete,
    Who holds nothing back,
    Who calls nothing his own,
    Who refuses to set his heart upon any earthly thing ;
    Putting aside all his lusts,
    Emptying himself of all his vanities,
    Divesting himself of all his theories and opinions,
    He will become empty, naked, and without possessions ;
    And having become empty, he will be filled with Truth ;
    Having become naked, he will be clothed with Righteousness ;
    Possessing nothing, he will be lord of all.
    When self surrender is practised in its completeness.
    Then is the Highest reached,
    Then is Truth comprehened,
    Then is Perfect Peace enjoyed.
    He who has conquered himself can never be brought low,
    He who has surrendered himself can never be confounded;
    He who has overcome the world can never be disturbed,
    The flames of lust will not burn him, for he has quenched them ;
    Temptation will no more scourge him, for he has destroyed the cause of temptation ;
    Restraint will no more be needed, for he will be perfect in Truth,
    Freed from self, he will be freed from sorrow;
    Freed from error, he will no more grieve ;
    Freed from impurity, he will cease from suffering.
    He will enter into the highest joy,
    And, reaching the final Resting - Place,
    Will partake of perfect bliss and blessedness.
    Not valuing that which perishes he can never be robbed;
    Not loving himself he can never be wounded ;
    And though men should slay him he can never be destroyed;
    For he is no longer self, but Truth,
    And who shall destroy Truth ?
    All bodies die, but Truth does not die ;
    Ail things pass away, but Truth remains for ever.
    He who has surrendered self has become, immortal,
    He is no longer separate but has become one with Truth,
    And he manifests the Highest, though men perceive it not.
    Of self - restraint is born Virtue,
    Of self - examination is born Knowledge,
    Of self - surrender is born Love.
    Happy shall he become who restrains himself,
    Blessed shall he become who purifies himself,
    Divine shall he become who surrenders himself.
    By Virtue one’s life is governed,
    By Knowledge one’s life is purified,
    By Love one’s life is perfected.
    Virtue is the seed, Knowledge the plant, and Love the flower.
    The seed knoweth not the plant,
    The plant knoweth not the flower,
    But the flower knoweth itself, plant, and seed.
    By self-restraint passion is slain ;
    By self - examination false belief is slain;
    By self - surrender all illusion is laid low.
    Self - restraint leads to strength ;
    Self - examination leads to wisdom;
    Self-surrender leads to holiness.
    Perfect in self-restraint, self-examination and self - surrender.
    A man has reached the Highest;
    He has become one with Truth, and will no more wander.
    Unalterable in compassion,
    Firmly established in righteousness,
    And steadfast in holiness,
    His heart thrills in unison with the Heart of all;
    He knows the unending joy,
    He has found the heavenly peace.
    Having stooped to the lowest, he is exalted to the Highest;
    Having conquered sin, he is crowned with Holiness ;
    Having crucified self, he is glorified by Truth.
    Willing to be nothing, he has become all ;
    Yielding up all things, he has become possessed of all;
    Giving his life, he is clothed with Immortality.
    Altogether virtuous, he is altogether happy ;
    Altogether righteousness, he is altogether blessed ;
    Altogether pure, he is altogether peaceful.
    Beautiful in Meekness,
    Majestic in Love,
    And invincible in Innocence,
    He will manifest the Ineffable ;
    He will teach without words.
    No more troubled ;
    No more tormented ;
    No more afflicted;
    Arisen, awakened, healed, and made perfect;
    He has unveiled the Face of the Highest ;
    He knows the Great Rest,
    The Deep Silence,
    The Profound Peace.
    In the Light which knows no darkness he walks,
    And it casts no shadow on his pathway.
     


  16. 6. Good results

    A considerable portion of the happenings of life comes to us without any direct choosing on our part, and such happenings are generally regarded as having no relation to our will or character, but as appearing fortuitously; as occurring without a cause. Thus one is spoken of as being “lucky,” and another “unlucky,” the inference being that each has received something which he never earned, never caused. Deeper thought, and a clearer insight into life convinces us, however, that nothing happens without a cause, and that cause and effect are always related in perfect adjustment and harmony. This being so, every happening directly affecting us is intimately related to our own will and character, is, indeed, an effect justly related to a cause having its seat in our consciousness. In a word, involuntary happenings of life are the results of our own thoughts and deeds. This, I admit, is not apparent on the surface; but what fundamental law, even in the physical universe, is so apparent? If thought, investigation, and experiment are necessary to the discovery of the principles which relate one material atom to another, even so are they imperative to the perception and understanding of the mode of action which relate one mental condition to another; and such modes, such laws, are known by the right-doer, by him who has acquired an understanding mind by the practice of true actions.

    We reap as we sow. Those things which come to us, though not by our own choosing, are by our causing.The drunkard did not choose the delirium tremens or insanity which overtook him, but he caused it by his own deeds. In this case the law is plain to all minds, but where it is not so plain, it is nonetheless true. Within ourselves is the deep-seated cause of all our sufferings, the spring of all our joys. Alter the inner world of thoughts, and the other world of events will cease to bring you sorrow; make the heart pure, and to you all things will be pure, all occurrences happy and in true order.

    “Within yourselves deliverance must be sought,
    Each man his prison makes.
    Each hath such lordship as the loftiest ones;
    Nay, for with Powers above, around, below,
    As with all flesh and whatsoever lives,
    Act maketh joy or woe.”

    Our life is good or bad, enslaved or free, according to its causation in our thoughts, for out of these thoughts spring all our deeds, and from these deeds come equitable results. We cannot seize good results violently, like a thief, and claim and enjoy them, but we can bring them to pass by setting in motion the causes within ourselves.

    Men strive for money, sigh for happiness, and would gladly possess wisdom, yet fail to secure these things, while they see others to whom these blessings appear to come unbidden. The reason is that they have generated causes which prevent the fulfilment of their wishes and efforts.

    Each life is a perfectly woven network of causes and effects, of efforts (or lack of efforts) and results, and good results can only be reached by initiating good efforts, good causes. The doer of true actions, who pursues sound methods, grounded on right principles will not need to strive and struggle for good results; they will be there as the effects of his righteous rule of life. He will reap the fruit of his own actions and the reaping will be in gladness and peace.

    This truth of sowing and reaping in the moral sphere is a simple one, yet men are slow to understand and accept it. We have been told by a Wise One that “the children of darkness are wiser in their day than the children of light”, and who would expect, in the material world, to reap and eat where he had not sown and planted? Or who would expect to reap wheat in the field where he had sown tares, and would fall to weeping and complaining if he did not? Yet this is just what men do in the spiritual field of mind and deed. They do evil, and expect to get from it good, and when the bitter harvesting comes in all its ripened fullness, they fall into despair, and bemoan the hardness and injustice of their lot, usually attributing it to the evil deeds of others, refusing even to admit the possibility of its cause being hidden in themselves, in their own thoughts and deeds. The children of light - those who are searching for the fundamental principles of right living, with a view to making themselves into wise and happy beings – must train themselves to observe this law of cause and effect in thought, word and deed, as implicitly and obediently as the gardener obeys the law of sowing and reaping. He does not even question the law; he recognises and obeys it. When the wisdom which he instinctively practices in his garden, is practiced by men in the garden of their minds – when the law of the sowing of deeds is so fully recognised that it can no longer be doubted or questioned – then it will be just as faithfully followed by the sowing of those actions which will bring about a reaping of happiness and well-being for all. As the children of matter obey the laws of matter, so let the children of spirit obey the laws of spirit, for the law of matter and the law of spirit are one; they are but two aspects of one thing; the out-working of one principle in opposite directions.

    If we observe right principles, or causes, wrong effects cannot possibly accrue. If we pursue sound methods, no shoddy thread can find its way into the web of our life, no rotten brick enter into the building of our character to render it insecure; and if we do true actions, what but good results can come to pass; for to say that good causes can produce bad effects is to say that nettles can be reaped from a sowing of corn.

    He who orders his life along the moral lines thus briefly enunciated, will attain to such a state of insight and equilibrium as to render him permanently happy and perennially glad; all his efforts will be seasonally planted; all the issues of his life will be good, and though he may not become a millionaire as indeed he will have no desire to become such – he will acquire the gift of peace, and true success will wait upon him as its commanding master.
     


  17. While this thread is not religious in any way, shape, or form, it surely is spiritual and will contain many a metaphysical theme in the passages. While I won't be enunciating upon dogmatic doctrines, I will be sharing messages of various spiritual masters across many different teachings.

    This video title seems quite appropriate for someone trying to be happier by no longer looking at pornographic material:



    There can be no progress, no achievement,
    without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly
    success will be in the measure that he
    sacrifices his confused animal thoughts,
    and fixes his mind on the development
    of his plans, and the strengthening of his
    resolution and self-reliance.

    And the higher he lifts his thoughts,
    the more manly, upright, and righteous
    he becomes, the greater will be his success,
    the more blessed and enduring will be his
    achievements.

    So, are you ready to give up masturbating to porn and accomplish something otherwise not possible while squandering your life away with your hand on your crotch while staring at a screen mindlessly for god knows how many hours on end with god knows what kind of thoughts running through your lustball mind (not that we're lustballs but surely when one faps their mind ain't exactly an honorable lover)??

    I sure am.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2016
  18. "Animal indulgence is alien to the perception of Truth."

    I think fapping is the pinnacle of animal indulgence.

    I'm sure the wasted, mindless, self-indulgent percentage of the internet generation pretty much views it as a normal way to express one's sexuality.

    Mercy on your lives, may you not be consumed.

    [​IMG]

     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2016
  19. Sacrifice all hatred, slay it upon the altar of devotiondevotion to others.

    December Twenty-ninth.
    WHATEVER others may say of you, whatever they may do to you, never take offence. Do not return hatred with hatred. If another hates you perhaps you have, consciously or unconsciously, failed somewhere in your conduct, or there may be some misunderstanding which the exercise of a little gentleness and reason may remove ; but under all circumstances " Father, forgive them " is infinitely better than " I will have nothing more to do with them." Hatred is so small and poor, so blind and wretched. Love is so great and rich, so far-seeing and blissful.

    Open the floodgates of your heart for the inpouring of that sweet, great, beautiful love which embraces all.

    I'm not posting every daily entry as some are really spiritual. I'll try to keep the tremendously spiritual passages to a minimum if I post them at all. Tis why I don't post the dated passage daily, sometimes it's just way too spiritual hehe. First one I posted since Xmas Eve it looks like, and I omitted today's morning and evening thoughts part because it's really spiritual hahahah.

    Even if you only want that special someone to share your life with, reading this stuff cannot hurt you or impede the process of finding a relationship. It can only expand your love for all beings, which as far as I know never made one less attractive to potential partners...

     

Share This Page