March Thoughts: James Allen

As the fountain from the hidden spring, so issues man’s life from the secret recesses of his heart.

Mind clothes itself in garments of its own making.

There is no nobler work or higher science than that of self-perfection.

He who aims at the possession of a calm, wise, and seeing mind engages in the most sublime task that man can undertake.

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being. . . and he as he develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fret and fume, and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

A thought constantly repeated at last becomes a fixed habit.

When the heart is pure all outward things are pure.

Every sin may be overcome.

The Higher Life is a higher living in thought, word, and deed.

Having clothed himself with humility, the first questions a man asks himself are:—

“How am I acting towards others?”
“What am I doing to others?”
“How am I thinking of others?”
“Are my thoughts of, and acts towards others prompted by unselfish love?”

As a man, in the silence of his soul, asks himself these searching questions, he will unerringly see where he has hitherto failed.

Without the right performance of Duty, the higher virtues cannot be known.

The virtuous man concentrates his mind on the perfect doing of his own duty.

Man is the doer of his own deeds; as such he is the maker of his own character.

Character is destiny.

Every form of unhappiness springs from a wrong condition of mind.

Happiness is mental harmony.

If one would find peace, he must come out of passion.

The ascending pathway is always at hand. It is the way of self-conquest.

Aspiration—the rapture of the saints.

Aspiration makes all things possible.

The man of aspiration sees before him the pathway up to the heavenly heights.

The lover of the pure life renews his mind daily with the invigorating glow of aspiration.

Error is sifted away. The Gold of Truth remains.

The clear and cloudless heights of spiritual enlightenment.

The early stage of transmutation is painful but brief, for the pain is soon transformed into pure spiritual joy.

The wise man meets passion with peace, hatred with love, and returns good for evil.

The present is the synthesis of the entire past; the net result of all that a man has ever thought and done is contained within him.

Characteristics are fixed habits of mind, the results of deeds.

Heaven and hell are in this world.

Life is a great school for the development of character.

If men only understood that their hatred and resentment slays their peace and sweet contentment, hurts themselves, helps not another, does not cheer one lonely brother, they would seek the better doing of good deeds which leaves no ruing:—

If they only understood.

If men only understood how Love conquers; how prevailing is its might, grim hate assailing; how compassion endeth sorrow, maketh wise, and doth not borrow pain of passion, they would ever live in Love, in hatred never:—

If they only understood.

Purification of the heart by repetitive thought on pure things.

Attainment of divine knowledge by embodying such purity in practical life.

He who will control himself will put an end to all his sufferings.

He who will deny himself will find the holy place where calmness lives.

He who will purify himself will destroy all his ignorance.

A life of perfect peace and blessedness by means of self-government and self-enlightenment.

The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of living and doing. If it were not this it would not voice the Eternal Truth. Its Temple is Purified Conduct, the entrance-door to which is Self-Surrender. It invites men to shake off sin, and promises, as a result, joy and blessedness and perfect peace.

The Kingdom of Heaven is perfect trust, perfect knowledge, perfect peace. . . no sin can enter therein, no self-born thought or deed can pass its golden gates; no impure desire can defile its radiant robes. . . all may enter it who will, but all must pay the price—the unconditional abandonment of self.

Impatience is a handmaid of impulse, and never helped any man.

Still go on becoming, and as you grow more perfect you will make fewer mistakes and will suffer less.

The diadem of the King of Truth is a righteous life, his scepter is the scepter of peace, and his throne is in the hearts of mankind.

Power resides in blamelessness of heart. All earthly things are symbols.

It is by the eradication of the inward errors and impurities alone that a knowledge of Truth can be gained.

There is no other way to wisdom and peace.

Whilst a man loves his lusts he cannot love wisdom.

If we could suffer, even partly, through others, our sufferings would be unjust.

Man is not the result of outward conditions; outward conditions are the result of man.

In the knowledge of truth there is freedom.

No outward oppressor can burden the righteous heart.

Joy is to the sinless!

Peace is to the pure.

Love, meekness, gentleness, self-accusation, forgiveness, patience, compassion, reproof—these are the works of the Spirit.

THE flesh flatters; the Spirit reproves.

The flesh blindly gratifies; the Spirit wisely disciplines.

The flesh loves secrecy; the Spirit is open and clear.

The flesh remembers the injury of a friend; the Spirit forgives the bitterest enemy.

The flesh is noisy and rude; the Spirit is silent and gracious.

The flesh is subject to moods; the Spirit is always calm.

The flesh incites to impatience and anger; the Spirit controls with patience and serenity.

The flesh is thoughtless; the Spirit is thoughtful.

Hatred, pride, harshness, accusing others, revenge, anger, cruelty, and flattery—these are the works of the flesh.

You can only help others in so far as you have uplifted and purified yourself.

When love is perfected and revealed in the heart, Christ is known.

Follow faithfully where the inward light leads you.

Put your whole heart into the present, living it, minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day, self-governed and pure.

The righteous man is invincible. No enemy can possibly overcome him.

He cannot be afflicted by weariness and unrest whose heart is at peace with all.

It is better to love than to accuse and denounce.

When divine compassion is perceived in its fullness and beauty, indignation and all forms of passion cease to exercise any influence over us.

If a man would do a noble thing, and does not do it, he is not exalted thereby, but debased.

An exalted being apart from an exalted life is inconceivable and cannot be.

We know nothing higher than Goodness.

The supreme aim of all religions is to teach men how to live.

Love is far beyond the reach of all selfish argument and can only be lived.

Men everywhere, in their inmost hearts, know that Goodness is divine.

"Be quietly unconcerned with what others think of you."
VH

"I am not other people’s opinion; I am God’s opinion!”—Rev. Ike