James Allen Foundation Stones to Prosperity and Success

8/14/2019 James Allen Foundation Stones to Prosperity and Success

1/23

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ESALLEN

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ES-ALLEN.IN1W

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L/

Foundationstonestohappinessand

su

ccess.ByJamesAllen.

CO

NTENTS

1.Foreword

2.Rightprinciples

3.Soundmethods

4.Trueactions

5.Truespeech

6.Equal-mindedness

7.Goodresults

ED

ITORSPREFAC

E

ThisisoneofthelastM

SS.writtenbyJame

sAllen.Likeall

his

worksitiseminentlypractical.Henever

wrotetheories,

orforthesakeofwriting,ortoaddanoth

ertohismany

boo

ks;buthewrotewh

enhehadamessage,anditbecame

am

essageonlywhenhehadliveditoutinhisownlife,and

knewthatitwasgood.

Thushewrotefacts,whichhehad

pro

venbypractice.

To

liveouttheteachingofthisbookfaithfullyinevery

det

ailoflifewilllead

onetomorethan

happinessand

suc

cesseventoBlessedness,SatisfactionandPeace.

LIL

Y

L.

ALLEN

Br

yngoleu,


2/23

Ilfr

acombe,

England.

FO

REWORD

Howdoesamanbeginthebuildingofahouse?Hefirst

securesaplanoftheproposededifice,andthenproceedsto

buildaccordingtothe

plan,scrupulously

followingitin

eve

rydetail,beginningwiththefoundation.Shouldhe

neg

lectthebeginning-thebeginningonamathematical

plan-hislabourwould

bewasted,andhisbuilding,should

itr

eachcompletionwithouttumblingtop

ieces,wouldbe

insecureandworthless

.Thesamelawholdsgoodinany

importantwork;therig

htbeginningandfir

stessentialis

a

definitementalplanon

whichtobuild.

Naturewillhavenoslip

shodwork,noslove

nlinessandshe

ann

ihilatesconfusion,

orrather,confusionisinitself

ann

ihilated.Order,definiteness,purpose,eternallyprevail,

and

hewhoinhisoperationsignoresthes

emathematical

elementsatonce

de

priveshimselfof

substantiality,

com

pleteness,happines

sandsuccess.

JAMESALLEN

1.

RIGHTPRINCIP

LES

Itiswisetoknowwhat

comesfirst,andwhattodofirst.To

beg

inanythinginthemiddleorattheen

distomakea

mu

ddleofit.Theathle

tewhobeganbybreakingthetape

wouldnotreceivetheprize.Hemustbeginbyfacingthe

starterandtoeingthemark,andeventhen

agoodstartis


3/23

importantifheistow

in.Thepupildoes

notbeginwith

algebraandliterature,

butwithcountingandABC.Soin

life

thebusinessmenwhobeginatthebottomachievethe

mo

reenduringsuccess

;andthereligiousmenwhoreach

the

highestheightsofs

piritualknowledgeandwisdomare

theywhohavestooped

toserveapatientap

prenticeshipto

the

humblertasks,an

dhavenotscornedthecommon

exp

eriencesofhumanity,oroverlookedth

elessonstobe

learnedfromthem.

Thefirstthingsinaso

undlife-andtherefore,inatruly

hap

pyandsuccessfullife-areright

prin

ciples.Without

rightprinciplestobegin

with,therewillbewrongpractices

tofollowwith,andabu

ngledandwretched

lifetoendwith.

All

theinfinitevariety

ofcalculationswhi

chtabulatethe

com

merceandscience

oftheworld,come

outoftheten

figu

res;allthehundredsofthousandso

fbookswhich

con

stitutetheliteratur

eoftheworld,and

perpetuateits

tho

ughtandgenius,are

builtupfromthetw

enty-sixletters.

Thegreatestastronom

ercannotignorethetensimple

figu

res.Theprofounde

stmanofgeniusc

annotdispense

withthetwenty-sixsim

plecharacters.Thef

undamentalsin

allthingsarefewands

imple:yetwithoutthemthereisno

kno

wledgeandnoach

ievement.Thefund

amentals-the

bas

icprinciples-inlife,ortrueliving,arealsofewand

sim

ple,andtolearnthemthoroughly,andstudyhowto

app

lythemtoallthed

etailsoflife,istoa

voidconfusion,

and

tosecureasubstantialfoundationfortheorderly

bui

ldingupofaninvinciblecharacteran

dapermanent

suc

cess;andtosucceed

incomprehendingthoseprinciples

in

theirinnumerable

ramificationsinth

elabyrinthof

con

duct,istobecomea

MasterofLife.


4/23

Thefirstprinciplesin

lifeareprinciples

ofconduct.To

nam

ethemiseasy.As

merewordstheya

reonallmens

lips,butasfixedsourcesofaction,ad

mittingofno

com

promise,fewhavelearnedthem.Inthis

shorttalkIwill

dea

lwithfiveonlyoftheseprinciples.These

fiveareamong

the

simplestoftheroot

principlesoflife,bu

ttheyarethose

tha

tcomenearesttotheeverydaylife,for

theytouchthe

artisanthebusinessman,thehouseholder

,thecitizenat

eve

rypoint.Notoneof

themcanbedispen

sedwithbutat

severecost,and

he

who

perfectshimselfin

their

app

licationwillrisesuperiortomanyofthetroublesand

failuresoflife,andw

illcomeintothesespringsand

cur

rentsofthoughtwh

ichflowharmoniou

slytowardsthe

regionsofenduringsuccess.Thefirstoftheseprinciplesis-

DU

TY-Amuch-hackneyedword,Iknow,b

utitcontainsa

rarejewelforhimwhowillseekitbyassiduousapplication.

Theprincipleofdutym

eansstrictadherencetoonesown

bus

iness,andjustasstrictnon-interference

inthebusiness

ofothers.Themanwh

oiscontinuallyinstructingothers,

gra

tis,howtomanage

theiraffairs,isthe

onewhomost

mismanageshisown.D

utyalsomeansundividedattention

tothematterinhand,intelligentconcentrationofthemind

on

theworktobedon

e;itincludesallth

atismeantby

tho

roughness,exactness,andefficiency.

Thedetailsof

dut

iesdifferwithindiv

iduals,andeachma

nshouldknow

his

owndutybetterth

enheknowshisneighbours,and

betterthanhisneighb

ourknowshis;bu

talthoughthe

workingdetailsdiffer,

theprincipleisalwaysthesame.

Wh

ohasmasteredthed

emandsofduty?


5/23

HO

NESTYisthenextprinciple.Itmeansnotcheatingor

ove

rcharginganother.

Itinvolvestheabsenceofall

tric

kery,lying,anddeceptionbyword,look,orgesture.It

includessincerity,the

sayingwhatyoumean,andthe

meaningwhatyousa

y.Itscornscringingpolicyand

shiningcompliment.Itbuildsupgoodreputations,and

goo

dreputationsbuild

upgoodbusinesses,andbrightjoy

accompanieswell-earn

edsuccess.Whohasscaledthe

heightsofHonesty?

ECONOMYisthethird

principle.Theconse

rvationofones

financialresourcesism

erelythevestibuleleadingtowards

the

morespaciouscham

bersoftrueeconom

y.Itmeans,as

well,thehusbandingofonesphysicalvita

lityandmental

resources.Itdemands

theconservationofenergybythe

avo

idanceofenervatingself-indulgencesand

sensual

hab

its.Itholdsfor

itsfollowerstreng

th,endurance,

vigilance,andcapacity

toachieve.Itbestowsgreatpower

on

himwholearnsitw

ell.Whohasrealizedthesupreme

strengthofEconomy?

LIB

ERALITYfollowsec

onomy.Itisnotopp

osedtoit.Only

the

manofeconomy

canaffordtobe

generous.The

spe

ndthrift,whetherin

money,vitality,or

mentalenergy,

wastedsomuchonhis

ownmiserablepleasuresastohave

non

elefttobestowuponothers.Thegiving

ofmoneyisthe

smallestpartofliberality.Thereisagivingo

fthoughts,and

dee

ds,andsympathy,thebestowingofgoodwill,thebeing

gen

eroustowardscalu

mniatorsandopponents.Itisa

principlethatbegetsanoble,far-reachin

ginfluence.It

bringslovingfriendsan

dstaunchcomrades,andisthefoe


6/23

oflonelinessanddespa

ir.Whohasmeasuredthebreadth

ofL

iberality?

SELFCONTROListhe

lastofthesefiveprinciples,yetthe

mostimportant.Itsneglectisthecause

ofvastmisery,

inn

umerablefailures,a

ndtensofthousan

dsoffinancial,

phy

sical,andmentalw

recks.Showmeth

ebusinessman

wholoseshistemper

withacustomerov

ersometrivial

matter,andIwillshow

youamanwho,bythatconditionof

mind,isdoomedtofailure.Ifallmenpra

ctisedeventhe

initialstagesofself-con

trol,anger,withits

consumingand

des

troyingfire,wouldb

eunknown.Theless

onsofpatience,

pur

ity,gentleness,kind

ness,andsteadfastness,whichare

con

tainedintheprincip

leofself-control,areslowlylearned

bymen,yetuntiltheyaretrulylearnedamanscharacter

and

successareuncertainandinsecure.Whereistheman

whohasperfectedhimselfinSelf-Control?

Wherehemay

be,

heisamasterindeed.

Thefiveprinciplesarefivepractices,fiveavenuesto

ach

ievement,andfive

sourceofknowledg

e.Itisanold

sayingandagoodrule

thatPracticemakesperfect,and

hewhowouldmakehisownthewisdomwhichisinherent

inthoseprinciples,mustnotmerelyhavethemonhislips,

theymustbeestablishedinhisheart.Toknowthemand

receivewhattheyalonecanbring,hemus

tdothem,and

givethemoutinhisactions.

2.

SOUND

METHODS

Fro

mthefiveforegoin

gRightPrinciples,

whentheyare

trulyapprehended

andpractised,will

issue

Sound


7/23

Me

thods.Rightprincip

lesaremanifested

inharmonious

action,andmethodis

tolifewhatlawistotheuniverse.

Eve

rywherein

theuniversethereistheharmonious

adjustmentofparts,an

ditisthissymmetr

yandharmony

thatrevealsacosmos,

asdistinguishedfro

mchaos.Soin

hum

anlife,thedifferencebetweenatruelifeandafalse,

betweenonepurposefu

landeffectiveandonepurposeless

and

weak,isoneofmethod.Thefalselifeisanincoherent

jum

bleofthoughts,passions,andactions;thetruelifeisan

ord

erlyadjustmentofallitsparts.Itisallthedifference

betweenamassoflumb

erandasmoothlyw

orkingefficient

machine.Apieceofma

chineryinperfectw

orkingorderis

not

onlyauseful,butan

admirableandattractivething;but

whenitspartsarealloutofgear,and

refusetobe

readjusted,itsusefulne

ssandattractivenessaregone,and

itisthrownonthesc

rap-heap.Likewise

alifeperfectly

adjustedinallitsparts

soastoachievethehighestpointof

efficiency,isnotonly

apowerful,butan

excellentand

bea

utifulthing;whereasalifeconfused

,inconsistent,

discordant,isadeplorableexhibitionofwastedenergy.

Iflifeistobetrulylived,methodmustenterinto,and

regulate,everydetailofit,asitentersand

regulatesevery

detailofthewondrous

universeofwhichweformapart.

Oneofthedistinguishingdifferencesbetweenawiseman

and

afoolishis,thatthewisemanpayscarefulattentionto

the

smallestthings,whilethefoolishmans

lursoverthem,

or

neglects

them

a

ltogether.

Wisdom

consists

in

maintainingthingson

theirrightrelations

,inkeepingall

things,thesmallestaswellasthegreatest,

intheirproper

placesandtimes.Tovi

olateorderistopro

duceconfusion


8/23

and

discord,andunhappinessisbutanothernamefor

discord.

Thegoodbusinessman

knowsthatsystemisthreepartsof

success,andthatdisordermeansfailure.

Thewiseman

kno

wsthatdisciplined,methodicallivingisthreepartsof

hap

piness,andthatloosenessmeansmisery.Whatisafool

but

onewhothinks

carelessly,actsrashly,andlives

loosely?Whatisawise

manbutonewhot

hinkscarefully,

actscalmly,andlivesco

nsistently?

The

true

method

doesnotend

with

the

orderly

arrangementofthema

terialthingsandexternalrelations

of

life;thisisbutitsbeginning;itentersintothe

adjustmentofthemind

-thedisciplineofthepassions,the

elim

inationandchoiceofwordsinspee

ch,thelogical

arrangementoftheth

oughts,andtheselectionofright

actions.

To

achievealiferenderedsound,successfu

l,andsweetby

the

pursuanceofsoundmethods,onemus

tbegin,notby

neg

lectofthelittlee

verydaythings,butbyassiduous

attentiontothem.Thus

thehourofrisingis

important,and

itsregularitysignificant

;asalsoarethetimingofretiringto

rest,andthenumberofhoursgiventoslee

p.Betweenthe

regularityandirregularityofmeals,and

thecareand

carelessnesswithwhich

theyareeaten,isallthedifference

betweenagoodand

baddigestion(withallthatthis

app

lies)andanirritab

leorcomfortableframeofmind,

withitstrainofgoodor

badconsequences,for,attachingto

thesemeal-timesand

meal-waysarem

attersofboth

phy

siologicaland

psy

chologicalsignifica

nce.Thedue


9/23

divisionofhoursforbusinessandforplay

,notconfusing

the

two,theorderlyfittinginofallthedetailsofones

bus

iness,timesforso

litude,forsilentth

oughtandfor

effe

ctiveaction,foreatingandforabstine

nce-allthese

thingsmusthavetheirlawfulplaceinthelifeofhimwhose

da

ilyroundistopro

ceedwiththeminimumdegreeof

fric

tion,whoistogetth

emostofusefulness

,influence,and

joy

outoflife.

Butallthisisbutthe

beginningofthat

comprehensive

methodwhichembracesthewholelifean

dbeing.When

thissmoothorderandlogicalconsistencyis

extendedtothe

wordsandactions,to

thethoughtsand

desires,then

wisdom

emergesfrom

folly,andoutofw

eaknesscomes

pow

ersublime.When

amansoordershismindasto

pro

duceabeautifulworkingharmonybetweenallitsparts,

thenhereachesthehighestwisdom,thehighestefficiency,

the

highesthappiness.

Butthisistheend;and

hewhowouldreac

htheendmust

beg

inatthebeginning

.Hemustsystematiseandrender

logicaland

smooth

thesmallestdetailsofhislife,

pro

ceeding

step

by

step

towards

the

finished

accomplishment.Buteachstepwillyieldits

ownparticular

measureofstrengthand

gladness.

To

sumup,methodproducesthatsmoothn

esswhichgoes

withstrengthandefficiency.Disciplineismethodapplied

tothemind.Itproducesthatcalmnessw

hichgoeswith

pow

erand

happiness

.Method

isworkingby

rule;

disciplineis

livingbyrule.Butworkingandlivingarenot

sep

arate;theyarebuttw

oaspectsofcharact

er,oflife.


10/23

The

refore,beorderlyinwork;beaccurateinspeech,be

logicalin

thought.Between

these

and

slovenliness,

inaccuracyandconfusio

n,isthedifferenceb

etweensuccess

and

failure,musicandd

iscord,happinessan

dmisery.

The

adoption

ofsoundmethodsofworking,acting,

thinkinginaword,

ofliving,isthesu

restandsafest

foundationforsoundhealth,soundsuccess,soundpeaceof

min

d.Thefoundationo

funsoundmethodswillbefoundto

be

unstable,andtoyieldfearandunrestevenwhileit

app

earstosucceed,and

whenitstimeoffailurecomes,itis

grie

vousindeed.

3.

TRUEACTIONS

FollowingonRightPrinciplesandMethodscomeTrue

Actions.Onewhoisstrivingtograsptrue

principlesand

workwithsoundmethodswillsooncometoperceivethat

detailsofconductcan

notbeoverlooked

-that,indeed,

thosedetailsarefund

amentallydistinctiveorcreative,

accordingtotheirnature,andare,ther

efore,ofdeep

significanceand

comprehensiveimporta

nce;and

this

perceptionandknowledgeofthenature

andpowerof

pas

singactionswillgraduallyopenandgrowwithinhimas

an

addedvision,ane

wrevelation.Asheacquiresthis

insighthisprogresswillbemorerapid,his

pathwayinlife

moresure,hisdaysmoresereneandpeaceful;inallthings

he

willgo

thetrue

and

directway,

unswayed

and

unt

roubledbytheexternalforcesthatplayaroundand

abo

uthim.Notthathewillbeindifferentto

thewelfareand

hap

pinessofthoseabouthim;thatisquite

anotherthing;

but

hewillbeindifferenttotheiropinions,totheir


11/23

ignorance,totheirungovernedpassions.ByTrueA

ctions,

indeed,ismeantactin

grightlytowardso

thers,andthe

righ

t-doerknowsthata

ctionsinaccordancewithtruthare

but

forthehappinessofthoseabouthim,

andhewilldo

themeventhoughano

ccasionmayarisew

hensomeone

nea

rtohimmayadvise

orimplorehimtodo

otherwise.

Tru

eactionsmayeasilybedistinguishedfromfalsebyall

whowishsotodisting

uishinorderthattheymayavoid

fals

eaction,andadopt

true.Asinthematerialworldwe

distinguishthingsbyth

eirform,colour,size,etc.,choosing

thosethingswhichwerequire,andputting

bythosethings

whicharenotusefultous,sointhespiritualworldof

dee

ds,wecandistinguishbetweenthoseth

atarebadand

thosethataregoodby

theirnature,their

aim,andtheir

effe

ctandcanchoosea

ndadoptthosethataregood,and

ignorethosethatarebad.

In

allformsofprogress,avoidanceofthebadalways

precedesacceptanceandknowledgeofthe

good,justasa

childatschoollearns

todoitslessonsr

ightbyhaving

repeatedlypointedouttoithowithasdone

themwrong.If

one

doesnotknowwha

tiswrongandhowtoavoidit,how

can

heknowwhatisrightandhowtoprac

tiseit?Bad,or

unt

rue,actionsarethosethatspringfromaconsideration

ofonesownhappiness

only,andignoreth

ehappinessof

others,thatariseinvio

lentdisturbancesofthemindand

unlawfuldesires,orthatcallforconcealm

entinorderto

avo

idundesirablecomplications.Goodortrueactionsare

thosethatspringfroma

considerationforothers,thatarise

incalmreasonandhar

moniousthoughtframedonmoral


12/23

principlesorthatwill

notinvolvethedoerinshameful

con

sequencesifbroughtintothefulllightof

day.

The

right-doerwillavo

idthoseactsofpersonalpleasure

and

gratificationwhich

bytheirnaturebringannoyance,

pain,orsufferingtoothers,nomatterho

winsignificant

thoseactionsmayappeartobe.Hewillbeginbyputting

awa

ythese;hewillgainaknowledgeoftheunselfishand

truebyfirstsacrificingtheselfishanduntru

e.Hewilllearn

not

tospeakoractinan

ger,orenvy,orresentment,butwill

studyhow

tocontrol

hismind,andwillrestoreitto

calmnessbeforeacting;and,mostimportantofall,hewill

avo

id,ashewouldthed

rinkingofdeadlypo

ison,thoseacts

oftrickery,deceit,double-dealing,inorde

rtogainsome

personalprofitofadvantage,andwhichlead,sooneror

late

r,toexposureandshameforthedoerof

them.Ifaman

isp

romptedtodoathingwhichheneedstoconceal,and

whichhewouldnotlaw

fullyandfranklydefendifitwere

examinedofwitness,h

eshouldknowbythatthatitisa

wro

ngactandtherefore

tobeabandonedwithoutafurther

momentsconsideration

.

The

carryingoutofthisprincipleofhonestyandsincerity

ofaction,too,willfurtherleadhim

into

suchapathof

thoughtfulnessinright-doingaswillenablehimtoavoid

doingthosethingsw

hich

wouldinvolv

ehim

in

the

deceptivepracticesofo

therpeople.Before

signingpapers,

or

enteringinto

verbalorwritten

arr

angements,or

eng

aginghimselftoothersinanywayattheirrequest,

particularlyiftheybestrangers,hewillfirstinquireinto

the

natureoftheworko

rundertaking,andso,enlightened,

hewillknowexactlywh

attodo,andwillbefullyawareof


13/23

the

importofhisaction

.Totheright-doerthoughtlessness

isa

crime.Thousandsofactionsdonewithg

oodintentlead

to

disastrousconsequ

encesbecausethe

yareactsof

thoughtlessness,andit

iswellsaidthatth

ewaytohellis

pav

edwithgoodintentions.Themanof

trueactionsis,

abo

veallthings,thou

ghtful:-Beyethe

reforewiseas

serpentsandharmlessa

sdoves.

The

termThoughtlessn

esscoversawidefie

ldintherealm

ofdeeds.Itisonlybyincreasinginthoughtfulnessthata

mancancometounderstandthenatureofactions,and

can

,thereby,acquirethepowerofalw

aysdoingthatwhich

isr

ight.Itisimpossible

foramantobetho

ughtfulandact

foolishly.Thoughtfulnessembraceswisdom.

Itisnotenoughthat

anactionispromp

tedbyagood

imp

ulse

or

intention

;itmust

arise

inthoughtful

con

siderationifitisto

beatrueaction;an

dthemanwho

wishestobepermanent

lyhappyinhimselfandapowerfor

goo

dtoothersmustcon

cernhimselfonlywithtrueactions.

Id

iditwiththebesto

fintentions,isapo

orexcusefrom

one

whohasthoughtlesslyinvolvedhimselfinthewrong-

doingofothers.Hisbit

terexperienceshouldteachhimto

act

morethoughtfullyin

thefuture.

Tru

eactionscanonlyspringfrom

atruemind,and

thereforewhileamanislearningtodistingu

ishandchoose

betweenthefalseandthetrue,heis

correctingand

perfectinghismind,a

ndistherebyrenderingitmore

harmoniousandfelicito

us,moreefficientandpowerful.As

heacquirestheinnereyetoclearlydistin

guishtheright

ina

llthedetailsoflife,

andthefaithandknowledgetodo


14/23

it,hewillrealisethat

heisbuildingthehouseofhis

cha

racterandlifeupon

arockwhichthew

indsoffailure

and

thestormsofpersecutioncanneverund

ermine.

4.

TRUESPEECH

Tru

thisknownbypra

cticeonly.Without

sinceritythere

can

benoknowledge

ofTruth;andtrue

speechisthe

beg

inningofallsincerit

y.Truthinallitsna

tivebeautyand

orig

inalsimplicityconsistsinabandoningandnotdoingall

thosethingswhichareuntrue,andinembracinganddoing

allthosethingswhicharetrue.Truespeechisthereforeone

of

the

elementary

beginningsin

the

lifeofTruth.

Falsehood,andallfor

msofdeception;s

landerandall

formsofevil-speaking

-thesemustbetotallyabandoned

and

abolishedbeforethemindcanreceiveevenasmall

deg

reeofspiritualenlig

htenment.Theliara

ndslandereris

lost

indarkness;sode

epishisdarkness

thathecannot

distinguishbetweengoodandevil,and

hepersuades

him

selfthathislyingandevil-speakingare

necessaryand

goo

d,thatheistherebyprotectinghim

selfandother

peo

ple.

Let

thewould-bestudentofhigherthings

looktohimself

and

bewareofself-delusion.Ifheisgivento

utteringwords

thatdeceive,ortospeakingevilofothers

ifhespeaksin

insincerity,envy,orma

lice-thenhehasnotyetbegunto

studyhigherthings.Hemaybestudyingm

etaphysics,or

mir

acles,orpsychicph

enomena,orastral

wondershe

maybestudyinghowto

communewithinvisiblebeings,to

trav

elinvisiblyduring

sleep,orto

pr

oducecurious

phe

nomena-hemaye

venstudyspiritualitytheoretically


15/23

and

asamerebookst

udy,butifheisa

deceiveranda

backbiter,thehigherlifeishiddenfromhim

.Forthehigher

thin

gsarethese

uprightness,sincerity,innocence,

purity,kindness,gentleness,faithfuln

ess,humility,

patience,pity,sympath

y,self-sacrifice,joy

,goodwill,love

a

ndhewhowoulds

tudythem,knowth

em,andmake

themhisown,mustpra

cticethem,thereisn

ootherway.

Lyingandevil-speakin

gbelongtothelo

westformsof

spiritualignorance,an

dtherecanbeno

suchthingas

spiritualenlightenmentwhiletheyarep

ractised.Their

parentsareselfishnessa

ndhatred.

Slanderisakintolying,butitisevenmore

subtle,asitis

freq

uentlyassociatedw

ithindignation,an

dbyassuming

moresuccessfullythe

appearanceoftruth,itensnares

manywhowouldnotte

lladeliberatefalsehood.Forthere

are

twosidestoslander

-thereis

themakingofrepeating

ofit,andthereis

thelisteningtoitandactinguponit.The

slan

dererwouldbepow

erlesswithoutaliste

ner.Evilwords

requireanearthatisr

eceptivetoevilinw

hichtheymay

fall,beforetheycanflourish;thereforehew

holistenstoa

slan

derer,whobelievesit,andallows

himselftobe

influenced

againstth

eperson

whose

characterand

reputationaredefamed

,isinthesamepositionastheone

whoframedorrepeated

theevilreport.The

evil-speakeris

apositiveslanderer;the

evil-listenerisapassiveslanderer.

The

twoareco-operator

sinthepropagation

ofevil.

Slanderisacommonv

iceandadarkand

deadlyone.An

evil

reportbeginsinignorance,andpursues

itsblindwayin

darkness.Itgenerallytakesitsriseinamis

understanding.


16/23

Som

eonefeelsthathe

orshehasbeenbad

lytreated,and,

fille

dwithindignationandresentment,unb

urdenshimself

to

his

friends

and

others

in

vehem

ent

language,

exaggeratingtheenormityofthesupposedoffenceon

accountofthefeelingofinjurybywhichheispossessed;he

islistenedtoandsymp

athisedwith;thelis

teners,without

hea

ringtheotherperso

nsversionofwhath

astakenplace,

and

onnootherproofthantheviolentwordsofanangry

manorwoman,becomecoldintheirattitu

detowardsthe

one

spokenagainst,an

drepeattootherswhattheyhave

beentold,andassuch

repetitionisalway

smoreorless

inaccurate,adistorteda

ndaltogetheruntruereportissoon

passingfrommouthtomouth.

Itis

becauseslanderiss

uchacommonvicethatitcanwork

the

sufferingandinjury

thatitdoes.Itisbecausesomany

(notdeliberatewrong-d

oers,andunconsciousofthenature

oftheevilintowhichth

eysoeasilyfall)are

readytoallow

themselvestobeinflue

ncedagainstonew

homtheyhave

hith

ertoregardedashonourable,thatanevilreportcando

itsdeadlywork.Yetitsworkisonlyamongstthosewho

hav

enotaltogetheracq

uiredthevirtueoftruespeech,the

causeofwhichisatruth-lovingmind.Whe

nonewhohas

not

entirelyfreedhims

elffromrepeatingorbelievingan

evil

reportaboutanother,hearsofanevilreportabout

him

self,

his

mind

becomes

aflame

with

burning

resentment,hissleepisbrokenandhispe

aceofmindis

destroyed.Hethinksth

ecauseofallhissufferingisinthe

othermanandwhatth

atmanhassaidabouthim,andis

ignorantofthetruth

thattheroot

andcauseofhis

sufferingliesinhisownreadiness

tobelieveanevilreport

abo

utanother.Thevirt

uousman-hewho

hasattainedto


17/23

truespeech,andwhosemindissealedag

ainsteventhe

app

earanceofevil-speaking-cannotbeinjuredand

disturbedaboutanyev

ilreportsconcernin

ghimself;and

alth

oughhisreputation

mayforatimebe

stainedinthe

mindsofthosewhoar

epronetosuggestionsofevil,his

inte

grityremainsuntouchedandhischaract

erunsoiled;for

noonecanbestainedbytheevildeedsofan

other,butonly

by

his

own

wrongdoing.

And

so,

through

all

mis

representation,misu

nderstanding,andc

ontumely,heis

untroubledandunreven

geful;hissleepisundisturbed,and

hismindremainsinpea

ce.

Tru

espeechisthebeginningofapure,wiseandwell-

orderedlife.Ifonewouldattaintopurityoflife,ifhewould

less

entheevilandsufferingoftheworld,le

thimabandon

falsehoodandslanderinthoughtandword

,lethimavoid

eventheappearanceof

thesethings,forth

erearenolies

and

slanderssodeadly

asthosewhicharehalf-truths,and

lethimnotbeaparticipantinevil-speaking

bylisteningto

it.Lethim

alsohave

compassiononth

eevil-speaker,

kno

winghowsuchaoneisbindinghimselftosufferingand

unr

est;fornoliarcanknowtheblissofTruth;noslanderer

can

enterthekingdomo

fpeace.

Bythewordswhichheuttersisamansspiritualcondition

declared;bythesealsoishefinallyandinfalliblyadjudged,

for

astheDivineMa

steroftheChristianworldhas

declared,Bythywordsshaltthoubejustif

ied,andbythy

wor

dsshaltthoubecondemned.

5.

EQUAL-MINDED

NESS


18/23

Tobeequally-mindedis

tobepeacefully-minded,foraman

cannotbesaidtohavearrivedatpeacewhoallowshismind

tob

edisturbedandthro

wnoffthebalancebyoccurrences.

The

manofwisdomisdispassionate,andm

eetsallthings

withthecalmnessof

amindinrepose

andfreefrom

prejudice.Heisnotapartisan,havingputawaypassion,

and

heisalwaysatpea

cewithhimselfand

theworld,not

takingsidesnordefend

inghimself,butsym

pathisingwith

all.The

partisanissoconvincedthathisowno

pinionandhis

own

sideisright,and

allthatgoescontr

arytothem

is

wro

ng,thathecannott

hinkthereisanygo

odintheother

opinionandtheothers

ide.Helivesinacontinualfeverof

atta

ckanddefence,an

dhasnoknowledg

eofthequiet

peaceofanequalmind.

The

equal-mindedman

watcheshimselfin

ordertocheck

and

overcome

even

theappearanceofpassion

and

prejudiceinhismind

,andbysodoinghedevelops

sym

pathyforothers,

andcomestoun

derstandtheir

positionandparticular

stateofmind;andashecomesto

und

erstandothers,he

perceivesthefollyofcondemning

themandopposinghimselftothem.Thusth

eregrowsupin

his

heartadivinecharitywhichcannotbelimited,but

whichisextendedtoallthingsthatliveandstriveand

suffer.

Whenamanisunderth

eswayofpassionandprejudicehe

isspirituallyblind.Seeingnothingbutgoodinhisownside,

and

nothingbutevilintheother,hecannot

seeanythingas

itreallyis,notevenhisownside;andnot

understanding


19/23

him

self,hecannotund

erstandthehearts

ofothers,and

thin

ksitisrightthathe

shouldcondemnth

em.Thusthere

growsupinhisheartadarkhatredforthosewhorefuseto

see

withhimandwhocondemnhiminretu

rn,hebecomes

separatedfromhisfellow-men,andconfineshimselftoa

narrowtorturechamber

ofhisownmaking.

Swe

etandpeacefulare

thedaysoftheequa

l-mindedman,

frui

tfulingood,andric

hinmanifoldblessings.Guidedby

wisdom,heavoidstho

sepathwayswhich

leaddownto

hatredandsorrowandpain,andtakesthosewhichleadup

toloveandpeaceandb

liss.Theoccurrence

soflifedonot

trou

blehim,nordoeshegrieveoverthosethingswhichare

regardedbymankindasgrievous,butwhich

mustbefallall

menintheordinarycourseofnature.Heisneitherelated

bysuccessnorcastdow

nbyfailure.Hesee

stheeventsof

hislifearrayedintheirproperproportions,andcanfindno

room

for

selfish

wishes

or

vain

regrets,for

vain

anticipationsandchildishdisappointments.

And

howisthisequal-mindedness-thisb

lessedstateof

min

dandlife-acquire

d?Onlybyovercom

ingonesself,

onlybypurifyingoneso

wnheart,forthepurificationofthe

heartleads

to

unb

iased

comprehension,

unbiased

com

prehensionleadstoequal-mindedness,andequal-

min

dednessleadstopeace.Theimpure

manisswept

helplesslyawayonthe

wavesofpassion;

thepureman

guideshimselfintothe

harbourofrest.Thefoolsays,I

haveanopinion;thewisemangoesabouth

isbusiness.

6.

GOOD

RESULTS


20/23

Aconsiderableportiono

fthehappeningsoflifecomestous

withoutanydirectchoosingon

ourpart,and

such

hap

peningsaregenerallyregardedashavingnorelationto

our

willorcharacter,

butasappearingfortuitously;as

occurringwithoutacau

se.Thusoneisspokenofasbeing

luc

ky,andanotherunlucky,theinfere

ncebeingthat

eachhasreceivedsomethingwhichheneverearned,never

caused.Deeperthough

t,andaclearerin

sightintolife

convincesus,however,thatnothinghapp

enswithouta

cause,andthatcause

andeffectarealw

aysrelatedin

perfectadjustmentandharmony.Thisb

eingso,every

hap

peningdirectlyaffectingusisintimatelyrelatedtoour

own

willandcharacter,

is,indeed,aneffectjustlyrelatedto

acausehavingitsseat

inourconsciousness.Inaword,

involuntaryhappenings

oflifearetheresu

ltsofourown

thoughtsanddeeds.Th

is,Iadmit,isnota

pparentonthe

surface;butwhatfund

amentallaw,eveninthephysical

universe,issoapparent?Ifthought,investigation,and

experimentarenecessarytothediscoveryo

ftheprinciples

whi

chrelateonematerialatomtoanother,e

vensoarethey

imp

erativetotheperc

eptionandunderstandingofthe

modeofactionwhich

relateonementa

lconditionto

ano

ther;andsuchmodes,suchlaws,are

knownbythe

righ

t-doer,byhim

wh

ohasacquiredan

understanding

min

dbythepracticeoftrueactions.

We

reapaswesow.Tho

sethingswhichcom

etous,though

not

byourown

choosing,arebyour

causing

.Thedrunkard

did

notchoosethede

lirium

tremensor

insanitywhich

overtookhim,buthecauseditbyhisown

deeds.Inthis

casethelawisplainto

allminds,butwhereitisnotso

plain,itisnonethelesstrue.Withinourselv

esisthedeep-


21/23

seatedcauseofallours

ufferings,thespring

ofallourjoys.

Alte

rtheinnerworldo

fthoughts,andthe

otherworldof

eventswillceasetobrin

gyousorrow;make

theheartpure,

and

toyouallthingsw

illbepure,alloccurrenceshappy

and

intrueorder.

Within

yourselves

deliverance

must

b

esought,

Each

man

his

prison

makes.

Each

hath

such

lordship

as

the

loftiest

ones;

Nay,

for

with

P

owers

above,

aroun

d,below,

As

with

all

flesh

and

whatsoever

lives,

Actmakethjoyorwoe.

Our

lifeisgoodorbad

,enslavedorfree,a

ccordingtoits

causationinourthough

ts,foroutoftheset

houghtsspring

allourdeeds,andfrom

thesedeedscomeeq

uitableresults.

We

cannotseizegood

resultsviolently,likeathief,and

claimandenjoythem,

butwecanbringth

emtopassby

settinginmotionthecauseswithinourselves.

Menstriveformoney,sighforhappiness,an

dwouldgladly

possesswisdom,yetfailtosecurethesethings,whilethey

see

otherstowhom

theseblessingsap

peartocome

unb

idden.Thereasonisthattheyhavege

neratedcauses

whichpreventthefulfilm

entoftheirwishesandefforts.

Eachlifeisaperfectlyw

ovennetworkofcau

sesandeffects,

ofe

fforts(orlackofefforts)andresults,an

dgoodresults

can

onlybereachedbyinitiatinggoodefforts,goodcauses.

The

doeroftrueactio

ns,whopursuessoundmethods,

groundedonrightprin

cipleswillnotneedtostriveand

stru

ggleforgoodresults;theywillbethereastheeffectsof


22/23

his

righteousruleoflife.Hewillreapthef

ruitofhisown

actionsandthereapingwillbeingladnessandpeace.

Thistruthofsowingan

dreapinginthemo

ralsphereisa

simpleone,yetmenareslowtounderstandandacceptit.

We

havebeentoldby

aWiseOnethatthechildrenof

darknessarewiserinth

eirdaythanthechildrenoflight,

and

whowouldexpect,

inthematerialwor

ld,toreapand

eat

wherehehadnotsownandplanted?

Orwhowould

expecttoreapwheatin

thefieldwhereheh

adsowntares,

and

wouldfalltoweepingandcomplaining

ifhedidnot?

Yet

thisisjustwhatmendointhespiritua

lfieldofmind

and

deed.Theydoevil,

andexpecttogetfro

mitgood,and

whe

nthebitterharvestingcomesinallitsripenedfullness,

theyfallintodespair,andbemoanthe

hardnessand

inju

sticeoftheirlot,usuallyattributingittotheevildeeds

ofo

thers,refusingeven

toadmitthepossibilityofitscause

bein

ghiddeninthems

elves,intheirown

thoughtsand

deeds.Thechildrenoflight-thosewhoaresearchingfor

the

fundamentalprinciplesofrightliving,

withaviewto

makingthemselvesintowiseandhappybeingsmust

trainthemselvestoobservethislawofcauseandeffectin

thought,wordanddeed

,asimplicitlyandobedientlyasthe

gardenerobeysthelawofsowingandreapin

g.Hedoesnot

evenquestionthelaw;

herecognisesandobeysit.When

the

wisdomwhichhein

stinctivelypractices

inhisgarden,

ispracticedbymeninth

egardenoftheirmindswhenthe

law

ofthesowingofdeedsissofullyrecogn

isedthatitcan

nolongerbedoubtedor

questionedthenitwillbejustas

faithfullyfollowedbythesowingofthoseactionswhichwill

brin

gaboutareapingo

fhappinessandwell-beingforall.

Asthechildrenofmatte

robeythelawsofm

atter,soletthe


23/23

childrenofspiritobey

thelawsofspirit,

forthelawof

matterandthelawof

spiritareone;the

yarebuttwo

aspectsofonething;theout-workingofoneprinciplein

opp

ositedirections.

Ifw

eobserverightpr

inciples,orcauses,

wrongeffects

cannotpossiblyaccrue.Ifwepursuesoun

dmethods,no

shoddythreadcanfind

itswayintotheweb

ofourlife,no

rott

enbrickenterinto

thebuildingofou

rcharacterto

renderitinsecure;andifwedotrueactions,whatbutgood

resu

ltscancometopass;fortosaythatgoodcausescan

producebadeffectsisto

saythatnettlescan

bereapedfrom

aso

wingofcorn.

He

whoordershislife

alongthemorallin

esthusbriefly

enu

nciated,willattain

tosuchastateofinsightand

equilibrium

astorenderhim

permanentlyhappyand

perenniallyglad;allhis

effortswillbeseasonallyplanted;

allt

heissuesofhislifew

illbegood,andthoughhemaynot

becomeamillionaireasindeedhewillhavenodesireto

becomesuchhewill

acquirethegiftofp

eace,andtrue

successwillwaituponhimasitscommandin

gmaster.

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James Allen Foundation Stones to Prosperity and Success