Evil is an experience, and not a power.

 

THE painful experiences of evil pass away as the new experiences of good enter into and possess the field of consciousness.  And what are the new experiences of good?  They are many and beautiful – such as the joyful knowledge of freedom from sin; the absence of remorse; deliverance from all the torments of temptation; ineffable joy in conditions and circumstances which formerly caused deep affliction; imperviousness to hurt by the actions of others; great patience and sweetness of character; serenity of mind under all circumstances; emancipation from doubt, fear, and anxiety; freedom from all dislike, envy and enmity.

Evil is a state of ignorance, of undevelopment and as such it recedes and disappears before the light of knowledge.

I the Lord of Truth, am watching over thee.

Great is the conquest which thou hast entered upon, even the mighty conquest of thyself; be faithful and thou shalt overcome.

DISCIPLE:  Lead me, O Master! for my darkness is very great!  Will the darkness lift, O Master? Will trial end in victory, and will there be an end to my many sorrows?

Master:  When thy heart is pure, the darkness will disappear.  When thy mind is freed from passion, thou wilt reach the end of trial, and when the thought of self-preservation is yielded up, there will be no more cause for sorrow. Thou art now upon the way of discipline and purification; all my disciples must walk that way. Before thou canst behold the full glory of Truth, all thy impurities must be purged away thy delusions all dispelled, and thy mind fortified with endurance. Relax not thy faith in Truth; forget not that Truth is eternally supreme; remember that I the Lord of Truth, am watching over thee.

Be faithful and endure, and I will teach thee all things.  

Be glad

Be glad and not sorrowful, all ye who love Truth! For your sorrows shall pass away, like the mists of the morning.




DISCIPLE: Teacher of teachers, instruct Thou me.



Master: Ask, and I will answer.



Disciple: I have read much, but am ignorant still; I have studied the doctrines of the schools, but have not become wise thereby; I know the scriptures by heart, but peace is hidden from me. Point out to me, O Master! the way of knowledge. Reveal to me the highway of Divine wisdom; lead Thou Thy child into the path of peace.



Master: The way of knowledge, O Disciple! Is by searching the heart; the highway of wisdom is by the practice of righteousness; and by a sinless life, is found the way of peace.



Behold where Love Eternal rests concealed!

(The deathless Love that seemed so far away!)

E’en in the lowly heart; it stands revealed

To him who lives the sinless life today.

Flesh and Spirit

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 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.

Our sufferings

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

ARE our sufferings and troubles entirely the result of our own ignorance and wrong-doing or are they partly or wholly brought about by others, and by outward conditions?

Our sufferings are just, and are entirely the result of our own ignorance, error and wrongdoing.

“Ye suffer from yourselves, none else compels”. If this were not so, if a man could commit an evil deed and escape, the consequences of that deed being visited upon and innocent person, then there would be no Law of Justice, and without such a Law the universe could not, even for a single moment, exist. All would be chaos. Upon the surface, men appear to suffer through others, but it is only an appearance - an appearance which a deeper knowledge dispels.

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

He who loves Truth, who desires and seeks wisdom, will be much alone.

JUST as the body requires rest for the recuperation of its forces, so the spirit requires solitude for the renewal of its energies. Solitude is as indispensable to man’s spiritual welfare as sleep is to his bodily well-being; and pure thought, or meditation, which is evoked in solitude, is to the spirit what activity is to the body. As the body breaks down when deprived of the needful rest and sleep, so do the spirits of men break down when deprived of the necessary silence and solitude. Man, as a spiritual being, cannot be maintained in strength, uprightness, and peace except he periodically withdraw himself from the outer world of perishable things, and reach inwardly towards the abiding and imperishable realities.

Unselfishness and Joy

Inside the gateway of unselfishness lies the Elysium of Abiding Joy.

KNOWING this – that selfishness leads to misery, and unselfishness to joy, not merely for one’s self alone – for if this were all how unworthy would be our endeavours ! but for the whole world, and because all with whom we live and come in contact will be the happier and the truer for unselfishness; because Humanity is one, and the joy of one is the joy of all – knowing this, let us scatter flowers and not thorns in the common ways of life – yea, even in the highway of our enemies let us scatter the blossoms of unselfish love – so shall the pressure of their footprints fill the air with the perfume of holiness and gladden the world with the aroma of joy.

Seek the highest Good, and you will taste the deepest sweetest joy.

James Allen