Temptation. Aspiration can carry a man into heaven, but to remain there he
must learn to conform his entire mind to the heavenly conditions. To this end,
temptation works. Temptation is the reversion in thought from purity to passion.
It is going back from aspiration to desire. It threatens aspiration until the point
is reached where desire is quenched in the waters of pure knowledge and calm thought.
In the early stages of aspiration, Temptation is subtle and powerful, and
is regarded as an enemy. But it is only an enemy in the sense
that the one tempted is his own enemy, in the sense that it is
the revealer of weakness and impurity. It is a friend, a necessary factor
in spiritual training. It is indeed an accompaniment of the effort to overcome evil
and apprehend good. To be success ustfully conquered, the evil in a man
must come to the surface and present itself. And it is in temptation that
the evil hidden in the heart stands revealed and exposed. That which temptation appeals
to and arouses is unconquered. Desire and temptation will again and again assail a
man until he has lifted himself above the lusting impulses. Temptation is an appeal
to the impure. That which is pure cannot be subject to temptation. Temptation
waylays the man of aspiration until he touches the rein of the divine consciousness,
and beyond that border, temptation cannot follow him. It is when a man
begins to aspire that he begins to be tempted. Aspiration rouses up all the
latent good and evil in order that the man may be fully revealed to himself.
For a man cannot overcome himself unless he fully knows himself. It can
scarcely be said of the merely animal man that he is tempted, for the
very presence of temptation means that there is a striving for a pure state.
Animal desire and gratification is the normal condition of the man who has not yet
risen into aspiration. He wishes for nothing more, nothing better than his sensual
enjoyments, and this for the present satisfied. Such a man cannot be tempted
to fall, for he has not yet risen. The presence of aspiration signifies
that a man has taken one step at least upward, and is therefore capable
of being drawn back. This backward attraction is called temptation. The allurements of
temptation subsist in the impure thoughts and downward desires of the heart. The object
of temptation is powerless to attract when the heart no longer lusts for it.
The stronghold of temptation is within a man, not without. An intel a
man and realizes this, the period of temptation will be prolonged. While a
man continues to run away from outward objects and tell the delusion that temptation subsists
entirely in them, and does not attack and purge away his impure imaginings,
his temptations will increase, and his falls will be many and grievous. When
a man clearly perceives that the evil is within and not without, then his
progress will be rapid, his temptations will decrease, and the final overcoming of
all temptation will be well within the range of his spiritual vision. Temptation is
torment. It is not an abiding condition, but is a passage from the
lower condition to the higher. The fullness and perfection of life is bliss,
not torment. Temptation accompanies weakness and defeat, but a man is destined for
strength and victory. The presence of torment is the signal to rise and conquer.
Persistence in ever renewed aspiration does not allow himself to think that temptation cannot
be overcome. He is determined to be the master of himself. Resignation to
evil is an acknowledgment of defeat. It signifies that the battle against self is
abandoned, that good is denied, that evil is made supreme. As the
energetic man of business is not daunted by difficulties, but studies how to overcome
them. So the man of ceaseless aspiration is not crushed into submission by temptations,
but meditates how he may fortify his mind. For the tempter is like
a coward. He only creeps in at weak and unguarded points. The tempted
one should study thoughtfully the nature and meaning of temptation, for until it is
known, it cannot be overcome. A wise general, before attacking the opposing
force, studies the tactics of his enemy. Likewise, he who is to
overcome temptation must understand how it arises in his own darkness and error, and
must study, by introspection and meditation how to disperse the darkness and supplement the
error by truth. The stronger a man's passions, the fiercer will be his
temptations, The deeper his selfishness, the more subtle his temptations, the more
pronounced his vanity, the more flattering and deceptive his temptations. A man must
know himself if he is to know the truth. He must not shrink away
from any revelation which will expose his error. On the contrary, he must
welcome such revelations as it aids to that self knowledge, which is the handmaid
of self conquest. The man who cannot endure to have his errors and shortcomings
brought to the surface and made known, but tries to hide them, is
unfit to walk the highway of truth. He is not properly equipped to battle
with and overcome temptation. He who cannot fearlessly face his lower nature cannot climb
the rugged heights of renunciation. Let the tempted one know this, that he
himself is both tempter and tempted, That all his enemies are within, that
the flatterers which seduce, the taunts which stab and the flames which burn all
spring from that inner region of ignorance and error in which he has hitherto lived.
Knowing this, let him be assured of complete victory over evil. When
he is sorely tempted. Let him not mourn therefore, but let him rejoice
in that his strength is tried and his weakness is exposed. For he who
truly knows and humbly acknowledges his weaknesses will not be slow in setting about the
acquisition of strength. Foolish men blame others for their lapses and sins, But
let the truth lover blame only himself. Let him acknowledge his complete responsibility for
his own conduct, and not say when he falls this thing or such and
such a circumstance or that man was to blame. For The most which others
can do is to afford an opportunity for our own good or evil to manifest
itself. They cannot make us good or evil. Temptation is at first sore,
grievous and hard to be borne, and subtle and persistent is the assailant.
But if the tempted one is firm and courageous and does not give way,
he will gradually subdue his spiritual enemy, and will finally triumph in the
knowledge of good. The adverse one is compounded of a man's own lust,
selfishness, and pride. When these are put away, evil is seen to
be naught and good is revealed in all victorious splendor.