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Speaker 1: True actions. Following on right principles and methods come true actions.

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One who is striving to grasp true principles and work

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with sound methods will soon come to perceive that details

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of conduct cannot be overlooked, that indeed, those details are

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fundamentally distinctive or creative according to their nature, and are

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of deep significance and comprehensive importance. And this perception and

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knowledge of the nature and power of passing actions will

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gradually open and grow within him as an added vision,

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a new revelation. As he acquires this insight, his progress

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will be more rapid, his pathway in life, more sure,

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his days, more serene and peaceful. In all things. He

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will go the true and direct way, unswayed and untroubled

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by the external forces that play around and about him.

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Not that he will be indifferent to the welfare and

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happiness of those about him, that is quite another thing.

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But he will be indifferent to their opinions, to their ignorance,

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to their ungoverned passions. By true actions, indeed is men

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acting rightly towards others, And the right doer knows that

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his actions in accordance with truth are but for the

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happiness of those about him, and he will do them,

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even though an occasion may arise when someone near to

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him may advise or implore him to do Otherwise, true

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actions may easily be distinguished from false by all who

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wish so to distinguish in order that they may avoid

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false action and adopt true As in the material world

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we distinguish things by their form, color, size, et cetera,

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choosing those things which we require, and putting by those

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things which are not useful to us, so in the

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spiritual world of deeds, we can distinguish between those that

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are bad and the those that are good by their nature,

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their aim, and their effect, and can choose and adopt

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those that are good and ignore those that are bad.

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In all forms of progress, avoidance of the bad always

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precedes acceptance and knowledge of the good, just as a

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child at school learns to do its lessons right by

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having repeatedly pointed out to it how it has done

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them wrong. If one does not know what is wrong

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and how to avoid it, how can he know what

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is right and how to practice it. Bad or untrue

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actions are those that spring from a consideration of one's

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own happiness only and ignore the happiness of others, that

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arise in violent disturbances of the mind and unlawful desires,

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or that call for concealment in order to avoid undesirable complications.

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Good or true actions are those that spring from a

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consideration for others, that may arise in calm reason and

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harmonious thought framed on moral principles, or that will not

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involve the doer in shameful consequences if brought into the

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full light of day. The right doer will avoid those

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acts of personal pleasure and gratification which by their nature

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bring annoyance, pain, or suffering to others. No matter how

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insignificant those actions may appear to be, he will begin

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by putting away these. He will gain a knowledge of

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the unselfish and true by first sacrificing the selfish and untrue.

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He will learn not to speak or act in anger

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or envy or resentment, but will study how to control

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his mind, and will restore it to calmness before acting.

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And most important of all, he will avoid, as he

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would the drinking of deadly poison, those acts of trickery, deceit,

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double dealing in order to gain some personal profit of advantage,

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and which lead sooner or later to exposure and shame

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for the doer of them. If a man is prompted

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to do a thing which he needs to conceal, and

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which he would not lawfully and frankly defend if it

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were examined of witness, he should know by that that

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it is a wrong act, and therefore to be abandoned

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without a further moment's consideration. The carrying out of this

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principle of honesty and sincerity of action, too, will further

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lead him into such a path of thoughtfulness in right doing,

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as will enable him to avoid doing those things which

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would involve him in the deceptive practices of other people.

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Before signing papers, or entering into verbal or written agreements,

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or engaging himself to others in any way at their request,

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particularly if they be strangers, he will first inquire into

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the nature of the work or undertaking, and so enlightened

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he will know exactly what to do, and will be

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fully aware of the import of his action to the

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right doer. Thoughtlessness is a crime. Thousands of actions done

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with good intent lead to disastrous consequences because they are

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acts of thoughtlessness. And it is well said that the

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way to hell is paved with good intentions. The man

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of true action is above all things thoughtful. Be ye

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therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The term

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thoughtlessness covers a wide field in the realm of deeds.

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It is only by increasing in thoughtfulness that a man

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can come to understand the nature of actions, and can

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thereby acquire the power of always doing that which is right.

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It is impossible for a man to be thoughtful and

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act foolishly. Thoughtfulness embraces wisdom. It is not enough that

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an action is prompted by a good impulse or intention.

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It must arise in thoughtful consideration if it is to

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be a true action. And the man who wishes to

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be permanently happy in himself and a power for good

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to others must concern himself only with true actions. I

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did it with the best of intentions is a poor

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excuse from one who has thoughtlessly involved himself in the

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wrongdoing of others. His bitter experience should teach him to

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act more thoughtfully in the future. True actions can only

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spring from a true mind, and therefore, while a man

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is learning to distinguish and choose between the faults and

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the true, he is correcting and perfecting his mind, and

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is thereby rendering it more harmonious and felicitous, more efficient,

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and powerful. As he acquires the inner eye to clearly

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distinguish the right in all the details of life, and

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the faith and knowledge to do it, he will realize

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that he is building the house of his character and

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life upon a rock which the winds of failure and

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the storms of persecution can never undermine.