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Speaker 1: The eleventh lesson subconscious character building. In our last lesson,

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the tenth lesson, we called your attention to the wonderful

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work of the subconscious regions of mentation in the direction

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of the performance of intellectual work. Great as are the

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possibilities of this field of mentation in the direction named,

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they are equaled by the possibility of building up character

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by similar methods. Every one realizes that one may change

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his character by a strenuous course of repression and training,

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and nearly all who read these lines have modified their

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characteristics somewhat by similar methods. But it is only of

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late years that the general public have become aware that

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character might be modified, changed, and sometimes completely altered by

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means of an intelligent use of the subconscious faculties of

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the mind. The word character is derived from ancient terms

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meaning to mark, to engrave, et cetera, and some authorities

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inform us that the term originally arose from the word

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used by the Babylonian brickmakers to designate the trademark impressed

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by them upon their bricks, each maker having his own mark.

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This is interesting in view of the recent theories regarding

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the cultivation of characteristics, which may be found in the

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current Western works on psychology, but these theories are not

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new to the Yogi teachers of the East, who have

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employed similar methods for centuries past in training their students

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and pupils. The Yogis have long taught that a man's

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character was practically the crude character stuff possessed by him

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at his birth, modified and shaped by outside influences in

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the case of the ordinary man, and by deliberate self

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training and shaping by the wise man. Their pupils are

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examined regarding their characteristics and then directed to repress the

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undesirable traits and to cultivate the desirable ones. The Yogi

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practice of character building is based upon the knowledge of

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the wonderful powers of the subconscious planes of the mind.

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The pupil is not required to pursue strenuous methods of

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repression or cultivation, but on the contrary, is taught that

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such methods are opposed to nature's plans, and that the

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best way is to imitate nature and to gradually unfold

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the desired characteristics by means of focussing the will, power

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and attention upon them. The weeding out of undesirable characteristics

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is accomplished by the pupil cultivating the characteristics directly opposed

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to the undesirable ones. For instance, if the pupil desires

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to overcome fear, he is not instructed to concentrate on

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fear with the idea of killing it out, but instead

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is taught to mentally deny that he has fear, and

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then to concentrate his attention upon the ideal of courage.

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When courage is developed, fear is found to have faded away.

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The positive always overpowers the negative. In the word ideal

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is found the secret of the Yogi method of subconscious

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character building. The teachings are to the effect that ideals

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may be built up by the bestole of attention upon them.

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The student is given the example of a rose bush.

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He is taught that the plant will grow and flourish

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in the measure that care and attention is bestowed upon it,

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and vice versa. He is taught that the ideal of

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some desired characteristic is a mental rose bush, and that

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by careful attention it will grow and put forth leaves

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and flowers. He is then given some minor mental trait

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to develop, and is taught to dwell upon it in

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thought to exercise his imagination, and to mentally see himself

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attaining the desired quality he has given mantrums or affirmation

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to repeat for the purpose of giving him a mental

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center around which to build an ideal. There is a

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mighty power in words used in this way, providing that

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the user always thinks of the meaning of the words

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and makes a mental picture of the quality expressed by them,

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instead of merely repeating them parrot fashion. The yogi student

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is trained gradually until he acquires the power of conscious

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direction of the subconscious mind in the building up process,

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which power comes to anyone oriental or occidental who will

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take the trouble to practice. In fact, nearly every one

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possesses and actively uses this power, although he may not

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be aware of it. One's character is largely the result

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of the quality of thoughts held in the mind and

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of the mental pictures or ideas entertained by the person.

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The man who constantly sees and thinks of himself as

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unsuccessful and downtrodden is very apt to grow ideals of

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fought forms of these things, until his whole nature is

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dominated by them, and his every act works towards the

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objectification of the thoughts. On the contrary, the man who

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makes an ideal of success and accomplishments find that his

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whole mental nature seems to work toward that result the

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objectification of the ideal, And so it is with every

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other ideal. The person who builds up a mental ideal

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of jealousy will be very apt to objectify the same

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and to unconsciously create condition that will give his jealousy

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food upon which to feed. But this particular phase of

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the subject properly belongs to our next lesson. This eleventh

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lesson is designed to point out the way by which

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people may mold their characters in any way they desire,

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supplanting undesirable characteristics by desirable ones, and developing desirable ideals

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into active characteristics. The mind is plastic to him who

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knows the secrets of its manipulation. The average person recognizes

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his strong and weak points of character, but is very

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apt to regard them as fixed and unalterable orally so

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he thinks that he is just as the Lord made him,

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and that is the end of it. He fails to

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recognize that his character is being unconsciously modified every day

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by association with others whose suggestions are being absorbed and

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acted upon, and he fails to see that he is

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molding his own character by taking interest in certain things

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and allowing his mind to dwell upon them. He does

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not realize that he himself is really the maker of

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himself from the raw and crude material given him at

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his birth. He makes himself negatively or positively. Negatively if

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he allows himself to be molded by the thoughts and

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ideals of others, and positively if he molds himself. Everyone

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is doing one or the other, perhaps both. The weak

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man is the one who allows himself to be made

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by others, and the strong man is the one who

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takes the building process in his own hands. The process

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of character building is so delightfully simple that its importance

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is apt to be overlooked by the majority of persons

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who are made acquainted with it. It is only by

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actual practice and the experiencing of results that its wonderful

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possibilities are born home to one. The Yogi student is

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early taught the lesson of the power and importance of

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character building by some strong practical example. For instance, the

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student is found to have certain taste of appetite, such

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as alike for certain things, and a corresponding dislike for others.

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The yogi teacher instructs its student in the direction of

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cultivating a desire and taste for the dislike thing and

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a dislike for the like thing. He teaches the student

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to fix his mind on the two things, but in

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the direction of imagining that he likes the one thing

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and dislikes the other. The student is taught to make

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a mental picture of the desired conditions, and to say,

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for instance, I loathe candy, I dislike even the sight

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of it, and on the other hand, I crave tart things,

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I revel in the taste of them, et cetera, et cetera,

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at the same time trying to reproduce the taste of

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sweet things accompanied with the loathing, and a taste of

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tart things accompanied with a feeling of delight. After a bit,

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the student finds that his taste are actually changing in

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accordance with his thoughts, and in the end they have

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completely changed places. The truth of the theory is then

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borne home to the student, and he never forgets the lesson.

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In order to reassure readers who might object to having

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the student left in this condition of reverse taste, we

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may add that The Yogi teachers then teach him to

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get rid of the idea of the dislike thing and

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teach him to cultivate a liking for all wholesome things,

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their theory being that the dislike of certain wholesome eatables

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has been caused by some suggestion in childhood or by

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some prenatal impression, as wholesome eatables are made attractive to

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the taste by nature. The idea of all this training, however,

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is not the cultivation of taste, but practice in mental

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training and the bringing home of the student the truth

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of the fact that his nature is plastic to his ego,

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and that it may be molded at will by concentration

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and intelligent practice. The reader of this lesson may experiment

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upon himself along the lines of the elementary Yogi practice

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as above mentioned. If he so desires, he will find

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it possible to entirely change his dislike for certain food,

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et cetera. By the methods mentioned above. He may likewise

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acquire a liking for heretofore distasteful task and duties which

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he finds it necessary to perform. The principle underlying the

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whole Yogi theory of character building by the subconscious intellect

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is that the ego is master of the mind, and

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that the mind is plastic to the commands of the ego.

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The ego or I of the individual is the one real, permanent,

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changeless principle of the individual, and the mind, like the body,

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is constantly changing, moving, growing, and dying. Just as the

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body may be developed and molded by intelligent exercises, so

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may the mind be developed and shaped by the ego

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if intelligent methods are followed. The majority of people consider

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that character is affixed something belonging to a man that

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cannot be altered or changed, And yet they show by

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their everyday actions that at heart they do not believe

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this to be a fact, for they endeavor to change

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and mold the characters of those around them by word

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of advice, counsel, praising or condemnation, et cetera. It is

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not necessary to go into the matter of the consideration

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of the causes of character in this lesson, we will

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content ourselves by saying that these causes may be summed

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up roughly as follows. One result of experiences in past lives,

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two heredity, three environment, four suggestions from others, and five

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auto suggestion. But no matter how one's character has been formed,

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it may be modified, molded, changed, and improved by the

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methods set forth in this lesson, which methods are similar

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to what is called by Western writers auto suggestion. The

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underlying idea of autosuggestion is the willing of the individual

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that changes take place in his mind, the willing being

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aided by intelligent and tried methods of creating the new

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ideal or thought form. The first requisite for the change

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condition must be desire for the change. Unless one really

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desires that the change take place, he is un able

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to bring his will to bear on the task. There

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is a very close connection between desire and will. Will

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is not usually brought to bear upon anything unless it

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is inspired by desire. Some people connect the word desire

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with the lower inclinations, but it is equally applicable to

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the higher. If one fights off a low inclination or desire,

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it is because he is possessed of a higher inclination

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or desire. Many desires are really compromises between two or

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more conflicting desires, a sort of average desire, as it were.

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Unless one desires to change his character, he will not

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make any move toward it. And in proportion to the

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strength of the desire, so will be the amount of

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will power that is put in the task. The first

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thing for one to do in character building is to

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want to do it, And if he finds that the

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want is not sufficiently strong to enable him to manifest

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the perseverance and effort necessary to bring it to a

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successful conclusion, then he should deliberately proceed to build up

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the desire. Desire may be built up by allowing the

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mind to dwell upon the subject until a desire is created.

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This rule works both ways, as many people have found

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out to their sorrow and misery. Not only may one

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build up a commendable desire in this way, but he

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may also build up a reprehensible one. A little thought

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will show you the truth of this statement. A young

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man has no desire to indulge in the excesses of

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a fast life, But after a while he hears or

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reads something about others leading that sort of life, and

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he begins to allow his mind to dwell upon the subject,

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turning it around and examining it mentally, and going over

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it in his imagination. After a time, he begins to

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find a desire, gradually sending forth roots and branches, and

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if he continues to water the thing in his imagination,

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before long he will find within himself a blossoming inclination

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which will try to insist upon expression and action. There

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is a great truth behind the words of the poet.

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Vice is a monster of so frightful man, that to

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be hated needs but to be seen, Yet seen too

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oft familiar with her face. We first endure, then pity,

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and then embrace. And the follies and crimes of many

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a man have been due to the growing of desire

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within his mind through this plan of planting the seed

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and then carefully watering and tending to it, this cultivation

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of the growing desire. We have thought it well to

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give this word of warning, because it will throw light

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upon many things that may have perplexed you, and because

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it may serve to call your attention to certain growing

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weeds of the mind that you have been nourishing. But

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remember always that the force that leads downward may may

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be transmuted and made to lead upward. It is just

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as easy to plant and grow wholesome desires as the

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other kind. If you are conscious of certain defects and

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deficiencies in your character and who is not, and yet

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find yourself not possessed of a strong enough desire to

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make the changes necessary. Then you should commence by planning

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the desire seed and allowing it to grow by giving

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it constant care and attention. You should picture to yourself

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the advantages of acquiring the desirable traits of character of

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which you have thought. You should frequently go over and

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over them in your mind, imaging yourself in imagination as

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possessing them. You will then find that the growing desire

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will make headway, and that you will gradually begin to

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want to possess that trait of character more and more.

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And when you begin to want to hard enough, you

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will find a rising in your consciousness, a feeling of

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the possession of sufficient will power to carry it through.

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Will follows the desire. Cultivate a desire, and you will

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find back of it the will to carry it through.

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Under the pressure of a very strong desire, men have

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accomplished feats akin to miracles. If you find yourself in

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possession of desires that you feel a hurtful to you,

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you may rid yourself of them by deliberately starving them

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to death, and at the same time growing opposite desires.

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By refusing to think of the objectionable desires, you refuse

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them the mental food upon which alone they can thrive.

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Just as you starve a plant by refusing it nourishing

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soil and water, so may you starve out an objectionable

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desire by refusing to give it mental food. Remember this,

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for it is most important. Refuse to allow the mind

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to dwell upon such desires, and resolutely turn aside the attention,

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and particularly the imagination, from the subject. This may call

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for the manifestation of a little will power in the beginning,

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but it will become easier as you progress, and each

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victory will give you renewed strength for the next fight.

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But do not temporize with the desire. Do not compromise

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with it, refuse to entertain the idea. In a fight

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of this kind, each victory gives one at its strength,

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and each defeat weakens one. And while you are refusing

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to entertain the objectionable guests, you must be sure to

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grow a desire of an entirely opposite nature, a desire

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directly opposed to the one you are starving to death.

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Picture the opposite desire and think of it often. Let

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your mind. Dwell upon it lovingly, and let the imagination

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help to build it up into form. Think of the

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advantages that will arise to you when you fully possess it,

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and let the imagination picture you as in full possession

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of it and acting out your new part in life,

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strong and vigorous in your new found power. All this

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will gradually lead you to the point where you will

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want to possess this power. Then you must be ready

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for the next step, which is faith or confident expectation. Now,

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faith or confident expectation is not made to order in

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most persons, and in such cases one must acquire it gradually.

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Many of you who read these lines will have an

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understanding of the subject that will give you this faith.

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But to those who lack it, we suggest that they

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practice on some trivial phases of the mental make up

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some petty trait of character in which the victory will

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be easy and simple. From this stage they should work

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up to more difficult tasks until at last they gain

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that faith or confident expectation that comes from persevering practice

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Part two. The greater the degree of faith or confident

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expectation that one carries with him in this task of

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character building, the greater will be his success, and this

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because of well established psychological laws. Faith or confident expectation

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00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,480
clears away the mental path and renders the work easier,

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while doubt or lack of faith retards the work and

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acts as obstacles and stumbling blocks. Strong desire and faith

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or confident expectation are the first two steps. The third

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is will power. By will power, we do not mean

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that strenuous clinching of the fist and frowning brow thing

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that many think of when they say will. Will is

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not manifested in this way. The true will is called

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00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:55,559
into play by one realizing the eye part of himself

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and speaking the word of command from that center of

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power and strength. It is the voice of the eye,

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and it is needed in this work of character building.

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So now you are ready for work, being possessed of

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one strong desire, two faith or confident expectation, and three

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will power. With such a triple weapon, nothing but success

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is possible. Then comes the actual work. The first thing

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to do is to lay the track for a new

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character habit. Habit you may ask in surprise, yes, habit,

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for that word gives a secret of the whole thing.

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Our characters are made up of inherited or acquired habits.

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Think over this a little, and you will see the

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truth of it. You do certain things without a thought

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because you have gotten into the habit of doing them.

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You act in certain ways because you have established a habit.

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You are in the habit of being truthful, honest, virtuous,

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because you have established the habit of being So do

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you doubt this, then look around, or look within your

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00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,319
own heart, and you will see that you have lost

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00:21:02,319 --> 00:21:05,559
some of your old habits of action and acquired new ones.

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The building up of character is the building up of habits,

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and the changing of character is the changing of habits.

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It will be well for you to settle this fact

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00:21:14,759 --> 00:21:16,960
in your own mind, for it will give you the

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secret of many things connected with the subject. And remember

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this that habit is almost entirely a matter of the

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subconscious mentality. It is true that habits originate in the

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conscious mind, but as they are established, they sink down

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into the depths of the subconscious mentality, and thereafter become

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00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,359
second nature, which, by the way, is often more powerful

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00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,799
than the original nature of the person. The Duke of

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00:21:43,839 --> 00:21:46,960
Wellington said that habit was as strong as ten natures,

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and he proceeded to drill habits into his army until

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they found it natural to act in accordance with the

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habits pounded into them during the drills. Darwin relates an

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interesting instance of the force of habit over reasons. He

346
00:22:00,839 --> 00:22:03,359
found that his habit of starting back at the sudden

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00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,880
approach of danger was so firmly established that no will

348
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,960
power could enable him to keep his face pressed up

349
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,119
against the cage of the cobra in the zoological gardens

350
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when the snake struck at him, although he knew the

351
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glass was so thick that there could be no danger,

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and although he exerted the full force of his will.

353
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But we venture to say that one could overcome even

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this strongly ingrained habit by gradually training the subconscious mentality

355
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,559
in establishing a new habit of thought and action. It

356
00:22:33,599 --> 00:22:36,279
is not only during the actual process of willing the

357
00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:38,920
new habit that the work of making the new mental

358
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,440
path goes on. In fact, the Yogis believe that the

359
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,960
principal part of the work goes on subconsciously between the

360
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,559
intervals of command, and that the real process is made

361
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,200
in that way, just as the real work of solving

362
00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:56,680
the problem is performed subconsciously, as related in our last lesson.

363
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As an example, we may recall your attention to some

364
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instances of the cultivation of physical habits. A physical task

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00:23:04,599 --> 00:23:07,240
learned in the evening is much easier to perform the

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following morning than it was the night before, and still

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easier the following Monday morning than it was on the

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Saturday afternoon previous. The Germans have a saying that we

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00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,960
learned to skate in summer and swim in winter, meaning

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that the impression passed on to the subconscious mentality deepens

371
00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:28,480
and broadens during the interval of rest. The best plan

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00:23:28,599 --> 00:23:31,640
is to make frequent, sharp impressions and then to allow

373
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reasonable periods of rest in order to give the subconscious

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mentality the opportunity to do its work. By sharp impressions,

375
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we mean impressions given under strong attention. As we have

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mentioned in some of the earlier lessons of this series,

377
00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:51,079
a writer has well said, so an act reap a habit.

378
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So a habit reap a character, So a character reap

379
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:59,039
a destiny. Thus recognizing habit as a source of character,

380
00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,400
he recognizes truth in our training of children forming good

381
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:08,039
habits of character by constant repetition, by watchfulness, et cetera.

382
00:24:08,759 --> 00:24:12,720
Habit acts as a motive when established, so that while

383
00:24:12,759 --> 00:24:15,240
we think we are acting without motive, we may be

384
00:24:15,319 --> 00:24:19,079
acting under the strong motive power of some well established habit.

385
00:24:19,799 --> 00:24:23,720
Herbert Spencer has well said, the habitually honest man does

386
00:24:23,759 --> 00:24:27,480
what is right, not consciously because he ought, but with

387
00:24:27,599 --> 00:24:32,000
simple satisfaction, and is ill at ease till it is done.

388
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Some may object that this idea of habit as a

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00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,880
basis of character may do away with the idea of

390
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:43,079
a developed moral conscientiousness, as for instance Josiah Royce, who

391
00:24:43,079 --> 00:24:47,359
says the establishment of organized habit is never in itself

392
00:24:47,519 --> 00:24:50,960
enough to ensure the growth of an enlightened moral conscientiousness.

393
00:24:51,759 --> 00:24:54,119
But to such we would say that one must want

394
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,640
to cultivate a high character before he will create the

395
00:24:57,759 --> 00:25:01,839
habits usual to the same, and the wont to is

396
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,519
a sign of the moral conscientiousness rather than the habit.

397
00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:09,160
And the same is true of the ought to side

398
00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,480
of the subject. The ought to arises in the conscious

399
00:25:12,519 --> 00:25:16,119
mind in the beginning and inspires the cultivation of the habit,

400
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,119
although the latter after a while becomes automatic. A matter

401
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,720
of the subconscious mentality, without any ought to attachment. It

402
00:25:24,799 --> 00:25:29,319
then becomes a matter of like to Thus we see

403
00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:33,039
that the molding, modifying, changing, and building of character is

404
00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,920
largely a matter of the establishing of habits. And what

405
00:25:37,079 --> 00:25:40,160
is the best way to establish habits becomes our next question.

406
00:25:40,839 --> 00:25:44,759
The answer of the Yogi is establish a mental image,

407
00:25:44,799 --> 00:25:47,480
and then build your habit around it. And in that

408
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:52,599
sentence he has condensed a whole system. Everything we see

409
00:25:52,599 --> 00:25:55,920
having a form is built around a mental image, either

410
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:58,799
the mental image of some man, some animal, or of

411
00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,640
the absolute. This is the rule of the universe. And

412
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,240
in the matter of character building we but follow a

413
00:26:05,279 --> 00:26:09,279
well established rule. When we wish to build a house,

414
00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,480
we first think of house in a general way. Then

415
00:26:12,519 --> 00:26:14,680
we begin to think of what kind of a house.

416
00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:18,720
Then we go into details. Then we consult an architect

417
00:26:19,079 --> 00:26:21,960
and he makes us a planned which plan is his

418
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:25,720
mental image suggested by our mental image. Then the plan,

419
00:26:25,799 --> 00:26:28,799
once decided upon, we consult the builder, and at last

420
00:26:28,799 --> 00:26:33,079
the house stands complete. It an objectified mental image. And

421
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:37,039
so it is with every created thing, all manifestation of

422
00:26:37,079 --> 00:26:40,839
a mental image. And so when we wish to establish

423
00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,079
a trait of character, we must form a clear, distinct

424
00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,839
mental image of what we wish to be. This is

425
00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,640
an important step. Make your picture clear and distinct and

426
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:54,720
fasten it in your mind. Then begin to build around it.

427
00:26:55,279 --> 00:26:58,279
Let your thoughts dwell upon the mental picture, Let your

428
00:26:58,319 --> 00:27:02,160
imagination see yourself as possessed of the desired trait and

429
00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:06,000
acting it out. Act it out in your imagination, over

430
00:27:06,079 --> 00:27:10,759
and over again, as often as possible, persevering and continuously

431
00:27:10,839 --> 00:27:14,960
seeing yourself manifesting the trait under a variety of circumstances

432
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,359
and conditions. As you continue to do this, you will

433
00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:21,079
find that you will gradually begin to express the thought

434
00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:25,319
in action to objectify the subjective mental image. It will

435
00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:27,839
become natural for you to act more and more in

436
00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:31,240
accordance with your mental image, until at last the new

437
00:27:31,279 --> 00:27:34,279
habit will become firmly fixed in your mind and will

438
00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:38,440
become your natural mode of action and expression. This is

439
00:27:38,519 --> 00:27:41,759
no vague visionary theory. It is a well known and

440
00:27:41,839 --> 00:27:46,319
proven psychological fact, and thousands have worked marvelous changes in

441
00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:50,480
their character by its means. Not only may one elevate

442
00:27:50,519 --> 00:27:53,400
his moral character in this way, but he may mold

443
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,039
his work a day's self to better conform to the

444
00:27:56,079 --> 00:28:00,279
needs of his environment and occupation. If one lacks persevere reants,

445
00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,240
he must attain it. If one is filled with fear,

446
00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:07,720
he may supplant it with fearlessness. If one lacks self confidence,

447
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,039
he may gain it. In fact, there is no trait

448
00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:14,160
that may not be developed in this way. People have

449
00:28:14,319 --> 00:28:18,559
literally made themselves over by following this method of character building.

450
00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:21,599
The great trouble with the race has been that persons

451
00:28:21,599 --> 00:28:24,599
have not realized that they could do these things. They

452
00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:26,680
have thought that they were doomed to remain just the

453
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,680
creatures that they found themselves to be. They did not

454
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:32,839
realize that the work of creation was not ended, and

455
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:36,000
that they had within themselves a creative power adapted to

456
00:28:36,039 --> 00:28:39,559
the needs of their case. When man first realizes this

457
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,160
truth and proves it by practice, he becomes another being.

458
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,720
He finds himself superior to environment and training. He finds

459
00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,480
that he may ride over these things. He makes his

460
00:28:50,559 --> 00:28:54,160
own environment, and he trains himself. In some of the

461
00:28:54,279 --> 00:28:57,799
larger schools in England and the United States, certain scholars

462
00:28:57,799 --> 00:29:01,200
who have developed and manifested the ability to control themselves

463
00:29:01,279 --> 00:29:03,880
in their actions are placed on the role of a

464
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,839
grade called the self governed grade. Those in this grade

465
00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,799
act as if they had memorized the following words of

466
00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:15,720
Herbert Spencer in the supremacy of self control consists one

467
00:29:15,759 --> 00:29:19,680
of the perfections of the ideal man. Not to be impulsive,

468
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:23,200
not to be spurred hither and thither by each desire,

469
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:27,519
but to be self restrained, self balanced, governed by the

470
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,240
just decision of the fillings and council assembled. That it

471
00:29:31,319 --> 00:29:35,519
is which moral education strives to produce. And this is

472
00:29:35,599 --> 00:29:38,519
the desire of the writer of this lesson to place

473
00:29:38,599 --> 00:29:42,720
each student in the self governed class. We cannot attempt,

474
00:29:42,759 --> 00:29:45,079
in this short space of a single lesson to map

475
00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:48,359
out a course of instruction and character building adapted to

476
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,799
the special needs of each individual. But we think that

477
00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:54,440
what we have said on the subject should be sufficient

478
00:29:54,519 --> 00:29:57,160
to point out the method for each student to map

479
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:01,480
out a course for himself, following the general rules given above.

480
00:30:02,279 --> 00:30:04,880
As a help to the student, however, we will give

481
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,599
a brief course of instruction for the cultivation of one

482
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:11,599
desirable trait of character. The general plan of this course

483
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,279
may be adapted to fit the requirements of any other

484
00:30:14,359 --> 00:30:18,359
case if intelligence is used by the student. The case

485
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:20,359
we have selected is that of a student who has

486
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,480
been suffering from a lack of moral courage, a lack

487
00:30:23,559 --> 00:30:27,680
of self confidence and illability to maintain my poise in

488
00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:31,000
the presence of other people, an inability to say no,

489
00:30:31,759 --> 00:30:34,759
a feeling of inferiority to those with whom I come

490
00:30:34,799 --> 00:30:38,279
in contact. The brief outline of the course of practice

491
00:30:38,279 --> 00:30:43,799
given in this case is Herewith given preliminary thought, you

492
00:30:43,839 --> 00:30:46,079
should fix firmly in your mind the fact that you

493
00:30:46,119 --> 00:30:49,160
are the equal of any and every man. You come

494
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,160
from the same source. You are an expression of the

495
00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,400
same one life. In the eyes of the Absolute, you

496
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,920
are the equal of any man, even the highest in

497
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,640
the land. Truth is things as God sees them, and

498
00:31:02,759 --> 00:31:05,720
in truth you and the man are equal. And at

499
00:31:05,759 --> 00:31:11,240
the last one, all feelings of inferiority are illusions, errors

500
00:31:11,279 --> 00:31:14,720
and lies, and have no existence in truth. When in

501
00:31:14,759 --> 00:31:17,640
the company of others, remember this fact and realize that

502
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:20,279
the life principle in you is talking to the life

503
00:31:20,359 --> 00:31:24,319
principle in them. Let the life principle flow through you,

504
00:31:24,519 --> 00:31:28,039
and endeavor to forget your personal self. At the same time,

505
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:32,039
endeavor to see that same life principle behind and beyond

506
00:31:32,039 --> 00:31:35,039
the personality of the person in whose presence you are,

507
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:39,359
He is by a personality hiding the life principle, just

508
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:43,640
as you are nothing more, nothing less. You are both

509
00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:47,400
one in truth. Let the consciouness of the eye beam forth,

510
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,400
and you will experience an uplift and sense of courage,

511
00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,880
and the other will likewise feel it. You have within

512
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,359
you the source of courage, moral and physical, and you

513
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:02,799
have naught to fear fearlessness your divine heritage. Avail yourself

514
00:32:02,839 --> 00:32:06,079
of it. You have self conscience, and for the self

515
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:10,279
is the eye within you, not the petty personality, and

516
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:14,440
you must have confidence in that eye. Retreat within yourself

517
00:32:14,559 --> 00:32:17,880
until you feel the presence of the eye, and then

518
00:32:18,079 --> 00:32:21,000
will you have a self confidence that nothing can shake

519
00:32:21,119 --> 00:32:25,720
or disturb. Once having attained the permanent consciousness of the eye,

520
00:32:26,119 --> 00:32:29,400
you will have poise. Once having realized that you are

521
00:32:29,799 --> 00:32:33,079
a center of power, you will have no difficulty in

522
00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:37,079
saying no when it is right to do so. Once

523
00:32:37,119 --> 00:32:40,759
having realized your true nature, your real self, you will

524
00:32:40,799 --> 00:32:44,279
lose all sense of inferiority, and you will know that

525
00:32:44,359 --> 00:32:47,000
you are a manifestation of the one life, and have

526
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:51,880
behind you the strength, power, and grandeur of the cosmos.

527
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,799
Begin by realizing yourself, and then proceed with the following

528
00:32:56,839 --> 00:33:02,480
methods of training the mind word images. It is difficult

529
00:33:02,599 --> 00:33:05,960
for the mind to build itself around an idea unless

530
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,319
that idea be expressed in words. A word is the

531
00:33:09,319 --> 00:33:12,400
center of an idea, just as the idea is the

532
00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:15,319
center of the mental image, and the mental image the

533
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:19,599
center of the growing mental habit. Therefore, the yogis always

534
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,400
lay great stress upon the use of words in this way.

535
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,359
In the particular case before us, we should suggest the

536
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,079
holding before you of a few words crystallizing the main thought.

537
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:39,720
We suggest the words I am, courage, confidence, poise, firmness, equality.

538
00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,279
Commit these words to memory, and then endeavor to fix

539
00:33:43,319 --> 00:33:45,920
in your mind a clear conception of the meaning of

540
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:49,039
each word, so that each may stand for a live

541
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:53,519
idea when you say it. Beware of parrot like or

542
00:33:53,559 --> 00:33:58,559
phonographic repetition. Let each word's meaning stand out clearly before you,

543
00:33:59,039 --> 00:34:01,519
so that when you repeat eat it, you may feel

544
00:34:01,599 --> 00:34:07,000
its meaning. Repeat the words over frequently when opportunity presents itself,

545
00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:09,559
and you will soon begin to notice that they act

546
00:34:09,599 --> 00:34:13,559
as a strong mental tonic upon you, producing a bracing,

547
00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:18,159
energizing effect. And each time you repeat the words. Understandingly,

548
00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:21,400
you have done something to clear away the mental path

549
00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:26,599
over which you wish to travel. Practice. When you are

550
00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:29,400
at leisure and are able to indulge in day dreams

551
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:33,239
without injury to your affairs of life, call your imagination

552
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,480
into play, and endeavor to picture yourself as being possessed

553
00:34:36,519 --> 00:34:40,800
of the qualities indicated by the words named. Picture yourself

554
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,639
under the most trying circumstances, making use of the desired

555
00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:49,079
qualities and manifesting them fully. Endeavor to picture yourself as

556
00:34:49,159 --> 00:34:53,000
acting out your part well and exhibiting the desired qualities.

557
00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:56,039
Do not be ashamed to indulge in these day dreams,

558
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,760
for they are the prophecies of the things to follow,

559
00:34:59,199 --> 00:35:01,719
and you are but rehearsing your part before the day

560
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:05,920
of the performance. Practice makes perfect, and if you accustom

561
00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,119
yourself to acting in a certain way and imagination, you

562
00:35:09,159 --> 00:35:11,480
will find it much easier to play your part when

563
00:35:11,519 --> 00:35:15,280
the real performance occurs. This may seem childish to many

564
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,000
of you, but if you have an actor among your acquaintances,

565
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:20,639
consult him about it, and you will find that he

566
00:35:20,679 --> 00:35:24,039
will heartily recommend it. He will tell you what practice

567
00:35:24,079 --> 00:35:27,239
does for one in this direction, and how repeated practice

568
00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:29,960
and rehearsals may fix a character so firmly in a

569
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,199
man's mind that he may find it difficult to divest

570
00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,599
himself of it after a time. Choose well the part

571
00:35:36,679 --> 00:35:39,719
you wish to play, the character you wish to be yours,

572
00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:45,199
And then, after fixing it well in your mind, practice practice, practice,

573
00:35:45,719 --> 00:35:48,880
Keep your ideal constantly before you, and endeavor to grow

574
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:52,800
into it, and you will succeed if you exercise patience

575
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:57,159
and perseverance. But more than this, do not confine your

576
00:35:57,199 --> 00:36:00,840
practice to mere private rehearsal. You need some dress rehearsals

577
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:05,119
as well rehearsals in public. Therefore, after you get well

578
00:36:05,159 --> 00:36:08,679
started in your work, manage to exercise your growing character

579
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,400
habits in your everyday life. Pick out the little cases

580
00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:15,880
first and try it on them. You will find that

581
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,880
you will be able to overcome conditions that formerly bothered

582
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,000
you much. You will become conscious of a growing strength

583
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,239
and power coming from within, and you will recognize that

584
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:29,519
you are indeed a changed person. Let your thought express

585
00:36:29,519 --> 00:36:33,000
itself in action whenever you get a good chance, but

586
00:36:33,079 --> 00:36:35,800
do not try to force chances just to try your strength.

587
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,760
Do not, for instance, try to force people to ask

588
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,960
for favors that you may say no, you will find

589
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:46,360
plenty of genuine test without forcing any Accustom yourself to

590
00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,280
looking people in the eye and feeling the power that

591
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,199
is back of you and within you. You will soon

592
00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:55,679
be able to see through their personality and realize that

593
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:58,400
it is just one portion of this little life gazing

594
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:01,920
at another portion, and that therefore there is nothing to

595
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:05,519
be afraid of. A realization of your real self will

596
00:37:05,599 --> 00:37:09,880
enable you to maintain your poise under trying circumstances, if

597
00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:13,480
you will but throw aside your false idea about your personality,

598
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:17,800
forget yourself, your little personal self for a while, and

599
00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:21,159
fix your mind on the universal self of which you

600
00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:24,360
are a part. All these things that have worried you

601
00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,000
are but incidents of the personal life, and are seen

602
00:37:28,039 --> 00:37:31,159
to be illusions when viewed from the standpoint of the

603
00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:35,119
universal life. Carry the universal life with you as much

604
00:37:35,159 --> 00:37:39,039
as possible into your everyday life. It belongs there as

605
00:37:39,119 --> 00:37:42,079
much as anywhere, and will prove to be a tower

606
00:37:42,119 --> 00:37:45,960
of strength and refuge to you in the perplexing situations

607
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:49,760
of your busy life. Remember always that the ego is

608
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,679
master of the mental states and habits, and that the

609
00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:55,920
will is the direct instrument of the ego and is

610
00:37:56,079 --> 00:37:59,760
always ready for its use. Let your soul be filled

611
00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:03,320
with the strong desire to cultivate those mental habits that

612
00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:07,719
will make you strong. Nature's plan is to produce strong

613
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,639
individual expressions of herself, and she will be glad to

614
00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:15,320
give you her aid in becoming strong. The man who

615
00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,920
wishes to strengthen himself will always find great forces back

616
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,440
of him to aid him in the work. For is

617
00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:24,840
he not carrying out one of Nature's pet plans and

618
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:28,079
one which she has been striving for throughout the ages.

619
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,719
Anything that tends to make you realize and express your

620
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:35,559
mastery tends to strengthen you and places at your disposal

621
00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:40,159
nature's aid. You may witness this in everyday life. Nature

622
00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:44,000
seems to like strong individuals and delights in pushing them ahead.

623
00:38:44,599 --> 00:38:48,119
By mastery, we mean mastery over your own lower nature,

624
00:38:48,559 --> 00:38:52,360
as well as over outside nature. Of course, the eye

625
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:56,400
is master. Forget it not, o student, and assert it constantly.

626
00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:03,400
Peace be with youantrum or affirmation. I am the master

627
00:39:03,559 --> 00:39:07,719
of my mental habits. I control my character. I will

628
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:10,880
to be strong and summon the forces of my nature

629
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:15,039
to my aid. End of the eleventh lesson