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Speaker 1: Light on self control the door of heaven. The foremost

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lesson which the world has to learn on its way

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to wisdom is the lesson of self control. All the

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bitter punishments which men undergo in the school of experience

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are inflicted because they have failed to learn this lesson.

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Apart from self control, salvation is a meaningless word, and

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peace is an impossibility, For how can a man be

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saved from any sin while he continues to give way

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to it, Or how can he realize abiding peace until

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he has conquered and subdued the troubles and disturbances of

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his mind. Self control is the door of heaven. It

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leads to light and peace. Without it, a man is

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already in hell. He is lost in darkness and unrest.

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Men inflict upon themselves far reaching sufferings and pass through

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indescribable torments, both of body and soul through lack of

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self control. Not until they resort to its practice can

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their sufferings and torments pass away. For it has no substitute.

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Nothing can take its place, and there is no power

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in the universe that can do for a man that

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which he sooner or later must do for himself. By

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entering the practice of self control. By self control, a

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man manifests his divine power and ascends toward divine wisdom

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and perfection. Every man can practice it. The weakest man

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can begin now, and until he does begin, his weakness

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will remain, or he will become weaker. Still calling or

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not calling upon God or Jesus, Brama or Buddha, spirits

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or masters will not avail men who refuse to govern

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themselves and purify their hearts. Believing or disbelieving that Jesus

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is God, that Buddha is a niscient where the spirits

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or masters guide human affairs, cannot help men who continue

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to cling to the elements of strife and ignorance and

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corruption within themselves. What theological affirmation or denial can justify

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or what outward power put right the man who refuses

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to abandon a slanderous or abusive tongue, or give up

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an angry temper, or to sacrifice his impure imaginings. The

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flower reaches the upper light by first contending with the

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under darkness, and man can only reach the light of

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truth by striving against the darkness within himself. The vast

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importance of self control is not realized by men, its

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absolute necessity is not apprehended by them, and the spiritual

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freedom and glory to which it leads are hidden from

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their eyes. Because of this, men are enslaved, and misery

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and suffering ensue. Let a man contemplate the violence, impurity, disease,

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and suffering which occur upon earth, and consider how much

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of it is due to want of self control, and

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he will gradually come to realize the great need there

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is for self control. I say again that self control

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is the gate of heaven, for without it, neither happiness,

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nor love, nor peace can be realized and maintained. In

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the degree that it is lacked by a man in

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just that measure, will his mind and life be given

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over to confusion. And it is because such a large

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number of individuals have not yet learned to practice it,

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that the enforced restraint of national laws is required for

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the maintenance of law and order and the prevention of

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destructive confusion. Self control is the beginning of virtue, and

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it leads to the acquisition of every noble attribute. It

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is the first essential quality in a well ordered and

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truly religious life, and it leads to calmness, blessedness, and peace.

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Without it. Although there may be theological belief or profession,

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there can be no true religion. For what is religion

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but enlightened conduct, and what is spirituality but the triumph

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over the unruly tendencies of the mind. When men both

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depart from and refuse to practice self control, they fall

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into the great and dark delusion of separating religion from conduct.

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Then they persuade themselves that religion consists not in overcoming

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self and living blamelessly, but in holding a certain belief

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about scripture and in worshiping a certain savior in a

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particular way. Hence arise the innumerable complications and confusions of

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letter worship and the violence in bitter strife into which

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men fall in defense of their own formulated religion. But

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true religion cannot be formulated. It is a purity of mind,

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a loving heart, a soul at peace with the world.

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It need not be defended, for it is being and

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doing and living. A man begins to practice religion when

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he begins to control himself.