Speaker 1: Light on self control the door of heaven. The foremost
lesson which the world has to learn on its way
to wisdom is the lesson of self control. All the
bitter punishments which men undergo in the school of experience
are inflicted because they have failed to learn this lesson.
Apart from self control, salvation is a meaningless word, and
peace is an impossibility, For how can a man be
saved from any sin while he continues to give way
to it, Or how can he realize abiding peace until
he has conquered and subdued the troubles and disturbances of
his mind. Self control is the door of heaven. It
leads to light and peace. Without it, a man is
already in hell. He is lost in darkness and unrest.
Men inflict upon themselves far reaching sufferings and pass through
indescribable torments, both of body and soul through lack of
self control. Not until they resort to its practice can
their sufferings and torments pass away. For it has no substitute.
Nothing can take its place, and there is no power
in the universe that can do for a man that
which he sooner or later must do for himself. By
entering the practice of self control. By self control, a
man manifests his divine power and ascends toward divine wisdom
and perfection. Every man can practice it. The weakest man
can begin now, and until he does begin, his weakness
will remain, or he will become weaker. Still calling or
not calling upon God or Jesus, Brama or Buddha, spirits
or masters will not avail men who refuse to govern
themselves and purify their hearts. Believing or disbelieving that Jesus
is God, that Buddha is a niscient where the spirits
or masters guide human affairs, cannot help men who continue
to cling to the elements of strife and ignorance and
corruption within themselves. What theological affirmation or denial can justify
or what outward power put right the man who refuses
to abandon a slanderous or abusive tongue, or give up
an angry temper, or to sacrifice his impure imaginings. The
flower reaches the upper light by first contending with the
under darkness, and man can only reach the light of
truth by striving against the darkness within himself. The vast
importance of self control is not realized by men, its
absolute necessity is not apprehended by them, and the spiritual
freedom and glory to which it leads are hidden from
their eyes. Because of this, men are enslaved, and misery
and suffering ensue. Let a man contemplate the violence, impurity, disease,
and suffering which occur upon earth, and consider how much
of it is due to want of self control, and
he will gradually come to realize the great need there
is for self control. I say again that self control
is the gate of heaven, for without it, neither happiness,
nor love, nor peace can be realized and maintained. In
the degree that it is lacked by a man in
just that measure, will his mind and life be given
over to confusion. And it is because such a large
number of individuals have not yet learned to practice it,
that the enforced restraint of national laws is required for
the maintenance of law and order and the prevention of
destructive confusion. Self control is the beginning of virtue, and
it leads to the acquisition of every noble attribute. It
is the first essential quality in a well ordered and
truly religious life, and it leads to calmness, blessedness, and peace.
Without it. Although there may be theological belief or profession,
there can be no true religion. For what is religion
but enlightened conduct, and what is spirituality but the triumph
over the unruly tendencies of the mind. When men both
depart from and refuse to practice self control, they fall
into the great and dark delusion of separating religion from conduct.
Then they persuade themselves that religion consists not in overcoming
self and living blamelessly, but in holding a certain belief
about scripture and in worshiping a certain savior in a
particular way. Hence arise the innumerable complications and confusions of
letter worship and the violence in bitter strife into which
men fall in defense of their own formulated religion. But
true religion cannot be formulated. It is a purity of mind,
a loving heart, a soul at peace with the world.
It need not be defended, for it is being and
doing and living. A man begins to practice religion when
he begins to control himself.