THE aphorism1, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally2 what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those, which are deliberately3 executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner4 in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
"Thought in the mind hath made us, What we are
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind....
..If one endure
In purity of thought, joy follows him
As his own shadow—sure."
Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice6, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble7 and bestial8 character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling9 thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions10 of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends11 to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends12 below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker13 and master.
Of all the beautiful truths pertaining14 to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this—that man is the master of thought, the moulder15 of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.
As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.
Man is always the master, even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation16 he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently17 for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self analysis, and experience.
Only by much searching and mining, are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the moulder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation18, and utilizing19 his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened;" for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity20 can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
aphorism
|
|
| n.格言，警语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
garner
|
|
| v.收藏；取得 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
wrought
|
|
| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
artifice
|
|
| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
ignoble
|
|
| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
bestial
|
|
| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
grovelling
|
|
| adj.卑下的，奴颜婢膝的v.卑躬屈节，奴颜婢膝( grovel的现在分词 )；趴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
mansions
|
|
| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
ascends
|
|
| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
descends
|
|
| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
maker
|
|
| n.制造者，制造商 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
pertaining
|
|
| 与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
moulder
|
|
| v.腐朽，崩碎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
degradation
|
|
| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
diligently
|
|
| ad.industriously;carefully | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
investigation
|
|
| n.调查，调查研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
utilizing
|
|
| v.利用，使用( utilize的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
importunity
|
|
| n.硬要，强求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |