Wisdom Vault — onlinknow.co.za

it — the coming out of it — will follow. Selfishness, or passion, not only subsists in the gross forms of greed and glaringly ungoverned conditions of mind; it informs also every hidden thought which is subtly [4] jFrom passion to peace conneded with the assumption and glori- fication of one's self; and it is most deceiv- ing and subtle when it prompts one to dwell upon the selfishness in others, to accuse them of it and to talk about it.

The man who continually dwells upon the selfishness in others will not thus overcome his own selfishness. Not by accusing others do we come out of selfishness, but by purifying ourselves. The way from passion to peace is not by hurling painful charges against others, but by overcoming one's self.

By eagerly striving to subdue the selfishness of others, we remain passion-bound; by pa- tiently overcoming our own selfishness, we ascend into freedom. He only who has con- quered himself can subdue others; andjie subdues them, not by passion, but by love. ( The foolish man accuses others and justi- fies himself; but he who is becoming wise justifies others and accuses himself The way from passion to peace is not in the outer world of people; it is in the inner [5] jfrom Passion to peace world of thoughts; it does not consist in altering the deeds of others, it consists in perfefting one's own deeds.; Frequently the man of passion is most eager to put others right; but the man of wisdom puts himself right.

If one is anxious to reform the world, let him begin by re- forming himself. The reformation of self does not end with the elimination of the sensual elements only; that is its beginning. It ends only when every vain thought and selfish aim is overcome.

Short of perfed purity and wisdom, there is still some form of self-slavery or folly which needs to be conquered. Passion is at the base of the strudure of life; peace is its crown and summit. Without passion to begin with, there would be no power to work with, and no achievement to end with.

Passion represents power, but power misdiredted, power producing hurt instead of happiness. Its forces, while be- ing instruments of destrudion in the hands [6] jFtom Pa00ion to peace of the foolish, are instruments of preserva- tion in the hands of the wise.

When curbed and concentrated and beneficently direded, they represent working energy. Passion is the flaming sword which guards the gates of Paradise. It shuts out and destroys the foolish; it admits and preserves the wise. I He is the foolish man who does not know v. the extent of his own ignorance; who is the slave of thoughts of self; who obeys the impulses of passion.

He i$ the wise man who knows his own ignorance; who under- stands the emptiness of selfish thoughts; who masters the impulses of passion.\ The fool descends into deeper and dteper ignorance; the wise man ascends into higher and higher knowledge.

The fool desires, and suffers, and dies. The wise man aspires, and rejoices, and lives. 1 With mind intent on wisdom, and men- tal gaze raised upward, the spiritual warrior perceives the upward way, and fixes his at- tention upon the heights of Peace. [7] aspiration WITH the clear perception of one's own ignorance, comes the desire for enlightenment, and thus in the heart is born Aspiration, the rapture of the saints.

On the wings of aspiration man rises from earth to heaven, from ignorance to knowledge, from the under darkness to the upper light. Without it he remains a gro- velling animal, earthly, sensual, unenlight- ened, and uninspired. Aspiration is the longing for heavenly things — for righteousness, compassion, pu- rity, love — as distinguished from desire, which is the longing for earthly things, — for selfish possessions, personal dominance, low pleasures, and sensual gratifications.