第五章
成功的思想原因
一個人能否達成自己的既定目標與他自己的思想有直接關系。在一個平衡有序的宇宙中蛇捌,打破平衡意味著毀滅抚恒,每一個獨立個體都擁有絕對的責任去維護平衡。一個人的軟弱與堅強络拌,純潔與不純潔俭驮,取決于他自己,而不是別人春贸;這都是他自己造成的混萝,不是別人造成的。他們只能被自己改變祥诽,而不是別人譬圣。他的處境也是他自己的,而不是別人的雄坪。他的痛苦和快樂都是從他自己的內(nèi)心感受進化而來的厘熟。他怎么想,他就會怎么做;他不改變思想维哈,他就會維持現(xiàn)狀绳姨。
強者幫助不了弱者,除非弱者愿意接受別人的幫助阔挠。首先飘庄,弱者必須讓自己變得強大;他必須通過自己的努力购撼,使自己強大跪削,讓人欣佩谴仙。只有他自己才能改變自己的處境和狀態(tài)。
人們常常這樣想碾盐,也這樣說:“奴隸多的原因是因為有一個壓迫者晃跺,讓我們憎恨壓迫者『辆粒”現(xiàn)在掀虎,逐漸有一部份為數(shù)較少的人改變以上想法,他們認為:“只有一個人是壓迫者付枫,而有太多人是奴隸烹玉;讓我們鄙視奴隸吧〔玻”其實二打,壓迫者和奴隸之間,在某種意義上是合作者叶眉,表面上彼此折磨址儒,實際上,他們在折磨他們自己。一個完美的智者從被壓迫者的軟弱和壓迫者濫用的權力上理解這種行為法則;一種完美的愛立美,看見兩種狀態(tài)所帶來的痛苦狰住,便不會譴責他們,而是完全地去憐憫和包容他們,既包容壓迫者,也包容被壓迫者。(這一種完美的愛是神性)
如果人們能克服弱點潘鲫,抱棄了一切自私自利的思想,他將不屬于壓迫者肋杖,也不屬于被壓迫者溉仑。他是自由自在的人。
一個人只有通過升華自己的思想状植,才能實現(xiàn)自我崛起浊竟、征服困難和獲得成就。如果不努力改善自己的思想津畸,這個人只能一直處于軟弱振定、卑微和悲慘的狀態(tài)中。
一個人要想有所成就肉拓,即使在最普通的事情上后频,他也必須升華他的思想,超越原來奴性和獸性思維暖途。為了成功卑惜,即使不能一次性完全拋棄所有的獸性和自私自利膏执,但至少作出部分改變。一個以獸性思考為先的人残揉,既不能清晰地思考胧后,也不能作出有條有理計劃芋浮;他發(fā)現(xiàn)不了抱环、也挖掘不到自己的潛能,做任何事情都會失敗纸巷。如果他始終不能勇敢地去撐控自己的思想镇草,他就沒有能力撐控各種變化的狀況,和承擔重大責任瘤旨。他不適合單獨行動和獨立處事梯啤。他只會局限于他本身的思想。
沒有犧牲就不可能有進步和成就存哲。一個人要在日常生活工作中成功因宇,一定程度上取決于他犧牲了他混亂的動物性思維,修煉心性并專心致志于發(fā)展他的計劃祟偷,并加強他的決心和獨立能力察滑。他的思想覺悟越高,他就會變得更剛毅修肠、正直和公正贺辰,他的成功機率就會越大,他的成功就會受到更多祝福并更持久嵌施。
這個世界是不喜歡貪婪饲化、不誠實、邪惡的人的吗伤,盡管表面上有時看起來是這樣吃靠;上天憐憫并幫助誠實,寬宏大量足淆,善良的人巢块。古往今來,所有偉大的導師都以不同的形式宣布過這一點缸浦,要證明和認識這一點:一個人只要不斷提高自己的思想覺悟夕冲,就能讓自己變得越來越好。
智慧成就是獻身于探求知識裂逐、探求生命和自然的真與美的純正思想結果歹鱼。也許智慧成就有時可能與虛榮心和野心有關,但它們不是這些性格的結果;它們是長期艱苦努力和純潔無私思想的自然產(chǎn)物卜高。
精神的成就是神圣愿望的完美結果弥姻。一個人如果一直生活在高尚和崇高的思想觀念中南片,如果他修煉身心,成為純潔和無私的人庭敦,他一定能夠到達像太陽升到天頂疼进、月亮升到滿月那樣境界(我心光明),在性格里注入明智和高貴秧廉,并上升到一個有影響力和幸福的高度伞广。
無論何種成就,都是努力的皇冠疼电,思想的冕嚼锄。通過自我控制、決心蔽豺、純潔区丑、正義和正確的思想,一個人精神境界必定能夠提升修陡;順從獸性沧侥、懶惰、污穢魄鸦、墮落和混亂的思想宴杀,人肯定墮落下去。
一個人可以在世界上獲得巨大的成功号杏,甚至在精神領域達到崇高的高度婴氮,但如果傲慢、自私和腐敗的思想再次占據(jù)了他盾致,他一定會墮落到軟弱和悲慘的境地主经。(驕兵必敗)
正確的思想所取得的勝利庭惜,需要用警惕來維持罩驻。許多人在成功到來之前,放棄堅持护赊,然后馬上陷入失敗惠遏。
一切成就,無論是在事業(yè)上骏啰、智力上或精神上节吮,都是思想方向正確的結果,都受到同一法則和同一方法的支配;唯一的區(qū)別在于達成怎樣的目標判耕。
犧牲少透绩,成就小;犧牲多帚豪,成就大碳竟;犧牲巨大,成就將無與倫比狸臣。(這里犧牲莹桅,是犧牲驕奢淫逸等不好的思想,修煉自己到達光明之境烛亦。)
Chapter Five
The Thought-Factor in Achievement
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. In a justly ordered universe, where loss of equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must be absolute. A man's weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man's; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man's. His sufferings and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
A strong man cannot help a weaker unless the weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.
It has been usual for men to think and to say, "Many men are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor." Now, however, there is among an increasing few a tendency to reverse this judgment, and to say, "One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the slaves." The truth is that oppressor and slave are co-operators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting themselves. A perfect Knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor; a perfect Love, seeing the suffering which both states entail, condemns neither; a perfect Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed.
He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.
A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts.
Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not, in order to succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any means; but a portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed. A man whose first thought is bestial indulgence could neither think clearly nor plan methodically; he could not find and develop his latent resources, and would fail in any undertaking. Not having commenced manfully to control his thoughts, he is not in a position to control affairs and to adopt serious responsibilities. He is not fit to act independently and stand alone. But he is limited only by the thoughts which he chooses.
There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and a man's worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self reliance. And the higher he lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.
The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great Teachers of the ages have declared this in varying forms, and to prove and know it a man has but to persist in making himself more and more virtuous by lifting up his thoughts.
Intellectual achievements are the result of thought consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life and nature. Such achievements may be sometimes connected with vanity and ambition but they are not the outcome of those characteristics; they are the natural outgrowth of long and arduous effort, and of pure and unselfish thoughts.
Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as surely as the sun reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness.
Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought, a man ascends; by the aid of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought a man descends.
A man may rise to high success in the world, and even to lofty altitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take possession of him.
Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.
All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment.
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.