,out from the ,heart        ,,by        
,,james ,,allen      ,author of         
,,from ,,poverty ,,to ,,power1    ,,as  
,a ,,man ,,thinketh1 ,,etc4        ,make
 pure thy heart1 and thou wilt make thy 
life    ,rich1 sweet1 and beautiful1    
unmarred by strife2    ,guard well thy  
mind1 and1 noble1 strong1 and fret1     
,nothing shall harm1 disturb1 or conquer
 thee2    ,for all thy foes are in thy  
heart and mind4    ,there also thy      
salvation thou wilt find4          ,r4  
,f4 ,,fenno  ,,company    #ah ,,east    
,,seventeenth ,,st41 ,,new ,,york       
,,contents      ,the ,heart and the     
,life    ,the ,nature and ,power of     
,mind    ,formation of ,habit    ,doing 
and ,knowing    ,first ,steps in the    
,higher ,life    ,mental ,conditions and
 ,their ,effects    ,exhortation        
,,out ,,from ,,the ,,heart        ,,the 
,,heart ,,and ,,the ,,life    ,as the   
heart1 so is the life4  ,the within is  
ceaselessly becoming the  without4      
,nothing remains unrevealed4  ,that     

which is hidden is but  for a time2 it  
ripens and comes forth at last4  ,seed1 
tree1 blossom1  and fruit is the        
fourfold order of the universe4  ,from  
the state of a  man's heart proceed the 
conditions of his life2 his thoughts    
blossom  into deeds1 and his deeds bear 
the fruitage of character and destiny4  
,life is ever unfolding from within1 and
 revealing itself to the  light1 and    
thoughts engendered in the heart at last
 reveal themselves  in words1 actions1  
and things accomplished4    ,as the     
fountain from the hidden spring1 so     
issues man's life from the  secret      
recesses of his heart4  ,all that he is 
and does is generated  there4  ,all that
 he will be and do will take its rise   
there4    ,sorrow and gladness1         
suffering and enjoyment1 hope and fear1 
hatred  and love1 ignorance and         
enlightenment1 are nowhere but in the   
heart2  they are solely mental          
conditions4    ,man is the keeper of his
 heart2 the watcher of his mind2 the    

solitary  sentinel of his citadel of    
life4  ,as such1 he can be diligent or  
negligent4  ,he can keep his heart more 
and more carefully2 he can  more        
strenuously watch and purify his mind2  
and he can guard himself  against the   
thinking of unrighteous thoughts3 this  
is the way of  enlightenment and bliss4 
,on the other hand1 he can live loosely 
and  carelessly1 neglecting the supreme 
task of rightly ordering his life3  this
 is the way of self-delusion and        
suffering4    ,let a man realize that   
life in its totality proceeds from the  
mind1  and lo1 the way of blessedness is
 opened up to him6  ,for he will then   
discover that he possesses the power to 
rule his mind1 and to fashion  it in    
accordance with his ,ideal4  ,so will he
 elect to strongly and  steadfastly walk
 those pathways of thought and action   
which are  altogether excellent2 to him 
life will become beautiful and sacred2  
and1 sooner or later1 he will put to    
flight all evil1 confusion and          

suffering2 for it is impossible for a   
man to fall short of  liberation1       
enlightenment1 and peace1 who guards    
with unwearying  diligence the gateway  
of his heart4          ,,the ,,nature   
,,and ,,power ,,of ,,mind    ,mind is   
the arbiter of life2 it is the creator  
and shaper of  conditions1 and the      
recipient of its own results4  ,it      
contains within  itself both the power  
to create illusion and to perceive      
reality4    ,mind is the infallible     
weaver of destiny2 thought is the       
thread1 good  and evil deeds are the    
warp and woof1 and the web1 woven upon  
the  loom of life1 is character4  ,mind 
clothes itself in garments of its  own  
making4    ,man1 as a mental being1     
possesses all the powers of mind1 and is
  furnished with illimitable choice4    
,he learns by experience1 and he  can   
accelerate or retard his experience4    
,he is not arbitrarily bound  at any    
point1 but he has bound himself at many 
points1 and having  bound himself he    

can1 when he chooses1 liberate himself4 
,he can  become bestial or pure1 ignoble
 or noble1 foolish or wise1 just as he  
chooses4  ,he can1 by recurring         
practice1 form habits1 and he can1 by   
renewed effort1 break them off4  ,he can
 surround himself with  illusions until 
,truth is completely lost1 and he can   
destroy one and  another of those       
illusions until ,truth is entirely      
recovered4  ,his  possibilities are     
limitless2 his freedom is complete4     
,it is in the nature of mind to create  
its own conditions1 and to  choose the  
states in which it shall dwell4  ,it    
also has the power to  alter any        
condition and to abandon any state1 and 
this it is  continually doing as it     
gathers knowledge of state after state  
by  repeated choice and exhaustive      
experience4    ,inward processes of     
thought make up the sum of character and
 life1  and man can modify and alter    
these processes by bringing will and    
effort to bear upon them4  ,the bonds of

 habit1 impotence1 and sin are          
self-made1 and can only be destroyed by 
one's self2 they exist  nowhere but in  
one's mind1 and although they are       
directly related to  outward things1    
they have no real existence in those    
things4  ,the  outer is moulded and     
vivified by the inner1 and never the    
inner by  the outer4  ,temptation does  
not arise in the outer object1 but in   
the lust of the mind for that object2   
nor do suffering and sorrow  inhere in  
the external things and happenings of   
life1 but in an  undisciplined attitude 
of mind toward those things and         
happenings4  ,the mind that is          
disciplined by ,purity and fortified by 
,wisdom1  avoids all those lusts and    
desires which are inseparably bound up  
with affliction1 and so arrives at      
enlightenment and peace4    ,to condemn 
others as evil1 and to rail against     
outside conditions as  the source of    
evil1 increases1 and does not lessen1   
the world's  suffering and unrest4  ,the

 outer is but the shadow and effect of  
the  inner1 and when the heart is pure  
all outward things are pure4    ,all    
growth and life is from within outward2 
all decay and death is  from without    
inward2 this is a universal law4  ,all  
evolution proceeds  from within4  ,all  
adjustment must take place within4  ,he 
who ceases  to strive against others1   
and employs his powers in the           
transformation1 regeneration1 and       
development of his own mind1  conserves 
his energies and preserves himself2 and 
as he succeeds in  harmonizing his own  
mind1 he leads others by consideration  
and  charity into a like blessed state1 
for not by assuming authority and       
guidance over other minds is the way of 
enlightenment and peace  discovered1 but
 by exercising a lawful authority over  
one's own1 and  by guiding one's self in
 pathways of steadfast and lofty virtue4
    ,a man's life proceeds from his     
heart1 his mind3 he has compounded  that
 mind by his own thoughts and deeds3 it 

is in his power to  refashion that mind 
by his choice of thought3 he can        
therefore  transform his life4  ,let us 
see how this is to be done4             
,,formation ,,of ,,habit    ,every      
established mental condition is an      
acquired habit1 and it has  become such 
by continuous repetition of thought4    
,despondency and  cheerfulness1 anger   
and calmness1 covetousness and          
generosity--indeed1 all states of       
mind--are habits built up by  choice1   
until they have become automatic4  ,a   
thought constantly  repeated at last    
becomes a fixed habit of the mind1 and  
from such  habits proceeds the life4    
,it is in the nature of the mind to     
acquire knowledge by the  repetition of 
its experiences4  ,a thought which it is
 very difficult1  at first1 to hold and 
to dwell upon1 at last becomes1 by      
constantly  being held in the mind1 a   
natural and habitual condition4  ,just  
as a  boy1 when commencing to learn a   
trade1 cannot even handle his tools     

aright1 much less use them correctly1   
but after long repetition and  practice 
plies them with perfect ease and        
consummate skill1 so a  state of mind1  
at first apparently impossible of       
realization1 is1 by  perseverance and   
practice1 at last acquired and built    
into the  character as a natural and    
spontaneous condition4    ,in this power
 of the mind to form and reform its     
habits1 its  conditions1 is contained   
the basis of man's salvation1 and the   
open  door to perfect liberty by the    
mastery of self1 for as a man has the   
power to form harmful habits1 so he has 
the same power to create  habits that   
are essentially good4  ,and here we come
 to a point which  needs some           
elucidating1 and which calls for deep   
and earnest thought  on the part of my  
reader4    ,it is commonly said to be   
easier to do wrong than right1 to sin   
than  to be holy2 such condition has    
come to be regarded1 almost             
universally1 as axiomatic1 and no less a

 teacher than the ,buddha has           
said3--,bad deeds1 and deeds hurtful to 
ourselves1 are easy to do2  what is     
beneficial and good1 that is very       
difficult to do1--and as  regards       
humanity generally1 this is true1 but it
 is only true as a  passing experience1 
a fleeting factor in human evolution2 it
 is not a  fixed condition of things1 is
 not of the nature of an eternal truth4 
,it is easier for men to do wrong than  
right1 because of the  prevalence of    
ignorance1 because the true nature of   
things1 and the  essence and meaning of 
life1 are not apprehended4  ,when a     
child is  learning to write1 it is      
extremely easy for it to hold the pen   
wrongly1 and to form its letters        
incorrectly1 but it is painfully        
difficult to hold the pen and to write  
properly2 and this because of  the      
child's ignorance of the art of writing1
 which can only be  dispelled by        
persistent effort and practice1 until1  
at last1 it  becomes natural and easy to

 hold the pen properly1 and to write    
correctly1 and difficult1 as well as    
altogether unnecessary1 to do  the wrong
 thing4  ,it is the same in the vital   
things of mind and  life4  ,to think and
 do rightly requires much practice and  
renewed  effort1 but the time at last   
comes when it becomes habitual and easy 
to think and do rightly1 and difficult1 
as it is then seen to be  altogether    
unnecessary1 to do that which is wrong4 
,just as an artisan becomes1 by         
practice1 accomplished in his craft1  so
 a man can become1 by practice1         
accomplished in goodness2 it is         
entirely a matter of forming new habits 
of thought1 and he to whom  right       
thoughts have become easy and natural1  
and wrong thoughts and  acts difficult  
to do1 has attained to the highest      
virtue1 to pure1  spiritual knowledge4  
,it is easy and natural for men to sin1 
because they have formed1 by  incessant 
repetition1 harmful and unenlightened   
habits of thought4  ,it is very         

difficult for the thief to refrain from 
stealing when  opportunity occurs1      
because he has lived so long in covetous
 and  avaricious thoughts2 but such     
difficulty does not exist for the       
honest man who has lived so long in     
upright and honest thoughts1 and  has   
thereby become enlightened as to the    
wrong1 folly1 and  fruitlessness of     
theft1 that even the remotest idea of   
stealing does  not enter his mind4  ,the
 sin of theft is a very extreme one1 and
 ,i  have introduced it in order to the 
more clearly illustrate the force  and  
formation of habit2 but all sins and    
virtues are formed in the  same way4    
,anger and impatience are natural and   
easy to thousands of  people1 because   
they are constantly repeating the angry 
and impatient  thought and act1 and with
 each repetition the habit is more      
firmly  established and more deeply     
rooted4  ,calmness and patience can     
become  habitual in the same way--by    
first grasping through effort1 a calm   

and patient thought1 and then           
continuously thinking it1 and living in 
it1 until use becomes second nature1 and
 anger and impatience pass  away for    
ever4  ,it is thus that every wrong     
thought may be expelled  from the mind2 
thus that every untrue act may be       
destroyed2 thus that  every sin may be  
overcome4          ,,doing ,,and        
,,knowing    ,let a man realize that his
 life1 in its totality1 proceeds from   
his  mind1 and that that mind is a      
combination of habits which he can1 by  
patient effort1 modify to any extent1   
and over which he can thus gain         
complete ascendancy and control1 and he 
has at once obtained  possession of the 
key which shall open the door to his    
complete  emancipation4    ,but         
emancipation from the ills of life      
7which are the ills of one's  mind7 is a
 matter of steady growth from within1   
and not a sudden  acquisition from      
without4  ,hourly and daily must the    
mind be trained  to think stainless     

thoughts1 and to adopt right and        
dispassionate  attitudes under those    
circumstances in which it is prone to   
fall into  wrong and passion4  ,like the
 patient sculptor upon his marble1 the  
aspirant to the ,right ,life must       
gradually work upon the crude  material 
of his mind until he has wrought out of 
it the ,ideal of his  holiest dreams4   
,in working toward such supreme         
accomplishment1 it is necessary to      
commence at the lowest and easiest      
steps1 and proceed by natural and       
progressive stages to the higher and    
more difficult4  ,this law of  growth1  
progress1 evolution1 unfoldment1 by     
gradual and ever  ascending stages1 is  
absolute in every department of life1   
and in  every human accomplishment1 and 
where it is ignored1 total failure  will
 result4  ,in acquiring learning1 in    
learning a trade1 or in  pursuing a     
business1 this law is fully recognized  
and minutely obeyed  by all2 but in     
acquiring ,virtue1 in learning ,truth1  

and in pursuing  the right conduct and  
knowledge of life1 it is unrecognized   
and  disobeyed by nearly all2 hence     
,virtue1 ,truth1 and the ,perfect ,life 
remain unpractised1 unacquired1 and     
unknown4    ,it is a common error to    
suppose that the ,higher ,life is a     
matter of  reading1 and the adoption of 
theological or metaphysical hypotheses1 
and that ,spiritual ,principles can be  
apprehended by this method4  ,the       
,higher ,life is a higher living in     
thought1 word1 and deed1 and the        
knowledge of those ,spiritual           
,principles1 which are imminent in man  
and in the universe can only be acquired
 after long discipline in the  pursuit  
and practice of ,virtue4    ,the lesser 
must be thoroughly grasped and          
understood before the  greater can be   
known1 and practice always precedes real
 knowledge4  ,the schoolmaster never    
attempts to teach his pupils the        
abstract  principles of mathematics at  
the commencement2 he knows that by such 

a method teaching would be vain1 and    
learning impossible4  ,he first  places 
before them a simple sum1 and1 having   
explained it1 leaves  them to do it4    
,when1 after repeated failures and      
ever-renewed  effort1 they have         
succeeded in doing it correctly1 a more 
difficult  task is set them1 and then   
another and another2 and not until the  
pupils have1 through many years of      
diligent application1 mastered all  the 
lessons in arithmetic1 does he attempt  
to unfold to them the  underlying       
mathematical principles4    ,in learning
 a trade1 say that of a mechanic1 the   
boy is not at first  taught the         
principles of mechanics1 but a simple   
tool is put into his  hand and he is    
told how rightly to use it1 and is then 
left to do it  by effort and practice4  
,as he succeeds in plying his tools     
correctly1 more and more difficult tasks
 are set him1 until1 after  several     
years of successful practice1 he is     
prepared to study and  grasp the        

principles of mechanics4    ,in a       
properly governed household1 the child  
is first taught to be  obedient1 and to 
conduct itself properly under all       
circumstances4  ,the child is not even  
told why it must do this1 but is        
commanded to  do it1 and only after it  
has so far succeeded in doing what is   
right  and proper1 is it told why it    
should do it4  ,no father would attempt 
to teach his child the principles of    
ethics before exacting from it  the     
practice of filial duty and social      
virtue4    ,thus practice ever precedes 
knowledge even in the ordinary things of
  the world1 and in spiritual things1 in
 the living of the ,higher ,life1  this 
law is rigid in its exactions4  ,virtue 
can only be known by  doing1 and the    
knowledge of ,truth can only be arrived 
at by  perfecting oneself in the        
practice of ,virtue and to be complete  
in  the practice and acquisition of     
,virtue is to be complete in the        
knowledge of ,truth4    ,truth can only 

be arrived at by daily and hourly doing 
the lessons of  ,virtue1 beginning at   
the simplest1 and passing on to the more
  difficult2 and as a child patiently   
and obediently learns its lessons  at   
school1 constantly practising1 ever     
exerting itself until all  failures and 
difficulties are surmounted1 even so    
does the child of  ,truth apply himself 
to right-doing in thought and action1   
undaunted  by failure1 and made stronger
 by difficulties2 and as he succeeds in 
acquiring ,virtue1 his mind unfolds     
itself in the knowledge of ,truth1  and 
it is a knowledge in which he can       
securely rest4          ,,first ,,steps 
,,in ,,the ,,higher ,,life    ,seeing   
that the ,path of ,virtue is the ,path  
of ,knowledge1 and that  before the     
all-embracing ,principles of ,truth can 
be comprehended1  perfection in the more
 lowly steps must be acquired1 how1     
then1 shall  a disciple of ,truth       
commence8  ,how shall one who aspires to
 the  righting of his mind and the      

purification of his heart--that heart   
which is the fountain and repository of 
all the issues of life--learn  the      
lessons of ,virtue1 and thus build      
himself up in the strength of           
knowledge1 destroying ignorance and the 
ills of life8  ,what are the  first     
lessons1 the first steps8  ,how are they
 learned8  ,how are they  practised8    
,how are they mastered and understood8  
,the first lessons consist in overcoming
 those wrong mental conditions  which   
are the most easily eradicated1 and     
which are the common  barriers to       
spiritual progress1 as well as in       
practising the simple  domestic and     
social virtues2 and the reader will be  
the better aided  if ,i group and       
classify the first ten steps in three   
lessons as  follows3--      ,,vices ,,to
 ,,be ,,overcome ,,and ,,eradicated4    
,,vices ,,of ,,the ,,body4      #a4     
,indolence4                             
7 ,,first ,,lesson4    #b4              
,self-indulgence4                       

7 ,discipline of the ,body4      ,,vices
 ,,of ,,the ,,tongue4      #a4 ,slander4
                               7    #b4 
,gossip and idle conversation4          
7 ,,second ,,lesson4    #c4 ,abusive and
 unkind speech4             7           
,discipline of                          
7      ,speech4    #d4 ,levity1 or      
irreverent speech4          7    #e4    
,captiousness1 or fault-finding speech4 
7      ,,virtues ,,to ,,be ,,practiced  
,,and ,,acquired4      #a4 ,unselfish   
performance of duty4         7 ,,third  
,,lesson4                               
7   ,discipline of    #b4 ,unswerving   
rectitude4                  7           
,inclination4    #c4 ,unlimited         
forgiveness4                 7      ,the
 two vices of the body1 and five of the 
tongue1 are so called  because they are 
manifested in the body and tongue1 and  
also because1  by so definitely         
classifying them1 the mind of the reader
 will be the  better helped2 but it must
 be clearly understood that these vices 

arise primarily in the mind1 and are    
wrong conditions of heart worked  out in
 the body and the tongue4    ,the       
existence of such chaotic conditions is 
an indication that the  mind is         
altogether unenlightened as to the real 
meaning and purpose  of life1 and their 
eradication is the beginning of a       
virtuous1  steadfast1 and enlightened   
life4    ,but how shall they be overcome
 and eradicated8  ,by first1 and at     
once1 checking and controlling their    
outward manifestations1 by  suppressing 
the wrong act2 this will stimulate the  
mind to  watchfulness and reflection    
until1 by repeated practice1 it will at 
last come to perceive and understand the
 dark and wrong conditions of  mind1 out
 of which such acts spring1 and will    
abandon them entirely4    ,it will be   
seen that the first step in the         
discipline of the mind is  the          
overcoming of indolence4  ,this is the  
easiest step1 and until it  is perfectly
 accomplished1 the other steps cannot be

 taken4  ,the  clinging to indolence    
constitutes a complete barrier to the   
,path of  ,truth4  ,indolence consists  
in giving the body more ease and sleep  
than it requires1 in procrastinating1   
and in shirking and neglecting  those   
things which should receive immediate   
attention4  ,this  condition of laziness
 must be overcome by rousing up the body
 at any  early hour1 giving it just the 
amount of sleep it requires for         
complete recuperation1 and by doing     
promptly and vigorously1 every  task and
 duty1 no matter how small1 as it comes 
along4  ,on no account  should food or  
drink be taken in bed1 and to lie in bed
 after one has  wakened1 indulging in   
ease and reverie1 is a habit fatal to   
promptness and resolution of character1 
and purity of mind4  ,nor  should one   
attempt to do his thinking at such a    
time4  ,strong1 pure1  and true thinking
 is impossible under such circumstances4
  ,a man  should go to bed to sleep1 not
 to think4  ,he should get up to think  

and work1 not to sleep4    ,the next    
step is the overcoming of               
self-indulgence1 or gluttony4  ,the     
glutton is he who eats for animal       
gratification only1 without  considering
 the true end and object in eating1 who 
eats more than his  body requires1 and  
is greedy after sweet things and rich   
dishes4  ,such undisciplined desire can 
only be overcome by reducing the        
quantity of food eaten1 and the number  
of meals per day1 and by  resorting to a
 simple and uninvolved dietary4         
,regular hours should  be set apart for 
meals1 and eating at other times should 
be rigidly  avoided4  ,suppers should be
 abolished1 as they are altogether      
unnecessary1 and conduce to heavy sleep 
and cloudiness of mind4  ,the  pursuit  
of such a method of discipline will     
rapidly bring the  hitherto ungoverned  
appetite under control1 and as the      
sensual sin of  self-indulgence is taken
 out of the mind1 the right selection of
 food  will be instinctively and        

infallibly adapted to the purified      
mental  condition4    ,it should be well
 borne in mind that change of heart is  
the needful  thing1 and that any change 
of diet which does not subserve this end
  is futile4  ,whilst one eats for      
enjoyment he is gluttonous4  ,the  heart
 must be purified of sensual craving and
 gustatory lust4    ,when the body is   
well controlled and firmly guided2 when 
that which  is to be done is done       
vigorously2 when no task or duty is     
delayed2  when early rising has become a
 delight2 when frugality1 temperance1   
and abstinence are firmly established2  
when one is contented with the  food    
which is put before him1 no matter how  
scant and plain1 and the  craving for   
gustatory pleasure is at an end1--then  
are the first two  steps in the ,higher 
,life accomplished2 then is the first   
great lesson  in ,truth learned4  ,thus 
is established in the heart the         
foundation of  a poised1 self-governed1 
virtuous life4    ,the next lesson is   

the lesson of ,virtuous ,speech1 in     
which are five  orderly steps4  ,the    
first step is the overcoming of slander4
  ,slander  consists in inventing or    
repeating evil reports about others1 in 
exposing and magnifying the faults of   
others1 or of absent friends1  and in   
introducing unworthy insinuations4  ,the
 elements of  thoughtlessness1 cruelty1 
insincerity1 and untruthfulness enter   
into  every slanderous act4  ,he who    
aims at the living of the right life    
will commence to check the cruel word of
 slander before it has gone  forth from 
his lips1 and will then check and       
eliminate the insincere  thought which  
gave rise to it4  ,he will watch himself
 that he does  not vilify any1 and will 
refrain from disparaging and condemning 
the  absent friend1 whose face he has so
 recently kissed1 or shaken his  hand1  
or smiled into his face4  ,he will not  
say of another that which  he dare not  
say to him4  ,thus1 coming at last to   
think sacredly of  the character and    

reputation of others1 he will destroy   
those wrong  conditions of mind which   
give rise to slander4    ,the next step 
is the overcoming of gossip and idle    
conversation4  ,idle speech consists in 
talking about the private affairs of    
others1  in talking merely to pass away 
the time1 and in engaging in aimless    
and irrelevant conversation4  ,such an  
ungoverned condition of speech  is the  
outcome of an ill-regulated mind4  ,the 
man of virtue will  bridle his tongue1  
and thus learn how rightly to govern the
 mind4  ,he  will not let his tongue run
 idly and foolishly1 but will make his  
speech strong and pure and will either  
talk with a purpose or remain  silent4  
,abusive and unkind speech is the next  
vice to be overcome4  ,the man  who     
abuses and accuses others has himself   
wandered far from the ,right  ,way4  ,to
 hurl hard words and names at others is 
to sink deeply into  folly4  ,when a man
 is inclined to abuse and condemn       
others1 let him  restrain his tongue and

 look in upon himself4  ,the virtuous   
man  refrains from abuse and            
quarrelling1 and employs only words that
 are  useful1 necessary1 pure1 and true4
    ,the next step is the overcoming of 
levity1 or irreverent speech4  ,light   
and frivolous talking2 the repeating of 
coarse jokes2 the  telling of vulgar    
stories1 having no other purpose than to
 raise an  empty laugh2 offensive       
familiarity1 and the employment of      
contemptuous and irreverent terms when  
speaking to or of others1 and           
particularly of one's elders and those  
who rank as one's teachers1  guardians1 
or superiors1--all this will be put away
 by the lover of  ,virtue and ,truth4   
,upon the altar of irreverence absent   
friends and companions are  immolated   
for the passing excitement of a         
momentary laugh1 and all  the sanctity  
of life is sacrificed to the zest for   
ridicule4  ,when  respect towards others
 and the giving of reverence where      
reverence is  due are abandoned1 ,virtue

 is abandoned4  ,when modesty1 gravity1 
and  dignity are eliminated from speech 
and behavior1 ,truth is lost1 yea1  even
 its entrance gate is hidden away and   
forgotten4  ,irreverence is  degrading  
even in the young1 but when it          
accompanies grey hairs1 and  appears in 
the demeanor of the preacher1--this is  
indeed a piteous  spectacle2 and when   
this can be imitated and followed after1
 then are  the blind leading the blind1 
then have elders and preacher and people
  lost their way4    ,the virtuous man  
will be of grave and reverent speech2 he
 will think  and speak of the absent as 
he thinks and speaks of the             
dead--tenderly  and sacredly2 he will   
put away thoughtlessness1 and watch that
 he  does not sacrifice his dignity to  
gratify a passing impulse to  lightness 
and frivolity4  ,his mirth will be pure 
and innocent1 and  his voice will become
 subdued and musical1 and his soul be   
filled  with grace and sweetness as he  
succeeds in conducting himself as       

becomes a man of ,truth4    ,the last   
step in the second lesson is the        
overcoming of captiousness1  or         
fault-finding speech4  ,this vice of the
 tongue consists in  magnifying and     
harping on small or apparent faults1 in 
foolish  quibbling and hair-splitting1  
and in pursuing vain arguments based    
upon groundless suppositions1 beliefs1  
and opinions4  ,life is short  and real1
 and sin and sorrow and pain are not    
remedied by carping and  contention4    
,the man who is ever on the watch to    
catch at the words  of others in order  
to contradict and controvert them1 has  
yet to  reach the higher way of         
holiness1 the truer life of             
self-surrender4  ,the man who is ever on
 the watch to check his own words in    
order to  soften and purify them will   
find the higher way and the truer life2 
he will conserve his energies1 maintain 
his composure of mind1 and  preserve    
within himself the spirit of ,truth4    
,when the tongue is well controlled and 

wisely subdued2 when selfish  impulses  
and unworthy thoughts no longer rush to 
the tongue demanding  utterance2 when   
the speech has become harmless1 pure1   
gentle1  gracious1 and purposeful1 and  
no word is uttered but in sincerity and 
truth1--then are the five steps in      
virtuous speech accomplished1 then  is  
the second great lesson in ,truth       
learned and mastered4    ,and now some  
will ask1 ,but why all this discipline  
of the body and  restraint of the       
tongue8  ,surely the ,higher ,life can  
be realized and  known without such     
strenuous labor1 such incessant effort  
and  watchfulness8  ,no1 it cannot4  ,in
 the spiritual as the material1  nothing
 is done without labor1 and the higher  
cannot be known until  the lower is     
fulfilled4  ,can a man make a table     
before he has learned  how to handle a  
tool and drive a nail8  ,and can a man  
fashion his  mind in accordance with    
,truth before he has overcome the       
slavery of  his body8  ,as the intricate

 subtleties of language cannot be       
apprehended and wielded before the      
alphabet and the simplest words  are    
mastered1 neither can the deep          
subtleties of the mind be  understood   
and purified before the ,,abc of right  
conduct is perfectly  acquired4  ,as for
 the labor involved--does not the youth 
joyfully and  patiently submit himself  
to a seven-years' apprenticeship in     
order to  master a craft8  ,and does he 
not day by day carefully and faithfully 
carry out every detail of his master's  
instructions1 looking forward  to the   
time when1 perfected through obedience  
and practice1 he shall  be himself a    
master8  ,where is the man who sincerely
 aims at  excellence in music1 painting1
 literature1 in any trade1 business1 or 
profession who is not willing to give   
his whole life to the  acquirement of   
his particular perfection8  ,shall      
labor1 then1 be  considered where the   
very highest excellence is              
concerned--the  excellence of ,truth8   

,he who says1 ,the ,path which you point
 out is  too difficult2 ,i must have    
,truth without labor1 salvation without 
effort1 that man will not find his way  
out of the confusions and  sufferings of
 self-hood2 he will not find the calm   
and well-fortified  mind and the wisely 
ordered life4  ,his love is for ease and
  enjoyment1 and not for ,truth4  ,he   
who1 deep in his heart1 adores  ,truth1 
and aspires to know it1 will consider no
 labor too great to be  undertaken1 but 
will adopt it joyfully and pursue it    
patiently1 and  by perseverance in      
practice he will come to the knowledge  
of ,truth4    ,the necessity for this   
preliminary discipline of the body and  
tongue  will be the more clearly        
perceived when it is fully understood   
that  all these wrong outward conditions
 are merely the expressions of  wrong   
conditions of heart4  ,an indolent body 
means an indolent mind2  an             
ill-regulated tongue reveals an         
ill-regulated mind1 and the  process of 

remedying the manifested condition is   
really a method of  rectifying the      
inward state4  ,moreover1 the overcoming
 of these  conditions is only a small   
part of what is really involved in the  
process4  ,the ceasing from evil leads  
to1 and is inseparably  connected with1 
the practice of good4  ,while a man is  
overcoming  indolence and               
self-indulgence1 he is really           
cultivating and  developing the virtues 
of abstinence1 temperance1 punctuality1 
and  self-denial1 and is acquiring that 
strength1 energy1 and resolution  which 
are indispensable to the successful     
accomplishment of the  higher tasks4    
,while he is overcoming the vices of    
speech1 he is  developing the virtues of
 truthfulness1 sincerity1 reverence1    
kindliness1 and self-control1 and is    
gaining that mental steadiness  and     
fixedness of purpose1 without which the 
remoter subtleties of the  mind cannot  
be regulated1 and the higher stages of  
conduct and  enlightenment cannot be    

reached4  ,also1 as he has to do right1 
his  knowledge deepens1 and his insight 
is intensified1 and as the child's      
heart is glad when his school task is   
mastered1 so with each victory          
achieved1 the man of virtue experiences 
a bliss which the seeker  after pleasure
 and excitement can never know4    ,and 
now we come to the third lesson in the  
,higher ,life1 which  consists in       
practising and mastering1 in one's daily
 life1 three  great fundamental         
,virtues--7#a7 ,unselfish ,performance  
of ,duty2 7#b7  ,unswerving ,rectitude2 
and 7#c7 ,unlimited ,forgiveness4       
,having prepared  the mind by overcoming
 the more surface and chaotic conditions
  mentioned in the two first lessons1   
the striver after ,virtue and  ,truth is
 now ready to enter upon greater and    
more difficult tasks1  and to control   
and purify the deeper motives of the    
heart4  ,without  the right performance 
of duty1 the higher virtues cannot be   
known1  and ,truth cannot be            

apprehended4  ,duty is generally        
regarded as an  irksome labor1 a        
compulsory something which must be      
toiled through1  or be in some way      
circumvented4  ,this way of regarding   
,duty proceeds  from a selfish condition
 of mind1 and a wrong understanding of  
life4  ,all duty should be regarded as  
sacred1 and its faithful and unselfish  
performance one of the leading rules of 
conduct4  ,all personal and  selfish    
considerations should be extracted and  
cast away from the  doing of one's duty1
 and when this is done1 ,duty ceases to 
be  irksome1 and becomes joyful4  ,duty 
is only irksome to him who craves  some 
selfish enjoyment or benefit for        
himself4  ,let the man who is  chafing  
under the irksomeness of his duty look  
to himself1 and he  will find that his  
wearisomeness proceeds1 not from the    
duty itself1  but from his selfish      
desire to escape it4  ,he who neglects  
duty1 be  it great or small1 or of a    
public or private nature1 neglects      

,virtue2  he who in his heart rebels    
against ,duty1 rebels against ,virtue4  
,when  ,duty has become a thing of love1
 and when every particular duty is  done
 accurately1 faithfully1 and            
dispassionately1 there is much  subtle  
selfishness removed from the heart1 and 
a great step is taken  towards the      
heights of ,truth4  ,the virtuous man   
concentrates his mind  on the perfect   
doing of his own duty1 and does not     
interfere with the  duty of another4    
,the second step in the third lesson is 
the practice of ,unswerving  ,rectitude4
  ,this ,virtue must be firmly          
established in the mind1 and  so enter  
into every detail of man's life4  ,all  
dishonesty1 deception1  trickery1 and   
misrepresentation must be for ever put  
away1 and the  heart be purged of every 
vestige of insincerity and subterfuge4  
,the  least swerving from the path of   
rectitude is a deviation from ,virtue4  
,there must be no extravagance and      
exaggeration of speech1 but the  simple 

truth should be stated4  ,engaging in   
deception1 no matter how  apparently    
insignificant1 for vain-glory1 or with  
the hope of  personal advantage1 is a   
state of delusion which one should make 
efforts to dispel4  ,it is demanded of  
the man of ,virtue that he shall  not   
only practice the most rigid honesty in 
thought1 word1 and deed1  but that he   
shall be exact in his statements1       
omitting and adding  nothing to the     
actual truth4  ,in thus shaping his mind
 to the  principle of ,rectitude1 he    
will gradually come to deal with people 
and things in a just and impartial      
spirit1 considering equity before       
himself1 and viewing all things with    
freedom from personal bias1  passion1   
and prejudice4  ,when the ,virtue of    
,rectitude is fully  practised1         
acquired1 and comprehended1 so that all 
temptation to  untruthfulness and       
insincerity has ceased1 then is the     
heart made  purer and nobler1 then is   
character strengthened1 and knowledge   

enlarged1 and life takes on a new       
meaning and a new power4  ,thus is  the 
second step accomplished4    ,the third 
step is the practice of ,unlimited      
,forgiveness4  ,this  consists in       
overcoming the sense of injury which    
springs from vanity1  selfishness1 and  
pride2 and in exercising disinterested  
charity and  large-heartedness towards  
all4  ,spite1 retaliation1 and revenge  
are  so utterly ignoble1 and so small   
and foolish1 as to be altogether        
unworthy of being noticed or harbored4  
,no one who fosters such  conditions in 
his heart can lift himself above folly  
and suffering1  and guide his life      
aright4  ,only by casting them away1 and
 ceasing to  be moved by them1 can a    
man's eyes be opened to the true way in 
life2  only by developing a forgiving   
and charitable spirit can he hope to    
approach and perceive the strength and  
beauty of a well-ordered life4  ,in the 
heart of the strongly virtuous man no   
feeling of personal  injury can arise2  

he has put away all retaliation1 and has
 no  enemies2 and if men should         
constitute themselves his enemies1 he   
will  regard them kindly1 understanding 
their ignorance1 and making full        
allowance for it4  ,when this state of  
heart is arrived at1 then is  the third 
step in the discipline of one's         
self-seeking inclinations  accomplished2
 then is the third great lesson in      
,virtue and ,knowledge  learned and     
mastered4    ,having thus laid down the 
first ten steps and three lessons in    
right-doing and right-knowing1 ,i leave 
those of my readers who are  prepared   
for them to learn and master them in    
their everyday life4  ,there is1 of     
course1 a still higher discipline of the
 body1 a more  far-reaching discipline  
of the tongue1 and greater and more     
all-embracing virtues to acquire and    
understand before the highest  state of 
bliss and knowledge can be apprehended1 
but it is not my  purpose to deal with  
them here4  ,i have expounded only the  

first and  easiest lessons on the       
,higher ,path1 and by the time these are
  thoroughly mastered1 the reader will  
have become so purified1  strengthened1 
and enlightened1 that he will not be    
left in the dark  as to his future      
progress4  ,those of my readers who have
 completed  these three lessons will    
already have perceived1 beyond and      
above1  the high altitudes of ,truth1   
and the narrow and precipitous track    
which leads to them1 and will choose    
whether they shall proceed4    ,the     
straight ,path which ,i have laid down  
can be pursued by all with  greater     
profit to themselves and to the world1  
and even those who do  not aspire to the
 attainment of ,truth1 will develop     
greater  intellectual and moral         
strength1 finer judgment1 and deeper    
peace of  mind by perfecting themselves 
in this ,path4  ,nor will their material
  prosperity suffer by this change of   
heart2 nay1 it will be rendered  truer1 
purer1 and more enduring1 for if there  

is one who is capable  of succeeding and
 fitted to achieve1 it is the man who   
has abandoned  the petty dissipations   
and everyday vices of his kind1 who is  
strong  to rule his body and his mind1  
and who pursues with fixed resolve the  
path of unswerving integrity and        
sterling virtue4          ,,mental      
,,conditions ,,and ,,their ,,effects    
,without going into the details of the  
greater steps and lessons in  the right 
life 7a task outside the scope of this  
small work7 a few  hints and statements 
concerning those mental conditions from 
which  life in its totality springs1    
will prove helpful to those who are     
ready and willing to penetrate further  
into that inner realm of heart  and mind
 where ,love and ,wisdom and ,peace     
await the strenuous comer4    ,all sin  
is ignorance4  ,it is a condition of    
darkness and  undevelopment4  ,the      
wrong-thinker and wrong-doer is in the  
same  position in the school of life as 
is the ignorant pupil in the school  of 

learning4  ,he has yet to learn how to  
think and act correctly1  that is1 in   
accordance with ,law4  ,the pupil in    
learning is not happy  so long as he    
does his lessons wrongly1 and           
unhappiness cannot be  escaped while sin
 remains unconquered4    ,life is a     
series of lessons4  ,some are diligent  
in learning them1 and  they become pure1
 wise1 and altogether happy4  ,others   
are negligent1  and do not apply        
themselves1 and they remain impure1     
foolish1 and  unhappy4    ,every form of
 unhappiness springs from a wrong       
condition of mind4  ,happiness inheres  
in right conditions of mind4  ,happiness
 is mental  harmony2 unhappiness is     
mental inharmony4  ,while a man lives in
 wrong  conditions of mind1 he will live
 a wrong life1 and will suffer          
continually4  ,suffering is rooted in   
error4  ,bliss inheres in               
enlightenment4  ,there is salvation for 
man only in the destruction of  his own 
ignorance1 error1 and self-delusion4    

,where there are wrong  conditions of   
mind there is bondage and unrest2 where 
there are right  conditions of mind     
there is freedom and peace4    ,here are
 some of the leading wrong mental       
conditions and their  disastrous effects
 upon the life3--        ,,wrong        
,,mental            ,,their ,,effects4  
,,conditions4      ,hatred4             
,injury1 violence1 disaster1 and        
suffering4      ,lust4                  
,confusion of intellect1 remorse1       
shame1 and wretchedness4                
,covetousness4           ,fear1 unrest1 
unhappiness1 and loss4      ,pride4     
,disappointment1 chagrin1 lack of       
self-knowledge4      ,vanity4           
,distress1 and mortification of spirit4 
,condemnation4           ,persecution1  
hatred from others4      ,ill-will4     
,failures and troubles4                 
,self-indulgence4        ,misery1 loss  
of judgment1 grossness1                 
disease1 and neglect4      ,anger4      
,loss of power and influence4           

,desire1 or              ,grief1 folly1 
sorrow1 uncertainty1 and                
,self-slavery4           loneliness4    
,the above wrong conditions of mind are 
merely negations2 they are  states of   
darkness and deprivation and not of     
positive power4  ,evil  is not a power2 
it is ignorance and misuse of good4     
,the hater is he  who has failed to do  
the lesson of ,love correctly1 and he   
suffers in  consequence4  ,when he      
succeeds in doing it rightly1 the hatred
 will  have disappeared1 and he will see
 and understand the darkness and        
impotence of hatred4  ,it is so with    
every wrong condition4    ,the following
 are some of the more important right   
mental conditions  and their beneficent 
effects upon the life3--        ,,right 
,,mental          ,,their ,,effects4    
,,conditions4      ,love4               
,gentle conditions1 bliss1 and          
blessedness      ,purity4               
,intellectual clearness1 joy1 invincible
                            confidence4 

,selflessness4         ,courage1        
satisfaction1 happiness1 and            
plenty4      ,humility4                 
,calmness1 restfulness1 knowledge of    
,truth4      ,meekness4                 
,equipoise1 contentment under all       
circumstances4      ,compassion4        
,protection1 love and reverence from    
others4      ,goodwill4                 
,gladness and success4                  
,self-control4         ,peace of mind1  
true judgment1                          
refinement1 health1 and honor4          
,patience4             ,mental power1   
far-reaching influence4                 
,self-conquest4        ,enlightenment1  
wisdom1 insight1 and                    
profound peace4      ,the above right   
conditions of mind are states of        
positive power1 of  light1 of joyful    
possession1 and of knowledge4  ,the good
 man knows4  ,he has learned to do his  
lessons correctly1 and thereby          
understands  the exact proportions which
 make up the sum of life4  ,he is       

enlightened1 and knows good and evil4   
,he is supremely happy1 doing  only that
 which is divinely right4    ,the man   
who is involved in the wrong conditions 
of mind1 does not  know4  ,he is        
ignorant of good and evil1 of himself1  
of the inward  causes which make his    
life4  ,he is unhappy1 and believes     
other people  are entirely the cause of 
his unhappiness4  ,he works blindly1 and
  lives in darkness1 seeing no central  
purpose in existence1 and no  orderly   
and lawful sequence in the course of    
things4    ,he who aspires to the       
attainment of the ,higher ,life in its  
completion--who would perceive with     
unveiled vision the true order of       
things and the meaning of life--let him 
abandon all the wrong  conditions of    
heart1 and persevere unceasingly in the 
practice of the  good4  ,if he suffers1 
or doubts1 or is unhappy1 let him search
 within  until he finds the cause1 and  
having found it1 let him cast it away4  
,let him so guard and purify his heart  

that every day less of evil and  more of
 good shall issue therefrom2 so will he 
daily become stronger1  nobler1 wiser2  
so will his blessedness increase1 and   
the ,light of  ,truth1 growing ever     
brighter and brighter within him1 will  
dispel all  gloom1 and illuminate his   
,pathway4          ,,exhortation        
,disciples of ,truth1 lovers of ,virtue1
 seekers of ,wisdom2 ye1 also1  who are 
sorrow stricken1 knowing the emptiness  
of the self-life1 and  who aspire to the
 life that is supremely beautiful1 and  
serenely  glad1--take now yourselves in 
hand1 enter the ,door of ,discipline1   
and  know the ,better ,life4    ,put    
away self-delusion2 behold yourself as  
you are1 and see the ,path  of ,virtue  
as it is4  ,there is no lazy way to     
,truth4  ,he who would  stand upon the  
mountain's summit must strenuously      
climb1 and must  rest only to gather    
strength4  ,but if the climbing is less 
glorious  than the cloudless summit1 it 
is still glorious4  ,discipline in      

itself is beautiful1 and the end of     
discipline is sweet4    ,rise early and 
meditate4  ,begin each day with a       
conquered body1 and a  mind fortified   
against error and weakness4  ,temptation
 will never be  overcome by unprepared  
fighting4  ,the mind must be armed and  
arrayed  in the silent hour4  ,it must  
be trained to perceive1 to know1 to     
understand4  ,sin and temptation        
disappear when right understanding is   
developed4    ,right understanding is   
reached through unabated discipline4    
,truth  cannot be reached but through   
discipline4  ,patience will increase by 
effort and practice1 and patience will  
make discipline beautiful4              
,discipline is irksome to the impatient 
man and the self-lover1 so he  avoids   
it1 and continues to live loosely and   
confusedly4    ,discipline is not       
irksome to the ,truth-lover1 and he will
 find the  infinite patience which can  
wait and work and overcome4  ,as the joy
  of the gardener who sees his flowers  

develop day by day1 so is the  joy of   
the man of discipline who sees the      
divine flowers of ,purity1  ,wisdom1    
,compassion1 and ,love1 grow up in his  
heart4    ,the loose-liver cannot escape
 sorrow and pain4  ,the undisciplined   
mind falls1 weak and helpless1 before   
the fierce onslaught of passion4        
,array well your mind1 then1 lover of   
,truth4  ,be watchful1 thoughtful1      
resolute4  ,your salvation is at hand2  
your readiness and effort are  all that 
are needed4  ,if you should fail ten    
times1 do not be  disheartened2 if you  
should fail a hundred times1 rise up and
 pursue  your way2 if you should fail a 
thousand times1 do not despair4  ,when  
the right ,path is entered1 success is  
sure if the ,path is not utterly        
abandoned4    ,first strife1 and then   
victory4  ,first labor1 and then rest4  
,first  weakness1 and then strength4    
,in the beginning the lower life1 and   
the glare and confusion of battle1 and  
at the end the ,life ,beautiful1  the   

,silence1 and the ,peace4               
,,books ,,by      ,,henry ,,frank       
,the ,mastery of ,mind    ,the ,kingdom 
of ,love    ,the ,shrine of ,silence    
,the ,triumph of ,truth1 or ,the ,doom  
of ,dogma            ,books by          
,,floyd ,b4 ,,wilson      ,paths to     
,power    ,man ,limitless    ,thro'     
,silence to ,realization    ,the        
,discovery of the ,soul                 
,,books ,,by      ,,james ,,allen       
,as a ,man ,thinketh    ,out from the   
,heart    ,the ,heavenly ,life          
,entering the ,kingdom    ,the ,way of  
,peace    ,the ,path of ,prosperity     
,r4 ,f4 ,,fenno  ,,company    #ah ,,east
 ,,seventeenth ,,st41 ,,new ,,york