The character of any man is but the aggregate of his tendencies, the sum total of the bent of his mind. As pleasure and pain pas before his soul, they leave upon it different pictures, and the result of these combined impressions is what is called a man's character. We are what our thoughts have made us. Each thought is a little hammer blow on the lumps of iron which our bodies are, manufacturing out of it what we want it to be. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. And so take care of what you think.
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Good and evil have an equal share in moulding character and in some cases misery is a greater teacher than happiness. In studying the great characters the world has produced, I daresay, in the vast majority of cases, it would be found that it was misery that taught more than happiness, it was poverty that taught more than wealth, and it was blows that brought out their inner fire more than praise. Brought up in the lap of luxury, lying on a bed of roses and never shedding a tear, who has become great? When there comes affection in the heart, when the storm of sorrow blows all round, and it seems as if light will be seen no more, when hope and courage are almost gone, it is then, in the midst of this great spiritual tempest, that the light within gleams.
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Using the simile of a lake for the mind, every ripple, every wave that rises in the mind, when it subsides, does not die out entirely, but leaves a mark and future possibility of that mark coming out again... Every work that we do, every movement of the body, every thought that we think, leaves such an impression on the mind-stuff, and even when such impressions are not obvious on the surface, they are sufficiently strong to work beneath the surface, subconsciously. What we are every moment is determined by the sum total of these impressions on the mind.. Each man's character is determined by the sum total of these impressions. If good impressions prevail, the character becomes good, if bad, it becomes bad. If a man continuously hears bad words, thinks bad thoughts, does bad actions, his mind will be full of bad impressions; and they will influence his thought and work without his being conscious of the fact. In fact, these bad impressions are always working. The sum total of these impressions in him will create the strong motive power for doing bad actions. He will be like a machine in the hands of his impressions.
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Similarly if a man thinks good thoughts and does good work, the sum total of these impressions will be good and they in a similar manner will force him to do good in spire of himself. When a man has done so much of good work and thought so many good thoughts, there is an irresistible tendency in him to do good. Even if he wishes to do evil, his mind, as the sum total of his tendencies, will not allow him to do so. He is completely under the influence of the good tendencies. When such is the case, a man's good character is said to be established. If you really want to judge the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Watch a man do his most common actions; those are indeed the things which will tell you the real character of the great man. Great occasions rouse even the lowest of human beings to some kind of greatness, but he alone is really great whose character is great always--the same wherever he be?
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When a large number of these impressions is left on the mind, they coalesce and become a habit. It is said, 'Habit is second nature.' It is first nature also and the whole nature of man. Everything that we are is the result of habit.... That gives us consolation because, if it is only habit, we can make it and unmake it at any time. The only remedy for bad habits is counter habits. All the bad habits can be controlled by good habits. Go on doing good, thinking holy thoughts continuously. That is the only way to suppress base impressions. Never say any man is hopeless, because he only represents a character, a bundle of habits, which can be checked by new and better ones. Character is repeated habits and repeated habits alone can reform character.
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The cause of all apparent evil is in ourselves. Do not blame any supernatural being. Neither be hopeless or despondent, nor think that we are in a place from which we can never escape unless someone comes and gives a helping hand. We are like silkworms. We make the thread of our own substance and spin the cocoon, and in course of time are imprisoned inside. The network of karma we have woven around ourselves. And in our ignorance we feel as if we are bound, and weep and wail for help. But help does not come from without; it comes from within ourselves. Cry to all the gods of the universe. I cried for years and in the end I found that I was helped. But help came from within. And I had to undo what I had done by mistake. I had to cut the net which I had thrown round myself. I have committed many mistakes in my life. But mark you, without those mistakes, I should not be what I am today. I do not mean that you are to go home and willfully commit mistake; do not misunderstand me in that way. But do not mope because of the mistakes you have committed.
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We commit mistakes because we are weak, and we are weak because we are ignorant. Who makes us ignorant? We ourselves. We put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark. Take the hands away and there is light. the light exists always for us, the self-effulgent nature of the human soul. Do you not hear what modern scientific men say? What is the cause of evolution? Desire. The animal wants to do something but does not find the environment favorable, and therefore develops a new body. Who develops it? The animal itself: its will. Continue to exercise your will and it will take you higher. The will is almighty. If it is almighty, you may say: why cannot I do everything? But you are thinking only of your little self.
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Look back on yourself from the state of the amoeba to the human being; who made all that? Your own will. Can you deny that it is almighty? That which has made you come up so high, can make you go higher still. What you want is character, strengthening of the will.
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If you go home and sit in sack-cloth and ashes, and weep your lives out because you took certain false steps, it will n ot help you, but will weaken you all the more. If this room is full of darkness for thousands of years and you come in and begin to weep and wail, will the darkness vanish? Strike a match and light comes in a moment. What good will it do to you to think all your lives, 'Oh, I have done evil; I have made many mistakes.'? It requires no ghost to tell us that. Bring in the light and evil goes in a moment. Build up your character and manifest your real nature, the Effulgent, the Resplendent, the Even-Pure and call it up in every one you see.......
