but is very apt to regard them as fixed and unalterable, or practically
so. He thinks that he "is just as the Lord made him," and that is the end
of it. He fails to recognize that his character is being unconsciously
modified every day by association with others, whose suggestions are
being absorbed and acted upon. And he fails to see that he is moulding
his own character by taking interest in certain things, and allowing his
mind to dwell upon them. He does not realize that he himself is really
the maker of himself, from the raw and crude material given him
at his birth. He makes himself negatively or positively. Negatively, if
he allows himself to be moulded by the thoughts and ideals of others,
and positively, if he moulds himself. Everyone is doing one or the
other--perhaps both. The weak man is the one who allows himself to be
made by others, and the strong man is the one who takes the building
process in his own hands.
The process of Character-building is so delightfully simple that its
importance is apt to be overlooked by the majority of persons who are
made acquainted with it. It is only by actual practice and the
experiencing of results that its wonderful possibilities are borne home
to one.
The Yogi student is early taught the lesson of the power and importance
of character building by some strong practical example. For instance, the
student is found to have certain tastes of appetite, such as a like for
certain things, and a corresponding dislike for others. The Yogi teacher
instructs the student in the direction of cultivating a desire and taste
for the disliked thing, and a dislike for the liked thing. He teaches the
student to fix his mind on the two things, but in the direction of
imagining that he likes the one thing and dislikes the other. The student
is taught to make a mental picture of the desired conditions, and to say,
for instance, "I loathe candy--I dislike even the sight of it," and, on
the other hand, "I crave tart things--I revel in the taste of them,"
etc., etc., at the same time trying to reproduce the taste of sweet
things accompanied with a loathing, and a taste of tart things,
accompanied with a feeling of delight. After a bit the student finds that
his tastes are actually changing in accordance with his thoughts, and in
the end they have completely changed places. The truth of the theory is
then borne home to the student, and he never forgets the lesson.
In order to reassure readers who might object to having the student left
in this condition of reversed tastes, we may add that the Yogi teachers
then teach him to get rid of the idea of the disliked thing, and teach
him to cultivate a liking for all wholesome things, their theory being
that the dislike of certain wholesome eatables has been caused by some
suggestion in childhood, or by some prenatal impression, as wholesome
eatables are made attractive to the taste by Nature. The idea of all this
training, however, is not the cultivation of taste, but practice in
mental training, and the bringing home to the student the truth of the
fact that his nature is plastic to his Ego, and that it may be moulded at
will, by concentration and intelligent practice. The reader of this
lesson may experiment upon himself along the lines of the elementary Yogi
practice as above mentioned, if he so desires. He will find it possible
to entirely change his dislike for certain food, etc., by the methods
mentioned above. He may likewise acquire a liking for heretofore
distasteful tasks and duties, which he finds it necessary to perform.
The principle underlying the whole Yogi theory of Character Building by
the sub-conscious Intellect, is that the Ego is Master of the mind, and
that the mind is plastic to the commands of the Ego. The Ego or "I" of
the individual is the one real, permanent, changeless principle of the
individual, and the mind, like the body, is constantly changing, moving,
growing, and dying. Just as the body may be developed and moulded by
intelligent exercises, so may the mind be developed and shaped by the Ego
if intelligent methods are followed.
The majority of people consider that Character is a fixed something,
belonging to a man, that cannot be altered or changed. And yet they show
by their everyday actions that at heart they do not believe this to be a
fact, for they endeavor to change and mould the characters of those
around them, by word of advice, counsel, praising or condemnation, etc.
It is not necessary to go into the matter of the consideration of
the causes of character in this lesson. We will content ourselves by
saying that these causes may be summed up, roughly, as follows: (1)
Result of experiences in past lives; (2) Heredity; (3) Environment;
(4) Suggestion from others; and (5) Auto-suggestion. But no matter how
one's character has been formed, it may be modified, moulded, changed,
and improved by the methods set forth in this lesson, which methods are
similar to what is called by Western writers, "Auto-suggestion."
The underlying idea of Auto-suggestion is the "willing" of the individual
that the changes take place in his mind, the willing being aided by
intelligent and tried methods of creating the new ideal or thought-form.
The first requisite for the changed condition must be "desire" for the
change. Unless one really desires that the change take place, he is
unable to bring his Will to bear on the task. There is a very close
connection between Desire and Will. Will is not usually brought to bear
upon anything unless it is inspired by Desire. Some people connect the
word Desire with the lower inclinations, but it is equally applicable to
the higher. If one fights off a low inclination or Desire, it is because
he is possessed of a higher inclination or Desire. Many Desires are
really compromises between two or more conflicting Desires--a sort of
average Desire, as it were.
Unless one desires to change his character he will not make any move
toward it. And in proportion to the strength of the desire, so will be
the amount of will-power that is put in the task. The first thing for
one to do in character building is to "want to do it." And if he finds
that the "want" is not sufficiently strong to enable him to manifest the
perseverance and effort necessary to bring it to a successful conclusion,
then he should deliberately proceed to "build up the desire."
Desire may be built up by allowing the mind to dwell upon the subject
until a desire is created. This rule works both ways, as many people have
found out to their sorrow and misery. Not only may one build up a
commendable desire in this way, but he may also build up a reprehensible
one. A little thought will show you the truth of this statement. A young
man has no desire to indulge in the excesses of a "fast" life. But after
a while he hears, or reads something about others leading that sort of
life, and he begins to allow his mind to dwell upon the subject, turning
it around and examining it mentally, and going over it in his
imagination. After a time he begins to find a desire gradually sending
forth roots and branches, and if he continues to water the thing in his
imagination, before long he will find within himself a blossoming
inclination, which will try to insist upon expression in action. There is
a great truth behind the words of the poet:
"Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
That to be hated needs but to be seen.
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, and then embrace."
And the follies and crimes of many a man have been due to the growing of
desire within his mind, through this plan of planting the seed, and then
carefully watering and tending to it--this cultivation of the growing
desire. We have thought it well to give this word of warning because it
will throw light upon many things that may have perplexed you, and
because it may serve to call your attention to certain growing weeds of
the mind that you have been nourishing.
But remember, always, that the force that leads downward may be
transmuted and made to lead upward. It is just as easy to plant and grow
wholesome desires as the other kind. If you are conscious of certain
defects and deficiencies in your character (and who is not?) and yet find
yourself not possessed of a strong enough desire to make the changes
necessary, then you should commence by planting the desire seed and
allowing it to grow by giving it constant care and attention. You should
picture to yourself the advantages of acquiring the desirable traits of
character of which you have thought. You should frequently go over and
over them in your mind, imaging yourself in imagination as possessing
them. You will then find that the growing desire will make headway and
that you will gradually begin to "want to" possess that trait of
character more and more. And when you begin to "want to" hard enough, you
will find arising in your consciousness a feeling of the possession of
sufficient Will-power to carry it through. Will follows the Desire.
Cultivate a Desire and you will find back of it the Will to carry it
through. Under the pressure of a very strong Desire men have accomplished
feats akin to miracles.
If you find yourself in possession of desires that you feel are hurtful
to you, you may rid yourself of them by deliberately starving them to
death, and at the same time growing opposite desires. By refusing to
think of the objectionable desires you refuse them the mental food upon
which alone they can thrive. Just as you starve a plant by refusing it
nourishing soil and water, so may you starve out an objectionable
desire by refusing to give it mental food. _Remember this, for it is most
important_. Refuse to allow the mind to dwell upon such desires, and
resolutely turn aside the attention, _and, particularly, the
imagination_, from the subject. This may call for the manifestation of a
little will-power in the beginning, but it will become easier as you
progress, and each victory will give you renewed strength for the next
fight. But do not temporize with the desire--do not compromise with
it--refuse to entertain the idea. In a fight of this kind each victory
gives one added strength, and each defeat weakens one.
And while you are refusing to entertain the objectionable guest you must
be sure to grow a desire of an entirely opposite nature--a desire
directly opposed to the one you are starving to death. Picture the
opposite desire, and think of it often. Let your mind dwell upon it
lovingly and let the imagination help to build it up into form. Think of
the advantages that will arise to you when you fully possess it, and let
the imagination picture you as in full possession of it, and acting out
your new part in life strong and vigorous in your new found power.
All this will gradually lead you to the point where you will "want to"
possess this power. Then you must be ready for the next step which is
"Faith" or "Confident Expectation."
Now, faith or confident expectation is not made to order in most persons,
and in such cases one must acquire it gradually. Many of you who read
these lines will have an understanding of the subject that will give you
this faith. But to those who lack it, we suggest that they practice on
some trivial phases of the mental make-up, some petty trait of character,
in which the victory will be easy and simple. From this stage they should
work up to more difficult tasks, until at last they gain that faith or
confident expectation that comes from persevering practice.
The greater the degree of faith or confident expectation that one carries
with him in this task of character building, the greater will be his
success. And this because of well established psychological laws. Faith
or confident expectation clears away the mental path and renders the work
easier, while doubt or lack of faith retards the work, and acts as
obstacles and stumbling blocks. Strong Desire, and Faith, or confident
expectation are the first two steps. The third is Will-power.
By Will-power we do not mean that strenuous,
clenching-of-fist-and-frowning-brow thing that many think of
when they say "Will." Will is not manifested in this way. The
true Will is called into play by one realizing the "I" part of
himself and speaking the word of command from that center of
power and strength. It is the voice of the "I." And it is needed
in this work of character building.
So now you are ready for work, being possessed of (1) Strong Desire;
(2) Faith or Confident Expectation; and (3) Will-power. With such a
triple-weapon nothing but Success is possible.
Then comes the actual work. The first thing to do is to lay the track for
a new Character Habit. "Habit?" you may ask in surprise. Yes, Habit! For
that word gives the secret of the whole thing. Our characters are made up
of inherited or acquired habits. Think over this a little and you will
see the truth of it. You do certain things without a thought, because you
have gotten into the habit of doing them. You act in certain ways because
you have established the habit. You are in the habit of being truthful,
honest, virtuous, because you have established the habit of being so. Do
you doubt this? Then look around you--or look within your own heart, and
you will see that you have lost some of your old habits of action, and
have acquired new ones. The building up of Character is the building up
of Habits. And the changing of Character is the changing of Habits. It
will be well for you to settle this fact in your own mind, for it will
give you the secret of many things connected with the subject.
And, remember this, that Habit is almost entirely a matter of the
sub-conscious mentality. It is true that Habits originate in the
conscious mind, but as they are established they sink down into the
depths of the sub-conscious mentality, and thereafter become "second
nature," which, by the way, is often more powerful than the original
nature of the person. The Duke of Wellington said that habit was as
strong as ten natures, and he proceeded to drill habits into his army
until they found it natural to act in accordance with the habits pounded
into them during the drills. Darwin relates an interesting instance of
the force of habit over the reason. He found that his habit of starting
back at the sudden approach of danger was so firmly established that no
will-power could enable him to keep his face pressed up against the cage
of the cobra in the Zoological Gardens when the snake struck at him,
although he knew the glass was so thick that there could be no danger,
and although he exerted the full force of his will. But we venture to say
that one could overcome even this strongly ingrained habit, by gradually
training the sub-conscious mentality and establishing a new habit of
thought and action.
It is not only during the actual process of "willing" the new habit that
the work of making the new mental path goes on. In fact, the Yogis
believe that the principal part of the work goes on sub-consciously
between the intervals of commend, and that the real progress is made in
that way, just as the real work of solving the problem is performed
sub-consciously, as related in our last lesson. As an example, we may
call your attention to some instances of the cultivation of physical
habits. A physical task learned in the evening is much easier to perform
the following-morning than it was the night before, and still easier
the following Monday morning than it was on the Saturday afternoon
previous. The Germans have a saying that "we learn to skate in summer,
and to swim in winter," meaning that the impression passed on to the
subconscious mentality deepens and broadens during the interval of rest.
The best plan is to make frequent, sharp impressions, and then to allow
reasonable periods of rest in order to give the sub-conscious mentality
the opportunity to do its work. By "sharp" impressions we mean
impressions given under _strong attention_, as we have mentioned in some
of the earlier lessons of this series.
A writer has well said: "Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a
character; sow a character, reap a destiny," thus recognizing habit as
the source of character. We recognize this truth in our training of
children, forming goods habits of character by constant repetition, by
watchfulness, etc. Habit acts as a _motive_ when established, so that
while we think we are acting without motive we may be acting under the
strong motive power of some well established habit. Herbert Spencer has
well said: "The habitually honest man does what is right, not consciously
because he 'ought' but with simple satisfaction; and is ill at ease till
it is done." Some may object that this idea of Habit as a basis of
Character may do away with the idea of a developed moral
conscientiousness, as for instance, Josiah Royce who says: "The
establishment of organized habit is never in itself enough to ensure
the growth of an enlightened moral conscientiousness" but to such we
would say that one must "want to" cultivate a high character before he
will create the habits usual to the same, and the "want to" is the
sign of the "moral conscientiousness," rather than the habit. And the
same is true of the "ought to" side of the subject. The "ought to" arises
in the conscious mind in the beginning, and inspires the cultivation
of the habit, although the latter after a while becomes automatic, a
matter of the sub-conscious mentality, without any "ought to" attachment.
It then becomes a matter of "like to."
Thus we see that the moulding, modifying, changing, and building of
Character is largely a matter of the establishing of Habits. And what is
the best way to establish Habits? becomes our next question. The answer
of the Yogi is: "Establish a Mental Image, and then build your Habit
around it." And in that sentence he has condensed a whole system.
Everything we see having a form is built around a mental image--either
the mental image of some man, some animal, or of the Absolute. This is
the rule of the universe, and in the matter of character-building we but
follow a well established rule. When we wish to build a house, we first
think of "house" in a general way. Then we begin to think of "what kind"
of a house. Then we go into details. Then we consult an architect, and he
makes us a plan, which plan is his mental image, suggested by our mental
image. Then, the plan once decided upon, we consult the builder, and at
last the house stands completed--an objectified Mental Image. And so it
is with every created thing--all manifestation of a Mental Image.
And so, when we wish to establish a trait of Character, we must form a
clear, distinct Mental Image of what we wish to be. This is an important
step. Make your picture clear and distinct, and fasten it in your mind.
Then begin to build around it. Let your thoughts dwell upon the mental
picture. Let your imagination see yourself as possessed of the desired
trait, and _acting it out_. Act it out in your imagination, over and over
again, as often as possible, persevering, and continuously, seeing
yourself manifesting the trait under a variety of circumstances and
conditions. As you continue to do this you will find that you will
gradually begin to express the thought in action--to objectify the
subjective mental image. It will become "natural" for you to act more and
more in accordance with your mental image, until at last the new habit
will become firmly fixed in your mind, and will become your natural mode
of action and expression.
This is no vague, visionary theory. It is a well known and proven
psychological fact, and thousands have worked marvelous changes in their
character by its means.
Not only may one elevate his moral character in this way, but he may
mould his "work-a-day" self to better conform to the needs of his
environment and occupation. If one lacks Perseverance, he may attain
it; if one is filled with Fear, he may supplant it with Fearlessness; if
one lacks Self-confidence, he may gain it. In fact, there is no trait
that may not be developed in this way. People have literally "made
themselves over" by following this method of character-building. The
great trouble with the race has been that persons have not realized that
they _could_ do these things. They have thought that they were doomed to
remain just the creatures that they found themselves to be. They did not
realize that the work of creation was not ended, and that they had within
themselves a creative power adapted to the needs of their case. When man
first realizes this truth, and proves it by practice, he becomes another
being. He finds himself superior to environment, and training--he finds
that he may ride over these things. He makes _his own environment_, and
_he trains himself_.
In some of the larger schools in England and the United States, certain
scholars who have developed and manifested the ability to control
themselves and their actions are placed on the roll of a grade called
the "Self-governed grade." Those in this grade act as if they had
memorized the following words of Herbert Spencer: "In the supremacy of
self-control consists one of the perfections of the ideal man. Not to be
impulsive--not to be spurred hither and thither by each desire--but to be
self-restrained, self-balanced, governed by the just decision of the
feelings in council assembled * * * that it is which moral education
strives to produce." And this is the desire of the writer of this
lesson--to place each student in the "Self-governed class."
We cannot attempt, in the short space of a single lesson, to map out a
course of instruction in Character Building adapted to the special needs
of each individual. But we think that what we have said on the subject
should be sufficient to point out the method for each student to map out
a course for himself, following the general rules given above. As a help
to the student, however, we will give a brief course of instruction for
the cultivation of one desirable trait of character. The general plan of
this course may be adapted to fit the requirements of _any other case_,
if intelligence is used by the student. The case we have selected is that
of a student who has been suffering from "a lack of Moral Courage--a lack
of Self-Confidence--an inability to maintain my poise in the presence
of other people--an inability to say 'No!'--a feeling of Inferiority to
those with whom I come in contact." The brief outline of the course of
practice given in this case is herewith given:
PRELIMINARY THOUGHT. You should fix firmly in your mind the fact that you
are the Equal of any and every man. You come from the same source. You
are an expression of the same One Life. In the eyes of the Absolute you
are the equal of any man, even the highest in the land. Truth is "Things
as God sees them"--and in Truth you and the man are equal, and, at the
last, One. All feelings of Inferiority are illusions, errors, and lies,
and have no existence in Truth. When in the company of others remember
this fact and realize that the Life Principle in you is talking to the
Life Principle in them. Let the Life Principle flow through you, and
endeavor to forget your personal self. At the same time, endeavor to see
that same Life Principle, behind and beyond the personality of the person
in whose presence you are. He is by a personality hiding the Life
Principle, just as you are. Nothing more--nothing less! You are both
One in Truth. Let the conscious of the "I" beam forth and you will
experience an uplift and sense of Courage, and the other will likewise
feel it. You have within you the Source of Courage, Moral and Physical,
and you have naught to Fear--Fearlessness is your Divine Heritage, avail
yourself of it. You have Self-Conscience, for the Self is the "I" within
you, not the petty personality, and you must have confidence in that "I."
Retreat within yourself until you feel the presence of the "I," and then
will you have a Self-Confidence that nothing can shake or disturb. Once
having attained the permanent consciousness of the "I," you will have
poise. Once having realized that you are a Center of Power, you will have
no difficulty in saying "No!" when it is right to do so. Once having
realized your true nature--your Real Self--you will lose all sense of
Inferiority, and will know that you are a manifestation of the One Life
and have behind you the strength, power, and grandeur of the Cosmos.
Begin by realizing YOURSELF, and then proceed with the following methods
of training the mind.