Buddhist wisdom,
7. Young man! Deny yourself the gratification of your desires (for amusements, luxuries, etc.), if not from an inclination to give up all these things altogether then at least in order to retain an undiminished capacity of enjoyment. Such economy by postponing enjoyment will make vou all the richer.
The consciousness that enjoyment is within your power is пюге fruitful and vast (as are all ideals) than the feeling resulting from that enjoyment because enjoyment ceases with satisfaction. Kant.
8. Do not strive so much to do good as to be good; do not strive so much to illuminate as to be pure. The soul of man dwells as though in a glass vessel, and it is within the power of man to keep this vessel soiled or clean. In the degree that the vessel is clean, the light of truth shines through it, being a light to the man himself and to others. Therefore the principal task of man is of an inner nature.— to keep his vessel pure. Do not soil yourself, and you will have light and give light to others.
9. Refrain only from doing that which you ought not to do, and you will do all that you ought.
10. In order to do that which we would it is frequently necessary merely to refrain from doing that which we are doing.
11. Gaze upon the life which the people in our world are leading; took at Chicago, Paris, London, the various cities, the factories, railways, machines, armaments, cannons, fortresses, printing establishments, museums, skyscrapers, and ask yourself the question: what is the first thing to do so that the people might lead a good life? There can be only one sure answer: cease doing all the superfluous things that the people are doing. And the superfluous in our world to-day takes in ninety-nine per cent, of the activities of men.
12. Thin and transparent though the falsehood be which has for its source the contrast between our life and our consciousness, it becomes thinner and distends, but does not rend. And it binds together the present order of things and prevents the new order from making its appearance.
The majority of people in the Qiristian world no longer believe in the principles of paganism, but accept the prin-cii^es of Christianity, acknowledging the same in their consciousness, but their life continues the same as heretofore. In order to dissipate all the calamities and contradictions which afHict the people physically and morally, in other words in order to bring to earth the Kingdom of God which was foretold to humanity nineteen hundred years ago, men of our day need only one thing: moral effort. Just as a mere push is needed to give a liquid that has been cooled below its freezing point its proper crystal form, so just a moral effort is needed to lead humanity into that form of life which is proper to it, and this moral effort is that force which lays hold on the Kingdom of God.
This e£Fort is not the effort of a movement, the effort o£
THE PATnWAY OF LIFE
61
the discovery of a new world philosophy and of new thoughts or the performance of somt peculiar new deeds. The effort needed to enter the Kingdom of God or a new form of life is a negative effort, the effort not to follow the stream, the effort not to do the things that are not in harmony with the inner consciousness.
Thus men are brought to face the necessity of such an effort both in the cruelty of life and by the clearness and spread of the Christian teaching.
13. The minutest motion of matter affects all nature. The whole ocean is set in motion by a pebble. Even so with spiritual life, the minutest movement creates infinite results. Everything is of consequence. Pascal
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THE SPOKEN WORD
THE SPOKEN WORD
Words are expressions of thought and may serve to unite people or to separate them; therefore they must be handled cautiously.
I.
Gfreat is the Word
1. By a word we can bring people into union, by a word we can sever their union; by a word we can serve love, and likewise by a word we can serve enmity and hatred. Beware of the word that separates people or serves enmity and hatred.
2. Words are expressions of thought and thought is a manifestation of divine power, therefore the word must correspond with that which it expresses. It can be indifferent, but it cannot, it must not be an expression of evil.
3. Man is the carrier of God. He can express the consciousness of his divinity by a word. How then should he not be careful in the use of a word?
4. Time passes, but the spoken word remains.
5. If you have time to think before beginning to speak, think is it worth while to speak, is it necessary to speak, will you not injure someone by speaking that which you would speak. And mostly it will happen that if you first think you will not commence to speak.
6. First think, then speak. But stop before someone says: "Enough!'' Man is higher than an animal in his capacity of speech, but he is lower than the animal when gabbling at haphazard. Saadi,
7. After a lengthy conversation try to remember all that has been said and you will wonder how banal, futile and frequently evil was much that was said.
8. Listen and be attentive, but say little.
Never si>eak unless asked, but if asked, answer briefly, nor be ashamed if you must admit that you do not know the thing you are questioned about. Sufi,
9. If you would pass as wellinformed—learn to question rationally, to listen attentively, to answer calmly and to cease speaking when there is nothing left to say.
Lavater.
10. Praise not, judge not and dispute not.
11. Listen to the speech of the learned man with attention, though his actions may not be in accord with his teaching. Man must have instruction, though the instruction be an inscription on the wall. Saadi,
12. There is a useful brief phrase: I know not. Teach your tongue to use it frequently. Oriental wisdom,
13. There is an ancient saying: say nothing evil of the dead. How unfair it is. It ought to be instead: Say nothing evil of the living. How much sorrow would not this rule remove from the world! Why say nothing evil of the dead? In our world it is a custom to render only exaggerated praise, in other words to tell only falsehoods, about the dead in obituaries and memorial observances. Such
^ specious praise is harmful because it wipes out in the minds of the реорГе the distinction between good and evil.
14. With what shall we compare the tongue in the mouth of man ? It is the key to the treasure house; when the door is locked no one can tell whether behind it are precious stones or heaps of useless rubbish. Saadi.
15. While wise men teach us that silence is useful, free speech is likewise needful, only at the proper time,
We sin by words both if we are silent when we ought to speak, and if we speak when we ought to be silent.
Saadl
When You are Angry, Be Silent
1. If you know how people should live and mean well with them, you will tell them. And you will do so in such a manner that they trust your words. In order that they may trust you and understand you, you must express your thoughts without irritation or anger, but calmly and kindly.
2. If you would convey some truth to your listener, the main thing is not to be irritated and not to use an unkind or an offensive word. Epictetus.
3. The unspoken word is golden.
4. Not to think first before speaking is advisable only when you feel yourself to be calm, kindly and loving. But if you are restless and irritated, take care that you do not sin in word.
5. If you can not instantly still your wrath, restrain your tongue. Be silent, and you will regain your calmness.
Baxter.
6. Take care that in a discussion your words be gentle, your arguments firm. Endeavor not to irritate your adversary, but to convince him. Wilkins,
7. As soon as we feel anger in an argument, we are arguing not for the sake of truth, but for our own sake.