The Unfailing Wisdom - James Allen 2

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1:02Dive into a new language and discover a new world. The unfailing wisdom. A man should always be superior to his possessions, his body, his circumstances and surroundings, and the opinions of others and their attitude towards him. Until he is this, he is not strong instead fast. He should also rise superior to his own desires and opinions, and until he is this, he is not wise. The man who identifies himself with his possessions will feel that always lost when these are lost. He who regards himself as the outcome and the tool of circumstances will weakly fluctuate with every change in his outward condition, and great will be his unrest and pain, who seeks to stand upon the approbation of others. To detach oneself from every outward thing, and to rest securely upon the inward virtue, this is the unfailing wisdom.

2:05Having this wisdom, a man will be the same whether in riches or in poverty. The one cannot add to his strength, nor the other rob him of his serenity. Neither can riches defile him who has washed away all the inward defilement. Nor the lack of them to grade him, who has ceased to degrade the temple of his soul. To refuse to be enslaved by any outward thing or happening, regarding all such things and happenings as for your use, for your education, this is wisdom. To the wise all occurrences are good, and having no eye for evil, they grow wiser every day. They utilize all things, and thus put all things under their feet. They see all their mistakes as soon as made, and accept them as lessons of intrinsic value, knowing that there are no mistakes in the divine order. They thus rapidly approach the divine perfection.

3:06They are moved by none, yet learn from all. They crave love from none, yet give love to all. To learn and not to be shaken, to love where one is not loved, heurilize the strength which shall never fail a man. The man who says in his heart, I will teach all men, and learn from none, will neither teach nor learn while as he is in that frame of mind, but will remain in his folly. All strength and wisdom and power and knowledge, a man will find within himself, but he will not find it in egotism, he will only find it in obedience, submission, and willingness to learn. He must obey the higher, and not glorify himself in the lower. He who stands upon egotism, rejecting, reproof, instruction, and the lessons of experience, will surely fall. Yay, he has already fallen.

4:07Get a great teacher to his disciples. Those who shall be a lamp unto themselves, relying upon themselves only, and not relying upon any external help, but holding fast to the truth as their lamp, and seeking their salvation in the truth alone, shall not look for assistance to any besides themselves. It is they amongst my disciples who shall reach the very topmost height, but they must be willing to learn. The wise man is always anxious to learn, but never anxious to teach, for he knows that the true teacher is in the heart of every man, and must ultimately be found there by all. The foolish man, being governed largely by vanity, is very anxious to teach, but unwilling to learn, not having found the holy teacher within, who speaks wisdom to the humbly listening soul. He self-reliant, but let thyself-reliance be saintly and not selfish.

5:11Volley in wisdom, weakness and strength, are within a man, and not in any external thing, neither do they spring from any external cause. A man cannot be strong for another, he can only be strong for himself, he cannot overcome for another, he can only overcome of himself. He may learn of another, but you must accomplish for yourself. Put away all external props, and rely upon thy truth within you. A creed will not bear a man up in the hour of temptation, he must possess the inward knowledge, which slays temptation. A speculative philosophy will prove a shadowy thing in the time of calamity. A man must have the inward wisdom which puts an end to grief. Witness, which is the aim of all religions, is distinct from religions themselves. Wisdom, which is the aim of every philosophy, is distinct from all philosophies.

6:15The unfailing wisdom is found only by constant practice in pure thinking and well-doing, by harmonizing one's mind and heart to those things which are beautiful, lovable, and true. On whatever condition a man finds himself, he can always find the true, and he can find it only by so utilizing his present condition as to become strong and wise. The effeminate hankering after rewards and the crave and fear of punishment, let them be put away forever, and let a man joyfully bend himself to the faithful performance of all his duties, forgetting himself and his worthless pleasures, and living strong and pure and self-contained. So shall he surely find the unfailing wisdom, the God-like patience and strength. The situation that has not its duty, its ideal, was never occupied by man.

7:16Here or nowhere is the ideal. Work it out there from, and working, believe, live, and be free. The ideal is in thyself, the impediment too is in thyself. Thy condition is but the stuff thou art to shape that same ideal out of. What matters whether such stuff be of this sort or that? So the form thou give it be heroic, be poetic, oh thou that pinest in the imprisonment of the actual, and cryest bitterly to the gods for a kingdom wherein to rule and create. No this of a truth, the thing thou seekest as already within thee, here and now, could us thou only see. All that is beautiful and blessed is in thyself, not in thy neighbor's wealth. Thou art poor, thou art poor indeed if thou art not stronger than thy poverty. Thou hast suffered calamities?

8:17Thou wilt thou cure calamity by adding anxiety to it? Canst thou mend a broken vase by weeping over it, or restore lost delight by thy lamentations? There is no evil but will vanish if thou wilt wisely meet it. The godlike soul does not grieve over that which has been, is, or will be, but perpetually resides in the divine good and gains wisdom by every occurrence. Here's the shadow of selfishness, and cannot live where loving wisdom is. Doubt, anxiety, and worry are unsubstantial shades in the underworld of self, and shall no more trouble him who will climb the serene altitudes of his soul. Grief also will be forever dispelled by him who will comprehend the law of his being. He who so comprehends shall find the supreme law of life, and he shall find that it is love, and that it is imperishable love.

9:20He shall become one with that love, and loving all, with mine freed from all hatred and folly, he shall receive the invincible protection which love affords. Claiming nothing, he shall suffer no loss, seeking no pleasure, he shall find no grief, and employing all his powers as instruments of service, he shall ever more live in the highest state of blessedness and bliss. Know this, thou makeest and unmakeest thyself, thou standest and fallest by what thou art, thou art a slave if thou preferest to be, thou art a master if thou wilt make thyself one. Build upon thy animal desires and intellectual opinions, and thou buildest upon the sand, build upon virtue and holiness, and no wind nor tide shall shake thy strong abode. So shall the unfailing wisdom uphold thee in every emergency, and the everlasting arms gather

10:25thee to thy peace. Lay up each year thy harvest of well-doing, wealth that kings, nor thieves can take away. And all the things thou callest thine, goods, pleasures, honors, fall, thou in thiverch you, shall survive them all.