PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FEAR
Categories: Chapter I - The Twin-VersesBooks: Mastery of Self
Fear is (a) an impulse, (b) a habit, (c) a disease
Fear, as it exists in man, is a make-believe of sanity, a creature
of the imagination, a state of insanity
Furthermore, fear is, now of the nerves, now of the mind, now of
the moral consciousness
The division depends upon the point of view What is commonly
called normal fear should give place to REASON, using
cover instinct as well as thought From the correct point of view
all fear is an evil so long as entertained
Whatever its manifestations, wherever its apparent location, fear
is a psychic state, of course, reacting upon the individual in
several ways: as, in the nerves, in mental moods, in a single
impulse, in a chronic habit, in a totally unbalanced condition
The reaction has always a good intention, meaning, in each case,
"Take care! Danger!" You will see that this is so if you will look
for a moment at three comprehensive kinds of fear--fear of self,
fear for self, fear for others Fear OF self is indirectly fear
FOR self--danger Fear for others signifies foresensed or
forepictured distress to self because of anticipated misfortune to
others I often wonder whether, when we fear FOR others, it is
distress TO SELF or hurt to THEM that is most emphatically in our
thought
Fear, then, is usually regarded as the soul's danger signal But
the true signal is instinctive and thoughtful reason
Even instinct and reason, acting as warning, may perform their
duty abnormally, or assume abnormal proportions And then we have
the FEELING of fear The normal warning is induced by actual
danger apprehended by mind in a state of balance and self-control
Normal mind is always capable of such warning There are but two
ways in which so-called normal fear, acting in the guise of
reason, may be annihilated: by the substitution of reason for
fear, and by the assurance of the WHITE LIFE
Let it be understood, now, that by normal fear is here meant
normal reason--real fear being denied place and function
altogether Then we may say that such action of reason is a
benefactor to man It is, with pain and weariness, the
philanthropy of the nature of things within us
One person said: "Tired? No such word in my house!" Now this
cannot be a sound and healthy attitude Weariness, at a certain
stage of effort, is a signal to stop work When one becomes so
absorbed in labor as to lose consciousness of the feeling of
weariness, he has issued a "hurry call" on death I do not deny
that the soul may cultivate a sublime sense of buoyancy and power;
rather do I urge you to seek that beautiful condition; but I hold
that when a belief or a hallucination refuses to permit you to
hear the warning of nerves and muscles, Nature will work disaster
inevitably Let us stand for the larger liberty which is joyously
free to take advantage of everything Nature may offer for true
well-being There is a partial liberty which tries to realize
itself by denying various realities as real; there is a higher
liberty which really realizes itself by conceding such realities
as real and by using or disusing them as occasion may require in
the interest of the self at its best I hold this to be true
wisdom: to take advantage of everything which evidently promises
good to the self, without regard to this or that theory, and
freely to use all things, material or immaterial, reasonable or
spiritual I embrace your science or your method; but I beg to
ignore your bondage to philosophy or to consistency So I say that
to normal health the weary-sense is a rational command to
replenish exhausted nerves and muscles
It is not liberty, it is not healthful, to declare, "There is no
pain!" Pain does exist, whatever you affirm, and your affirmation
that it does not is proof that it does exist, for why (and HOW)
declare the non-existence of that which actually is non-existent?
But if you say, "As a matter of fact I have pain, but I am
earnestly striving to ignore it, and to cultivate thought-health
so that the cause of pain may be removed," that is sane and
beautiful This is the commendable attitude of the Bible character
who cried: "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" To
undertake swamping pain with a cloud of psychological fog--that is
to turn anarchist against the good government of Nature By pain
Nature informs the individual that he is somewhere out of order
This warning is normal The feeling becomes abnormal in the mind
when imagination twangs the nerves with reiterated irritation, and
Will, confused by the discord and the psychic chaos, cowers and
shivers with fear
I do not say there is no such thing as fear Fear does exist But
it exists in your life by your permission only, not because it is
needful as a warning against "evil"
Fear is induced by unduly magnifying actual danger, or by
conjuring up fictitious dangers through excessive and misdirected
psychical reactions This also may be taken as a signal of danger,
but it is a falsely-intentioned witness, for it is not needed, is
hostile to the individual because it threatens self-control and it
absorbs life's forces in useless and destructive work when they
ought to be engaged in creating values Hence we state
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Music and dainties will make the passing guest stop (for
Music and dainties will make the passing guest stop (for a time) But though the Tao as it comes from the mouth, seems insipid and has no flavour, though it seems not worth being looked at or listened to, the use of it is inexhaustible ... Myth Of Yima
Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda:-- "O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Who was the first mortal, before myself, Zarathustra, with whom thou, Ahura Mazda, didst converse, whom thou didst teach the Re... No one should attack a Brahmana, but no Brahmana (if
No one should attack a Brahmana, but no Brahmana (if attacked) should let himself fly at his aggressor! Woe to him who strikes a Brahmana, more woe to him who flies at his aggressor! ... No, that deed is well done of which a man
No, that deed is well done of which a man does not repent, and the reward of which he receives gladly and cheerfully ... Not a mother, not a father will do so much,
Not a mother, not a father will do so much, nor any other relative; a well-directed mind will do us greater service Flowers ... Not by tonsure does an undisciplined man who speaks falsehood become
Not by tonsure does an undisciplined man who speaks falsehood become a Samana; can a man be a Samana who is still held captive by desire and greediness? ... Not in the sky, not in the midst of the
Not in the sky, not in the midst of the sea, not if we enter into the clefts of the mountains, is there known a spot in the whole world where death could not overcome (the mortal) Punishment ... Not nakedness, not platted hair, not dirt, not fasting, or
Not nakedness, not platted hair, not dirt, not fasting, or lying on the earth, not rubbing with dust, not sitting motionless, can purify a mortal who has not overcome desires ... Not the perversities of others, not their sins of commission
Not the perversities of others, not their sins of commission or omission, but his own misdeeds and negligences should a sage take notice of ... Not to blame, not to strike, to live restrained under
Not to blame, not to strike, to live restrained under the law, to be moderate in eating, to sleep and sit alone, and to dwell on the highest thoughts,--this is the teaching of the Awakened ... Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to
Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to purify one's mind, that is the teaching of (all) the Awakened ... Not to value and employ men of superior ability is
Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely to excite ... Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it
Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures Therefore they who have the Tao do not like to employ them ... Now propriety is the attenuated form of leal-heartedness and good faith,
Now propriety is the attenuated form of leal-heartedness and good faith, and is also the commencement of disorder; swift apprehension is (only) a flower of the Tao, and is the beginning of stupidity ... O Bhikshu, empty this boat! if emptied, it will go
O Bhikshu, empty this boat! if emptied, it will go quickly; having cut off passion and hatred thou wilt go to Nirvana ... O man, know this, that the unrestrained are in a
O man, know this, that the unrestrained are in a bad state; take care that greediness and vice do not bring thee to grief for a long time! ... Of every ten three are ministers of life (to themselves);
Of every ten three are ministers of life (to themselves); and three are ministers of death ... Of the people who possess these virtues, who live without thoughtlessness,
Of the people who possess these virtues, who live without thoughtlessness, and who are emancipated through true knowledge, Mara, the tempter, never finds the way ... Old Age
How is there laughter, how is there joy, as this world is always burning? Do you not seek a light, ye who are surrounded by darkness? Look at this dressed-up lump, covered with wounds, joined together, sickly, full of many schemes, but which has... On Earnestness
Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvana), thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already. Having understood this clearly, those who are advanced in earnestness de... On occasions of festivity to be on the left hand
On occasions of festivity to be on the left hand is the prized position; on occasions of mourning, the right hand The second in command of the army has his place on the left; the general commanding in chief has his on the right;--his place, that is, i... Or a misfortune coming from the king, or a fearful
Or a misfortune coming from the king, or a fearful accusation, or loss of relations, or destruction of treasures, ... Or fame or life, Which do
Or fame or life, Which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, To which would you adhere? Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life:--which brings Sorrow and pain more near? ... Or lightning-fire will burn his houses; and when his body
Or lightning-fire will burn his houses; and when his body is destroyed, the fool will go to hell ... PHYSICAL TONE
It would seem almost unnecessary to suggest the ordinary regimes for health of body Nevertheless, I shall refer to these regimes because, first, their importance cannot be overestimated, and secondly because they involve certain laws of laws in r... PHYSICAL TONE
"In the healthy body every cell is polarized in subjection to the Central Will Perfect health, therefore, is orderly obedience, government and harmony Every cell is a living entity, whether of vegetable or animal potency, and wherever disease is,... Pleasant in the world is the state of a mother,
Pleasant in the world is the state of a mother, pleasant the state of a father, pleasant the state of a Samana, pleasant the state of a Brahmana ... Pleasant is virtue lasting to old age, pleasant is a
Pleasant is virtue lasting to old age, pleasant is a faith firmly rooted; pleasant is attainment of intelligence, pleasant is avoiding of sins Thirst ... Pleasure
He who gives himself to vanity, and does not give himself to meditation, forgetting the real aim of life and grasping at pleasure, will in time envy him who has exerted himself in meditation. Let no man ever cling to what is pleasant, or to what... Pleasures destroy the foolish, if they look not for the
Pleasures destroy the foolish, if they look not for the other shore; the foolish by his thirst for pleasures destroys himself, as if he were his own enemy ... POSITIVELY MAGNETIC TOWARD THIS PERSON OR THIS SITUATION
constantly maintained, ultimately instructs in all the arts of magnetic self-handling through the law of auto-suggestion, and realizes in practical form its own ideals TWENTY-SECOND LAW: THE MAGNETIC MASK The mask of magnetism achieves eff... POWER
Let us add the following: "Culture is not measured by the greatness of the field which is covered by our knowledge, but by the nicety with which we can perceive relations in that field, whether great or small" This book desires that yo... POWER IS PERSONALITY RECEIVING ITS OWN IN THE REALMS OF LIFE
All things exist for all beings Such are some of the realities that are being quietly and potently assumed and affirmed to-day throughout the world Of course the language of assertion will vary with each individual, but this is immaterial ... Praise Of The Holy Bull
Hail, bounteous bull! Hail to thee, beneficent bull! Hail to thee, who makest increase! Hail to thee, who makest growth! Hail to thee, who dost bestow his part upon the righteous faithful, and wilt bestow it on the faithful yet unborn! Hail to the... Prayer For Helpers
And now in these Thy dispensations, O Ahura Mazda! do Thou wisely act for us, and with abundance with Thy bounty and Thy tenderness as touching us; and grant that reward which Thou hast appointed to our souls, O Ahura Mazda! Of this do Thou Thysel... PREFATORY MATTERS
"The New Dawn" "Fear-Thought and Fear-Feeling" "The Soul of the Cell" "A Regime" "Fear Not Thyself "Fear Not For Others" "Fear Not Dumb Things" "The Massing of a Hundred Faces" "Fear Not Thy Fellows" "Life's Relations" "The R... PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FEAR
Fear is (a) an impulse, (b) a habit, (c) a disease Fear, as it exists in man, is a make-believe of sanity, a creature of the imagination, a state of insanity Furthermore, fear is, now of the nerves, now of the mind, now of the moral co... PRIMARY INJUNCTION
Let your soul be saturated, with the sure conviction that fear is an alien in the world-system of life, having no proper place nor legitimate rights therein, and meanwhile resolutely set about the task of cultivating in every possible way the per... PRIME DENIALS AND AFFIRMATIONS
You who now read this page are, thus, invited to begin our study by denying and affirming, as follows: ... Punishment
All men tremble at punishment, all men fear death; remember that you are like unto them, and do not kill, nor cause slaughter. All men tremble at punishment, all men love life; remember that thou art like unto them, and do not kill, nor cause sl... Restraint in the eye is good, good is restraint in
Restraint in the eye is good, good is restraint in the ear, in the nose restraint is good, good is restraint in the tongue ... Revealed At Mecca
Praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures, the most merciful, the king of the day of judgment. Thee do we worship, and of thee do we beg assistance. Direct us in the right way, in the way of those to whom thou hast been gracious; not of thos... Revealed Partly At Mecca
A.L.M. There is no doubt in this book; it is a direction to the pious, who believe in the mysteries of faith, who observe the appointed times of prayer, and distribute alms out of what we have bestowed on them; and who believe in that revelati... RIGHT PYRAMIDAL COMBINATIONS
e see that-- Physical Health makes for Physical Magnetism; Physical Magnetism bases Psychic Magnetism; Physical Health neighbors Moral Health; Moral Health conduces to Physical Magnetism; Moral Health is indispensab... Rouse thyself by thyself, examine thyself by thyself, thus self- protected
Rouse thyself by thyself, examine thyself by thyself, thus self- protected and attentive wilt thou live happily, O Bhikshu! ... Rouse thyself! do not be idle! Follow the law
Rouse thyself! do not be idle! Follow the law of virtue! The virtuous rests in bliss in this world and in the next ... Sandal-wood or Tagara, a lotus-flower, or a Vassiki, among these sorts
Sandal-wood or Tagara, a lotus-flower, or a Vassiki, among these sorts of perfumes, the perfume of virtue is unsurpassed ... Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the
Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Tao, earnestly carry it into practice Scholars of the middle class, when they have heard about it, seem now to keep it and now to lose it Scholars of the lowest class, when they have heard about... SECOND--THE DAILY REGIME OF AFFIRMATION
I affirm truth to be my desire and possession I affirm health to be my rightful claim I affirm fearlessness of that which I have feared I affirm cause and reason only for courage I affirm that reason is independent of fear I affirm my sover... Self is the lord of self, who else could be
Self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord? With self well subdued, a man finds a lord such as few can find ... SELF OF ME DEMANDS COURAGE!"
Dr Haddock will open new views of individual nature, personal fears, avenues of self-unfoldment, which are wholesome and uplifting for you The following lessons are more than a conquest of fear; they are A GREAT ADVENTURE into the heart of a cour... Shall we then dispense with correction? The (method of)
Shall we then dispense with correction? The (method of) correction shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil The delusion of the people (on this point) has indeed subsisted for a long time ... Shrinking looked they like those who wade through a stream
Shrinking looked they like those who wade through a stream in winter; irresolute like those who are afraid of all around them; grave like a guest (in awe of his host); evanescent like ice that is melting away; unpretentious like wood that has not been ... SIGNS OF THE NEW LIFE
Deity is neither Jew nor Gentile; He is the Infinite All-Good--the Eternal White Life The Infinite and Eternal White Life is evolving a Universe toward the ultimate perfection of absolute harmony All HUMAN BEINGS are in fundamental nat... Silently shall I endure abuse as the elephant in battle
Silently shall I endure abuse as the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the bow: for the world is ill-natured ... Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere
Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it ... So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the
So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height... So long as the love of man towards women, even
So long as the love of man towards women, even the smallest, is not destroyed, so long is his mind in bondage, as the calf that drinks milk is to its mother ... Some people are born again; evil-doers go to hell; righteous people
Some people are born again; evil-doers go to hell; righteous people go to heaven; those who are free from all worldly desires attain Nirvana ... Sons are no help, nor a father, nor relations; there
Sons are no help, nor a father, nor relations; there is no help from kinsfolk for one whom death has seized ... Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if
Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods ... Spells Recited During The Cleansing
Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda:-- O Ahura Mazda! most beneficent Spirit, maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I fight against that Drug who from the dead rushes upon the living? How shall I fight against that Drug who from the de... Spiritual Power Fixing His Term Of Years
At this time the great men among the Likkhavis, hearing that the lord of the world had entered their country and was located in the Amra garden, went thither riding in their gaudy chariots with silken canopies, and clothed in gorgeous robes, bot... Stop the stream valiantly, drive away the desires, O Brahmana!
Stop the stream valiantly, drive away the desires, O Brahmana! When you have understood the destruction of all that was made, you will understand that which was not made ... Such a one who does his duty is tolerant like
Such a one who does his duty is tolerant like the earth, like Indra's bolt; he is like a lake without mud; no new births are in store for him ... Tao has of all things the most honoured place
Tao has of all things the most honoured place No treasures give good men so rich a grace; Bad men it guards, and doth their ill efface ... Tao when nursed within one's self,
Tao when nursed within one's self, His vigour will make true; And where the family it rules What riches will accrue! The neighbourhood where it prevails In thriving will abound; And when 'tis seen throughout the state, ... That deed is not well done of which a man
That deed is not well done of which a man must repent, and the reward of which he receives crying and with a tearful face ... That fetter wise people call strong which drags down, yields,
That fetter wise people call strong which drags down, yields, but is difficult to undo; after having cut this at last, people leave the world, free from cares, and leaving desires and pleasures behind ... That is the safe refuge, that is the best refuge;
That is the safe refuge, that is the best refuge; having gone to that refuge, a man is delivered from all pain ... That saying of the ancients that 'the partial becomes complete'
That saying of the ancients that 'the partial becomes complete' was not vainly spoken:--all real completion is comprehended under it ... That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive
That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all the valley streams, is their skill in being lower than they;--it is thus that they are the kings of them all So it is that the sage (ruler), wishing to be above men, p...