一切皆在你心中
通過實踐與學習而得的這種自我激發和創造的思考能力，可以伴隨你度過愉快而成功的一生。這種無處不在的思維法則讓你獲得自我醒悟與提升，它會帶領你脫離物質的匱乏與自我意識的局限，帶你走出消極、悲傷、恐懼和憂鬱的生活。它不會因你曾經的個性與信仰而歧視你，更不會因你對此道理省悟得早晚而對你有所偏見。無論怎樣，它對你都會采取這樣一種態度：隨時隨地、無條件地接納你。
- 不要再懷疑
當“太陽是宇宙的中心”、“地球圍繞太陽運轉”這樣的科學發現首次被公之於眾時，人們感到非常震驚，甚至是懷疑，並且一度認為這些都是荒謬邪惡的學說。但經過長時間的驗證，事實最終擊穿了無端的懷疑，現在人們已經完全接納了它。
- 積極的思想導致成功
當思想之中的精神世界平和如鏡，快樂如光，生命中的諸多相關事物也會隨之顯現出和諧、欣欣向榮的景象。當我們思想中充盈著積極、健康、自信的觀念時，我們就可以得到健康、財富與現實中的成功。
- 改變“原因”，才能得到你希望得到的“結果”
也許你長久以來被生活中的各種苦痛擠壓得困苦不堪，但當你了解到所有的疾病、痛苦和局限性皆源於你自身內在的“因”的錯誤時，你就理解了為何會產生這樣的“果”。絕對真理可以改變我們的思想進而改變我們的生活。一切猶豫、恐懼、不信任都是我們自己內心的逃避，你應當知道這些都僅僅是虛幻的存在而非真實的困境。當你輕視它們，我們就不會再被牢禁，就可以將它們拋至九霄雲外。
- 對這個真理要深信不疑
你現在所需要去做的，就是對這個真理完全地深信不疑。當你真正做到，你就可以準確無誤地運用你的思維的創造能力，真理也將飄然而至，與你的生活融這一體。
- 健康、快樂、富有、成功從來都在你的身邊
對這種精神力量的領悟者們，不斷地應用這些方法去幫助自己和他人。他們借此開展對自己的思想的提升，他們用自己的行動與努力把思想中的願景變為美好的現實。對於你來說，你隻要掌握了這個法則，你會發現一切健康、快樂、富有、成功都一直圍繞在你的周圍，它們從來沒有遠離過你，你之所以還在為困境所折磨，僅僅是因為你還沒有參悟到這個真理而已。
- 重塑我們的思想
無論疾病或是困苦，都源發自我們本身的精神狀態。隻要我們把頭腦中的錯誤思想清除幹淨，重新塑造它，取而代之以絕對真理，普遍的自然法則，那麽所有不利於我們的情形都會自然地被清掃一空。
- 在“靜寂”中獲得靈感
那麽，我們如何幫助自己領悟真理、消滅思想中的謬誤呢？最有效的方式即是讓自己沉浸到“靜寂”中去，你可以一人獨往，以可以同進幫助他人。在“靜寂”中你的思維的靈感將會爆發。你將會自如地在頭腦中勾畫出你想要的理想圖景，然後你就會拿到通往幸福之路的金鑰匙。生活的一切美妙都將在瞬間迎麵撲來。如果我們仍無法自我完成，那麽說明我們內心仍然存有疑惑，我們就應該反複、懇切地與自己的心靈交談，使它接納這個真理，並幫助你去開啟幸福的大門。
- 戰勝自己
請永遠銘記，無論遇到怎樣的困境，你一生真正需要戰勝與征服的僅僅是你自己。因為一切困難與恐懼皆產生於你的心中，外界的困難、坎坷僅僅是浮光掠影，都不應該將你壓倒，你隻要從內心裏不斷自我調整，不斷描繪你希望實現的美好願景，你希望中的完滿結果就必定會一一實現。
- 在思想層麵上與他人產生共鳴
那麽我們又如何通過這種力量去幫助他人呢？當你希望一個人戰勝局限與錯謬，從困難中解脫出來，你隻需思想層麵上做出努力，從意識上去幫助他，在意識上與他產生共鳴，你內心中對軟弱、匱乏、局限、怯懦等消極想法相對抗的積極想法也會同時傳遞給他，從而幫助他得到解脫。
- 不要困頓於眼前的困境
當然，思想本身的活躍性和它無窮盡的創造性會使你偶爾專注於眼前境遇的不和諧。但不必擔心，隻要你堅信自然之法則，相信一切困難都隻是暫時的表象而非事實本質時，你就可以戰勝一時的困難，得到永不衰減的精神力量。
- 真理終將取代謬誤
- 要領悟真理
你對真理的理解和領悟程度完全決定了你可能獲得的客觀境遇，它也預示了你個人智慧的潛力，當你試圖不斷更新自己的思想、超越自我的時候，你的生命就在不斷進步、前行，不斷地取得輝煌。
- 讓“自我”與宇宙精神合而為一
“自我”屬於精神的範疇，它的本源是盡善盡美的。它本身本不應該存在著任何恐懼或憂慮。最初的它應如一個初生的嬰兒般完美、純淨。當我們感受到靈感的閃現，我們不要將其誤解為隨機偶然的結果，其實那是“自我”被激發的產物。“自我”與宇宙精神合而為一，這種精神性是穩定而久存的。靈感如人類生命中的指明燈可以改變自身，將為這個世界創造出無限的希望。
- 有悟性
真理必借助於對我們的意識的不斷開發才能獲得。它不會因長期的訓練而閃現，簡而言之，真理不是重複地學習就可以得到，掌握真理所依靠的是一種堅定的信念所帶來的悟性。我們生存的世界、我們的生活、社會的變革都取決於我們對真理的領悟程度。還要注意，真理不是簡單恪守的信條，要想真正地應用真理，就要將思想融入行為。
- 性格與真理
一個性格也決定著他能否得到真理的垂青。如果一個人一味地抱怨時運不佳，那麽真理會自然地離他遠去；但如果他堅定執著而又肯於付出努力，那麽真理就會時刻伴隨在他的左右。抱怨的實質是在曲解真理，因為時運的好壞完全決定於他自身。
- 消極的思想會影響我們的心智
人的生命是一個從不間斷的連續體。一切現在的境遇，都是由此之前的原因決定的；而我們現在的思想，又會決定著我們將來的際遇。當我們的生活現遭逢失失敗與困境，那是因為在這些困境出現之前，這種場景或意識就已經存在於我們的潛意識之中了。這種消極的潛意識會在我們不知不覺中把與它相類似的思想和事物吸引過來，結果造就今天的局麵。所以，當我們知道了這個道理我們就應該反省自己，反思自己的內心，找到究竟什麽負麵的消極的因素影響了我們的心智。
- 對真理的領悟導致真正的自由
隻有真理能夠使你獲得真正的自由，掌握了自然法則，就會如魚得水，庖丁解牛，無所不能，如果你能有意識地去領悟真理、認識真理、運用真理，你就能夠戰勝一切困難。
- 擁有一個完美的願景
你在外部世界中遭遇到的一切的境況，全部都是你內在世界境況的反映。因此，一定要讓你的心靈擁有完美無憾的願景，這樣，你才能夠在外在環境中遇見理想的機遇和條件——這一點是經得起科學驗證的。
- 有一雙善於發現美的眼睛
如果你總是看到環境中的缺憾、不滿、限製等等負麵的因素，那麽這些境況就會愈發在你的生命中出現。然而，如果你訓練自己的心靈，專注於那個精神的自我，使自己看到的全部是完美、和諧，那麽，你就能夠擁有對你的身心健康都有益的外部環境。
- 謬誤必然會讓位於真理
毫無疑問，思想是極富有創造性的，而真理是最完備、最高境界的思想。因此，正確的思考能夠帶來正確的創造。當真理到來，謬誤必然退避、消失，這一點是不言而喻的。
- 宇宙精神
宇宙精神是一切精神的匯聚。精神就是智慧，精神即心智。精神、智慧和心智是同義詞。
- 永恒的精神
精神是一種永恒存在的事物，遍及宇宙之中的所有空間，構成了這個世界上最美妙、最有活力、最有生命力的一種力量。它和宇宙融為一體，共生共存。
- 宇宙精神存在於我們的體內
我們用上帝來解釋超自然的力量相錄於認同力量的源頭是來自於外部世界，而宇宙精神不僅存在於外部世界，也深深地植根於我們的內心世界之中，構成了我們最強大的潛能。其實“上帝”每時每刻都存在於我們的體內，因為即是我們精神的靈魂。
- 要去創造
思維的精髓在於創造，精神的本質也在於創造。我們運用思維和精神進行創造的同時，我們自身也就具有了超凡的力量。我們在為自己也為別人不斷地思索中增長了創造的能力。
- 找開玄妙之門
當我們真正理解了這個精神法則，真正體會到了宇宙精神的玄妙，我們的手中就會有一把通往幸福宮殿的金鑰匙，借由它我們可以找開人生最為瑰麗的寶庫之門。此時的你已經完全成為了上天的寵兒，具備領悟一切真理所需的才智與心力，具備常人無可匹敵的廣闊心胸，更具備不可磨滅與消減的堅定意誌，一切成功之路將為你敞開。勿需等待，行動起來吧！
本課重點
１、人的精神世界中存在著一個什麽樣的真理？
——在人的精神領域中存在著一個真正的“自我”，並且它純淨真實，如無瑕的美玉。
２、我們如何才能將思想中的謬誤擊跨和消滅？
——要用真理去消滅謬誤的思想，時刻與真理、與自然法則保持一致。
３、我們是否可以幫助他人學習到“宇宙精神”的真理？
——宇宙精神是一個密不可分的整體，它無處不在，你與他人都在其中，幫助他人就如同幫助自己。
４、宇宙精神是什麽？
——它是最普遍的自然法則，是最真的真理，是所有的精神世界的總和。
５、宇宙精神存在於哪裏？
——它無所不在，存在於我們的身體，存在於我們的內心，大至最宏大的宏觀世界，小至最微小的基本粒子。宇宙精神是我的精神之源，是宇宙的靈魂，是我們生命靈魂的依托之所。
６、我們如何能夠與宇宙精神相互聯接？
——通過我們的思考。依靠思考我們就可以將宇宙精神表達出來，同進也可以為自己、為他人展現出宇宙精神的巨大力量。
７、思考能帶來什麽？
——思考能給我們帶來更加堅定、冷靜、審慎、清晰的思想狀態，使我們領悟宇宙的精神，獲取無空無心的潛能。
８、當我們思考並無限接近宇宙精神會得到什麽樣的結果？
——無論構夢想什麽、希望得到什麽，都有一股潛在的神奇力量在你的體內作為動力支持著你。宇宙精神實實在在地存在於你的身體裏，如果你善待他，它就會為你的思想提供最強大的動力，為你建造精神的與現實的家園，並幫助你創造最為和諧、最為完美的人生。
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PART TWENTY-FOUR
Enclosed you will find Part Twenty-four, your final lesson of this course.
If you have practiced each of the exercises a few minutes every day, as suggested, you will have found that you can get out of life exactly what you wish by first putting into life that which you wish, and you will probably agree with the student who said: "The thought is almost overwhelming, so vast, so available, so definite, so reasonable and so usable."
The fruit of this knowledge is, as it were, a gift of the Gods; it is the "truth" that makes men free, not only free from every lack and limitation, but free from sorrow, worry and care, and, is it not wonderful to realize that this law is no respecter of persons, that it makes no difference what your habit of thought may be, the way has been prepared.
If you are inclined to be religious, the greatest religious teacher the world has ever known made the way so plain that all may follow. If your mental bias is toward physical science, the law will operate with mathematical certainty. If you are inclined to be philosophical, Plato or Emerson may be your teacher, but in either case, you may reach degrees of power to which it is impossible to assign any limit.
An understanding of this principle, I believe, is the secret for which the ancient Alchemists vainly sought, because it explains how gold in the mind may be transmuted into gold in the heart and in the hand.
Part Twenty-Four
1. When the scientists first put the Sun in the center of the Solar System and sent the earth spinning around it, there was immense surprise and consternation. The whole idea was self-evidently false; nothing was more certain than the movement of the Sun across the sky, and anyone could see it descend behind the western hills and sink into the sea; scholars raged and scientists rejected the idea as absurd, yet the evidence has finally carried conviction in the minds of all.
2. We speak of a bell as a "sounding body," yet we know that all the bell can do is to produce vibrations in the air. When these vibrations come at the rate of sixteen per second, they cause a sound to be heard in the mind. It is also possible for the mind to hear vibrations up to the rate of 38,000 vibrations per second. When the number increases beyond this, all is silence again; so that we know that the sound is not in the bell, it is in our own mind.
3. We speak and even think of the Sun as "giving light." Yet we know it is simply giving forth energy which produces vibrations in the ether at the rate of four hundred trillion a second, causing what are termed light waves, so that we know that we call light is simply a form of energy and that the only light there is, is the sensation caused in the mind by the motion of the waves. When the number increases, the light changes in color, each change in color being caused by shorter and more rapid vibrations; so that although we speak of the rose as being red, the grass as being green, or the sky as being blue, we know that the colors exist only in our minds, and are the sensations experienced by us as the result of the vibrations of light waves. When the vibrations are reduced below four hundred trillion a second, they no longer affect us as light, but we experience the sensation of heat. It is evident, therefore, that we cannot depend upon the evidence of the senses for our information concerning the realities of things; if we did we should believe that the sun moved, that the world was flat instead of round, that the stars were bits of light instead of vast suns.
4. The whole range then of the theory and practice of any system of metaphysics consists in knowing the Truth concerning yourself and the world in which you live; in knowing that in order to express harmony, you must think harmony; in order to express health you must think health; and in order to express abundance you must think abundance; to do this you must reverse the evidence of the senses.
5. When you come to know that every form of disease, sickness, lack and limitation are simply the result of wrong thinking, you will have come to know "the Truth which shall make you free." You will see how mountains may be removed. If these mountains consist only of doubt, fear, distrust or other forms of discouragement, they are none the less real, and they need not only to be removed but to be "cast into the sea."
6. Your real work consists in convincing yourself of the truth of these statements. When you have succeeded in doing this you will have no difficulty in thinking the truth, and as has been shown, the truth contains a vital principle and will manifest itself.
7. Those who heal diseases by mental methods have come to know this truth, they demonstrate it in their lives and the lives of others daily. They know that life, health and abundance are Omnipresent, filling all space, and they know that those who allow disease or lack of any kind to manifest, have as yet not come into an understanding of this great law.
8. As all conditions are thought creations and therefore entirely mental, disease and lack are simply mental conditions in which the person fails to perceive the truth; as soon as the error is removed, the condition is removed.
9. The method for removing this error is to go into the Silence and know the Truth; as all mind is one mind, you can do this for yourself or anyone else. If you have learned to form mental images of the conditions desired, this will be the easiest and quickest way to secure results; if not, results can be accomplished by argument, by the process of convincing yourself absolutely of the truth of your statement.
10. Remember, and this is one of the most difficult as well as most wonderful statements to grasp.... remember that no matter what the difficulty is, no matter where it is, no matter who is affected, you have no patient but yourself; you have nothing to do but to convince yourself of the truth which you desire to see manifested.
11. This is an exact scientific statement in accordance with every system of Metaphysics in existence, and no permanent results are ever secured in any other way.
12. Every form of concentration, forming Mental Images, Argument, and Autosuggestion are all simply methods by which you are enabled to realize the Truth.
13. If you desire to help someone, to destroy some form of lack, limitation or error, the correct method is not to think of the person whom you wish to help; the intention to help them is entirely sufficient, as this puts you in mental touch with the person. Then drive out of your own mind any belief of lack, limitation, disease, danger, difficulty or whatever the trouble might be. As soon as you have succeeded is doing this the result will have been accomplished, and the person will be free.
14. But remember that thought is creative and consequently every time you allow your thought to rest on any inharmonious condition, you must realize that such conditions are apparent only, they have no reality, that spirit is the only reality and it can never be less than perfect.
15. All thought is a form of energy, a rate of vibration, but a thought of the Truth is the highest rate of vibration known and consequently destroys every form of error in exactly the same way that light destroys darkness; no form of error can exist when the "Truth" appears, so that your entire mental work consists in coming into an understanding of the Truth. This will enable you to overcome every form of lack, limitation or disease of any kind.
16. We can get no understanding of the truth from the world without; the world without is relative only; Truth is absolute. We must therefore find it in the "world within."
17. To train the mind to see Truth only is to express true conditions only, our ability to do this will be an indication as to the progress we are making.
18. The absolute truth is that the "I" is perfect and complete; the real "I" is spiritual and can therefore never be less than perfect; it can never have any lack, limitation, or disease. The flash of genius does not have origin in the molecular motion of the brain; it is inspired by the ego, the spiritual "I" which is one with the Universal Mind, and it is our ability to recognize this Unity which is the cause of all inspiration, all genius. These results are far reaching and have effect upon generations yet to come; they are the pillars of fire which mark the path that millions follow.
19. Truth is not the result of logical training or of experimentation, or even of observation; it is the product of a developed consciousness. Truth within a Caesar, manifests in a Caesar's deportment, in his life and his action; his influence upon social forms and progress. Your life and your actions and your influence in the world will depend upon the degree of truth which you are enabled to perceive, for truth will not manifest in creeds, but in conduct.
20. Truth manifests in character, and the character of a man, should be the interpretation of his religion, or what to him is truth, and this will in turn be evidenced in the character of his possession. If a man complains of the drift of his fortune he is just as unjust to himself as if he should deny rational truth, though it stand patent and irrefutable.
21. Our environment and the innumerable circumstances and accidents of our lives already exist in the subconscious personality which attracts to itself the mental and physical material which is congenial to its nature. Thus our future being determined from our present, and if there should be apparent injustice in any feature or phase of our personal life, we must look within for the cause, try to discover the mental fact which is responsible for the outward manifestation.
22. It is this truth which makes you "free" and it is the conscious knowledge of this truth which will enable you to overcome every difficulty.
23. The conditions with which you meet in the world without are invariably the result of the conditions obtaining in the world within, therefore it follows with scientific accuracy that by holding the perfect ideal in mind you can bring about ideal conditions in your environment.
24. If you see only the incomplete, the imperfect, the relative, the limited, these conditions will manifest in your life; but if you train your mind to see and realize the spiritual ego, the "I" which is forever perfect and complete, harmonious; wholesome, and healthful conditions only will be manifested.
25. As thought is creative, and the truth is the highest and most perfect thought which anyone can think, it is self-evident that to think the truth is to create that which is true and it is again evident that when truth comes into being that which is false must cease to be.
26. The Universal Mind is the totality of all mind which is in existence. Spirit is Mind, because spirit is intelligent. The words are, therefore, synonymous.
27. The difficulty with which you have to contend is to realize that mind is not individual. It is omnipresent. It exists everywhere. In other words, there is no place where it is not. It is, therefore, Universal.
28. Men have, heretofore, generally used the word "God" to indicate this Universal, creative principle; but the word "God" does not convey the right meaning. Most people understand this word to mean something outside of themselves; while exactly the contrary is the fact. It is our very life. Without it we would be dead. We would cease to exist. The minute the spirit leaves the body, we are as nothing. Therefore, spirit is really, all there is of us.
29. Now, the only activity which the spirit possesses is the power to think. Therefore, thought must be creative, because spirit is creative. This creative power is impersonal and your ability to think is your ability to control it and make use of it for the benefit of yourself and others.
30. When the truth of this statement is realized, understood, and appreciated, you will have come into possession of the Master-Key, but remember that only those who are wise enough to understand, broad enough to weigh the evidence, firm enough to follow their own judgment, and strong enough to make the sacrifice exacted, may enter and partake.
31. This week, try to realize that this is truly a wonderful world in which we live, that you are a wonderful being that many are awakening to a knowledge of the Truth, and as fast as they awake and come into a knowledge of the "things which have been prepared for them" they, too, realize that "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man," the splendors which exist for those who find themselves in the Promised Land. They have crossed the river of judgment and have arrived at the point of discrimination between the true and the false, and have found that all they ever willed or dreamed, was but a faint concept of the dazzling reality.
Though an inheritance of acres may be bequeathed, an inheritance of knowledge and wisdom cannot. The wealthy man may pay others for doing his work for him, but it is impossible to get his thinking done for him by another or to purchase any kind of self-culture.
S. Smiles
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Study Questions with Answers
231. Upon what principle does the theory and practice of every system of Metaphysics in existence depend?
Upon a knowledge of the "Truth" concerning yourself and the world in which you life.
232. What is the "Truth" concerning yourself?
The real "I" or ego is spiritual and can therefore never be less than perfect.
233. What is the method of destroying any form of error?
To absolutely convince yourself of the "Truth" concerning the condition which you wish to see manifested.
234. Can we do this for others?
The Universal Mind in which "we live and move and have our being" is one and indivisible, it is therefore just as possible to help others as to help ourselves.
235. What is the Universal Mind?
The totality of all mind in existence.
236. Where is the Universal Mind?
The Universal Mind is omnipresent, it exists everywhere. There is no place where it is not. It is therefore within us. It is "The World within." It is our spirit, our life.
237. What is the nature of the Universal Mind?
It is spiritual and consequently creative. It seeks to express itself in form.
238. How may we act on the Universal Mind?
Our ability to think is our ability to act on the Universal Mind and bring it into manifestation for the benefit of ourselves or others.
239. What is meant by thinking?
Clear, decisive, calm, deliberate, sustained thought with a definite end in view.
240. What will be the result?
You will also be able to say, "It is not I that doeth the works, but the ‘Father’ that dwelleth within me, He doeth the works." You will come to know that the "Father" is the Universal Mind and that He does really and truly dwell within you, in other words, you will come to know that the wonderful promises made in the Bible are fact, not fiction, and can be demonstrated by anyone having sufficient understanding.
Temples have their sacred images, and we see what influence they have always had over a great part of mankind; but, in truth, the ideas and images in men's minds are the invisible powers that constantly govern them; and to these they all pay universally a ready submission.
Jonathan Edwards
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
PART TWENTY-FOUR
Enclosed you will find Part Twenty-four, your final lesson of this course.
If you have practiced each of the exercises a few minutes every day, as suggested, you will have found that you can get out of life exactly what you wish by first putting into life that which you wish, and you will probably agree with the student who said: "The thought is almost overwhelming, so vast, so available, so definite, so reasonable and so usable."
The fruit of this knowledge is, as it were, a gift of the Gods; it is the "truth" that makes men free, not only free from every lack and limitation, but free from sorrow, worry and care, and, is it not wonderful to realize that this law is no respecter of persons, that it makes no difference what your habit of thought may be, the way has been prepared.
If you are inclined to be religious, the greatest religious teacher the world has ever known made the way so plain that all may follow. If your mental bias is toward physical science, the law will operate with mathematical certainty. If you are inclined to be philosophical, Plato or Emerson may be your teacher, but in either case, you may reach degrees of power to which it is impossible to assign any limit.
An understanding of this principle, I believe, is the secret for which the ancient Alchemists vainly sought, because it explains how gold in the mind may be transmuted into gold in the heart and in the hand.
Part Twenty-Four
1. When the scientists first put the Sun in the center of the Solar System and sent the earth spinning around it, there was immense surprise and consternation. The whole idea was self-evidently false; nothing was more certain than the movement of the Sun across the sky, and anyone could see it descend behind the western hills and sink into the sea; scholars raged and scientists rejected the idea as absurd, yet the evidence has finally carried conviction in the minds of all.
2. We speak of a bell as a "sounding body," yet we know that all the bell can do is to produce vibrations in the air. When these vibrations come at the rate of sixteen per second, they cause a sound to be heard in the mind. It is also possible for the mind to hear vibrations up to the rate of 38,000 vibrations per second. When the number increases beyond this, all is silence again; so that we know that the sound is not in the bell, it is in our own mind.
3. We speak and even think of the Sun as "giving light." Yet we know it is simply giving forth energy which produces vibrations in the ether at the rate of four hundred trillion a second, causing what are termed light waves, so that we know that we call light is simply a form of energy and that the only light there is, is the sensation caused in the mind by the motion of the waves. When the number increases, the light changes in color, each change in color being caused by shorter and more rapid vibrations; so that although we speak of the rose as being red, the grass as being green, or the sky as being blue, we know that the colors exist only in our minds, and are the sensations experienced by us as the result of the vibrations of light waves. When the vibrations are reduced below four hundred trillion a second, they no longer affect us as light, but we experience the sensation of heat. It is evident, therefore, that we cannot depend upon the evidence of the senses for our information concerning the realities of things; if we did we should believe that the sun moved, that the world was flat instead of round, that the stars were bits of light instead of vast suns.
4. The whole range then of the theory and practice of any system of metaphysics consists in knowing the Truth concerning yourself and the world in which you live; in knowing that in order to express harmony, you must think harmony; in order to express health you must think health; and in order to express abundance you must think abundance; to do this you must reverse the evidence of the senses.
5. When you come to know that every form of disease, sickness, lack and limitation are simply the result of wrong thinking, you will have come to know "the Truth which shall make you free." You will see how mountains may be removed. If these mountains consist only of doubt, fear, distrust or other forms of discouragement, they are none the less real, and they need not only to be removed but to be "cast into the sea."
6. Your real work consists in convincing yourself of the truth of these statements. When you have succeeded in doing this you will have no difficulty in thinking the truth, and as has been shown, the truth contains a vital principle and will manifest itself.
7. Those who heal diseases by mental methods have come to know this truth, they demonstrate it in their lives and the lives of others daily. They know that life, health and abundance are Omnipresent, filling all space, and they know that those who allow disease or lack of any kind to manifest, have as yet not come into an understanding of this great law.
8. As all conditions are thought creations and therefore entirely mental, disease and lack are simply mental conditions in which the person fails to perceive the truth; as soon as the error is removed, the condition is removed.
9. The method for removing this error is to go into the Silence and know the Truth; as all mind is one mind, you can do this for yourself or anyone else. If you have learned to form mental images of the conditions desired, this will be the easiest and quickest way to secure results; if not, results can be accomplished by argument, by the process of convincing yourself absolutely of the truth of your statement.
10. Remember, and this is one of the most difficult as well as most wonderful statements to grasp.... remember that no matter what the difficulty is, no matter where it is, no matter who is affected, you have no patient but yourself; you have nothing to do but to convince yourself of the truth which you desire to see manifested.
11. This is an exact scientific statement in accordance with every system of Metaphysics in existence, and no permanent results are ever secured in any other way.
12. Every form of concentration, forming Mental Images, Argument, and Autosuggestion are all simply methods by which you are enabled to realize the Truth.
13. If you desire to help someone, to destroy some form of lack, limitation or error, the correct method is not to think of the person whom you wish to help; the intention to help them is entirely sufficient, as this puts you in mental touch with the person. Then drive out of your own mind any belief of lack, limitation, disease, danger, difficulty or whatever the trouble might be. As soon as you have succeeded is doing this the result will have been accomplished, and the person will be free.
14. But remember that thought is creative and consequently every time you allow your thought to rest on any inharmonious condition, you must realize that such conditions are apparent only, they have no reality, that spirit is the only reality and it can never be less than perfect.
15. All thought is a form of energy, a rate of vibration, but a thought of the Truth is the highest rate of vibration known and consequently destroys every form of error in exactly the same way that light destroys darkness; no form of error can exist when the "Truth" appears, so that your entire mental work consists in coming into an understanding of the Truth. This will enable you to overcome every form of lack, limitation or disease of any kind.
16. We can get no understanding of the truth from the world without; the world without is relative only; Truth is absolute. We must therefore find it in the "world within."
17. To train the mind to see Truth only is to express true conditions only, our ability to do this will be an indication as to the progress we are making.
18. The absolute truth is that the "I" is perfect and complete; the real "I" is spiritual and can therefore never be less than perfect; it can never have any lack, limitation, or disease. The flash of genius does not have origin in the molecular motion of the brain; it is inspired by the ego, the spiritual "I" which is one with the Universal Mind, and it is our ability to recognize this Unity which is the cause of all inspiration, all genius. These results are far reaching and have effect upon generations yet to come; they are the pillars of fire which mark the path that millions follow.
19. Truth is not the result of logical training or of experimentation, or even of observation; it is the product of a developed consciousness. Truth within a Caesar, manifests in a Caesar's deportment, in his life and his action; his influence upon social forms and progress. Your life and your actions and your influence in the world will depend upon the degree of truth which you are enabled to perceive, for truth will not manifest in creeds, but in conduct.
20. Truth manifests in character, and the character of a man, should be the interpretation of his religion, or what to him is truth, and this will in turn be evidenced in the character of his possession. If a man complains of the drift of his fortune he is just as unjust to himself as if he should deny rational truth, though it stand patent and irrefutable.
21. Our environment and the innumerable circumstances and accidents of our lives already exist in the subconscious personality which attracts to itself the mental and physical material which is congenial to its nature. Thus our future being determined from our present, and if there should be apparent injustice in any feature or phase of our personal life, we must look within for the cause, try to discover the mental fact which is responsible for the outward manifestation.
22. It is this truth which makes you "free" and it is the conscious knowledge of this truth which will enable you to overcome every difficulty.
23. The conditions with which you meet in the world without are invariably the result of the conditions obtaining in the world within, therefore it follows with scientific accuracy that by holding the perfect ideal in mind you can bring about ideal conditions in your environment.
24. If you see only the incomplete, the imperfect, the relative, the limited, these conditions will manifest in your life; but if you train your mind to see and realize the spiritual ego, the "I" which is forever perfect and complete, harmonious; wholesome, and healthful conditions only will be manifested.
25. As thought is creative, and the truth is the highest and most perfect thought which anyone can think, it is self-evident that to think the truth is to create that which is true and it is again evident that when truth comes into being that which is false must cease to be.
26. The Universal Mind is the totality of all mind which is in existence. Spirit is Mind, because spirit is intelligent. The words are, therefore, synonymous.
27. The difficulty with which you have to contend is to realize that mind is not individual. It is omnipresent. It exists everywhere. In other words, there is no place where it is not. It is, therefore, Universal.
28. Men have, heretofore, generally used the word "God" to indicate this Universal, creative principle; but the word "God" does not convey the right meaning. Most people understand this word to mean something outside of themselves; while exactly the contrary is the fact. It is our very life. Without it we would be dead. We would cease to exist. The minute the spirit leaves the body, we are as nothing. Therefore, spirit is really, all there is of us.
29. Now, the only activity which the spirit possesses is the power to think. Therefore, thought must be creative, because spirit is creative. This creative power is impersonal and your ability to think is your ability to control it and make use of it for the benefit of yourself and others.
30. When the truth of this statement is realized, understood, and appreciated, you will have come into possession of the Master-Key, but remember that only those who are wise enough to understand, broad enough to weigh the evidence, firm enough to follow their own judgment, and strong enough to make the sacrifice exacted, may enter and partake.
31. This week, try to realize that this is truly a wonderful world in which we live, that you are a wonderful being that many are awakening to a knowledge of the Truth, and as fast as they awake and come into a knowledge of the "things which have been prepared for them" they, too, realize that "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man," the splendors which exist for those who find themselves in the Promised Land. They have crossed the river of judgment and have arrived at the point of discrimination between the true and the false, and have found that all they ever willed or dreamed, was but a faint concept of the dazzling reality.
Though an inheritance of acres may be bequeathed, an inheritance of knowledge and wisdom cannot. The wealthy man may pay others for doing his work for him, but it is impossible to get his thinking done for him by another or to purchase any kind of self-culture.
S. Smiles
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Study Questions with Answers
231. Upon what principle does the theory and practice of every system of Metaphysics in existence depend?
Upon a knowledge of the "Truth" concerning yourself and the world in which you life.
232. What is the "Truth" concerning yourself?
The real "I" or ego is spiritual and can therefore never be less than perfect.
233. What is the method of destroying any form of error?
To absolutely convince yourself of the "Truth" concerning the condition which you wish to see manifested.
234. Can we do this for others?
The Universal Mind in which "we live and move and have our being" is one and indivisible, it is therefore just as possible to help others as to help ourselves.
235. What is the Universal Mind?
The totality of all mind in existence.
236. Where is the Universal Mind?
The Universal Mind is omnipresent, it exists everywhere. There is no place where it is not. It is therefore within us. It is "The World within." It is our spirit, our life.
237. What is the nature of the Universal Mind?
It is spiritual and consequently creative. It seeks to express itself in form.
238. How may we act on the Universal Mind?
Our ability to think is our ability to act on the Universal Mind and bring it into manifestation for the benefit of ourselves or others.
239. What is meant by thinking?
Clear, decisive, calm, deliberate, sustained thought with a definite end in view.
240. What will be the result?
You will also be able to say, "It is not I that doeth the works, but the ‘Father’ that dwelleth within me, He doeth the works." You will come to know that the "Father" is the Universal Mind and that He does really and truly dwell within you, in other words, you will come to know that the wonderful promises made in the Bible are fact, not fiction, and can be demonstrated by anyone having sufficient understanding.
Temples have their sacred images, and we see what influence they have always had over a great part of mankind; but, in truth, the ideas and images in men's minds are the invisible powers that constantly govern them; and to these they all pay universally a ready submission.
Jonathan Edwards
