English
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 WNIST/fy IjP^pNSCIOUS CHARACTER BUILDING t2W- a thought because you have gotten intotf^k itiSi You act in certain ways because you -nave estabiished the habit. You are in the habit of being mitntul, honest, virtuous, because you have established tne 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 Chancing ot Character is the changing of Habits. It will be welf for you to settle this fact in your own mind, for it will give you tne 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 a bits originate in the conscious mind, but as they are established they sink down into the depths of the sub¬ conscious mentality, and thereafter become “ sernnH RAJA YOGA tie vv habit that the work of making the new m goes on. In fact, the Yogis believe that the principal part of the work goes on sub-consciously between the intervals of command, 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 win¬ ter,” meaning that the impression passed on to the sub¬ conscious 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 oppor¬ tunity 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 charac¬ ter. We recognize this truth in our training of children, forming good habits of character by constant repetition, by watchfulness, etc. Habit acts as a motive when estab-' lished, 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 con- miST/fy )NSCIOUS CHARACTER BUILDING ^^tioiisness, as for instance, Josiah Royce, who sa^r establishment of organized habit is never in itself ugh 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 con¬ scious 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, with¬ out 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 estab¬ lishing 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, sug¬ gested 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. RAJA YOGA td so, when we wish to establish a trait of Char _iust form a clear, distinct Mental Image of wha 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 expr~~sion. This is no vague, visionary theory. It is a well-known and proven psychological fact, and thousands have worked marvellous 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 lack 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 them- ''CONSCIOUS CHARACTER BUILDING f ' 6S * ?***Jf P°^ er ad apted to the needs of theiiVfi man first rp^li-y^o ^ A. ,. — Luc nccus or tnenvcaa^. ^ he 6 163 ,Z u S this truth ’ and P ro ves it by prac- tn ’ he bec °mes another being. He finds himself superior flnds ,hat he 4 ® to rrato ' e makeS envirmmc ><‘- and In some of the larger schools in England and the United States certain scholars who have developed and mamfested the ability to control themselves aS t£ 1 ctl0ns ar ^ placed on the roll of a grade called the “ Q P if governed grade. Those to this g^de ae?as ttftey tod memorized the following words of Herbert Spencer f “ [n he supremacy of self-control consists one of the perfec- ?° ns °, f , th ^ ldea l man. Not to be impulsive—nof to be Sed sSfhl tWth 7 by each dcsire ~ but t0 * S fhe - ba anceds governed by the just decision in the “ sllf-g^?em^d class.” 58011 l ° PlaCC eaCh StUdent . We cannot attempt, in the short space of a single Buildin t0 T a , Course of instruction in Character B l °u the SpeCiaI needs of each individual ut we think that what we have said on the subject should ^ sufficient to point out the method for each student to henTbove C0 T u f imSe, u f ° ll0wing the gencral rules ve a h^f 3 r P - t0 the StUdent ’ h0Wever ’ we wd l , bri ^f course of mstruction for the cultivation of one desirable trait of character. The general plan of this XrV e fm Pted t0 fit the 4uireme P nts n o7 ™ c f "’Nliigence is used by the student. The ufiW frZ Tt V hat 0f a student who has been VrfSn? a la ^ . of Moral Courage—a lack of Self- ^ ® aa mability to maintain my poise in the picsence of other people—an inability to say ‘No!’ MIN tST/fy. RAJA YOGA .Jsl /ing of Inferiority to those with whom (fact.” 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 com¬ pany 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 endeavour to forget your personal self. At the same time, endeavour to see that same Life Principle, behind and beyond the personality of the person in whose pres¬ ence you are.