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Anurag Chauhan
As a Man Thinketh So Is He: James Allen on How Thoughts lead to our Spiritual Transformation
Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power.
The great Lebanese-American poet and artist, Kahlil Gibran crafted his masterpiece “The Prophet” in 1923, which never got old for it found its roots in the heart of humanity and the spirit of life.
In “On Reason and Passion”, Gibran wrote,
Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. Reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
That reason and passion are the two complementary elements of a man’s character. If either one of them gets broken, he will start wobbling on the tides of life, or get lost in the wide and stock-like sea of hopelessness.
As A Man Thinketh So Is He
Just 20 years ago, another great writer captured this sense of virtuosity in human thought and the effects of thinking and reasoning on our character, actions, behavior, and health.
In “As a Man Thinketh” (1903), James Allen beautifully articulates and explains the framework of the human mind and thought, and the way thoughts affect the various aspects of our life. He describes, with creative analogies, the meaning of thoughts, and their hierarchy in the structure of the human constitution. How we can comprehend the laws of thought to polish our character and in turn, our actions to improve our state of being and the circumstances in our life.
James Allen, in a way, provides us with a blueprint in “As a Man Thinketh”, to lead ourselves to our spiritual transformation and as he says, “the object is to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that —”
They themselves are makers of themselves.
“By virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of the circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain, they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.”
Thought and Character
James Allen talks of thought as a ship on which all human visions and ambitions can ride themselves through the sea of turbulent life, which has the waves of different circumstances throughout the voyage as we age.
Only if we can comprehend the immensity of thoughts and pay attention to them, Allen expounds, will we be able to sail through swiftly.
The Aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.
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Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
James Allen explains with an analogy that, “As the plant springs from, could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them.”
A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor and chance but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts.
Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are By thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes The wheel of ox behind…. .. If one endures In purity of thought, joy follows him As his own shadow — sure.
James Allen says that “man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things.”
That man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.
James Allen floods his writing with so much optimism and clarity, which makes his words so impactful and comprehensive, that it serves as a guiding sermon that one can follow and become available to the success prevalent in life.
On thought as a key for transformation, he says that “As being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.”
Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience.
In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that “He that seeketh findest; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”; for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.
Effect of Thought on Circumstances
James Allen describes a man’s mind as a garden, which may either be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but it must, and will give rise to something, whether wanted or unwanted.
And if the garden of mind is left uncultivated, without the seeds of thoughts, then the useless weed-seeds of impure thoughts will fall therein, and continue to produce their kind.
“By consciously cultivating towards perfection, the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts,” Allen says, “a man may tend the garden of his mind, and by pursuing this process, a man discovers and realizes that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of life.”
Thought and character are one, and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state.
Allen asserts that “Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.”
James Allen simplifies the relation of our soul and the circumstances it encounters in life that, “The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires, — and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.”
A man does not come to the prison of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires.
Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power.
Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. Men do not attract that which they want but that which they are.
Allen goes deeper into defining the nature of circumstances in our life that, “Man is manacled only by himself: thought and action are the jailers of Fate — they imprison, being base; they are also the angels of Freedom they liberate, being noble.”
“Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.”
As a way to transform one’s circumstances in life, James Allen draws a practical example of a man who is wretchedly poor. Allen says that as long as he evades from his duty and tries to deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wages, he can never understand the simplest rudimentary principles which are the basis of true prosperity and is attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in, and acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly thoughts.
Here Allen points out the similar sense of what Karl Marx expounded as the relation between humanity and its actions that, “Labor created man” means first that labor and not God created man; second, it means that man, insofar as he is human, creates himself, that his humanity is the result of his own activity.”
James Allen also uncovers the human inclinations towards believing that one suffers because of one’s virtue, “Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles.”
Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. The circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are the result of his own mental inharmony. Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought: wretchedness, not lack of material possession, is the measure of wrong thought.
James Allen describing the relation between thoughts, habits and circumstances says that, “Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance.”
A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.
“You will be what you will to be; Let failure find its false content In that poor word, 'environment,' But spirit scorns it, and is free. “It masters time, it conquers space; It cows that boastful trickster, Chance, And bids the tyrant Circumstance Uncrown, and fill a servant's place. “The human Will, that force unseen, The offspring of a deathless Soul, Can hew a way to any goal, Though walls of granite intervene. “Be not impatient in delay, But wait as one who understands; When spirit rises and commands, The Gods are ready to obey.”
Effect of Thought on Health and The Body
James Allen dives deep into the functions, consequences, and nature of thought employed in various components of human existence. He resolved the necessity and utilization of thought in the mental sphere of a man, where the majority of thoughts impact one’s life in intangible and indirect ways.
But here, Allen moves to a more tangible way in which thoughts affect our lives, i.e. our health and body. This is an aspect whose occurrence is quite indirect, but the impact it brings in a man’s life is very much observable, effective, and spontaneous in nature.
Allen says that, “At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.”
The Body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.
“Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought.”, Allen elucidates, “The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body, and lays it open to the entrance of disease; while impure thoughts, even if not physically indulge will soon shatter the nervous system.”
Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigour and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it.
Allen furthers the explanation that, “Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.”
“If you would perfect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace.”
Allen advocates that, “As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and serenity.”
He says that,
There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow.
To think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all — such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.
Thought and Purpose
James Allen marks out the identity of men who do not have any central purpose in their lives, and how they get surrounded by the dark corners of their minds like petty worries, fears, and self-pitying, all of which are indications of weakness. “For weakness,” he says, “cannot persist in a power-evolving universe.”
Until Thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment.
The author vouches for having a legitimate purpose in the heart of a man, and that he should set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the central point of his thoughts.
It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought-forces upon the object which he has set before him.
“He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment,” Allen says, “not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought.”
The strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success.
Allen also talks of those who might not seem to be prepared to take on a great purpose in their lives and that they should fix their thoughts on refining and perfecting the work that they are already doing, as only in this way they can focus their thoughts on accomplishing whatever they want.
On finding the way to achieve our goals, Allen asserts that, “Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded; they are disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of effort. ”
He says that thoughts of doubt and fear can never accomplish anything, and “They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.”
Allen argues that doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and those who encourage them, thwart themselves at every step. That the will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do.
He summarizes, “He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they bloom and bring forth fruit which does not fall prematurely to the ground.”
Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes a creative force, and he who knows this, leads himself to become something higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations; he who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers.
The Thought-Factor in Achievement
James Allen deduces that “All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. In a justly ordered universe, where the loss of equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must be absolute.”
A man's weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man's; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man's.
Man’s suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
James Allen unveils the backdrop of the dark mentality of colonialism and the imperialistic way of governing society. It serves as the deeper interpretation of the historic relation between “the Oppressor and the Salve”, that the world has witnessed over the past centuries.
Not that the colonies under the global powers were necessarily slaves, but the pungent growth of the slave trade that happened during the reigns of these powers is a definitive truth that cannot be ignored.
Allen says that many people believe that “Many men are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor.” While some others say that “One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the slaves.”
The truth is that oppressor and slave are cooperators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting themselves. Allen clarifies that “A perfect Knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor; a perfect Love, seeing the suffering which both states entail, condemns neither; a perfect Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed.”
He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.
James Allen insists on lifting his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence, before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things. Not having commenced manfully to control his thoughts, he is not in a position to control affairs and to adopt serious responsibilities. He is not fit to act independently and stand alone.
“There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice,” he asserts, “and a man's worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance.”
And the higher man lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.
James Allen believes that achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought. “By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought a man ascends; by the aid of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought a man descends.”
Intellectual achievements are the result of thought consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life and nature. They are the natural outgrowth of long and arduous effort, and of pure and unselfish thoughts.
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Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, becomes wise and noble in character, and rises into a position of influence and blessedness.
Allen explains that “All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, the only difference lies in the object of attainment.”
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
Visions and Ideals
The Dreamers are the saviors of the world. James Allen says, “Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and know.”
Allen shows the crucial place that the composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, and sage, the architects of heaven, as he calls them, deserve in the structure of society and the bridge they build with their dreams and visions to connect humanity with its past entangled past and the uncertain future.
He says that “He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it.”
Columbus cherished a vision of another world, and he discovered it; Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and he entered into it.
James Allen professes for cherishing our visions and ideals and cherishing the beauty that forms in our minds, the loveliness that drapes our purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environments.
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. As you cannot travel within and stand still without.
Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Allen says, “You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.”
Allen lays great stress on not to get blinded by the brightness of others’ visions and their achievements, but to realize the immensity of the trials and failures and struggles that those men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience.
“That we have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, to realize the Vision of their heart.”
In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.
“The Vision that you glorify in your mind,” Allen summarizes, “the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart — this you will build your life by, this you will become.”
Serenity
James Allen, as he comes close to ending his great masterpiece, talks of the serenity and calmness of our mind, and how they find their origin in human thought and understanding.
Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
“A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being,” Allen says, “for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as he develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.”
The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. “The more tranquil a man becomes,” James Allen states, “the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good.”
The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land or a sheltering rock in a storm.
“That exquisite poise of character which we call serenity is the last lesson of culture,” Allen maintains, “it is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul.” How insignificant mere money-seeking looks in comparison with a serene life — a life that dwells in the ocean of Truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the Eternal Calm!
Sigmund Freud reasoned in his “The Future of an Illusion” that, “There are two widespread human characteristics which are responsible for the fact that the regulations of civilization can only be maintained by a certain degree of coercion namely, that men are not spontaneously fond of work and that arguments are of no avail against their passions.”
James Allen dives to the bottom of the situation and reveals, “Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.”
He proclaims that in the ocean of life, the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought.
In the barque of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleeps; wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, “Peace, be still!”
Read and Contemplate on the Francis Bacon's empiricist dissection of the idea of love in his essays, and then on the sounds of silence from an innocent heart of a girl by Rabindranath Tagore.
Get your own copy of James Allen's “As a Man Thinketh” from here.
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