As a Man Thinketh E-Book

James Allen

• Herausgeber: Magdalene Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

This collector’s edition is cleanly formatted for easy reading. 12 point Garamond, 1.25 spacing. “As a Man Thinketh” is a book about the power of thought and its use and application for positive effects in one’s own life. It was first published in 1903 and has since become an inspirational classic, selling millions of copies around the world and bringing guidance and inspiration to all who have read it. Described by Allen as “A pocket companion for thoughtful people,” and “A book on the power and right application of thought,” the book is simple, so that all can easily grasp and follow its teaching, and put into practice its methods. It shows how, in his own thought-world, each man holds the key to every condition, good or bad, that enters into his life, and that, by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts, he may remake his life, and transform his circumstances. In Allen’s own words, “As a Man Thinketh” is a book that will help you help yourself. “As a Man Thinketh in his heart, so is he.”― Proverbs 23:7

Leseprobe

As a Man Thinketh

JAMESALLEN

AuthorofFromPassiontoPeace

MindistheMasterpowerthatmouldsandmakes,AndManisMind,andevermorehetakesThetoolofThought,and,shapingwhathewills,Bringsforthathousandjoys,athousandills:—Hethinksinsecret,anditcomestopass:Environmentisbuthislooking-glass.

As a ManThinketh

byJames Allen

First Published in 1903

ISBN978-1-77335-048-6

Creative Content Copyright © Magdalene Press

https://archive.org/details/asmanthinketh00alleiala

FOREWORD

THIS little volume(theresultofmeditationandexperience)isnotintendedasanexhaustivetreatiseonthemuch-written-uponsubjectofthepowerofthought.Itissuggestiveratherthanexplanatory,itsobjectbeingtostimulatemenandwomentothediscoveryandperceptionofthetruththat—“Theythemselvesaremakersofthemselves.”—byvirtueofthethoughts,whichtheychooseandencourage;thatmindisthemaster-weaver,bothoftheinnergarmentofcharacterandtheoutergarmentofcircumstance,andthat,astheymayhavehithertowoveninignoranceandpaintheymaynowweaveinenlightenmentandhappiness.

JAMESALLEN

BROADPARKAVENUE

ILFRACOMBE

ENGLAND

THOUGHTANDCHARACTER

THEaphorism,“Asamanthinkethinhisheartsoishe,”notonlyembracesthewholeofaman’sbeing,butissocomprehensiveastoreachouttoeveryconditionandcircumstanceofhislife.Amanisliterallywhathethinks,hischaracterbeingthecompletesumofallhisthoughts.

Astheplantspringsfrom,andcouldnotbewithout,theseed,soeveryactofamanspringsfromthehiddenseedsofthought,andcouldnothaveappearedwithoutthem.Thisappliesequallytothoseactscalled“spontaneous”and“unpremeditated”astothose,whicharedeliberatelyexecuted.

Actistheblossomofthought,andjoyandsufferingareitsfruits;thusdoesamangarnerinthesweetandbitterfruitageofhisownhusbandry.

“Thoughtinthemindhathmadeus,Whatweare

Bythoughtwaswroughtandbuilt.Ifaman’smind

Hathevilthoughts,paincomesonhimascomes

Thewheeltheoxbehind...

...Ifoneendure

Inpurityofthought,joyfollowshim

Ashisownshadow—sure.”

Manisagrowthbylaw,andnotacreationbyartifice,andcauseandeffectisasabsoluteandundeviatinginthehiddenrealmofthoughtasintheworldofvisibleandmaterialthings.AnobleandGodlikecharacterisnotathingoffavourorchance,butisthenaturalresultofcontinuedeffortinrightthinking,theeffectoflong-cherishedassociationwithGodlikethoughts.Anignobleandbestialcharacter,bythesameprocess,istheresultofthecontinuedharbouringofgrovellingthoughts.

Manismadeorunmadebyhimself;inthearmouryofthoughtheforgestheweaponsbywhichhedestroyshimself;healsofashionsthetoolswithwhichhebuildsforhimselfheavenlymansionsofjoyandstrengthandpeace.Bytherightchoiceandtrueapplicationofthought,manascendstotheDivinePerfection;bytheabuseandwrongapplicationofthought,hedescendsbelowthelevelofthebeast.Betweenthesetwoextremesareallthegradesofcharacter,andmanistheirmakerandmaster.

Ofallthebeautifultruthspertainingtothesoulwhichhavebeenrestoredandbroughttolightinthisage,noneismoregladdeningorfruitfulofdivinepromiseandconfidencethanthis—thatmanisthemasterofthought,themoulderofcharacter,andthemakerandshaperofcondition,environment,anddestiny.

AsabeingofPower,Intelligence,andLove,andthelordofhisownthoughts,manholdsthekeytoeverysituation,andcontainswithinhimselfthattransformingandregenerativeagencybywhichhemaymakehimselfwhathewills.

Manisalwaysthemaster,eveninhisweakerandmostabandonedstate;butinhisweaknessanddegradationheisthefoolishmasterwhomisgovernshis“household.”Whenhebeginstoreflectuponhiscondition,andtosearchdiligentlyfortheLawuponwhichhisbeingisestablished,hethenbecomesthewisemaster,directinghisenergieswithintelligence,andfashioninghisthoughtstofruitfulissues.Suchistheconsciousmaster,andmancanonlythusbecomebydiscoveringwithinhimselfthelawsofthought;whichdiscoveryistotallyamatterofapplication,selfanalysis,andexperience.

Onlybymuchsearchingandmining,aregoldanddiamondsobtained,andmancanfindeverytruthconnectedwithhisbeing,ifhewilldigdeepintothemineofhissoul;andthatheisthemakerofhischaracter,themoulderofhislife,andthebuilderofhisdestiny,hemayunerringlyprove,ifhewillwatch,control,andalterhisthoughts,tracingtheireffectsuponhimself,uponothers,anduponhislifeandcircumstances,linkingcauseandeffectbypatientpracticeandinvestigation,andutilizinghiseveryexperience,eventothemosttrivial,everydayoccurrence,asameansofobtainingthatknowledgeofhimselfwhichisUnderstanding,Wisdom,Power.Inthisdirection,asinnoother,isthelawabsolutethat“Hethatseekethfindeth;andtohimthatknockethitshallbeopened;”foronlybypatience,practice,andceaselessimportunitycanamanentertheDooroftheTempleofKnowledge.

EFFECTOFTHOUGHTONCIRCUMSTANCES

MAN’Smindmaybelikenedtoagarden,whichmaybeintelligentlycultivatedorallowedtorunwild;butwhethercultivatedorneglected,itmust,andwill,bringforth.Ifnousefulseedsareputintoit,thenanabundanceofuselessweed-seedswillfalltherein,andwillcontinuetoproducetheirkind.

Justasagardenercultivateshisplot,keepingitfreefromweeds,andgrowingtheflowersandfruitswhichherequires,somayamantendthegardenofhismind,weedingoutallthewrong,useless,andimpurethoughts,andcultivatingtowardperfectiontheflowersandfruitsofright,useful,andpurethoughts.Bypursuingthisprocess,amansoonerorlaterdiscoversthatheisthemaster-gardenerofhissoul,thedirectorofhislife.Healsoreveals,withinhimself,thelawsofthought,andunderstands,withever-increasingaccuracy,howthethought-forcesandmindelementsoperateintheshapingofhischaracter,circumstances,anddestiny.

Thoughtandcharacterareone,andascharactercanonlymanifestanddiscoveritselfthroughenvironmentandcircumstance,theouterconditionsofaperson’slifewillalwaysbefoundtobeharmoniouslyrelatedtohisinnerstate.Thisdoesnotmeanthataman’scircumstancesatanygiventimeareanindicationofhisentirecharacter,butthatthosecircumstancesaresointimatelyconnectedwithsomevitalthought-elementwithinhimselfthat,forthetimebeing,theyareindispensabletohisdevelopment.

Everymaniswhereheisbythelawofhisbeing;thethoughtswhichhehasbuiltintohischaracterhavebroughthimthere,andinthearrangementofhislifethereisnoelementofchance,butallistheresultofalawwhichcannoterr.Thisisjustastrueofthosewhofeel“outofharmony”withtheirsurroundingsasofthosewhoarecontentedwiththem.

Asaprogressiveandevolvingbeing,maniswhereheisthathemaylearn,thathemaygrow;andashelearnsthespirituallessonwhichanycircumstancecontainsforhim,itpassesawayandgivesplacetoothercircumstances.

Manisbuffetedbycircumstancessolongashebelieveshimselftobethecreatureofoutsideconditions,butwhenherealizesthatheisacreativepower,andthathemaycommandthehiddensoilandseedsofhisbeingoutofwhichcircumstancesgrow,hethenbecomestherightfulmasterofhimself.

Thatcircumstancesgrowoutofthoughteverymanknowswhohasforanylengthoftimepractisedself-controlandself-purification,forhewillhavenoticedthatthealterationinhiscircumstanceshasbeeninexactratiowithhisalteredmentalcondition.Sotrueisthisthatwhenamanearnestlyapplieshimselftoremedythedefectsinhischaracter,andmakesswiftandmarkedprogress,hepassesrapidlythroughasuccessionofvicissitudes.

Thesoulattractsthatwhichitsecretlyharbours;thatwhichitloves,andalsothatwhichitfears;itreachestheheightofitscherishedaspirations;itfallstothelevelofitsunchasteneddesires,—andcircumstancesarethemeansbywhichthesoulreceivesitsown.

Everythought-seedsownorallowedtofallintothemind,andtotakerootthere,producesitsown,blossomingsoonerorlaterintoact,andbearingitsownfruitageofopportunityandcircumstance.Goodthoughtsbeargoodfruit,badthoughtsbadfruit.

Theouterworldofcircumstanceshapesitselftotheinnerworldofthought,andbothpleasantandunpleasantexternalconditionsarefactors,whichmakefortheultimategoodoftheindividual.Asthereaperofhisownharvest,manlearnsbothbysufferingandbliss.

Followingtheinmostdesires,aspirations,thoughts,bywhichheallowshimselftobedominated,(pursuingthewill-o’-the-wispsofimpureimaginingsorsteadfastlywalkingthehighwayofstrongandhighendeavour),amanatlastarrivesattheirfruitionandfulfilmentintheouterconditionsofhislife.Thelawsofgrowthandadjustmenteverywhereobtains.

Amandoesnotcometothealmshouseorthejailbythetyrannyoffateorcircumstance,butbythepathwayofgrovellingthoughtsandbasedesires.Nordoesapure-mindedmanfallsuddenlyintocrimebystressofanymereexternalforce;thecriminalthoughthadlongbeensecretlyfosteredintheheart,andthehourofopportunityrevealeditsgatheredpower.Circumstancedoesnotmaketheman;itrevealshimtohimselfNosuchconditionscanexistasdescendingintoviceanditsattendantsufferingsapartfromviciousinclinations,orascendingintovirtueanditspurehappinesswithoutthecontinuedcultivationofvirtuousaspirations;andman,therefore,asthelordandmasterofthought,isthemakerofhimself,theshaperandauthorofenvironment.Evenatbirththesoulcomestoitsownandthrougheverystepofitsearthlypilgrimageitattractsthosecombinationsofconditionswhichrevealitself,whicharethereflectionsofitsownpurityand,impurity,itsstrengthandweakness.