Every circumstance, favourable or unfavourable, in which man finds himself, and every person, agreeable or disagreeable, in whose presence he is in causes him to react.
Upon this reaction depends man’s happiness and his spiritual progress
The balance of life lies in being as fine as a thread and as strong as a steel wire.
It is the lack of mastery when one has no control over one’s reactions.
The four different ways in which a person reacts
- Deed — produces a definite result
- Speech — produces effect
- Thought — produces atmosphere
- Feeling — produces conditions
There is no way in which a person reacts without effort. A reaction will be perceived quickly or slowly
A person answers an insult by insulting the other person stands on the same level.
A person who does not answer an insult stands above it.
The whole mechanism of this world is action and reaction, in the objective world as well as in the world of man.
The spirit is best developed by trying to gain control over one’s reactions.
If we react automatically, we are no better than a machine and no different from thousands and millions of people who do so.
We must control our reactions against all influences.
There is nothing in the world that is most necessary and more important than mastering the art of this development
Mastering Reaction
Mastering our reaction preserves dignity, maintains honour. It is this which sustains respect and keeps men wise.
It is easy to think, but it is difficult to be a thoughtful person
The simplest and best practise which one can follow without being taught is to have one’s reactions always in hand.
One must take into consideration one’s physical condition. the nervous system must be in a proper condition.
It is from nervousness that man goes from bad to worse, and even a good person with good intentions may prove to be otherwise; for he may have good indentions but he cannot carry them out because his nerves are weak. What he needs is the habit of silence.
If there is anything that can control the nervous system is the right breathing; and when that right breathing is done, together with a concentration of thought, then the nervous system is greatly fortified.
Impulses
Deny the impulses which sometimes arise suddenly and which clams for an answer.
The control of the reaction will always give a certain amount of pain, but at the same time it is by suffering that one will gain the power to rise above it.
One should develop one’s discrimination in order to analyses, to understand it before it is expressed.
One should first weigh and measure the impulses that come to him. Instead of throwing the impulse out automatically, one should first weigh, analyse it, measure it and use it to the best advantage in life.
When a person is in rage, or when he really feels like being angry, if he controls that thought and does not express it in words that gives him great power.
Self-control gives a greater spontaneity. It develops thought-power, it makes one think first about every impulse, which otherwise would have manifested automatically.
Hold the lips before it drops out.
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