________________
[ 57
himself. When a man has done so much good work and thought so many good thoughts that there is an irresistible tendency in his nature to do good, then, even if he wishes to do evil, his mind, in the sum total of its tendencies, will not allow him to do so; the tendencies will turn him back from evil; he cannot but be wholly under the influence of the good tendencies. When such is the case, a man's good character is said to be established.
As the tortoise tucks his feet and head inside of his shell, and you may kill him and break him in pieces, and yet he will not come out, even so the character of that man who has control over his motive centres and organs is unchangeably established. He controls his own inner forces, and nothing can draw them out against his will. By this continuous reflex of good thoughts, good impressions moving over the surface of the mind, the tendency for doing good becomes strong and as the result we feel able to control the indriyas (the sensory and motor organs). Thus alone will ;
H