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Metaphysics, Ethics and Spiritual Development
sense-organs, one's mind manifests full restraint and consequently reveals purity and divine light.
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Internal Battle
What to talk of mental weakness! Many persons are so weak-minded that they constantly dream of the association of tempting and degrading objects and hanker after them.
External circumstances constitute only one of the conditions of the fall of man. In fact, man himself is the cause of his fall. The germs of diseases are in the environment, but they affect those who have no strength to resist them and not those who have enough resisting power. Similarly, external temptations cause the fall of those whose minds are weak and filled with perverse desires and inclinations, and not of those whose minds are strong and pure.
Man blames external circumstances for his own weaknesses and says in his defence, 'What can I do? Tempting circumstances arose before me, so I could not withstand them.' But to blame one's own weakness is more proper and just than to blame circumstances. In fact, one should hold oneself responsible for one's fall, and not the circumstances. Man's mind looks for tempting objects, hankers after them and entertains strong attachment for them. Hence, when they make their appearance before him, then he receives them with pleasure, comes under the sway of infatuation, is enticed and degraded. One desirous of moral and spiritual upliftment should know one's weaknesses, consider oneself to be responsible for them and gird up one's loins to remove them. Physical power is nothing before strong and pure mental power (will-power).
Generally, it is safe to remain aloof from the tempting circumstances. But even that certainly requires mental power. If one lacks even that much mental power, one will surely go on dying every moment. Royal road to the cultivation of power of resistance against temptations is to avoid the tempting circumstances as far as possible. This power of resistance is to be cultivated first against one's perverse thoughts; it is safe to begin with this. One should resist evil thoughts with determination. One who is under training should not consider oneself to be an accomplished man. Otherwise, one's fall is certain. Trainee should not be proud of his achievements, he should be humble and cautious. There is always danger in being rash. So one should not be rash and jump into tempting situations. Again, one should see that the achievement attained through
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