Zone1 James Allen

[Skull]

A philosophic mystic, James Allen (d. 1912) was an early example of the new thought, self-help, theosophic teachers. Made much of our quality of mind and will as determinative. The link gives most of his inspiring writings:

http://james-allen.in1woord.nl

As a man thinketh (1902).
Allen’s best known book. How it begins:

Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.

 

[Magnus]

As a Man Thinketh was a classic. Very inspiring.

 

[Skull]

Foundation Stones or key ethical principles:

Foundation stones to happiness and success. By James Allen. The James Allen Free Library

 

[onefour1]

I own the book, "As A Man Thinketh". Recommend it to all.

 

[Skull]

The principles of Truth were discovered by searching and practice, and are so stated and arranged as to make the path plainer for other feet to tread ; and it is the path along which every being has travelled who has passed from sin to sinlessness, from error to Truth. It is the ancient Way along which every saint, every Buddha, every Christ has walked to divine perfection, and along which every imperfect being in the future will pass to reach this glorious goal. It matters not what religion a man professes, if he is daily striving with his own sins, and purifying his heart, he is walking this path; for while opinions, theologies, and religions differ, sin does not differ, the overcoming of sin does not differ, and Truth does not differ. Religions change from age to age, but the principles of divine virtue are eternally the same.

From Book of Meditations

 

[Skull]

By concentration a man can scale the highest heights of genius, but he cannot scale the heavenly heights of Truth ; to accomplish this he must meditate. By concentration a man may acquire the wonderful comprehension and vast power of a Caesar ; by meditation he may reach the divine wisdom and perfect peace of a Buddha. The perfection of concentration is power ; the perfection of meditation is wisdom. By concentration men acquire skill in the doing of the things of life—in science, art, trade, etc.—but by meditation they acquire skill in life itself ; in right living, enlightenment, wisdom, etc. Saints, sages, saviours—wise men and divine teachers— are the finished products of holy meditation.

Love Truth so fully and intensely as to become wholly absorbed in it.

 

[Skull]

When the Buddha was abused and falsely accused by His enemies, He always remained silent; and it not infrequently happened that those who came as accusing enemies went away as worshiping friends and disciples, so powerful was His silent gentleness.
It will be long, as we count time, before such courage becomes general in the race; but everything is making towards it. Other men will come who possess it, and then more and more, until at last the race will stand at this Divine level. Then selfishness and sorrow will be ended, and the painful conflict of human passions will no more be heard upon earth.

Men and Systems

 

[Skull]

1. Faith and Courage

FOR THOSE WHO WILL FIGHT BRAVELY and not yield, there is triumphant victory over all the dark things of life. I state this at the beginning, that the reader may know there is no uncertainty about it. In the course of this book I shall show what are the elements, in character and conduct, which go to build up the life of calm strength and superlative victory.

To stand face to face with truth; to arrive, after innumerable wanderings and pains, at wisdom and bliss; not to be finally defeated and cast out, but ultimately to triumph over every inward foe—such is man’s divine destiny, such his glorious goal. And this, every saint, sage, and savior has declared.

Life Triumphant

 

[Skull]

2. Manliness, Womanliness And Sincerity

BEFORE A MAN CAN BE TRULY GODLY, he must be manly; before a woman can be truly godly, she must be womanly. There can be no true goodness apart from moral strength. Simpering, pretense, artificial behavior, flatteries, insincerities and smiling hypocrisies—let these things be forever destroyed and banished from our minds. Evil is inherently weak, ineffectual, and cowardly. Good is essentially strong, effective, and courageous. In teaching men and women to be good, I teach them to be strong, free, self-reliant. They will greatly misunderstand me and the principles which I enunciate who imagine that because I teach gentleness, purity, and patience I teach the cultivation of an effeminate weakness. It is only the manly man and the womanly woman who can properly understand those divine qualities. No one is better equipped to achieve the Life Triumphant than they who, along with active moral qualities and a high sense of purity and honor, are also possessed of the strong animal nature of the normal man.

That animal force which, in various forms, surges within you, and which, in the hour of excitement, carries you blindly away, causing you to forget your higher nature and to forfeit your manly dignity and honor—that same force controlled, mastered, and rightly directed, will endow you with a divine strength by which you can achieve the highest, noblest, most blissful victories of true living.

Chapter 2 begins in Life Triumphant

 

[Skull]

3. Energy And Power

HOW WONDERFUL is the universal energy! Never-tiring, inexhaustible, and apparently eternal in its operation, it moves in atom and in star, informing the fleeting shapes of tune with its restless, glowing, pulsating power.
Man is a portion of this creative energy, and in him it manifests, through a combination of mental faculties, as affection, passion, intelligence, morality, reason, understanding, and wisdom. He is not merely a blind conductor of energy, but he consciously uses, controls, and directs it. Slowly, but with certainty, is he gaining control of the forces without, and is making them do obedient service. And just as surely will he gain control of the forces within—the subtle energies of thought—and direct them into channels of harmony and happiness.
Man’s true place in the Cosmos is that of a king, not a slave, a commander under the law of Good and not a helpless tool in the reign of Evil. His own body and mind are the dual dominion over which he is to reign, a Lord of Truth, the master of himself, the wise user and controller of his store of pure, eternal, creative energy. Let him walk the earth unashamed, strong, valiant, tender, and kind; no longer prostrate in self-abasement, but walking erect in the dignity of perfect manhood; not groveling in selfishness and remorse, nor crying for pardon and mercy, but standing firm and free in the sublime majesty of a sinless life.
Chapter 3 begins in Life Triumphant

 

[Skull]

4. Self-Control And Happiness

WHEN MENTAL ENERGY IS allowed to follow the line of least resistance, and to fall into easy channels, it is called weakness. When it is gathered, focused, and forced into upward and different directions, it becomes power; and this concentration of energy and acquisition of power is brought about by means of self-control.
In speaking of self-control, one is easily misunderstood. It should not be associated with a destructive repression, but with a constructive expression. The process is not one of death, but of life. It is a divine and masterly transmutation in which the weak is converted into the strong, the coarse into the fine, and the base into the noble; in which virtue takes the place of vice, and dark passion is lost in bright intellectuality.

Chapter 4 begins in Life Triumphant

 

[Skull]

6. Right Thinking And Repose

LIFE IS A COMBINATION OF HABITS, some baneful, some beneficent, all of which take their rise in the one habit of thinking. The thought makes the man; therefore right-thinking is the most important thing in life. The essential difference between a wise man and a fool is that the wise man controls his thinking, the fool is controlled by it. A wise man determines how and what he shall think, and does not allow external things to divert his thought from the main purpose. But a fool is carried captive by every tyrant thought as it is aroused within him by external things, and he goes through life the helpless tool of impulse, whim, and passion.

Careless, slovenly thinking, commonly called thoughtlessness, is the companion of failure, wrongdoing, and wretchedness. Nothing, no prayers, no religious ceremonies, not even acts of charity, can make up for wrong-thinking. Only right-thinking can rectify a wrong life. Only the right attitude of mind towards men and things can bring repose and peace.

Chapter 6 begins in Life Triumphant

 

[Skull]

His Complete Works:

http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/James_Allen.pdf

From the unsigned prefatory remarks:

An unrewarded genius

James Allen is a literary mystery man. His inspirational writings have influenced millions for good. Yet today he remains almost unknown...... None of his books give a clue to his life other than to mention his place of residence - Ilfracombe, England. His name cannot be found in a major reference work. Not even the Library of Congress or the British Museum has much to say about him.
Who was this man who believed in the power of thought to bring fame, fortune and happiness? Or did he, as Henry David Thoreau says, hear a different drummer?... James Allen never gained fame or fortune. That much is true. His was a quiet, unrewarded genius. He seldom made enough money from his writings to cover expenses.
Allen was born in Leicester, Central England, November 28, 1864. The family business failed within a few years, and in 1879 his father left for America in an effort to recoup his losses. The elder Allen had hoped to settle in the United States, but was robbed and murdered before he could send for his family.

 

[Skull]

Mind is the Master is another fine collection of James Allen writings:

Mind is the Master by James Allen: 9781585427697 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

 

[Skull]

This Shining Gateway gem may be his very best:

https://www.awakening-intuition.com/1915_-_The_Shining_Gateway_-_By_James_Allen.pdf