The Glorious Conquest

4 min

Truth can only be apprehended by the conquest of self.

Truth can only be understood by overcoming yourself.

Blessedness can only be arrived at by overcoming the lower nature.

Blessedness can only be reached by overcoming your lower nature.

The way of Truth is barred by a man's self.

A man's own self blocks his path to Truth.

The only enemies that can actually hinder him are his own passions and delusions.

The only enemies that can truly hold him back are his own passions and delusions.

Until a man realises this, and commences to cleanse his heart, he has not found the Path which leads to knowledge and peace.

Until a man realizes this and begins to cleanse his heart, he has not found the path to knowledge and peace.

Until passion is transcended, Truth remains unknown. This is the Divine Law.

Until you rise above passion, you cannot know Truth. This is Divine Law.

A man cannot keep his passions and have Truth as well.

A man cannot hold on to his passions and have Truth too.

Error is not slain until selfishness is dead.

Error is not defeated until selfishness is dead.

The overcoming of self is no mystical theory, but a very real and practical thing.

Overcoming yourself is not a mystical theory, but something very real and practical.

It is a process which must be pursued daily and hourly, with unswerving faith and undaunted resolution if any measure of success is to be achieved.

This process must be followed daily and hourly, with unwavering faith and fearless determination, if any success is to be achieved.

The process is one of orderly growth, having its sequential stages, like the growth of a tree; and as fruit can only be produced by carefully and patiently training the tree, even so the pure and satisfying fruits of holiness can only be obtained by faithfully and patiently training the mind in the growth of right thought and conduct.

The process develops in orderly stages, like the growth of a tree. A tree can produce fruit only if it is carefully and patiently trained. In the same way, the pure and satisfying fruits of holiness can be gained only by faithfully and patiently training the mind to develop right thoughts and conduct.

There are five steps in the overcoming of passion (which includes all bad habits and particular forms of wrong-doing), which I will call:

There are five steps to overcoming passion, which includes all bad habits and particular forms of wrongdoing. I will call them:

1. Repression. 2. Endurance. 3. Elimination. 4. Understanding. 5. Victory.

When men fail to overcome their sins, it is because they try to begin at the wrong end. They want to have the stage of Victory without passing through the previous four stages. They are in the position of a gardener who wants to produce good fruit without training and attending to his trees.

When men fail to overcome their sins, it is because they try to start at the wrong end. They want to reach Victory without passing through the previous four stages. They are like a gardener who wants good fruit without training and caring for his trees.

Repression consists in checking and controlling the wrong act (such as an outburst of temper, a hasty or unkind word, a selfish indulgence, etc.), and not allowing it to take actual form. This is equivalent to the gardener nipping off the useless buds and branches from his tree. It is a necessary process, but a painful one. The tree bleeds while undergoing the process, and the gardener knows that it must not be taxed too severely. The heart also bleeds when it refuses to return passion for passion, when it ceases to defend and justify itself. It is the process of "mortifying the members" of which St. Paul speaks.

Repression means checking and controlling a wrong action before it takes form. Examples include an outburst of temper, a hasty or unkind word, or a selfish indulgence. This is like a gardener pruning useless buds and branches from a tree. It is necessary, but painful. The tree bleeds during pruning, and the gardener knows not to strain it too much. The heart also bleeds when it refuses to answer passion with passion. It bleeds when it stops defending and justifying itself. This is the process of "mortifying the members" that St. Paul speaks of.

But this repression is only the beginning of self-conquest. When it is made an end in itself, and there is no object of finally purifying the heart, that is a stage of hypocrisy; a hiding of one's true nature, and striving to appear better in the eyes of others than one really is. In that case it is an evil, but when adopted as the first stage toward complete purification, it is good. Its practice leads to the second stage of Endurance, or forbearance, in which one silently endures the pain which arises in the mind when it is brought in contact with certain actions and attitudes of other minds toward one. As success is attained in this stage, the striver comes to see that all his pain actually arises in his own weaknesses, and not in the wrong attitudes of others toward him, these latter being merely the means by which his sins are brought to the surface and revealed to him. He thus gradually exonerates all others from blame in his falls and lapses of conduct, and accuses only himself, and so learns to love those who thus unconsciously reveal to him his sins and shortcomings.

But this repression is only the beginning of self-conquest. If it becomes an end in itself, with no aim of finally purifying the heart, it is a stage of hypocrisy. It means hiding one's true nature and trying to appear better to others than one really is. In that case, repression is evil. But it is good when adopted as the first stage toward complete purification. Practicing repression leads to the second stage, Endurance, or patience. In this stage, one silently bears the mental pain caused by certain actions and attitudes of others toward oneself. As one succeeds in this stage, one comes to see that all this pain arises from one's own weaknesses. It does not arise from the wrong attitudes of others. Those attitudes merely bring one's sins to the surface and reveal them. Thus, one gradually stops blaming others for one's own falls and lapses in conduct and blames only oneself. In this way, one learns to love those who unknowingly reveal one's sins and shortcomings.

Having passed through these two stages of self-crucifixion, the disciple enters the third, that of Elimination, in which the wrong thought which lay behind the wrong act is cast from the mind immediately it appears. At this stage, conscious strength and holy joy begin to take the place of pain, and the mind having become comparatively calm, the striver is enabled to gain a deeper insight into the complexities of his mind, and thus to understand the inception, growth, and outworking of sin. This is the stage of Understanding.

After passing through these two stages of self-crucifixion, the disciple enters the third stage, Elimination. In this stage, the disciple casts the wrong thought behind the wrong act from the mind as soon as it appears. Conscious strength and holy joy now begin to replace pain. As the mind becomes relatively calm, the seeker can see more deeply into its complexities. This helps the seeker understand how sin begins, grows, and works itself out. This is the stage of Understanding.

Perfection in understanding leads to the final conquest of self, a conquest so complete that the sin can no more rise in the mind even as a thought or impression; for when the knowledge of sin is complete, when it is known in its totality, from its inception as a seed in the mind to its ripened outgrowth as act and consequence, then it can no more be allowed a place in the life, but is abandoned for ever. Then the mind is at peace. The wrong acts of others no longer arouse wrong and pain in the mind of the disciple. He is glad and calm and wise. He is filled with Love, and blessedness abides with him. And this is Victory!

Perfect understanding leads to the final conquest of self. This conquest is so complete that sin can no longer arise in the mind, even as a thought or impression. For when sin is fully understood, it can no longer be allowed a place in life. It is understood completely, from its beginning as a seed in the mind to its mature expression in action and consequence. Then sin is abandoned forever. The mind is at peace. The wrong actions of others no longer stir up wrong and pain in the disciple’s mind. He is glad, calm, and wise. He is filled with Love, and blessedness remains with him. And this is Victory!