Above Lifes Turmoil | Page 3

Such a man remains poised and steadfast under all
changes, and the death of his body will not in any way interrupt the
eternal consciousness in which he abides. Of such a one it is said, "He
shall not taste of death", because he has stepped out of the stream of
mortality, and established himself in the abode of Truth. Bodies,
personalities, nations, and worlds pass away, but Truth remains, and its
glory is undimmed by time. The immortal man, then, is he who has
conquered himself; who no longer identifies himself with the
self-seeking forces of the personality, but who has trained himself to
direct those forces with the hand of a master, and so has brought them
into harmony with the causal energy and source of all things.

The fret and fever of life has ceased, doubt and fear are cast out, and
death is not for him who has realised the fadeless splendour of that life
of Truth by adjusting heart and mind to the eternal and unchangeable
verities.
The Overcoming of Self
Many people have very confused and erroneous ideas concerning the
terms "the overcoming of self", "the eradication of desire", and "the
annihilation of the personality." Some (particularly the intellectual who
are prone to theories) regard it as a metaphysical theory altogether apart
from life and conduct; while others conclude that it is the crushing out
of all life, energy and action, and the attempt to idealise stagnation and
death. These errors and confusions, arising as they do in the minds of
individuals, can only be removed by the individuals themselves; but
perhaps it may make their removal a little less difficult (for those who
are seeking Truth) by presenting the matter in another way.
The doctrine of the overcoming or annihilation of self is simplicity
itself; indeed, so simple, practical, and close at hand is it that a child of
five, whose mind has not yet become clouded with theories, theological
schemes and speculative philosophies, would be far more likely to
comprehend it than many older people who have lost their hold upon
simple and beautiful truths by the adoption of complicated theories.
The annihilation of self consists in weeding out and destroying all those
elements in the soul which lead to division, strife, suffering, disease
and sorrow. It does not mean the destruction of any good and beautiful
and peace-producing quality. For instance, when a man is tempted to
irritability or anger, and by a great effort overcomes the selfish
tendency, casts it from him, and acts from the spirit of patience and
love, in that moment of self-conquest he practises the annihilation of
self. Every noble man practises it in part, though he may deny it in his
words, and he who carries out this practice to its completion,
eradicating every selfish tendency until only the divinely beautiful
qualities remain, he is said to have annihilated the personality (all the
personal elements) and to have arrived at Truth.

The self which is to be annihilated is composed of the following ten
worthless and sorrow-producing elements:
_Lust
Hatred
Avarice
Self-indulgence
Self-seeking
Vanity
Pride
Doubt
Dark belief
Delusion_
It is the total abandonment, the complete annihilation of these ten
elements, for they comprise the body of desire. On the other hand it
teaches the cultivation, practice, and preservation of the following ten
divine qualities:
_Purity
Patience
Humility
Self-sacrifice
Self-reliance
Fearlessness

Knowledge
Wisdom
Compassion
Love_
These comprise the Body of Truth, and to live entirely in them is to be
a doer and knower of the Truth, is to be an embodiment of Truth. The
combination of the ten elements is called Self or the Personality; the
combination of the ten qualities produces what is called Truth; the
Impersonal; the abiding, real and immortal Man.
It will thus be seen that it is not the destruction of any noble, true, and
enduring quality that is taught, but only the destruction of those things
that are ignoble, false and evanescent. Neither is this overcoming of
self the deprivation of gladness, happiness and joy, but rather is it the
constant possession of these things by living in the joy-begetting
qualities. It is the abandonment of the lust for enjoyment, but not of
enjoyment itself; the destruction of the thirst for pleasure, but not of
pleasure itself; the annihilation of the selfish longing for love, and
power, and possessions themselves. It is the preservation of all those
things which draw and bind men together in unity and concord, and, far
from idealising stagnation and death, urges men to the practice of those
qualities which lead to the highest, noblest, most effective, and
enduring action. He whose actions proceed from some or all of the ten
elements wastes his energies upon negations, and does not preserve his
soul; but he whose actions