Above Lifes Turmoil | Page 8

of one's life. Belief and conduct are,
therefore inseparable, for the one determines the other.
Belief is the basis of all action, and, this being so, the belief which
dominates the hearts or mind is shown in the life. Every man acts,
thinks, lives in exact accordance with the belief which is rooted in his
innermost being, and such is the mathematical nature of the laws which
govern mind that it is absolutely impossible for anyone to believe in
two opposing conditions at the same time. For instance, it is impossible
to believe in justice and injustice, hatred and love, peace and strife, self
and truth. Every man believes in one or the other of these opposites,
never in both, and the daily conduct of every man indicates the nature
of his belief. The man who believes in justice, who regards it as an
eternal and indestructible Principle, never boils over with righteous
indignation, does not grow cynical and pessimistic over the inequalities
of life, and remains calm and untroubled through all trials and
difficulties. It is impossible for him to act otherwise, for he believes
that justice reigns, and that, therefore, all that is called injustice is
fleeting and illusory.
The man who is continually getting enraged over the injustice of his
fellow men, who talks about himself being badly treated, or who
mourns over the lack of justice in the world around him, shows by his
conduct, his attitude of mind, that he believes in injustice. However he
may protest to the contrary, in his inmost heart he believes that
confusion and chaos are dominant in the universe, the result being that
he dwells in misery and unrest, and his conduct is faulty.
Again, he who believes in love, in its stability and power, practises it
under all circumstances, never deviates from it, and bestows it alike
upon enemies as upon friends. He who slanders and condemns, who
speaks disparagingly of others, or regards them with contempt, believes

not in love, but hatred; all his actions prove it, even though with tongue
or pen he may eulogise love.
The believer in peace is known by his peaceful conduct. It is
impossible for him to engage in strife. If attacked he does not retaliate,
for he has seen the majesty of the angel of peace, and he can no longer
pay homage to the demon of strife. The stirrer-up of strife, the lover of
argument, he who rushes into self-defence upon any or every
provocation, believes in strife, and will have naught to do with peace.
Further, he who believes in Truth renounces himself- that is, he refuses
to centre his life in those passions, desires, and characteristics which
crave only their own gratification, and by thus renouncing he becomes
steadfastly fixed in Truth, and lives a wise, beautiful, and blameless life.
The believer in self is known by his daily indulgences, gratifications,
and vanities, and by the disappointments, sorrows, and mortifications
which he continually suffers.
The believer in Truth does not suffer, for he has given up that self
which is the cause of such suffering.
It will be seen by the foregoing that every man believes either in
permanent and eternal Principles directing human life towards law and
harmony, or in the negation of those Principles, with the resultant chaos
in human affairs and in his own life.
Belief in the divine Principles of Justice, Compassion, Love, constitutes
the right belief laid down by Buddha as being the basis of right conduct,
and also the belief unto salvation as emphasised in the Christian
Scriptures, for he who so believes cannot do otherwise than build his
whole life upon these Principles, and so purifies his heart, and perfects
his life.
Belief in the negation of this divine principle constitutes what is called
in all religious unbelief and this unbelief is manifested as a sinful,
troubled, and imperfect life.
Where there is Right Belief there is a blameless and perfect life; where

there is false belief there is sin, there is sorrow, the mind and life are
improperly governed, and there is affliction and unrest. "By their fruits
ye shall know them."
There is much talk about, "belief in Jesus," but what does belief in jesus
mean? It means belief in his words, in the Principles he enunciated- and
lived, in his commandments and in his exemplary life of perfection. He
who declares belief in Jesus, and yet is all the time living in his lusts
and indulgences, or in the spirit of hatred and condemnation, is self
deceived. He believes not in Jesus. He believes in his own animal self.
As a faithful servant delights in carrying out the commands of his
master, so he who believes in Jesus carries out his commandments, and
so is saved from sin. The