Theosophy teaches Man is a soul. "Soul" indicates essential nature of things. For instance, "sweetness" is the soul of sugar, i.e., even if other qualities of sugar—its colour, size of the crystal, etc.—might change, so long as it is sweet, it does not cease to be sugar. So also the basic or essential nature of man is "self-awareness," which comes from the mind [soul]. But "Mind is the name given to the sum of the states of consciousness grouped under Thought, Will and Feeling" (S.D., I, 38). Besides self-consciousness or "I-am-I" feeling, what distinguishes man from an animal is the power to think and choose.
In the Gita, Shri Krishna says, "No man resteth a moment inactive," i.e., even when inactive on the bodily plane, we are all the time acting on the thought-plane. What is the nature of our thoughts? Mostly self-regarding—what shall I cook? What shall I wear tomorrow? Or of settling scores with some colleague in the office, or enviously brooding over another's success, or getting anxious about things that are clearly beyond our control. There are sensuous thoughts and wicked thoughts of harming another. How often do we find ourselves thinking about another's sorrow or reflecting upon some verses from the scriptures?
It is from such a chaotic state of mind that we have to make the beginning. As The Voice of the Silence says:
Strive with thy thoughts unclean before they overpower thee. Use them as they will thee, for if thou sparest them and they take root and grow, know well, these thoughts will overpower and kill thee. Beware, Disciple, suffer not, e'en though it be their shadow, to approach....If thou would'st not be slain by them, then must thou harmless make thy own creations, the children of thy thoughts, unseen, impalpable, that swarm round human kind. (pp. 13 and 61)
This shows two things: (1) we can observe our thoughts and (2) Thoughts are "creations" or entities. Hence, when unwholesome thoughts enter our mind, we can observe them as an outside invasion and not be identified with them or brood over them. By brooding over them, we give them a power that they do not ordinarily have. Two thoughts cannot occupy the same plane [or mind] at the same time. We must cultivate the power of positive thinking by learning to displace negative thoughts by positive thoughts. When we say "positive" thoughts, we mean positive or affirmative formulation, i.e., instead of saying "I will never be angry," let us say, "I will always be calm." But more than that, "positive" thoughts are the thoughts arising from the wholesome state of mind. Thus, we can replace thoughts of envy by mudita or sympathetic joy, i.e., sharing the joy of others; thoughts of hatred and anger by thoughts of love and charity. Buddha says that those who express thoughts of revenge tie their mind with the intention of retaliation. We actually experience a kind of "knot" in our mind and heart, when we entertain revengeful thoughts. As against this, when we practise love and charity we are in a totally different state of mind. The Voice of the Silence compares charity with a "sunny glade in the dark forest depths, a spot on earth mirrored from Amitabha's paradise." Imagine journeying through a dark forest, with its terrifying darkness, and then walking along, when you come across a "sunny glade," i.e., a patch of ground free from darkness, you feel great joy and relief. Our everyday consciousness, or our consciousnes when we harbour thoughts of criticism, anger, hatred or dislike for another, is like the dark forest. But when we consciously entertain thoughts of good will, affection, love and charity, we create in our consciousness a "sunny glade." This state of mind is like a "spot on earth mirrored from Amitabha's paradise," i.e., it is as if our consciousness, temporarily, reflects the purity and clarity of Amitabha Buddha's consciousness.
But, in what sense is thought a "creation"? As soon as a thought leaves the brain, it combines with a unit of life energy called an elemental and forms an entity. This "entity" gets its character from us, depending upon the quality of the thought—good, bad or indifferent. We create, with every thought, a demon or an angel. To think angrily or with hate about another is like sending on an invisible plane a tiny man with a stick to beat that person. The length of life of this "entity" depends upon the intensity of the thought. It is said that when a person who normally harbours good and noble thoughts, suddenly gives way to base thoughts and feelings, the life span of such thoughts is longer.
These thoughts, good and bad, not only help or hinder their creator, but are impressed in an invisible register called astral light, forming a common pool of thoughts. Each one of us attracts from this pool, the thoughts that are consubstantial with our nature. Just like pollution affects us, but once again the way we handle our cars affects the surroundings. Often we find a picture of a Saint or a Yogi in meditation, surrounded by ferocious animals, subdued to a state of calm. Tigers, deer, snakes and doves are all in harmony in the vicinity of such a being. The state of total harmlessness within him gets reflected outside, creating an atmosphere of calmness and harmony. Pure thoughts give rise to pure magnetism. Hence we say that the great ones entertain only such benevolent thoughts that they charge the atmosphere with entities powerful for good alone.
A Master has gone on record as saying that each member, if earnest and unselfish, can become a centre of powerful influences, gathering like-minded people around him and benefiting the whole neighbourhood. What comes in the way of each member becoming such a centre? It is, basically and mainly, the mental attitude. Mr. Judge points out that most students think that people around are not receptive. Who cares for Theosophy these days? But this is dangerous, because we are connected with others on the mental plane and if we think nothing can be done, we impress other minds around us with the same thought and then, of course, nothing is done. As against this, if we think Theosophy and say to ourselves, earnestly and sincerely with the wish that just as I have benefited from Theosophy, let others too, be benefited, then it would be like whispering into the ears of others who are in our vicinity, "Theosophy, help and hope for thee." Such an attitude combined with sincere efforts at promulgation can have a miraculous effect. To think Theosophy means to constantly aspire towards it day and night. In other words, each one of us must inquire, where do my thoughts turn naturaly, when I do not have anything pressing to think or do? Like children having finished their homework run towards their base, i.e., playground, have we made Theosophy such a base?
H.P.B. wrote that there are people who never think with the higher faculties of their mind at all and there are those who think even upon ordinary matters from that higher plane. "The person who is endowed with this faculty of thinking about even the most trifling things from the higher plane of thought has, by virtue of that gift which he possesses, a plastic power of formation, so to say, in his very imagination." Whatever he thinks about, his thoughts will be more intense than the thoughts of an ordinary person, and by this very intensity, it obtains the power of creation.
To chieve the desired result, we need to picturise, i.e., form a clear mental picture of what we want. Mr. Judge says that trained Imagination can produce an actual image or form in the astral substance which works as a mould. "It is therefore the King faculty, inasmuch as the Will cannot do its work if the Imagination be at all weak or untrained" (The Ocean of Theosophy, p. 148). Most of our diseases are caused by fear and wrong imagination. If we would remove the fear and give a right bent to our imagination, then two thirds of the diseases would vanish, says H.P.B.
Noell Nelson, a clinical psychologist, shows how positive beliefs and hence optimism play an important role. Thus:
All of your beliefs—about yourself, your abilities, your potential, your "place" in the world—affect how you live your life. In fact, beliefs are so powerful that they can even affect whether you live or die....To discover your beliefs about the future, start by looking at your "core beliefs," the ones that make broad, sweeping statements about life...."The future is wide open; it is whatever you make of it" is a typical winner's core belief. It stresses the enormous possibilities available in the future and the degree to which an individual is in charge of his or her own future. From this belief, winners will generate secondary beliefs such as "Where there's a will, there's a way" and "As one door shuts another one opens."...Winners' beliefs imply a future full of positive possibilities and support their ability to go into the unknown with confidence and hope....No matter how grim your present seems, be willing to accept the belief that the future holds positive possibilities. The wonderful thing about possibilities is that they can be turned into probabilities and from there into actuality.
Positive thoughts and feelings call forth best efforts; so that the thing that seemed impossible moves into the sphere of the possible. When we make a positive formulation, it is a direct affirmation of the will. Once we take the positive mental position saying, "I can do it," or "it can happen," the whole of the emotional nature must be brought in perfect harmony with this. When the desire is intense, the will comes into action. Mr. Judge says that when you ardently desire to do some good thing, "your strong desire will strike like Vulcan upon other hearts in the world, and suddenly you will find that done, which you had longed to be the doer of."
We have to think positive, feel positive, believe and have faith, but this does not mean getting attached to the results or asserting our will. There is a difference between the statements: "I must get a first class" and "I can get a first class." In the latter we do our very best and leave the results to the Law. In the former case, it is assertion of personal will. When our will is not in conflict with the Divine Will it becomes Creative Will.
As Mr. Crosbie suggests:
The action of the will is through ideas. The ideas give the direction. Small ideas, small force; large ideas, large force; the Force itself is illimitable, for it is the force of Spirit, infinite and exhaustless. What we lack are universal ideas. (The Friendly Philosopher, p. 270)
At the cosmic level, it is through this will that everything in the Universe came into existence and is kept in place. The highest power of thought, Kriyasakti, which makes of man a creator, lies latent within each. "The ancients held that any idea will manifest itself externally; if one's attention [and will] is deeply concentrated upon it..." (S.D., I, 293). Further:
This thinking of oneself as this, that, or other, is the chief factor in the production of every kind of psychic or even physical phenomena. The words: "Whosoever shall say to this mountain be thou removed and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt....that thing will come to pass," are no vain words. Only, the word faith ought to be translated by WILL. Faith without will is like a wind-mill without wind—barren of results. (S.D., II, 59 fn.)
Mr. Judge suggests that in order to develop spiritual will we must learn to eradicate the personal element, and the essence of eradicating the personal element lies in doing the things we dislike to do—mortifying the personality.
Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you perservere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.
—Hellen Keller