SYMPOSIUMS
LECTURE
No. 3 – THE PRACTICE OF POSITIVE THINKING
THE PRACTICE OF POSITIVE THINKING
SUMMARY
To manage our lives properly, His Holiness Lord Hamsah Manarah offers us in his works the keys that will allow us to take our destiny into our own hands.
Happiness is not a whim of fate, nor a gift of destiny; it is conquered and cultivated through a happy transformation of character and outlook, a renewal of our mind and an ennobling of our soul.
Knowledge of the mechanism of our mind, of how the subconscious works and of the laws of thought can transform our life.
His Holiness Lord Hamsah Manarah, in particular in Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, teaches us concrete ways to benefit from positive thinking.
We are on earth to lead an abundant life, to be radiant, happy and free.
Whatever our present situation, it is never too late to become aware of this and to express the Divine Power present in everyone.
By putting ourselves in harmony with the laws of life and of divine justice, by continuing our inner purification and by repeating the sound OM, we can be sure that the positive orientation of our thoughts opens the way to success for us.
TALK
To manage one’s life properly and stop being a plaything in the hands of apparent chance or implacable fate, there is a method and there are laws.
Thus His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH writes: “Man becomes what he thinks.” “Our way of thinking and our emotionality control our destiny at all times” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, p. 152).
These two maxims will be the subject of our talk: knowledge of the mechanism of our mind, of how the subconscious works and of the laws of thought can transform our life. “Happiness is not a whim of fate, nor a gift of destiny; it is conquered and cultivated through a happy transformation of character and outlook, a renewal of our mind and an ennobling of the soul” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, p. 241).
There is no lasting happiness without inner improvement. His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH affirms: “The Power of the Almighty is within ourselves.”
He invites us to cultivate the Faith that moves mountains. He teaches human beings the keys that allow them to develop their qualities and bring forth the treasures and gifts buried deep within every being, in order to express the perfection that is in each of us and to develop it according to our evolutionary aspirations. “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind”, said St Paul.
A. THE ACTIVE WAVES OF THOUGHT
“To think is to throw a stone into the ocean of the present,” teaches His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH. He explains: “Thought is a wave that spreads to infinity, and the living, circular waves of thought will reach the limits of the universe and generate the same tone of thought in souls of the same vibratory rate.” We are permanently immersed in an ocean of thoughts. Some are good, others bad. We attract some and repel others, depending on the state of our mind. To illustrate these words, let us take two vivid examples:
- First example: “A thought born in a person’s mind causes waves reminiscent of the succession of circular ripples produced when a stone is thrown into water. These waves spread instantly to infinity and generate identical vibrations in the minds of other beings. Discordant thoughts of envy, jealousy and hatred, sent out even without the knowledge of those who generate them, give rise to thoughts of the same nature. Conversely, generous thoughts of love, peace, harmony and spiritual progress spread happiness, and noble ideas invigorate those who receive them.” (Le Yoga de l’Amour dans la Force, p. 298.)
- Our second example is taken from the oral Teaching of His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH in La Voix de Lumière, p. 451: “There are people who say they cannot forgive. ‘Me, forgive? Never! I can’t…’ But if it is explained to them in terms of the play of vibrations, they are able to understand better. When you hate me, you emit a red vibration. If I love you, I emit a golden yellow vibration. But this yellow vibration also acts as a shield, off which the red bounces back and goes to harm you… So let us not be content with raising this shield, otherwise the other person will be riddled with his own bad thoughts. We think: he has harmed me, but may he be blessed, so that what returns to him helps him to transform, so that love may be in his heart and peace in his mind… If you hate me and I hate you, we exchange red vibrations and we harm each other. If we love each other, we exchange yellow vibrations and we do each other good. I have known at least four such cases of people who could not forgive and who were able to understand through vibrations. Thus, throughout the world, human beings can do one another much harm or much good depending on the nature of the thoughts they send out towards their neighbour.”
This is why prayer is so important: we must bless our friends and our enemies. Blessing brings Peace to the one who receives it and flows back to the one who gives it. In practice, Aumists always begin their prayers by asking: “May Love, Peace, Health and Bliss be for all men, all peoples, all nations.“
We have come to Earth to learn to be happy, radiant and free. Atheists and believers alike shape their future hour by hour according to their thoughts and actions. “It is through the nature of our daily thoughts, and the orientation and mastery of our mind, that we prepare a happy or unhappy future for ourselves” (Le Flambeau d’Unité, p. 108).
By knowing the mechanism and power of thought, we can all together build a world of Peace and Harmony for the happiness of all beings.
B. THE POWER OF THOUGHT
1. The Laws of creative thought
In Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, Lord HAMSAH MANARAH writes:
“To think is to create, to create is to act, to act is to become, and to become is to create a radiant or a dark destiny.”
He also writes:
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. Man has at his disposal a force of which he is not always aware.”
Knowing the Laws of thought makes it possible to make a success of one’s life. Here are the Laws of creative thought taught by Lord HAMSAH MANARAH:
- First, our world is the image of our thoughts.
- The second Law serves as a warning: “Thought is a double-edged weapon. In the positive, it can generate love, peace and brotherhood, and in the negative, war, hatred and destruction.“ (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 167).
- This is why the third Law is: “Be pure in your thoughts and your future will be like a diamond, pure of all stain” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 169).
Whoever has become aware of the importance of these Laws has the means to master their existence: “The mirror of our thoughts will one day become that of our future” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 160).
Fear and all its negative manifestations (worry, anxiety, anger, jealousy, shyness) are man’s greatest enemies. By polarising the mind on the dark side of things and on the negative aspects of life, fear creates a negative magnetism that attracts to us the very things and situations we dread most. It must therefore be neutralised, with all its negative aspects, by opposing it with thoughts of courage, optimism and self-confidence, and by developing our faith.
What can we do, for example, when we are faced with anger? Anger disturbs the breath, which becomes short and uncontrolled. We can therefore calm the mind through breathing. In practice, it is enough, for example, to double the inhalation time by counting to two and to double the exhalation time by counting to four. The more we lengthen the exhalation, the more we calm our mind. In addition to this exercise, it is recommended to send positive thoughts and blessings to the object of our anger. We can also repeat a few affirmations for ourselves, such as: “I am calmer and calmer, calm, calm; I am more and more master of myself, master of myself, master of myself.” This silent work eliminates the disturbances within us and helps to restore the calm that will spare us difficult situations.
His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH writes on this subject:
“The storm of your thoughts, O humanity, may one day destroy you entirely.”
“What you think, you become; what you have become, you often repent of.”
(La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 167)
2. All things are possible to those who believe
“The man who has Faith in himself is a player who holds all the trump cards.” Unlike fear, faith and confidence that hope for the best foster success.
We must adopt ways of thinking that will allow us to succeed in life through the conquest of inner harmony and deep serenity. Cultivating optimism means making the best of situations: it always brings joy, hope and self-confidence. Believing in oneself helps to forge success and creates favourable conditions for the success of one’s undertakings. Through the confidence we have in ourselves, we must inspire the confidence of others.
Every positive thought is a vibration that never perishes. Every particle continues to vibrate in the universe. Let us think positively and reject every negative thought.
Positive thinking has a real physical effect on life. It sends out vibrations and moves energy in a particular way. It creates positive results.
Swami Vivekananda affirms: “The history of the world is the history of a few men who had faith in themselves.”
The Divine Power is in man: it is up to him to recognise it, develop it and master it. Let us begin by believing in ourselves and putting the techniques of positive thinking into practice. “We must take the attitude of the victor. Go forward, connect our mind to the current emanating from the Divine Source… and take refuge in the Infinite Power that governs all” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, p. 169).
C. THE TECHNIQUES OF SUCCESS
Understanding how we function makes us more effective.
1. Our structure
We are all prisoners of our mind. Becoming aware of this is the first step on the path to freedom.
In every human being:
a) The Supreme Self is the source of all inspiration. In each of us there is an Infinite, unlimited Consciousness, an immense potential that seeks only to express itself. It is the source of man’s higher intuitions and inspirations: it is the superconscious, or Supreme Self. It is the perfect model of which Plato spoke.
b) The conscious mind sees things as they are.
c) The subconscious is a power without direction that carries out what is asked of it. Everything is imprinted on it. We must learn to use our subconscious, this formidable intelligent power within us. But we must use it wisely to steer our life like a captain on a ship. Sometimes contrary winds carry us along in spite of ourselves. We must then take the helm to restore our course and avoid being swept away by dizzying currents, for there are many reefs. Steering our helm requires knowledge of how we function and the application of the techniques that follow.
2. Practical applications
a) Controlling the mind through the breath. “The breath is the mount of the mind.” Control of the breath, as we have seen, allows control of the emotions.
b) Making the mind positive through autosuggestion. It is important that we make an intelligent choice of positive thoughts that help us sustain our efforts in the direction of our aspirations. We will then practise autosuggestion.
c) Cleansing the unconscious. This is the subject of a specific chapter in the lecture entitled “Accepting change”.
d) Changing our way of thinking. “Developing optimism, Faith and self-confidence is the basis of positive self-cultivation” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, p. 160).
Being optimistic means welcoming events with the best of hopes and making the best of the most unfavourable situations. If we lack confidence, there is no point in attempting the wish we formulate: it will be rendered sterile by the lack of faith, for faith is indispensable to success. We will need to neutralise fear, doubt and worry with positive affirmations.
To avoid being defenceless before those who, without our knowledge, want to impose on us a particular way of thinking or acting, Lord HAMSAH MANARAH recommends in His Books, in particular in Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, simple and effective means whose results are certain.
- The first means is the use of signs on which one writes a thought, a maxim or an objective of transformation. These signs should preferably be in a dynamic colour: red, yellow or orange. Here are some examples of affirmation-resolutions: “I am becoming more and more optimistic. I want to succeed. I have confidence in myself.”
We can place these signs above our desk, near our bed, near the washbasin or in the kitchen… Several times a day, our gaze will fall on the maxim, and thus a real impregnation will take place, especially if we also bring our imagination into play in line with the desired transformations.
- The second means is autosuggestion. It is important that the formula used remains the same for a certain time; then one moves on to another formula corresponding to another problem. Here are some examples of positive affirmations for a specific goal:
For success in an exam:
“Infinite Spirit, I thank you for granting me the success that is mine by divine right in my examination in… which is to take place in the period of…, through Divine Grace and in a perfect manner.”
For finding a job or a change of direction:
“The Divine plan is at work in my life. No one can disturb it. It is already manifesting, even if my eyes of flesh have not yet recognised it. It is already being fulfilled for my happiness.” “I believe in my lucky star. My confidence in my abilities grows every day.” “I know that I must triumph on my path.” “I have more and more assurance and confidence in myself; my self-mastery grows stronger every day.”
We must repeat our formula before falling asleep. The ideas and feelings it inspires will seep into our unconscious, but we must not forget to live them, rather than merely repeating the formula mechanically. We must therefore bring our imagination into play and arouse the corresponding emotions. If we follow the process with perseverance, we will achieve the desired success.
e) Generating thoughts of Love, Harmony and Light. Generating thoughts of Love, Peace and Harmony is recommended to hasten the discipline of our thought, to leave selfishness behind and not to become bogged down in the pursuit of purely material advantages. Thoughts of Love also help us to become aware of our solidarity with humanity and with the whole of nature. “Wishing happiness and prosperity for all fosters happiness” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique, p. 174).
This leads us to prayer, through which we can call upon the Higher Forces to ask for Light, help and protection. We must then be aware of our Unity with the Supreme Intelligence and think that the Kingdom of God is within us. This is why it is important to develop our inner purification, which will undoubtedly lead us to success.
Through the regular and frequent repetition of the sound OM, we calm our mind, maintain a climate of optimism within us, commune with the Divine Consciousness and ensure our protection.
Through the repetition of the sound OM, we improve our health and maintain our youthfulness and dynamism.
To obtain these benefits, we must purify ourselves of all malice, jealousy and hatred.
“Make the sound OM your bedside prayer,” says Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, “and even if you do not believe in God at first, test its miraculous effects on your body, which will become harmonious, and on the cosmos, which will become balanced.”
The sound OM allows our selfless prayers to expand to infinity.
CONCLUSION
We are on earth to lead an abundant life, to be radiant, happy and free. We are here to grow and to blossom spiritually, mentally and materially. Each of us has the inalienable right to blossom, to express ourselves, to develop fully and to enjoy infinite riches.
From both the secular and the spiritual point of view, we shape our future hour by hour through our thoughts and our actions. We become what we unceasingly affirm we are. All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
Let us remember:
We can be what we want to be, do what we want to do and have what we want to have, provided our desire is in harmony with the laws of Life and of Divine Justice.
- “Whoever knows that each thought is a seed planted in the garden of their future can only keep watch over their thoughts, separate the good seeds from the bad, and burn in the fire of prayer all those that would prepare a bad destiny for them.” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 163).
Bibliography:
Books by His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, Éditions du MANDAROM
Le Yoga de la vie pratique
La Doctrine de l’Aumisme
La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes
Le Flambeau d’Unité
