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Agni Yoga (1929) - 53:
53. We must also turn our attention again to the serpentine venom of doubt. Doubt is of two kinds: one coils in its lair, in darkness, immobile and barbed. The other is ever crawling, sliding, and whirling. Usually the first is characteristic of youth; the second, of old age. The basis is not so much fear as deceitfulness in the nature of people. People distort their current judgments by these traits, influenced by their own past deceits. Though man is not inclined to self-examination, he is always ready to judge others, using himself as a standard. Agni Yoga (1929) - 527:
You will rejoice, for his spirit has chosen correctly. He is ready for a life of self-examination. He is ready to rid himself of his faults, without regret. He will understand that it is not suffering that is needed, but liberation. He will understand that it is not miracles that are needed, but straight-knowledge. He will understand that it is not dead scholarship that is needed, but realization and application. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 319:
The matter of peace is a standard by which one must test oneself. To test oneself is to know how to draw upon new forces and achieve a new consciousness. It is a self-examination that must be performed within a context of absolute dedication to human evolution. Only then will peace be rightly understood; true peace will include the defense of the treasures of humanity. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 353:
You should not assume that the initiates were withdrawn from daily life. From the biographies of the great, it is clear that they did not avoid the most diverse manifestations of life. And now too, labor should not keep one from self-examination. The new life requires collaboration with the two realms. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 363:
Amid earthly chores you too can create festive labor. Self-examination however is needed in order to decide which particular work one might consider a festival, and to learn what kind of work increases one's strength.
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