Thoughts on James Allen's 'As A Man Thinketh'

I recently read the classic by James Allen - As A Man Thinketh and found it so potent and inspiring. Each line is pregnant with meaning and possibilities. I encourage all who haven't read it to do so. You'll be glad you did. Anyway, below is a brief review of the book I put together for a few friends with whom I read the book and i thought I'd share it with you too. Enjoy!


AS A MAN THINKETH: THOUGHTS ON CONCEPTS AND UNDERLYING IDEAS

We find in James Allen's book "As a Man thinketh", a deeply inspired work. James Allen uses beautiful rhetoric and sublime phrases to express deep things. His insights are amazing and practically every line is viable and completely quotable. He spoke with great wisdom on the power of thoughts as the shapers of the entire man. Yet we see that there is an end in view here - character or Being. We see in this book that the man's actions are a major point in view. The thouhgts are a means. We might be led, perhaps at first reading or superficial perusal to believe that the thoughts are an end in themselves. However, a thorough reading of the book reveals how that the man's thoughts will have a direct impact on his actions. The question this raises in me is this - Can thought alone bring about transformation? Can a man, merely by thinking good thoughts, become a good man? Or is there some other thing to be added? I think, however, that the practical and pertinent question is this - can a man act outside of his thought processes? James Allen, it seems, would tell us no. He seems to say that even when this appears to be happening, there are subconscious forces at play. Meaning essentially that if I, in my cosciousness, choose to think on good things and yet I find bad things manifesting in me, then there is operating at a deeper than surface level, elements of darkness. A deeper consideration of this reveals that what this book offers is not something really as appealing as it may seem on the surface - it invites us to explore that complex world within us called I, where we must come face to face with our ugliest selves in a bid to either change them, or kill them if we are to have the high quality of life we desire. James Allen would have us believe that the heart is where the battle lies and not on our outside. Our assailants are within and our victories must first be internal before they can ever become external. One major aim, it seems to me, is serenity - that state that is inalienable to sainthood. We find that a whole chapter is dedicated to this state of being in the book. A state in which the man's thoughts are so pure and true as to produce an outward tranquility and very visible stability and strength- for is this not the basic assertion of the book - that your inner world defines your outer one? He also seems to suggest that cause and effect in the thought realm, like in the material world, are not subjective and you reap what you sow. There are principles governing the unseen realm and keys that open doors in our minds (good as well as bad). At the risk of over-simplifying an otherwise profound and insightful principle, I conclude that there are laws at work in the moral world. Align your thoughts in accordance with these laws and you enjoy the benefits of Citizenry. Spurn the laws and become an outcast. Yet these laws, because they are unseen, must be entered into by deep thought and meditation. This, though I perceive, is only the beginning.