Text of the meditation
There is no more regret, nor disappointment, nor remorse, where all selfishness has ceased. The spirit of Love, manifested as a perfect and rounded life, is the crown of being and the supreme end of knowledge on this earth. How does a person act under trial and temptation?
Many boast of being in possession of Truth who are continually swayed by grief, disappointment and passion, and who sink under the first little trial that comes along. Truth is nothing if not unchangeable, and in so far as a person takes their stand upon Truth, they become steadfast in virtue, and rise superior to their passions and emotions and changeable personality.
People formulate perishable dogmas, and call them Truth. Truth cannot be formulated; it is ineffable, and ever beyond the reach of intellect. It can be experienced only by practice; it can be manifested only in a stainless heart and a perfect life. Whoever is patient, calm and forgiving under all circumstances manifests the Truth.
James Allen (1864–1912), Book of Meditations for Every Day in the Year (1913) – public-domain text, gently modernised.
The original 1913 text is in the public domain.
