Vanity is a thought-form of the false image of ourselves, and we literally live, move, and have our being in this image. Our mental body is empty of ourselves, as we are somewhere else, or in something else.
A vanity is a false image that we build about ourselves and then accept as ourselves. We operate in that false self. We think, speak, and act conditioned by that false self, and because we are identified with that false self, it is very difficult for us to know about the situation and detach ourselves from that false self.
Major vanities are:
You think you know things, but in reality you do not.
You think you have things, which in reality you do not.
You think you can do certain things, which in reality you cannot.
You think you have attained certain spiritual heights, which in reality you have not.1Whenever you feel proud of yourself and are full of vanity, consider the following:
1. Stop and think if there is someone better than you.
2. Stop and think if you can do better than before.
3. Stop and think if you can be better than before.
4. Stop and think if you can know more than before.
5. Stop and think how much you do not know and how many lives it will take before you are really somebody.
6. Read the life stories of great leaders, scientists, saviors, writers and reformers.
7. Visit museums and art galleries.
8. Go to the mountains and climb them.
9. Watch the midnight sky.
10. Think about great geniuses who have brought changes in human culture and civilization.
11. Take a retreat in the mountains and try to survive for twenty days.
12. Read physics and astronomy.
13. Remember how many times you failed.
14. Try to be aware of all who are more advanced than yourself.
Vanity tries to close our memory and makes us feel that we have never failed or done any wrong. If one diligently works on the above fourteen points, he will begin seeing the ugliness of his vanity and practice more discipline to annihilate it. 2
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1. Challenge for Discipleship, p. 147.
2. Spiritual Regeneration, p.206.
Help us keep Torkom's Legacy Alive by donating to the Torkom Saraydarian Fund. Contact us at TSG Foundation for more information.
A vanity is a false image that we build about ourselves and then accept as ourselves. We operate in that false self. We think, speak, and act conditioned by that false self, and because we are identified with that false self, it is very difficult for us to know about the situation and detach ourselves from that false self.
Major vanities are:
You think you know things, but in reality you do not.
You think you have things, which in reality you do not.
You think you can do certain things, which in reality you cannot.
You think you have attained certain spiritual heights, which in reality you have not.1Whenever you feel proud of yourself and are full of vanity, consider the following:
1. Stop and think if there is someone better than you.
2. Stop and think if you can do better than before.
3. Stop and think if you can be better than before.
4. Stop and think if you can know more than before.
5. Stop and think how much you do not know and how many lives it will take before you are really somebody.
6. Read the life stories of great leaders, scientists, saviors, writers and reformers.
7. Visit museums and art galleries.
8. Go to the mountains and climb them.
9. Watch the midnight sky.
10. Think about great geniuses who have brought changes in human culture and civilization.
11. Take a retreat in the mountains and try to survive for twenty days.
12. Read physics and astronomy.
13. Remember how many times you failed.
14. Try to be aware of all who are more advanced than yourself.
Vanity tries to close our memory and makes us feel that we have never failed or done any wrong. If one diligently works on the above fourteen points, he will begin seeing the ugliness of his vanity and practice more discipline to annihilate it. 2
________________________________
1. Challenge for Discipleship, p. 147.
2. Spiritual Regeneration, p.206.
Help us keep Torkom's Legacy Alive by donating to the Torkom Saraydarian Fund. Contact us at TSG Foundation for more information.
This is a really well written article. Most of my life has been lost to vanity.... I have had an eating disorder since I was 13.... Can't leave my house some days because I don't know if I'm living the "right" way... It has gotten so bad that I can barely function anymore.... My heart palpitates as I read this...... It is literally killing me, this person I think I "should" be..... Placing so many blocks on my spirit, mind, and being.
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