Mastery of Destiny [Paperback]

James Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996

1909. Contents: Deeds, character and destiny; Science of self-control; Cause and effect in human conduct; Training of the will; Thoroughness; Mind building and life building; Cultivation of concentration; Practice of meditation; Power of purpose; Joy of accomplishment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the HOTTEST e-book on the market! Find out why it has been hidden away!  You will not find a lower price for this ebook! 

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Publisher

Kessinger Publishing reprints over 1,500 similar titles all available through Amazon.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564598500
• ISBN-13: 978-1564598509
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,244,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect, October 3, 2009

By 

Lance - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastery of Destiny (Paperback)

This is a great work but Allen says that you can't develop concentration through seated practices. I know this to be false but I think he meant that seated practices alone won't develop the power but one needs to be focused at all times on the task at hand. Nevertheless, he talks about very important points on concentration, self-control, meditation, and the last chapter, the power of purpose, is probably my favorite. By the way, I have both audiobook versions of this book and the narrators in both suck.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing work by Allen..., July 25, 2008

By 

My2Cents (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastery of Destiny (Paperback)

This is a must have for any person on the path of enlightenment. The perfect follow up read to 'As A Man Thinketh'. Relevant today although written almost 100 years ago. Has alread begun to take shape in my life and I just finished the book. Absolutely fascinating, soul inspiring and a real guide to mastering ones destiny.

4.0 out of 5 stars poses some interesting (but probably unanswerable) questions, July 29, 2011

By 

eugeneyiga - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastery of Destiny (Paperback)

James Allen is fast becoming one of my favourite authors on the power of thought. Although his writing tends to be somewhat repetitive, the concepts are so beautifully described that I don't really mind! For the most part, this book is about living a moral life. Yes, all the talk of good and evil may be borderline puritanical for some, but given the increasing degradation of our values, that might not be such a bad thing.

I especially resonate with his view that meditation, even in small doses, has great benefits. Yes, meditation is more than "whiling away the time in idle dreaming" (and requires some effort lest it lapse into a relaxing reverie), but too much effort can be equally counterproductive. Not everyone needs to meditate with the goal of "divine enlightenment" and "the attainment of Truth". Simpler intentions are fine too.

What I found quite interesting was the distinction between concentration and meditation. Perhaps it's all semantics, but certain Buddhist circles treat concentration as a type of meditation (the other type being mindfulness). In that light, I'm not entirely convinced that practices involving mantras should be completely disregarded or why Allen is convinced they lead towards "weakness and imbecility". No, you shouldn't use them exclusively, but there's no harm in spending a few minutes getting centred before you begin a task.

This book, while not getting caught up in the "infinite and eternal" law of attraction, raises some interesting philosophical questions about how much of our lives we control. According to Allen, whose opinions are always forcefully expressed, we're responsible for it all: "Nothing comes unbidden; where the shadow is, there also is the substance." Even though cheaters may (temporarily) prosper while good guys (temporarily) finish last, everyone will get what they deserve in the end. Does this mean children dying of starvation are getting what they deserve too? Allen seems to be saying yes.

His reasoning is as follows: Because "the present is the synthesis of the entire past" and "the net result of all that a man has ever thought and done is contained within him", experiences in this lifetime may be due to what happened in previous ones: "It should be remembered that man is a changing, evolving being... [The] good man who is overtaken with calamity today is reaping the result of his former evil sowing; later he will reap the happy result of his present good sowing; while the bad man is now reaping the result of his former good sowing; later he will reap the result of his present sowing of bad."

Another interpretation is that the suffering we experience in this lifetime is in order to experience peace in the next. Or perhaps the pain we go through now is so others don't have to go through it too. This is probably one of those imponderable questions we'll never be able to answer, but I find it hard to believe that we suffer for no reason at all. Life can't be that unkind.