182 , 697 , 703 , , 4 thyrsus

vHow then is the will to be trained? All these wishes,

whims, caprices, inclinations, tendencies, appetites,
must be detected, examined, judged by the standard of
whether they help or hinder the main purpose, and
treated accordingly.
Vigilance and courage are obviously required. I was
about to add self-denial, in deference to conventional
speech; but how could I call that self-denial which is
merely denial of those things which hamper the self? It
is not suicide to kill the germs of malaria in ones blood.
Now there are very great difficulties to be overcome in
the training of the mind. Perhaps the greatest is
forgetfulness, which is probably the worst form of what
the Buddhists call ignorance. Special practices for
training the memory may be of some use as a
preliminary for persons whose memory is naturally
poor. In any case the Magical Record prescribed for
Probationers of the A..A.. is useful and necessary.