The Supreme Doctrine - neo-alchemist

Chapter Eight
THE EGOTISTICAL STATES
A
T the centre of myself, in this centre which is still unconscious today,
resides the primordial man, united with the Principle of the Universe
and through it with the whole of the Universe, totally sufficient unto
himself, One from the beginning, neither alone nor not-alone, neither
affirmed nor denied, up-stream of all duality. It is the primordial Being,
underlying all the egotistical 'states' which cover it in my actual
consciousness.
Because I am ignorant today concerning what are in reality my
egotistical states, these states constitute a sort of screen which separates me
from my centre, from my real Self. I am unconscious of my essential identity
with the All and I only consider myself as distinct from the rest of the
Universe. The Ego is myself in so far as I consider myself as distinct. The
Ego is illusory, since I am not in reality distinct; and all the egotistical states
are equally illusory.
In the fundamental egotistical state I feel myself as Self opposed to the
Not-Self, an organism in which the 'being' is opposed to the 'being' of other
organisms. In this fundamental state everything that is not my organism is
Not-Self. I love my Self, that is to say that I desire my existence, and I hate
the Not-Self, which means that I desire the disappearance of its existence. I
am greedy for the affirmation of my Self, as distinct, and for the negation of
the Not-Self, in so far as it pretends to exist beside my distinct Self. In this
fundamental egotist state 'to live' is to affirm my Self by defeating the Not-
Self. It is material victory by the acquisition of material goods, subtle victory
by the acquisition of renown—recognition by the Not-Self of the existence of
the Self; the acquisition of glory which 'immortalises' the Self that is distinct.
The fundamental affective state of the natural man is therefore simple;
this man loves his Self in opposition to the Not-Self, and he hates the Not-
Self in opposition to his Self.
On this fundamental state there can be built five altruist states
comporting the appearance of the love of others.
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