A Record of Meetings held by P.D. Ouspensky - HolyBooks.com

MR. O . Better observe; maybe identified, maybe not. You are notone—who is displeased?MRS. W. Identification is not clear to me. If I read a book and amabsorbed, is this identification?MR. O. It can be defined only by direct observation. Try to find a goodexample that leaves no doubt. Description and definition will not help.Same description can refer to identification or simply absorption. Nonegative emotions can exist without identification.MISS S. How to observe the intellectual centre?MR. O. It has many different compartments. From one one looks atanother. Each centre is divided into three parts. From one part we canobserve another.MISS S. Is there a concrete advantage in becoming more conscious andless mechanical?MR. O. You must decide for yourself. Find reasons for it. First under­stand what it means to be more conscious and less mechanical. Thendecide. Only then it has real weight. If I answer, it will only be myopinion. There are things that one must decide for oneself, only thenthey have real meaning and show real understanding.MR. L. Through which centre does conscience work? I did somethingand felt uncomfortable. . . .MR. O. It depends what you did. Could be simply mechanical habit,good or bad, to break which is uncomfortable. This is mostly based onmechanical habits of thinking given by education—rules of conduct ormoral rules. Conscience we never experience in most cases. It is a veryunpleasant feeling. We have too many buffers. Buffers are partitionsbetween our emotional attitudes. Conscience means that you see ahundred things at the same time; partitions disappear and you see allinner contradictions at the same time. It is very unpleasant.MRS. W. Sometimes we voluntarily put ourselves in some compartments?MR. O. Not voluntarily. It happens. The general principle of life is toavoid unpleasant sensations, realizations, etc. We run away from it. Inthis way we create inner buffers. If you see contradictions one afteranother, they do not appear contradictory.MRS. L. Does one ever attain to that state of conscience?MR. O. Yes, if one attains consciousness. They are different manifestationsof the same thing. It is a long process. It is lucky it is long,otherwise it would be very difficult for us.