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

Thursday. January 20th 1938. (Warwick Gardens.)[Written questions read.]MISS M . Is the expression of negative emotion the same type of actionas burning a house?MR. O. No, these are quite different ideas.MISS M . Is the action required for self-remembering the same as thatrequired for painting a picture?MR. O. Read on.MISS S. When one is cooking a meal, one puts the food in the ovenand the heat cooks it without further action on the part of thecooker. Is this the same sort of energy as that used in burning downa house?MR. O. It will burn your dinner if you use same energy!MR. A . In the action of painting a picture, I observe three actions: (1)building a house (2) painting a picture (3) invention. Is this correct andcan that be further explained?MR. O. It depends on the picture.MR. L. Are the activities of different qualities, as for example, buildinga house a higher activity than burning a house?MR. O. Higher from which point of view?MR. L. I think it was an expression you used yourself.MR. O. In some connection, probably; not just like that. Higher orlower, what does it mean, like that? They are simply different. Appleand pear are different, but which is higher? We cannot speak aboutwhat is higher in relation to nothing.MR. L. Is stealing a picture the highest activity?MR. O. Same answer.MR. L. In that case, what is the attribute of stealing which makes it sohigh an activity?MR. A . In self-observation, I discover myself very often, automatically,silently dividing my footsteps into series of five, or trying to formgroups of five visually, scanning whatever is before me.