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

MR. F. What is the significance other than that of the formation ofcarbon dioxide through the burning process? Is there a mental significance;is it a way of keeping the brain alive? You once said the bodywould die immediately without impressions.MR. O. We must take this separately. Certainly physical impressions arealso important.MR. p. Can the shocks of breathing be used as a basis of, or amechanical aid to, self-remembering?MR. O. No, it won't do.MISS M . In studying the system, what effect has motive over theaccomplishment of one's aim? If, for instance, one wanted to study fora motive that was not the right one, would one make the sameprogress? It is so difficult to disentangle one's motives and be sure ofthe true one. How can one do this?MR. O. You see, we have a rather different idea about motive from theordinary one. From the ordinary point of view, people believe inmotives. They think if somebody started with a certain motive he willcontinue with the same motive. They believe they can remembermotives. We know they cannot. So we do not attach so much importanceto them. One can start with one motive; five minutes later wehave another and then another. Consciousness of motive or aim, this isvery important. If you are conscious of why you are doing something,it will give ten times quicker, ten times bigger results. The motive maybe forgotten next moment.MR. J. From my observations of myself endeavouring to self-remember,I find that as long as I am looking in one direction with more orless fixed gaze, and seeing myself as well, I can remain awake, but assoon as I move about and look around, seeing different objects, thechanging scenery causes me to change with it, and I become identifiedwith one of the objects. Is there any sort of example of what to practiseto help me while I am walking about?MR. O. Quite. But as we are never still, we must learn to rememberourselves in movement, not only sitting still. Practise in the mostdifficult circumstances.MR. J. Also if someone suddenly addresses me and I turn around, aperson answers for me before I have the chance of readjusting myselfto the new situation, and I wake up that person who answered, not theone who was working a moment before. I am beginning to know