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

difficult to see that final death is possible. Would Mr. O. speak aboutthis?MR. O. There is nothing I can say. This is philosophy. Final deathmeans something different from what we call death.MISS D. Mr. O. told us last week that we must think for ourselvesabout the conscious shocks in the organic interval. I have been doingso and trying to find out what I can. It seems to me that one shockmight be connected with the need of constant effort to use higher partsof centres so that energy otherwise wasted in negative emotions mightbe consciously used to stir up and make use of organs now dormant.MR. O. How can you use higher centres? Shocks were more or lessdescribed psychologically; self-remembering will produce the firstshock and the struggle with negative emotions is the beginning of theformation of the second shock. That is all you have to know. Any kindof contact with higher centres will be the result of work, not the workitself.MR. R. I notice that whenever I make a successful effort to overcomesome resistance I have more energy at my disposal for further efforts,if I can manage not to dissipate it in self-satisfaction. Does this energyarise because a certain amount of self-remembering is involved in anyeffort which overcomes a resistance?MR. O. The question is too long. This is an observation. It may bequite good, but it is quite subjective. So to answer your question Iwould have to verify every small point.Questions must be not longer than three lines. I cannot answer longquestions.MR. R Is it only instinctive centre which has to receive impressionscontinuously in order that the organism may remain alive?MR. O. That does not matter at all. Whether I say yes or no, it willchange nothing.MR. R. It seems possible to have both thoughts and emotions whichhave not been aroused by any external impression. Does this mean thatemotional and intellectual centres do not need external impressions toset them working?MR. O. I do not know such things. You take it for granted that I knowwhat you are speaking about. It may be delayed emotion, but how canone expect to get such things when we are entirely in the power ofexternal impressions?