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

and the result of outside stimuli, such as going to a lecture, seeing Mr.O. or reading the Gospels I have no one in me on whom I can dependto make me look for these stimuli, and even if I decide to make someeffort and it happens that I do, the original decision was just accident,a thought thrown up in my mind I do not know how. What can onedo to keep oneself working before finding one's real self?MR O. At the same time you must find differences. We can talk onlywhen you are able to distinguish between more mechanical and lessmechanical. So long as you think everything is the same I cannotanswer.MISS L I find that most of my identifications and distractions comefrom bodily sensations and cravings. So that in effect I am constantlysaying, 'I want to change, but not until I have smoked this cigarette orlooked into that shop window.' How can one use physical sensationsas a help rather than let them be a hindrance to work?MR. O. Everything can be used for self-remembering.MISS M . I am told of the existence of five centres and that by observingI may note my possession of them But this observation does not carryme on unless I can gain control of these centres, and I do not knowhow to do this. Will Mr. O. tell me if there is any immediate way bywhich I can cultivate this control or whether I must wait till thepractice of self-remembering brings the promised new realizationsMR O You cannot get control of centres before you know them Youmust know much more than you do now. The first thing to learnabout control is how not to identify. There are no special tricks orsecrets It is necessary to do all that has been said.MR. S While falling from a horse a short while ago I noticed anexpansion of time between the period of leaving the saddle andmeeting the ground This happened in the space of approximatelythree seconds, but during those seconds I noticed very vividly morenegativeness than I have in many hours previously What is thedifference between this time and the apparently much slower time inordinary circumstances?MR O I do not know It is so subjective this kind of impression Ihave never experienced it myself, this lengthening of timeMR S Has this observation anything to do with speed of centres?MR. O No.MR. S. After approximately twenty minutes of chaff-cutting and at the