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

MR. F. But didn't you say, sir, that the only moments that we rememberare conscious moments?MR. O. Yes, but we don't remember consciously. I may remembersomething because I was conscious, but when it comes back I may not be.MRS. N. Is it a degree of awareness if one enjoys the theatre?MR. O. No, it may be quite mechanical.MR. M. You referred to Yoga as one of the six philosophies.MR. O. Yes, it is generally called like that. I can't guarantee it.MISS S. Since what time has our psychology been in such a low state?MR. O. I think chiefly from the beginning of psychoanalysis and allthat followed.MRS. M. You said that it was long work to attain consciousness, sowhen and where can we attain it?MR. O. Nobody can say that. And I didn't say full consciousness.When we realize that we don't have consciousness then we try tobecome just a little conscious.MRS. N. What do you mean by functions?MR. O. Oh, reading something and not understanding it.MR. B. If one has what one believes is self-consciousness and thenexamines it and finds it false, and then goes on to what one imagines isself-consciousness. . . .MR. O. Not so quickly —there are many ups and downs. No, the firststep is to realize that you are not conscious. When you make the effortto be conscious you realize how rarely it happens and how difficult it is.MR. M. Are flashes of objective consciousness possible without selfconsciousness?MR. O. I don't know. I don't think that one can remember in this case.MRS. N. What do you mean by objective consciousness?MR. O. Objective consciousness is a state that we do not have. In thestate of sleep you see a wall and walk through it. In waking stateyou know the difference between the wall and the door. In selfconsciousnessyou know something about yourself that you could notknow in waking state. In objective consciousness you know all aboutthings that you cannot know now.MR. M . You could not be in a state of self-consciousness in sleep?MR. O. Oh, glimpses are possible. But these are usually purely physiological.