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

MR. O. We speak of people who walk in the streets, and doeverything—and yet are dead.MRS. B. I still don't understand what happened to their essence If itwas absorbed somewhere, it doesn't seem fair.MR. O. There is nothing fair in the world.MRS. B. They had not free will in the first place . . .MR. O. Nobody has free will.MRS. B. . . . and they started with influence A.MR. O. That doesn't matter.MRS. B. If they had essence it must go somewhere . . .MR. O. Why?MRS. B. ... it is not fair for people to have only influence A andtherefore be dead.MR. O. It is essence and personality together. They like B influences orthey do not like them.MRS. B. Then it must be a quality in essence which makes them likeinfluences A.MR. O If they are not interested, B influences for them are like Ainfluences They do not profit by them.MRS. B. I don't know what makes people start choosing one or theother influence.MR O. We deal with results. People live under two kinds of influences,one from life, the other originating in schools. If one isinterested in these they accumulate, and in time produce certain effectsMR. B. You said once that a psychology which did not include manand the infinite was no psychology.MR. O. I never spoke like that. I said psychology which does not studypossible evolution cannot affect us. But people are not equal in relationto evolution. Either they lost the possibility of evolution, or didnothing to deserve it.The relation of man to the universe comes in school teaching Weonly just began this.MISS R. Does man who is under B influence .MR O. What does it mean, man under B influence?MISS R. . . . that is, man asleep—is he subject to the law of cause andeffect, and accident?MR O Certainly, in relation to these big laws, all people are the same