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

MR. R. About laws that we can be free of. Why call them laws and notbad habits?MR. O. Habits are smaller divisions. Laws govern us, control us, directus. Habits are not laws.MRS. C. You mean we must be subject to these laws on earth? Theyare the condition of our remaining on earth?MR. O. We cannot fall under them or not fall under them. They don'task us. We are chained.MR. R. But we can get free?MR. O. We can, on conditions.MR. H. Any personal attainment is result of effort against fate?MR. O. Fate may be favourable or not. It is necessary to know what one'sfate is. But it cannot liberate us. Ways enter here. The four ways are ways toliberate us from laws. But each way has its own characteristic. In the threetraditional ways, the first step is the most difficult. In the Fourth Way manremains in the same conditions and he must change in these conditions.These conditions are the best for him, because they are the most difficult.MR. P . Positive emotions require a lot of energy?MR. O. They require fuel. The same energy we have could be good forpositive emotions, but we spend it on negative emotions. The wordenergy must be understood as fuel. We produce a little of higherhydrogens 6 and 12 which positive emotions need. But we spend it.MRS. W. By denying expression of negative emotions one stores upenergy?MR. O. Not so much. A certain amount is certainly saved. But it ismore for observation. It does not really mean economy.MISS O. Surely you score a point if you don't express negative emotions?MR. O. Certainly. We learn about them more.MR. B. Would not a higher state of consciousness burn up a lot ofenergy so that you are left like a flat tyre?MR. O. Yes, but first you learn methods to increase energy. It increasesout of all proportion. But we never can spend so much energy oneffort as we spend on explosions.MR. L. Is energy spent on physical exercise wasted?MR. O. It depends on exercise. One can kill oneself or increase energy.Also one can do physical exercise very differently if one observesoneself and remembers oneself.MR. L. I am more fit after it.