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

As to how it will be, this refers to further details, but this will be thefirst new principle that will come. [Pause.]Now you may ask what you want in relation to this, and if you havenothing to say, I will pass to other questions. [Pause.]It is necessary to remember all important principles in the work. Inspeaking about people in the work it is necessary to remember allrules—and in speaking of me also it is necessary to remember rules. Infact in all cases it is better to say that it is necessary to remember allprinciples and all rules.MR. W. When you say that it is obligatory, do you mean in the sense ofrules?MR. O. Yes, absolutely, that will be general responsibility.MRS. M. But that would be almost 'doing'.MR. O. No, this is only remembering, 'not-doing'—not doing what iswrong.MISS G. Are these two separate things or the same thing—making theright division between 'I' and 'Miss G.' and in taking....MR. O. You make right division to-day and forget it tomorrow—thisis not enough. You must make right division and keep it in yourmemory.MR. W. Must one tell a person when they are breaking this rule?MR. O. One must not wait. In this case one must not wait until one isasked—this is necessary in the next stage of the work, which weshould have come to long ago. It is useless to talk without it. Thereare many other things but this is the first.MISS G. Would it not be possible to remember oneself when speakingabout the work, people or you and yet not make the right division?MR. O. No, this gives wrong result because one will remember imagi­nary things which do not exist or simply one's picture of oneself.MISS H . How is it possible to have all the rules in one's mind at once?MR. O. It is not necessary. At one moment you must remember one ortwo or at the maximum three. It is not necessary to remember whatyou do not require at the present moment. If you speak to someoneabout someone else, you must only remember not to discuss anyonewho is not present; that is only one rule. It is ridiculous to rememberthat you must not attract attention to yourself or some other rule atthat moment. [Pause.]Well?