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

MISS G. When you say someone still goes on using the wrong divisionbut still uses the same language. . . .MR. O. This wrong division is simply lying, lying to oneself which isworse than anything as it will immediately be seen because the momentwhen one meets with the smallest difficulty it will show itself by innerarguing and wrong understanding—if one uses wrong division. It willnot be reliable; at the moment of need it will fail. You see I did notspecify it as a special rule—but 'not arguing' is not only a rule but aprinciple which means that you must remember yourself. Supposingsomeone tells you something and you think it is wrong; you have totry to find what is right, and if you make some effort you will see atonce what is right. This is what always happens—someone sayssomething and immediately you begin arguing and you cannot seewhat is right. [Pause.]Why do only two people talk?MR. J. When some other member of the group says something which Ithink is wrong and I try to see what is right, is this....MR. O. Partly, but speak of what I said.With other people also you must not argue, you must try and seewhat is right. [Pause.]Then there is another interesting result of self-remembering in theright way and unfortunately absence of right self-remembering makesmany misunderstandings. When I say something people always take itin the wrong way. People never wait; they take one sentence and thiscannot equally refer to all. Ma ybe it does refer to one, to another itmay only refer a quarter, to another three times; maybe to some personit does not even refer at all. But the wrong people always take it tothemselves and ask questions about it and the right people do not askany questions at all. But if one can take it in the right way and withfull gravity, then one will see what is right. So there are many ways bywhich I can see who remembers himself—I mean again in the rightway.MRS. E. I feel guilty about speaking of people who are not there. Itwas explained once that one must not derive pleasure from negativecriticism of other people.MR. O. And you took only the words and said to yourself that nothingis wrong because you do not have negative criticism.MRS. E. Then some rules ought to be taken quite literally?