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

MR. O. Yes, and again not. because if you are afraid to break this ruleby mentioning a name, it will be very funny.MISS G. What is the principle behind not talking about other people?MR. O. Not talking. It is the most mechanical thing—talking aboutother people. This is what all life is based on. Most people do nothingelse but talk about other people and in this work it is useful to try todo something different. There are other lines but this is alreadysufficient. In speaking, writing, thinking (as thinking is the samething) about the work, people or me, one must ask oneself: who isspeaking? who is writing? who is thinking? Then after a little time onewill begin to hear who is speaking, etc., and after all this time youshould all know these voices. You see it is of no use going on withoutthis as we turn in a circle and come back to the same spot. There canbe no movement and unless this is taken seriously we shall never getout of the circle.MRS. H. Is it for this reason that you brought about the re-organizationof the work?MR. O. This is the first thing—there are many others. You did not hearwhat I said to begin with. I am answering all questions as to what willbe different, but I said that this is the first thing which must bedifferent. For some time in these three cases when one begins to saysomething, one must ask oneself: who is speaking? And if he can besure that it is 'he', then he can speak.MRS. M. Is there not so little 'I' in most of us that we would neverspeak at all?MR. O. No, in these three cases—speaking of the work, of people, andof me, you must already be able to use 'I'. If you want to speak and itis Mrs. M. who speaks, it is quite useless. You must already begin tomistrust 'Mrs. M.' If after all these years you do not begin to mistrusther, then I can give no advice because this is the first step.MRS. A . If we could do this, we should save a lot of energy.MR. O. This will be your own profit if you save energy.MR. W. You say that this is one of the things that will be altered. Willthis increase our rate of progress in the work?MR. O. This we shall see when the time comes.MR. W. But one is allowed to hope.MR. O. Nothing can be guaranteed. One must know that one is doingit for oneself and not for reward.