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WEB 4 - ARCHIVE
Commentary 21 - Page 2 |
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Darkness of
the psyche The Hermit's Message
Way of Theosis Psychological method Prayer of the heart
praxis studies
Introductory studies
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The struggle with distraction When we try to observe ourselves, we find ourselves continually distracted. When we try to pray or meditate, and we find ourselves continually distracted. The psyche has its own agenda, it seems; worrying about this, congratulating itself about that, making plans, repeating our favourite song lyrics, or rehearsing what we intend to say to someone, it returns time and again to the same familiar thoughts. When we try to sit in stillness, and we find ourselves continually disturbed. It is a common experience for modern man that surface activity of mind obscures the deeper levels, reducing our sensibility until we cannot recognize the existence of the truly spiritual. To investigate these things, we have to reduce the surface activity, while to unite ourselves to the divine we have to free ourselves entirely from all disturbance. Theoretically, it is obvious that we can free ourselves from disturbance in two ways, and this must be taken into account in our further studies:
The second of these methods proves to be preferable: A permanent inner change in our nature can change the way in which we act in the world. But this requires an initial payment from us, an inner renunciation. This inner renunciation takes the form of the special kind of discrimination already described (Chapter 5), in which we must discern the difference between the worldly and the spiritual. An indirect method of approaching this is found in the instructions for a certain Indian method of working on oneself, which begin: "Right action leads to right thoughts." The problem is that, during the waking day, even if someone becomes dispassionate or detached towards their thoughts, these only slow, they do not stop. |
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