第8章

ThesameremarksapplytotheThirdStage。Wecanseethatinmoderntimesthehugeandunlimitedpowersofproductionbymachinery，unitedwithagrowingtendencytowardsintelligentBirth-control，arepreparingthewayforanageofCommunismandcommunalPlentywhichwillinevitablybeassociated(partlyascauseandpartlyaseffect)withanewgeneralphaseofconsciousness，involvingthemitigationofthestruggleforexistence，thegrowthofintuitionalandpsychicalperception，thespreadofamityandsolidarity，thedisappearanceofWar，andtherealization(indegree)oftheCosmiclife。

Perhapsthegreatestdifficultyorstumbling-blocktothegeneralacceptanceofthebeliefinathird(or"Golden-

Age")phaseofhumanevolutionistheobstinateandobduratepre-judgmentthatthepassingofHumanityoutoftheSecondstagecanonlymeantheentireABANDONMENTOFSELF-CONSCIOUSNESS；

andthispeoplesay——andquiterightly——isbothimpossibleandundesirable。ThroughouttheprecedingchaptersIhavestriven，whereverfeasible，tocounterthismisunderstanding——butIhavelittlehopeofsuccess。TheDETERMINATIONoftheworldtomisunderstandormisinterpretanythingalittleneworunfamiliarisathingwhichperhapsonlyanauthorcandulyappreciate。

Butwhileitisclearthatself-consciousnessoriginallycameintobeingthroughaprocessofalienationandexileandfearwhichmarkeditwiththeCain-likebrandoflonelinessandapartness，itisequallyclearthattothinkofthatapartnessasanabsoluteandpermanentseparationisanillusion，sincenobeingcanreallycontinuetolivedivorcedfromthesourceofitslife。ForaperiodinevolutiontheSELFtookonthisillusiveforminconsciousness，asofanignisfatuus——theformofabeingsunderedfromallotherbeings，atomic，lonely，withoutrefuge，surroundedbydangersandstruggling，foritselfaloneandforitsownsalvationinthemidstofahostileenvironment。Perhapssomesuchterribleimaginationwasnecessaryatfirst，asitweretostartHumanityonitsnewpath。Butithaditscompensation，forthesufferingsandtortures，mentalandbodily，theprivations，persecutions，accusations，hatreds，thewarsandconflicts——soenduredbymillionsofindividualsandwholeraces——haveatlengthstampeduponthehumanmindasenseofindividualresponsibilitywhichotherwiseperhapswouldneverhaveemerged，andwhosemarkcannowbeeffaced；ultimately，too，thesethingshavesearchedourinnernaturetoitsverydepthsandexposeditsbed-rockfoundation。Theyhaveconvincedusthatthisideaofultimateseparationisanillusion，andthatintruthweareallindefeasibleandindestructiblepartsofonegreatUnityinwhich“weliveandmoveandhaveourbeing。”Thatbeingso，itisclearthatthereremainsintheendaself-consciousnesswhichneedbynomeansbeabandoned，whichindeedonlycomestoitstruefruitionandunderstandingwhenitrecognizesitsaffiliationwiththeWhole，andgloriesinanindividualitywhichisanexpressionbothofitselfANDofthewhole。Thehumanchildatitsmother"skneeprobablycomesfirsttoknowitHASa"self"onsomefatefuldaywhenhavingwanderedafaritgoeslostamongalienhousesandstreetsorinthetracklessfields。Thatappallingexperience——thesenseofdanger，offear，ofloneliness——isneverforgotten；itstampssomenewsenseofBeinguponthechildishmind，butthatsense，insteadofbeingdestroyed，becomesalltheprouderandmoreradiantinthehourofreturntothemother"sarms。

Thereturn，thesalvation，forwhichhumanitylooks，isthereturnofthelittleindividualselftoharmonyandunionwiththegreatSelfoftheuniverse，butbynomeansitsextinctionorabandonment——ratherthefindingofitsowntruenatureasneverbefore。

Thereisanotherthingwhichmaybesaidhere:namely，thatthedisentanglement，asabove，ofthreemainstagesofpsychologicalevolutionasgreatformativeinfluencesinthehistoryofmankind，doesnotbyanymeansprecludetheestablishmentoflesserstageswithintheboundariesofthese。Inallprobabilitysubdivisionsofallthethreewillcomeintimetoberecognizedandallowedfor。TotaketheSecondstageonly，itMAYappearthatSelf-consciousnessinitsfirstdevelopmentischaracterizedbyanaccentuationofTimidity；initsseconddevelopmentbyamoredeliberatepursuitofsensualPleasure(lust，food，drink，&c。)；initsthirdbythepursuitofmentalgratifications(vanities，ambitions，enslavementofothers)；initsfourthbythepursuitofProperty，asameansofattainingtheseobjects；

initsfifthbytheaccessofenmities，jealousies，warsandsoforth，consequentonallthesethings；andsoon。Ihavenointentionatpresentoffollowingoutthislineofthought，butonlywishtosuggestitsfeasibilityandthedegreetowhichitmaythrowlightonthesocialevolutionsofthePast。[1]

[1]ForananalysisofthenatureofSelf-consciousnessseevol。

iii，p。375sq。ofthethreeponderoustomesbyWilhelmWundt——Grund-zugederPhysiologischenPsychologie——inwhichamidanenormousmassofverbiageoccasionalgleamsofusefulsuggestionaretobefound。

Asakindofrudegeneralphilosophywemaysaythatthereareonlytwomainfactorsinlife，namely，LoveandIgnorance。Andofthesewemayalsosaythatthetwoarenotinthesameplane:oneispositiveandsubstantial，theotherisnegativeandmerelyillusory。ItmaybethoughtatfirstthatFearandHatredandCruelty，andthelike，areverypositivethings，butintheendweseethattheyareduemerelytoABSENCEofperception，todulnessofunderstanding。Orwemayputthestatementinaratherlesscrudeform，andsaythatthereareonlytwofactorsinlife:(1)thesenseofUnitywithothers(andwithNature)——

whichcoversLove，Faith，Courage，Truth，andsoforth，and(2)Non-perceptionofthesame——whichcoversEnmity，Fear，Hatred，Self-pity，Cruelty，Jealousy，Meannessandanendlesssimilarlist。Thepresentworldwhichweseearoundus，withitsidioticwars，itssenselessjealousiesofnationsandclasses，itsfearsandgreedsandvanitiesanditsfutileendeavors——asofpeoplestrugglinginaswamp——

tofindone"sownsalvationbytreadingothersunderfoot，isanegativephenomenon。Ignorance，non-perception，areattherootofit。ButitistheblessedvirtueofIgnoranceandofnon-perceptionthattheyinevitably-ifonlyslowlyandpainfully——dESTROYTHEMSELVES。Allexperienceservestodissipatethem。Theworld，asitis，carries"thedoomofitsowntransformationinitsbosom；andinproportionasthatwhichisnegativedisappearsthepositiveelementmustestablishitselfmoreandmore。

Sowecomebacktothatwithwhichwebegan，[1]toFearbredbyIgnorance。Fromthatsourcehassprungthelongcatalogueoffollies，crueltiesandsufferingswhichmarktherecordsofthehumanracesincethedawnofhistory；

andtotheovercomingofthisFearweperforcemustlookforourfuturedeliverance，andforthediscovery，eveninthemidstofthisworld，ofourtrueHome。Thetimeiscomingwhenthepositiveconstructiveelementmustdominate。

ItisinevitablethatManmusteverbuildastateofsocietyaroundhimafterthepatternandimageofhisowninteriorstate。Thewholefutileandidioticstructureofcommerceandindustryinwhichwearenowimprisonedspringsfromthatfalsehoodofindividualisticself-seekingwhichmarksthesecondstageofhumanevolution。Thatstageisalreadytotteringtoitsfall，destroyedbytheveryfloodofegotisticpassionsandinterests，ofvanities，greeds，andcruelties，allwarringwitheachother，whicharethesureoutcomeandculminationofitsoperation。WiththerestorationofthesentimentoftheCommonLife，andthegradualgrowthofamentalattitudecorresponding，therewillemergefromthefloodsomethinglikeasolidearth——somethingonwhichitwillbepossibletobuildwithgoodhopeforthefuture。Schemesofreconstructionarewellenoughintheirway，butifthereisnogroundofREALHUMAN

SOLIDARITYbeneath，ofwhatavailarethey?

[1]SeeIntroduction，Ch。I。

Anindustrialsystemwhichisnorealindustrialorder，butonly(onthepartoftheemployers)adevil"sdeviceforsecuringprivateprofitundertheguiseofpublicutility，and(onthepartoftheemployed)adismalandpoor-spiritedrenunciation——forthesakeofabareliving——ofallrealinterestinlifeandwork:sucha"system"mustinfalliblypassaway。Itcannotinthenatureofthingsbepermanent。

ThefirstconditionofsocialhappinessandprosperitymustbethesenseoftheCommonLife。Thissense，whichinstinctivelyunderlaythewholeTribalorderofthefarpast——

whichfirstcametoconsciousnessintheworshipofathousandpagandivinities，andintheritualsofcountlesssacrifices，initiations，redemptions，love-feastsandcommunions，whichinspiredthedreamsoftheGoldenAge，andflashedoutforatimeintheCommunismoftheearlyChristiansandintheiradorationsoftherisenSavior——mustintheendbethecreativeconditionofaneworder:itmustprovidethematerialofwhichtheGoldenCitywaitstobebuilt。

ThelongtravailoftheWorld-religionwillnothavebeeninvain，whichassuresthisconsummation。Whatthesignsandconditionsofanygeneraladvanceintothisneworderoflifeandconsciousnesswillbe，weknownot。Itmaybethatastoindividualstherevelationofanewvisionoftencomesquitesuddenly，andGENERALLYperhapsafteraperiodofgreatsuffering，sotosocietyatlargeasimilarrevelationwillarrive——like“thelightningwhichcomethoutoftheEastandshinethevenuntotheWest“——withunexpectedswiftness。Ontheotherhanditwouldperhapsbewisenottocounttoomuchonanysuchsuddentransformation。

Whenwelookabroad(andathome)inthisyearofgraceandhoped-forpeace，1919，andseethespiritsofrancourandrevenge，thefears，theselfishblindnessandtheignorance，whichstillholdintheirparalyzinggrasphugeclassesandcoteriesineverycountryintheworld，weseethatthesecondstageofhumandevelopmentisbynomeansyetatitsfullterm，andthat，asinsomevastchrysalis，fortheliberationofthecreaturewithinstillmoreandmoreterriblestrugglesMAYbenecessary。Wecanonlypraythatsuchmaynotbethecase。Anyhow，ifwehavefollowedtheargumentofthisbookwecanhardlydoubtthatthedestruction(whichisgoingoneverywhere)

oftheouterformofthepresentsocietymarksthefirststageofman"sfinalliberation；andthat，soonerorlater，andinitsowngoodtime，thatfurther"divineevent"willsurelyberealized。

NorneedwefearthatHumanity，whenithasonceenteredintothegreatDeliverance，willbeagainoverpoweredbyevil。FromKnowledgebacktoIgnorancethereisnocompletereturn。Thenationsthathavecometoenlightenmentneedentertainnodreadofthoseothers(howeverhostiletheyappear)whoarestillplungingdarklyinthetroubledwatersofself-greed。ThedastardlyFearswhichinspireallbrutishnessandcrueltyofwarfare——whetherofWhiteagainstWhiteoritmaybeofWhiteagainstYelloworBlack——maybedismissedforgoodandallbythatblestracewhichonceshallhavegainedtheshore——sincefromtheverynatureofthecasethosewhoareondrylandcanfearnothingandneedfearnothingfromtheunfortunateswhoareyettossinginthewelterandturmoilofthewaves。

Dr。Frazer，intheconclusionofhisgreatworkTheGoldenBough，[1]bidsfarewelltohisreaderswiththefollowingwords:“ThelawsofNaturearemerelyhypothesesdevisedtoexplainthatever-shiftingphantasmagoriaofthoughtwhichwedignifywiththehigh-soundingnamesoftheWorldandtheUniverse。Inthelastanalysismagic，religionandsciencearenothingbuttheories[ofthought]；

andasSciencehassupplanteditspredecessorssoitmayhereafteritselfbesupersededbysomemoreperfecthypothesis，perhapsbysomeperfectlydifferentwayoflookingatphenomena——ofregisteringtheshadowsonthescreen——ofwhichweinthisgenerationcanformnoidea。”IimagineDr。Frazerisrightinthinkingthat“awayoflookingatphenomena“differentfromthewayofScience，maysomedayprevail。ButIthinkthischangewillcome，notsomuchbythegrowthofScienceitselfortheextensionofits"hypotheses，"asbyagrowthandexpansionofthehumanHEARTandachangeinitspsychologyandpowersofperception。Perhapssomeoftheprecedingchapterswillhelptoshowhowmuchtheoutlookofhumanityontheworldhasbeenguidedthroughthecenturiesbytheslowevolutionofitsinnerconsciousness。Gradually，outofaninfinitemassoffollyanddelusion，thehumansoulhasinthiswaydisentangleditself，andwillinthefuturedisentangleitself，toemergeatlengthinthelightoftrueFREEDOM。Allthetaboos，theinsaneterrors，thefatuousforbiddalsofthisandthat(withtheirconsequentheart-

searchingsanddistress)mayperhapshavebeenintheirwaynecessary，inordertorivetanddefinethemeaningandtheunderstandingofthatword。To-daythesetaboosandterrorsstilllinger，manyofthem，intheformofconventionsofmorality，uneasystrivingsofconscience，doubtsanddesperationsofreligion；butultimatelyManwillemergefromallthesethings，FREE——familiar，thatis，withthemall，makinguseofall，allowinggenerouslyforthevaluesofall，buthamperedandboundbyNONE。Hewillrealizetheinnermeaningofthecreedsandritualsoftheancientreligions，andwillhailwithjoythefulfilmentoftheirfarprophecydowntheages——findingafterallthelong-expectedSaviouroftheworldwithinhisownbreast，andParadiseinthedisclosurethereoftheeverlastingpeaceofthesoul。

[1]See“Balder，“vol。ii，pp。306，307。(“FarewelltoNemi。”)

APPENDIX

THETEACHINGOFTHEUPANISHADS

BEINGTHESUBSTANCEOFTWOLECTURESTOPOPULARAUDIENCES

I。REST

II。THENATUREOFTHESELF

I。REST

Tosome，inthepresentwhirlpooloflifeandaffairsitmayseemalmostanabsurditytotalkaboutRest。Forlongenoughnowresthasseemedathingfaroffandunattainable。Withthepostsknockingatourdoorstenortwelvetimesaday，withtelegramsarrivingeveryhour，andthetelephonebellconstantlyringing；withmotorsrushingwildlyaboutthestreets，andaeroplaneswhizzingoverhead，withworkspeededupineverydirection，andthedriveintheworkshopsbecomingmoreintolerableeveryday；withthepaceofthewalkersandthepaceofthetalkersfromhourtohourinsanelyincreasing——

whatroom，itmaywellbeasked，isthereforRest?Andnowtheissuesofwar，redoublingtheurgencyofallquestions，areonus。

Theproblemisobviouslyaseriousone。SourgentisitthatIthinkonemaysafelysaytheamountofinsanityduetothepressureofdailylifeisincreasing；nursing-homeshavesprungupforthespecialpurposeoftreatingsuchcases；anddoctorsarestartingspecialcoursesoftuitionintheart——nowbecomingveryimportant——ofsystematicallydoingnothing！Andyetitisdifficulttoseetheoutcomeofitall。TheclockofwhatiscalledProgressisnoteasilyturnedbackward。Weshouldnotveryreadilyagreenowadaystotheabolitionoftelegramsortoaregulationcompellingexpresstrainstostopateverystation！Wecan"tALLgotoNursingHomes，oraffordtoenjoyawinter"srest-cureinEgypt。And，ifnot，isthespeeding-upprocesstogoonindefinitely，incapableofbeingchecked，anddestinedultimatelytolandcivilizationinthemad-house?

Itis，Isay，aseriousandanurgentproblem。Anditis，I

think，forcingacertainansweronus——whichIwillnowendeavortoexplain。

Ifwecannotturnbackandreversethisfatalonrushofmodernlife(anditisevidentthatwecannotdosoinanyverybrieftime——thoughofcourseultimatelywemightsucceed)thenI

thinkthereareclearlyonlytwoalternativesleft——eithertogoforwardtogeneraldislocationandmadness，or——tolearntorestevenintheverymidstofthehurryandthescurry。

ToexplainwhatImean，letmeuseanillustration。ThetyphoonsandcyclonesoftheChinaSeasaresomeofthemostformidablestormsthatshipscanencounter。Theirpathsinthepasthavebeenstrewnwithwrecksanddisaster。Butnowwithincreasedknowledgemuchoftheirdangerhasbeenaverted。ItisknownthattheyareCIRCULARincharacter，andthatthoughthewindontheiroutskirtsoftenreachesaspeedof100milesanhour，inthecentreofthestormthereisaspaceofcompletecalm——notacalmoftheSEAcertainly，butacompleteabsenceofwind。Theskillednavigator，ifhecannotescapethestorm，steersrightintotheheartofit，andreststhere。

Eveninthemidstoftheclatterhefindsaplaceofquietwherehecantrimhissailsandadjusthisfuturecourse。Heknowstoofromhispositioninwhatdirectionateverypointaroundhimthewindismovingandwhereitwillstrikehimwhenatlasthisshipemergesfromthecharmedcircle。

Isitnotpossible，wemayask，thatintheverymidstofthecycloneofdailylifewemayfindasimilarresting-place?Ifwecan，ourcaseisbynomeanshopeless。Ifwecannot，thenindeedthereisdanger。

LookingbackinHistoryweseemtoseethatinoldtimespeopletooklifemuchmoreleisurelythantheydonow。Theeldergenerationsgavemorescopeintheircustomsandtheirreligionsforcontentmentandpeaceofmind。WeassociateacertainquietismandpassivitywiththethoughtoftheEasternpeoples。ButascivilizationtraveledWestwardexternalactivityandthepaceoflifeincreased——lessandlesstimewasleftformeditationandrepose——tillwiththeriseofWesternEuropeandAmerica，thedominantnoteoflifeseemstohavesimplybecomeoneoffeverishandceaselessactivity——ofactivitymerelyforthesakeofactivity，withoutanyclearideaofitsownpurposeorobject。

Suchaprospectdoesnotatfirstseemveryhopeful；butonsecondthoughtsweseethatwearenotforcedtodrawanyverypessimisticconclusionfromit。Thedirectionofhumanevolutionneednotremainalwaysthesame。Themovement，infact，ofcivilizationfromEasttoWesthasnowclearlycompleteditself。Theglobehasbeencircled，andwecannotgoanyFARTHERtotheWestwithoutcomingroundtotheEastagain。

Itisacommonplacetosaythatourpsychology，ourphilosophyandourreligioussensearealreadytakingonanEasterncolor；

norisitdifficulttoimaginethatwiththeendofthepresentdispensationaneweramayperfectlynaturallyarriveinwhichtheSt。Vitus"danceofmoney-makingandambitionwillceasetobethechiefendofexistence。

Inthehistoryofnationsasinthehistoryofindividualsthereareperiodswhentheformativeidealsoflife(throughsomehiddeninfluence)change；andthemodeoflifeandevolutioninconsequencechangesalso。IrememberwhenIwasaboywishing——likemanyotherboys——togotosea。IwantedtojointheNavy。Itwasnot，Iamsure，thatIwassoveryanxioustodefendmycountry。No，therewasamuchsimplerandmoreprosaicmotivethanthat。TheshipsofthosedayswiththeircomplexriggingsuggestedaperfectparadiseofCLIMBING，andIknowthatitwasthethoughtofTHATwhichinfluencedme。

Tobeabletoclimbindefinitelyamongthoseropesandspars！

Howdelightful！OfcourseIknewperfectlywellthatIshouldnotalwayshavefreeaccesstotherigging；butthen——someday，nodoubt，IshouldbeanAdmiral，andwhothencouldpreventme?Irememberseeingmyselfinmymind"seye，withcockedhatonmyheadandspy-glassundermyarm，roamingatmyownsweetwillupaloft，regardlessoftheremonstranceswhichmightreachmefrombelow！Suchwasmychildishideal。Butatimecame——needlesstosay——whenI

conceivedadifferentideaoftheobjectoflife。

ItissaidthatJohnTyndall，whoselecturesonScienceweresomuchsoughtafterintheirtime，beingononeoccasioninNewYorkwasaccostedafterhisdiscoursebyaverysuccessfulAmericanbusinessman，whourgedhimtodevotehisscientificknowledgeandabilitytocommercialpursuits，promisingthatifhedidso，he，Tyndall，wouldeasilymake“abigpile。”

Tyndallverycalmlyreplied，“Well，Imyselfthoughtofthatonce，butIsoonabandonedtheidea，havingcometotheconclusionthatIhadNOTIMETOWASTEINMAKINGMONEY。”Themanofdollarsnearlysankintotheground。Suchaconceptionoflifehadneverenteredhisheadbefore。ButtoTyndallnodoubtitwasobviousthatifhechainedhimselftothecommercialidealallthejoyandgloryofhisdayswouldbegone。

WesometimeshearoftheawfuldoomofsomeoftheRussianconvictsinthequarriesandminesofSiberia，whoare(orwere)

chainedpermanentlytotheirwheelbarrows。Itisdifficulttoimagineamoredreadfulfate:thedespair，thedisgust，thedeadlyloathingoftheaccursedthingfromwhichthereisnoescapedayornight——whichisthecompanionnotonlyoftheprisoner"sworkbutofhishoursofrest——withwhichhehastosleep，tofeed，totakehisrecreationifhehasany，andtofulfilalltheofficesofnature。Couldanythingbemorecrushing?Andyet，andyet……isitnottruethatwe，mostofus，inourvariouswaysarechainedtoourwheelbarrows——isitnottoooftentruethattothesebeggarlythingswehaveforthemostpartchainedOURSELVES?

Letmebeunderstood。Ofcourseweallhave(oroughttohave)ourworktodo。Wehaveourlivingtoget，ourfamiliestosupport，ourtrade，ourart，ourprofessiontopursue。Inthatsensenodoubtwearetied；butItakeitthatthesethingsarelikethewheelbarrowwhichamanuseswhileheisatwork。

Itmayirkhimattimes，buthestickstoitwithagoodheart，andwithacertainjoybecauseitistheinstrumentofanoblepurpose。Thatisallright。Buttobechainedtoit，nottobeabletoleaveitwhentheworkofthedayisdone——thatisindeedanignobleslavery。Iwouldsay，then，takecarethatevenwiththesethings，thesenecessaryartsoflife，youpreserveyourindependence，thateveniftosomedegreetheymayconfineyourbodytheydonotenslaveyourmind。

Foritisthefreedomofthemindwhichcounts。Weareallnodoubtcaughtinthetoilsoftheearth-life。Onemanislargelydominatedbysensualindulgence，anotherbyambition，anotherbythepursuitofmoney。Well，thesethingsareallrightinthemselves。Withoutthepleasuresofthesensesweshouldbedullmokesindeed；withoutambitionmuchofthezestandenterpriseoflifewouldbegone；gold，inthepresentorderofaffairs，isaveryusefulservant。Thesethingsarerightenough——buttobeCHAINEDtothem，tobeunabletothinkofanythingelse——whatafate！Thesubjectremindsoneofanotuncommonspectacle。Itisagloriousday；thesunisbright，smallwhitecloudsfloatinthetransparentblue——adaywhenyoulingerperforceontheroadtoenjoythesence。Butsuddenlyherecomesamanpainfullyrunningallhotanddustyandmoppinghishead，andwithnoeye，clearly，foranythingaroundhim。Whatisthematter?Heisabsorbedbyoneidea。

Heisrunningtocatchatrain！AndonecannothelpwonderingwhatEXCEEDINGLYimportantbusinessitmustbeforwhichallthisgloryandbeautyissacrificed，andpassedbyasifitdidnotexist。

Furtherwemustrememberthatinourfoolishnessweverycommonlychainourselves，notonlytothingslikesense-

pleasuresandambitionswhichareontheedge，sotospeak，ofbeingvices；butalsotootherthingswhichareaccountedvirtues，andwhichasfarasIcanseearejustasbad，ifweoncebecomeenslavedtothem。Ihaveknownpeoplewhoweresoexceedingly"spiritual"and"good"thatonereallyfeltquitedepressedintheircompany；Ihaveknownotherswhosesenseofduty，dearthings，wassostrongthattheyseemedquiteunabletoREST，oreventoallowtheirfriendstorest；andI

havewonderedwhether，afterall，worritingaboutone"sdutymightnotbeasbad——asdeterioratingtooneself，asdistressingtoone"sfriends——assinningagoodsolidsin。No，inthisrespectvirtuesMAYbenobetterthanvices；andtobechainedtoawheelbarrowmadeofalabasterisnowaypreferabletobeingchainedtooneofwood。Tosacrificetheimmortalfreedomofthemindinordertobecomeapreytoself-regardingcaresandanxieties，self-estimatingvirtuesandvices，self-chainingdutiesandindulgences，isamistake。AndIwarnyou，itisquiteuseless。ForthedestinyofFreedomisultimatelyuponeveryone，andifrefusingitforatimeyouheapyourlifepersistentlyupononeobject——howeverblamelessinitselfthatobjectmaybe——Beware！Foroneday——andwhenyouleastexpectit——thegodswillsendathunderboltuponyou。Onedaythethingforwhichyouhavetoiledandspentlaboriousdaysandsleeplessnightswillliebrokenbeforeyou——yourreputationwillberuined，yourambitionwillbedashed，yoursavingsofyearswillbelost——andforthemomentyouwillbeinclinedtothinkthatyourlifehasbeeninvain。Butpresentlyyouwillwakeupandfindthatsomethingquitedifferenthashappened。Youwillfindthatthethunderboltwhichyouthoughtwasyourruinhasbeenyoursalvation——thatithasbrokenthechainwhichboundyoutoyourwheelbarrow，andthatyouarefree！——

IthinkyouwillnowseewhatImeanbyRest。Restistheloosingofthechainswhichbindustothewhirligigoftheworld，itisthepassingintothecentreoftheCyclone；itistheStillingofThought。For(withregardtothislast)itisThought，itistheAttachmentoftheMind，whichbindsustoouterthings。Theouterthingsthemselvesareallright。

Itisonlythroughourthoughtsthattheymakeslavesofus。

Obtainpoweroveryourthoughtsandyouarefree。Youcanthenusetheouterthingsordismissthematyourpleasure。

Thereisnothingnewofcourseinallthis。Ithasbeenknownforages；andispartoftheancientphilosophyoftheworld。

IntheKathaUpanishadyouwillfindthesewords(MaxMuller"stranslation):“Asrainwaterthathasfallenonamountainridgerunsdownonallsides，thusdoeshewhoseesadifferencebetweenqualitiesrunafterthemonallsides。”

ThisisthefigureofthemanwhodoesNOTrest。Anditisapowerfullikeness。Thethundershowerdescendsonthemountaintop；torrentsofwaterpourdownthecragsineverydirection。Imaginethestateofmindofaman——howeverthirstyhemaybe——whoendeavorstopursueandinterceptallthesestreams！

ButthentheUpanishadgoeson:“Aspurewaterpouredintopurewaterremainsthesame，thus，OGautama，istheSelfofathinkerwhoknows。”Whataperfectimageofrest！

Imagineacisternbeforeyouwithtransparentglasssidesandfilledwithpurewater。Andthenimaginesomeonecomeswithaphial，alsoofpurewater，andpoursthecontentsgentlyintothecistern。Whatwillhappen?Almostnothing。Thepurewaterwillglideintothepurewater——“remainingthesame。”Therewillbenodislocation，nodiscoloration(asmighthappenifMUDDYwaterwerepouredin)；therewillbeonlyperfectharmony。

Iimagineherethatthemeaningissomethinglikethis。ThecisternisthegreatReservoiroftheUniversewhichcontainsthepureandperfectSpiritofalllife。Eachoneofus，andeverymortalcreature，representsadropfromthatreservoir——

adropindeedwhichisalsopureandperfect(thoughthephialinwhichitiscontainedmaynotalwaysbeso)。Whenwe，eachofus，descendintotheworldandmeetthegreatOceanofLifewhichdwellstherebehindallmortalforms，itislikethelittlephialbeingpouredintothegreatreservoir。Ifthetinycanfulwhichisourselvesispureandunsoiled，thenwhenitmeetstheworlditwillblendwiththeSpiritwhichinformstheworldperfectlyharmoniously，withoutdistressordislocation。Itwillpassthroughandbeatonewithit。Howcanonedescribesuchastateofaffairs?Youwillhavethekeytoeverypersonthatyoumeet，becauseindeedyouareconsciousthattherealessenceofthatpersonisthesameasyourown。Youwillhavethesolutionofeveryeventwhichhappens。

Foreveryeventis(andisfelttobe)thetouchofthegreatSpiritonyours。CananydescriptionofRestbemoreperfectthanthat?Purewaterpouredintopurewater……Thereisnoneedtohurry，foreverythingwillcomeinitsgoodtime。Thereisnoneedtoleaveyourplace，forallyoudesireiscloseathand。

Hereisanotherverse(fromtheVagasaneyi-SamhitaUpanishad)

embodyingthesameidea:“AndhewhobeholdsallbeingsintheSelf，andtheSelfinallbeings，heneverturnsawayfromIt。When，toamanwhounderstands，theSelfhasbecomeallthings，whatsorrow，whattrouble，cantherebetohim——havingoncebeheldthatUnity?“——Whattrouble，whatsorrow，indeed，whentheuniversehasbecometransparentwiththepresencesofallwelove，heldfirmintheOneenfoldingPresence?

Butitwillbesaid:“OurmindsareNOTpureandtransparent。

Moreoftentheyaremuddyandsoiled——soiled，ifnotintheirrealessence，yetbyreasonofthemortalphialinwhichtheyarecontained。”Andthatalas！istrue。Ifyoupouraphialofmuddywaterintothatreservoirwhichwedescribed——whatwillyousee?Youwillseeaqueeranduglycloudformed。Andtohowmanyofus，inourdealingswiththeworld，doeslifetakeonjustsuchaform——ofaqueeranduglycloud?

NownotsoverylongafterthoseUpanishadswerewrittentherelivedinChinathatgreatTeacher，Lao-tze；andhetoohadconsideredthesethings。Andhewrote——intheTao-Teh-

King——“Whoistherewhocanmakemuddywaterclear?“

Thequestionsoundslikeaconundrum。Foramomentonehesitatestoanswerit。Lao-tze，however，hasananswerready。

Hesays:“ButifyouLEAVEITALONEitwillbecomeclearofitself。”Thatmuddywaterofthemind，muddiedbyallthefoolishlittlethoughtswhichlikeasedimentinfestit——butifyouleaveitaloneitwillbecomeclearofitself。Sometimeswalkingalongthecommonroadafterashoweryouhaveseenpoolsofwaterlyinghereandthere，dirtyandunsightlywiththemudstirredupbythehoofsofmenandanimals。Andthenreturningsomehoursafterwardsalongthesameroad——intheeveningandafterthecessationoftraffic——youhavelookedagain，andlo！eachpoolhascleareditselftoaperfectcalm，andhasbecomealovelymirrorreflectingthetreesandthecloudsandthesunsetandthestars。

Sothismirrorofthemind。Leaveitalone。Lettheuglysedimentoftiresomethoughtsandanxieties，andoffussingoverone"sself-importancesandduties，settledown——andpresentlyyouwilllookonit，andseesomethingtherewhichyouneverkneworimaginedbefore——somethingmorebeautifulthanyoueveryetbeheld——areflectionoftherealandeternalworldsuchisonlygiventothemindthatrests。

Donotrecklesslyspillthewatersofyourmindinthisdirectionandinthat，lestyoubecomelikeaspringlostanddissipatedinthedesert。

Butdrawthemtogetherintoalittlecompass，andholdthemstill，sostill；

Andletthembecomeclear，soclear——solimpid，somirror-like；

Atlastthemountainsandtheskyshallglassthemselvesinpeacefulbeauty，Andtheantelopeshalldescendtodrink，andtheliontoquenchhisthirst，AndLovehimselfshallcomeandbendover，andcatchhisownlikenessinyou。[1]

[1]TowardsDemocracy，p。373。

Yes，thereisthispricelessthingwithinus，buthoofingalongtheroadsinthemudwefailtofindit；thereisthisregionofcalm，butthecycloneoftheworldragingaroundguardsusfromenteringit。Perhapsitisbestso——bestthattheaccesstoitshouldnotbemadetooeasy。Oneday，sometimeago，inthecourseofconversationwithRabindranathTagoreinLondon，Iaskedhimwhatimpressedhimmostinvisitingthegreatcity。Hesaid，“Therestlessincessantmovementofeverybody。”Isaid，“Yes，theyseemasiftheywereallrushingaboutlookingforsomething。”Hereplied，“Itisbecauseeachpersondoesnotknowofthegreattreasurehehaswithinhimself。”——

Howthenarewetoreachthistreasureandmakeitourown?

HowarewetoattaintothisStillingoftheMind，whichisthesecretofallpowerandpossession?Thethingisdifficult，nodoubt；yetasItriedtoshowattheoutsetofthisdiscourse，weModernsMUSTreachit；wehavegottoattaintoit——forthepenaltyoffailureisandmustbewidespreadMadness。

Thepowertostillthemind——tobeABLE，markyou，whenyouwant，toenterintotheregionofRest，andtodismissorcommandyourThoughts——isaconditionofHealth；itisaconditionofallPowerandEnergy。Forallhealth，whetherofmindorbody，residesinone"srelationtothecentralLifewithin。IfonecannotgetintotouchwithTHAT，thenthelife-

forcescannotflowdownintotheorganism。Most，perhapsall，diseasearisesfromthedisturbanceofthisconnection。Allmerehurry，allmererunningafterexternalthings(asofthemanafterthewater-streamsonthemountain-top)，inevitablybreaksit。Letapondbeallowedcalmlyundertheinfluenceoffrosttocrystallize，andmostbeautifulflowersandspearsoficewillbeformed，butkeepstirringthewaterallthetimewithastickorapoleandnothingwillresultbutanuglybrashofhalf-frozenstuff。TheconditionoftheexerciseofpowerandenergyisthatitshouldproceedfromacenterofRestwithinone。SoconvincedamIofthis，thatwheneverIfindmyselfhurryingovermywork，Ipauseandsay，“Nowyouarenotproducinganythinggood！“andIgenerallyfindthatthatistrue。

Itiscurious，butIthinkverynoticeable，thattheplaceswherepeoplehurrymost——asforinstancetheCityofLondonorWallStreet，NewYork——arejusttheplaceswheretheworkbeingdoneisofLEASTimportance(beingmostlymoney-gambling)；

whereasifyougoandlookataploughmanploughing——doingperhapsthemostimportantofhumanwork——youfindallhismovementsmostdeliberateandleisurely，asifindeedhehadinfinitetimeatcommand；thetruthbeingthatindealing(likeaploughman)withtheearthandthehorsesandtheweatherandthethingsofNaturegenerallyyoucannomorehurrythanNatureherselfhurries。

Followingthislineofthoughtitmightseemthatonewouldarriveatahopelessparadox。Ifitbetruethatthelessonehurriesthebettertheworkresulting，thenitmightseemthatbysittingstillandmerelytwirlingone"sthumbsonewouldarriveattheverygreatestactivityandefficiency！Andindeed(ifunderstoodaright)thereisatrutheveninthis，which——liketheotherpointsIhavementioned——hasbeenknownandtaughtlongagesago。Saysthathumorousoldsage，Lao-tze，whomIhavealreadyquoted:“Bynon-actionthereisnothingthatcannotbedone。”Atfirstthissoundslikemerefooleryorworse；butafterwardsthinkingonitoneseesthereisameaninghidden。ThereisasecretbywhichNatureandthepowersoftheuniversallifewilldoallforyou。TheBhagavatGitaalsosays，“Hewhodiscoversinactioninactionandactionininactioniswiseamongmortals。”

Itisworthwhiledwellingforamomentonthesetexts。Weareall——asIsaidearlieron——involvedinworkbelongingtoourplaceandstation；wearetiedtosomedegreeinthebondsofaction。Butthatfactneednotimprisonourinnerminds。

Whileactingevenwithkeennessandenergyalongtheexternalandnecessarypathbeforeus，itisperfectlypossibletoholdthemindfreeanduntied——sothattheRESULTofouraction(whichofcourseisnotourstocommand)shallremainindifferentandincapableofundulyaffectingus。Similarly，whenitisourparttoremainexternallyINACTIVE，wemaydiscoverthatunderneaththisapparentinactionwemaybetakingpartinthecurrentsofadeeperlifewhicharemovingontoadefiniteend，toanendorobjectwhichinasenseisoursandinasenseisNOTours。

Thelighthousebeamfliesoverlandandseawithincrediblevelocity，andyouthinkthelightitselfmustbeinswiftestmovement；butwhenyouclimbupthitheryoufindthelampabsolutelystationary。Itisonlythereflectionthatismoving。

Therideronhorsebackmaygalloptoandfrowhereverhewill，butitishardtosaythatHEisacting。Thehorseguidedbytheslightestindicationoftheman"swillperformsantheactionthatisneeded。Ifwecangetintorighttouchwiththeimmense，theincalculablepowersofNature，isthereanythingwhichwemaynotbeabletodo?“IfamanworshiptheSelfonlyashistruestate，“saystheBrihad-aranyakaUpanishad，“hisworkcannotfail，forwhateverhedesires，thatheobtainsfromtheSelf。”Whatawonderfulsaying，andhowinfalliblytrue！

ForobviouslyifyousucceedinidentifyingyourtruebeingwiththegreatSelfoftheuniverse，thenwhateveryoudesirethegreatSelfwillalsodesire，andthereforeeverypowerofNaturewillbeatyourserviceandwillconspiretofulfilyourneed。

Therearemarvelousthingshere“wellwrappedup“——

difficulttodescribe，yetnotimpossibletoexperience。AndtheyalldependuponthatpowerofstillingThought，thatabilitytopassunharmedandundismayedthroughthegrinninglegionsofthelowermindintotheveryheartofParadise。

Thequestioninevitablyarises，Howcanthispowerbeobtained?Andthereisonlyoneanswer——thesameanswerwhichhastobegivenfortheattainmentofANYpowerorfaculty。Thereisnoroyalroad。Theonlywayis(howeverimperfectly)toDOthethinginquestion，topracticeit。Ifyouwouldlearntoplaycricket，theonlywayistoplaycricket；

ifyouwouldbeabletospeakalanguage，theonlywayistospeakit。Ifyouwouldlearntoswim，theonlywayistopracticeswimming。Orwouldyouwishtobelikethemanwhowhenhiscompanionswerebathingandbiddinghimcomeandjointhem，said:“Yes，Iamlongingtojoinyou，butIamnotgoingtobesuchafoolastogointothewaterTILLIKNOWHOWTOSWIM！“

Thereisnothingbutpractice。IfyouwanttoobtainthatpricelesspowerofcommandingThought——ofusingitordismissingit(forthetwothingsgotogether)atwill——thereisnowaybutpractice。Andthepracticeconsistsintwoexercises:

(a)thatofconcentration——inholdingthethoughtsteadilyforatimeononesubject，orpointofasubject；and(b)thatofeffacement——ineffacinganygiventhoughtfromthemind，anddeterminingNOTtoentertainitforsuchandsuchatime。Boththeseexercisesaredifficult。Failureinpracticingthemiscertain——andmayevenextendoveryears。ButthepowerequallycertainlygrowsWITHpractice。Andultimatelytheremaycomeatimewhenthelearnerisnotonlyabletoeffacefromhismindanygiventhought(howeverimportunate)，butmayevensucceedineffacing，duringshortperiods，ALLthoughtofanykind。Whenthisstageisreached，theveilofillusionwhichsurroundsallmortalthingsispierced，andtheentrancetotheParadiseofRest(andofuniversalpowerandknowledge)isfound。

Ofindirectorauxiliarymethodsofreachingthisgreatconclusion，therearemorethanone。Ithinkoflifeintheopenair，ifnotabsolutelynecessary，atleastmostimportant。Thegods——thoughsometimesoutofcompassiontheyvisittheinteriorsofhouses——arenotfondofsuchplacesandtheevileffluviumtheyfindthere，andavoidthemasmuchastheycan。

Itisnotmerelyaquestionofbreathingoxygeninsteadofcarbonicacid。ThereisapresenceandaninfluenceinNatureandtheOpenwhichexpandsthemindandcausesbrigandcaresandworriestodropoff——whereasinconfinedplacesfoolishandfutilethoughtsofallkindsswarmlikemicrobesandcloudandconcealthesoul。ExpertoCrede。Itisonlynecessarytotrythisexperimentinordertoproveitstruth。

Anotherthingwhichcorrespondsinsomedegreetolivingphysicallyintheopenair，isthelivingmentallyandemotionallyintheatmosphereoflove。Alargecharityofmind，whichrefusesabsolutelytoshutitselfinlittlesecludedplacesofprejudice，bigotryandcontemptforothers，andwhichattainstoagreatanduniversalsympathy，helps，mostobviously，toopenthewaytothatregionofcalmandfreedomofwhichwehavespoken，whileconverselyallpettyenmity，meannessandspite，conspiretoimprisonthesoulandmakeitsdeliverancemoredifficult。

Itisnotnecessarytolaborthesepoints。Aswesaid，thewaytoattainistosincerelyTRYtoattain，toconsistentlyPRACTICEattainment。Whoeverdoesthiswillfindthatthewaywillopenoutbydegrees，asofoneemergingfromavastandgloomyforest，tilloutofdarknessthepathbecomesclear。ForwhomsoeverreallyTRIESthereisnofailure；foreveryeffortinthatregionissuccess，andeveryonwardpush，howeversmall，andhoweverlittleresultitmayshow，isreallyamoveforward，andonestepnearerthelight。

II。THENATUREOFTHESELF

ThetruenatureoftheSelfisamatterbynomeanseasytocompass。Wehaveallprobablyatsometimeorotherattemptedtofathomthedeepsofpersonality，andbeenbaffled。Somepeoplesaytheycanquitedistinctlyrememberamomentinearlychildhood，abouttheageofTHREE(thoughtheexactperiodisofcourseonlyapproximate)whenself-consciousness——theawarenessofbeingalittleseparateSelf——firstdawnedinthemind。Itwasgenerallyatsomemomentofchildishtension——

aloneperhapsinagarden，orlostfromthemother"sprotectinghand——thatthishappened；anditwasthebeginningofawholerangeofnewexperience。Beforesomesuchperiodthereisinchildhoodstrictlyspeakingnodistinctself-consciousness。

AsTennysonsays(InMemoriamxliv):

Thebabynewtoearthandsky，WhattimehistenderpalmisprestAgainstthecircleofthebreast，Hathneverthoughtthat“ThisisI。”

Ithasconsciousnesstruly，butnodistinctiveself-consciousness。Itisthisabsenceordeficiencywhichexplainsmanythingswhichatfirstsightseemobscureinthepsychologyofchildrenandofanimals。Thebaby(ithasoftenbeennoticed)experienceslittleornosenseofFEAR。Itdoesnotknowenoughtobeafraid；ithasneverformedanyimageofitself，asofathingwhichmightbeinjured。Itmayshrinkfromactualpainordiscomfort，butitdoesnotLOOKFORWARD——whichisoftheessenceoffear——topaininthefuture。Fearandself-consciousnessarecloselyinterlinked。Similarlywithanimals，weoftenwonderhowahorseoracowcanenduretostandoutinafieldallnight，exposedtocoldandrain，inthelethargicpatientwaythattheyexhibit。ItisnotthattheydonotFEELthediscomfort，butitisthattheydonotenvisageTHEMSELVESasenduringthispainandsufferingforallthosecominghours；andasweknowwithourselvesthatnine-tenthsofourmiseriesreallyconsistinlookingforwardtofuturemiseries，soweunderstandthattheabsenceoratanyrateslightprevalenceofself-consciousnessinanimalsenablesthemtoendureformsofdistresswhichwoulddriveusmad。

Intimethenthebabearrivesatself-consciousness；and，asonemightexpect，thegrowingboyorgirloftenbecomesintenselyawareofSelf。Hisorherself-consciousnessiscrude，nodoubt，butithasverylittlemisgiving。IfthequestionofthenatureoftheSelfispropoundedtotheboyasaproblemhehasnodifficultyinsolvingit。Hesays“IknowwellenoughwhoIam:IamtheboywithredhairwhatgaveJimmyBrownsuchajollygoodlickinglastMondayweek。”Heknowswellenough——orthinksheknows——whoheis。Andatalaterage，thoughhisdefinitionmaychangeandhemaydescribehimselfchieflyasagoodcricketerorsuccessfulincertainexaminations，hismethodispracticallythesame。Hefixeshismindonacertainbundleofqualitiesandcapacitieswhichheissupposedtopossess，andcallsthatbundleHimself。Andinamoreelaboratewaywemostofus，Iimagine，dothesame。

Presently，however，withmorecarefulthought，webegintoseedifficultiesinthisview。IseethatdirectlyIthinkofmyselfasacertainbundleofqualities——andforthatmatteritisofnoaccountwhetherthequalitiesaregoodorbad，orinwhatsortofcharmingconfusiontheyaremixed——IseeatoncethatIammerelylookingatabundleofqualities:andthatthereal“I，“theSelf，isnotthatbundle，butisthebeingINSPECTINGthesame——somethingbeyondandbehind，asitwere。SoInowconcentratemythoughtsuponthatinnerSomething，inordertofindoutwhatitreallyis。Iimagineperhapsaninnerbeing，of"astral"oretherealnature，andpossessinganewrangeofmuchfinerandmoresubtlequalitiesthanthebody——abeinginhabitingthebodyandperceivingthroughitssenses，butquitecapableofsurvivingthetenementinwhichitdwellsandIthinkofthatastheSelf。ButnosoonerhaveItakenthisstepthanIperceivethatIamcommittingthesamemistakeasbefore。Iamonlycontemplatinganewimageorpicture，and“I“stillremainbeyondandbehindthatwhichIcontemplate。

NosoonerdoIturnmyattentiononthesubjectivebeingthanitbecomesOBJECTIVE，andtherealsubjectretiresintothebackground。Andsoonindefinitely。Iambaffled；

andunabletosaypositivelywhattheSelfis。

MeanwhiletherearepeoplewholookupontheforegoingspeculationsaboutaninteriorSelfasmerelyunpractical。Beingperhapsofamorematerialistictypeofmindtheyfixtheirattentiononthebody。FranklytheytrytodefinetheSelfbythebodyandallthatisconnectedtherewith——thatisbythementalaswellascorporealqualitieswhichexhibitthemselvesinthatconnection；andtheysay，“AtanyratetheSelf——whateveritmaybe——isinsomewaylimitedbythebody；

eachpersonstudiestheinterestofhisbodyandofthefeelings，emotionsandmentalitydirectlyassociatedwithit，andyoucannotgetbeyondthat；itisn"tinhumannaturetodoso。

TheSelfislimitedbythiscorporealphenomenonanddoubtlessitperisheswhenthebodyperishes。”Buthereagaintheconclusion，thoughspeciousatfirst，soonappearstobequiteinadequate。Forthoughitispossiblytruethataman，ifleftaloneinaRobinsonCrusoelifeonadesertisland，mightultimatelysubsideintoameregratificationofhiscorporealneedsandofthosementalneedswhichweredirectlyconcernedwiththebody，yetweknowthatsuchacasewouldbynomeansberepresentative。Onthecontraryweknowthatvastnumbersofpeoplespendtheirlivesinconsideringotherpeople，andoftensofarastosacrificetheirownbodilyandmentalcomfortandwell-being。Themotherspendsherlifethinkingalmostdayandnightaboutherbabeandtheotherchildren——spendingallherthoughtsandeffortsonthem。Youmaycallherselfishifyouwill，butherselfishnessclearlyextendsbeyondherpersonalbodyandmind，andextendstothepersonalitiesofherchildrenaroundher；her“body“——ifyouinsistonyourdefinition——mustbeheldtoincludethebodiesofallherchildren。

Andagain，thehusbandwhoistoilingforthesupportofthefamily，heisthinkingandworkingandtoilingandsufferingfora"self"whichincludeshiswifeandchildren。Doyoumeanthatthewholefamilyishis“body“?Oramanbelongstosomesociety，toachurchortoasocialleagueofsomekind，andhisactivitiesarelargelyruledbytheinterestsofthislargergroup。Orhesacrificeshislife——asmanyhavebeendoingoflate——withextraordinarybraveryandheroismforthesakeofthenationtowhichhebelongs。Mustwesaythenthatthewholenationisreallyapartoftheman"sbody?Oragain，hegiveshislifeandgoestothestakeforhisreligion。Whetherhisreligionisrightorwrongdoesnotmatter，thepointisthatthereisthatinhimwhichcancarryhimfarbeyondhislocalselfandtheordinaryinstinctsofhisphysicalorganism，todedicatehislifeandpowerstoasomethingoffarwidercircumferenceandscope。

ThusintheFIRSTofthesetwoexamplesofasearchforthenatureoftheSelfweareledINWARDSfrompointtopoint，intointeriorandeversubtlerregionsofourbeing，andstillintheendarebaffled；whileintheSECONDwearecarriedoutwardsintoaneverwiderandwidercircumferenceinourquestoftheEgo，andstillfeelthatwehavefailedtoreachitsultimatenature。Wearedriveninfactbythesetwoargumentstotheconclusionthatthatwhichweareseekingisindeedsomethingveryvast——somethingfarextendingaround，yetalsoburieddeepinthehiddenrecessesofourminds。Howfar，howdeep，wedonotknow。Wecanonlysaythatasfarastheindicationspointthetrueselfisprofounderandmorefar-reachingthananythingwehaveyetfathomed。

Intheordinarycommonplacelifeweshrinktoordinarycommonplaceselves，butitisoneoftheblessingsofgreatexperiences，eventhoughtheyaretragicorpainful，thattheythrowusoutintothatenormouslygreaterselftowhichwebelong。Sometimes，inmomentsofinspiration，ofintenseenthusiasm，ofrevelation，suchasamanfeelsinthemidstofabattle，inmomentsofloveanddedicationtoanotherperson，andinmomentsofreligiousecstasy，animmenseworldisopeneduptotheastonishedgazeoftheinnerman，whoseesdisclosedaselfstretchedfarbeyondanythinghehadeverimagined。Wehaveallhadexperiencesmoreorlessofthatkind。Ihaveknownquiteafewpeople，andmostofyouhaveknownsome，whoatsometime，evenifonlyonceintheirlives，haveexperiencedsuchanextraordinaryliftingoftheveil，anopeningoutofthebackoftheirmindsasitwere，andhavehadsuchavisionoftheworld，thattheyhaveneverafterwardsforgottenit。Theyhaveseenintotheheartofcreation，andhaveperceivedtheirunionwiththerestofmankind。Theyhavehadglimpsesofastrangeimmortalitybelongingtothem，aglimpseoftheirbelongingtoafargreaterbeingthantheyhaveeverimagined。Justonce——andamanhasneverforgottenit，andevenifithasnotrecurredithascoloredalltherestofhislife。

Now，thissubjecthasbeenthoughtabout——sincethebeginningoftheworld，Iwasgoingtosay——butithasbeenthoughtaboutsincethebeginningsofhistory。Somethreethousandyearsagocertaingroupsof——Ihardlyliketocallthemphilosophers——but，letussay，peoplewhoweremeditatingandthinkingupontheseproblems，wereinthehabitoflocatingthemselvesintheforestsofNorthernIndia；andschoolsarosethere。Inthecaseofeachschoolsometeacherwentintothewoodsandcollectedgroupsofdisciplesaroundhim，wholivedthereinhiscompanyandlistenedtohiswords。Suchschoolswereformedinveryconsiderablenumbers，andthedoctrinesoftheseteachersweregatheredtogether，generallybytheirdisciples，innotes，whichnoteswerebroughttogetherintolittlepamphletsortracts，formingthebookswhicharecalledthe"Upanishads"oftheIndiansages。Theycontainsomeextraordinarywordsofwisdom，someofwhichIwanttobringbeforeyou。Theconclusionsarrivedatwerenotsomuchwhatweshouldcallphilosophyinthemodernsense。Theywerenotsomuchtheresultoftheanalysisofthemindandthefollowingoutofconcatenationsofstrictargument；buttheywereflashesofintuitionandexperience，andallthroughthe"Upanishads"

youfindtheseextraordinaryflashesembeddedinthemidstofagreatdealofwhatweshouldcallaratherrubbishykindofargument，andagooddealofmerelyconventionalBrahmanicaltalkofthosedays。ButthepeoplewhowroteandspokethushadanintuitionintotheheartofthingswhichImakeboldtosayveryfewpeopleinmodernlifehave。These"Upanisihads，"

howevervarioustheirsubject，practicallyagreeononepoint——inthedefinitionofthe“self。”Theyagreeinsaying:thattheselfofeachmaniscontinuouswithandinasenseidenticalwiththeSelfoftheuniverse。Nowthatseemsanextraordinaryconclusion，andonewhichalmoststaggersthemodernmindtoconceiveof。Butthatistheconclusion，thatisthethreadwhichrunsallthroughthe"Upanishads"——theidentityoftheselfofeachindividualwiththeselfofeveryotherindividualthroughoutmankind，andevenwiththeselvesoftheanimalsandothercreatures。

ThosewhohavereadtheKhandogyaUpanishadrememberhowinthattreatisethefatherinstructshissonSvetakeituonthisverysubject——pointinghimoutinsuccessiontheobjectsofNatureandoneachoccasionexhortinghimtorealizehisidentitywiththeveryessenceoftheobject——“Tattwamasi，THATthouart。”HecallsSvetaketu"sattentiontoatree。WhatistheESSENCEofthetree?Whentheyhaverejectedtheexternalcharacteristics——theleaves，thebranches，etc——andagreedthattheSAPistheessence，thenthefathersays，“TATTWAMASI——

THATthouart。”Hegiveshissonacrystalofsalt，andaskshimwhatistheessenceofthat。Thesonispuzzled。Clearlyneithertheformnorthetransparentqualityareessential。Thefathersays，“Putthecrystalinwater。”Thenwhenitismeltedhesays，“Whereisthecrystal?“Thesonreplies，“Idonotknow。”“Dipyourfingerinthebowl，“saysthefather，“andtaste。”ThenSvetaketudipshereandthere，andeverywherethereisasaltflavor。TheyagreethatTHATistheessenceofsalt；andthefathersaysagain，“TAttwamasi。”Iamofcourseneitherdefendingnorcriticizingthescientificattitudehereadopted。IamonlypointingoutthatthispsychologicalidentificationoftheobserverwiththeobjectobservedrunsthroughtheUpanishads，andisIthinkworthyofthedeepestconsideration。

Inthe"BhagavatGita，"whichisalaterbook，theauthorspeaksof“himwhosesoulispurified，whoseselfistheSelfofallcreatures。”Aphraselikethatchallengesopposition。

Itissobold，sosweeping，andsoimmense，thatwehesitatetogiveouradhesiontowhatitimplies。Butwhatdoesitmean——“whosesoulispurified“?Ibelievethatitmeansthis，thatwithmostofusoursoulsareanythingbutcleanorpurified，theyarebynomeanstransparent，sothatallthetimewearecontinuallydeceivingourselvesandmakingcloudsbetweenusandothers。Weareallthetimegraspingthingsfromotherpeople，and，ifnotinwords，arementallyboastingourselvesagainstothers，tryingtothinkofourownsuperioritytotherestofthepeoplearoundus。Sometimeswetrytorunourneighborsdownalittle，justtoshowthattheyarenotquiteequaltoourlevel。Wetrytosnatchfromotherssomethingswhichbelongtothem，ortakecredittoourselvesforthingstowhichwearenotfairlyentitled。Butallthetimeweareactingsoitisperfectlyobviousthatweareweavingveilsbetweenourselvesandothers。Youcannothavedealingswithanotherpersoninapurelytruthfulway，andbecontinuallytryingtocheatthatpersonoutofmoney，oroutofhisgoodnameandreputation。Ifyouaredoingthat，howevermuchinthebackgroundyoumaybedoingit，youarenotlookingthepersonfairlyintheface——thereisacloudbetweenyouallthetime。Solongasyoursoulisnotpurifiedfromallthesereallyabsurdandridiculouslittledesiresandsuperioritiesandself-satisfactions，whichmakeupsomuchofourlives，justsolongasthathappensyoudonotandyoucannotseethetruth。Butwhenithappenstoaperson，asitdoeshappenintimesofgreatanddeepandbitterexperience；whenithappensthatallthesetrumperylittleobjectsoflifearesweptaway；thenoccasionally，withastonishment，thesoulseesthat。

Itisalsothesouloftheothersaround。Evenifitdoesnotbecomeawareofanabsoluteidentity，itperceivesthatthereisadeeprelationshipandcommunionbetweenitselfandothers，anditcomestounderstandhowitmayreallybetruethattohimwhosesoulispurifiedtheselfisliterallytheSelfofallcreatures。

Ordinarymenandthosewhogoonmoreintellectualandlessintuitionallineswillsaythattheseideasarereallycontrarytohumannatureandtonaturegenerally。YetIthinkthatthosepeoplewhosaythisinthenameofScienceareextremelyunscientific，becauseaverysuperficialglanceatnaturerevealsthattheverysamethingistakingplacethroughoutnature。

Considerthemadrepores，corallines，orsponges。Youfind，forinstance，thatconstantlythelittleselfofthecorallineorspongeisfunctioningattheendofastemandcastingforthitstentaclesintothewatertogainfoodandtobreathetheairoutofthewater。Thatlittleanimalculethere，whichislivinginthatway，imaginesnodoubtthatitisworkingallforitself，andyetitisuniteddownthestematwhoseextremityitstands，withthelifeofthewholemadreporeorspongetowhichitbelongs。Thereisthecommonlifeofthewholeandtheindividuallifeofeach，andwhilethelittlecreatureattheendofthestemisthinking(ifitisconsciousatall)thatitswholeenergiesareabsorbedinitsownmaintenance，itreallyisfeedingthecommonlifethroughthestemtowhichitbelongs，andinitsturnitisbeingfedbythatcommonlife。

Youhaveonlytolookatanordinarytreetoseethesamethinggoingon。Eachlittleleafonatreemayverynaturallyhavesufficientconsciousnesstobelievethatitisanentirelyseparatebeingmaintainingitselfinthesunlightandtheair，witheringawayanddyingwhenthewintercomeson——andthereisanendofit。Itprobablydoesnotrealizethatallthetimeitisbeingsupportedbythesapwhichflowsfromthetrunkofthetree，andthatinitsturnitisfeedingthetree，too——thatitsselfistheselfofthewholetree。Iftheleafcouldreallyunderstanditself，itwouldseethatitsselfwasdeeply，intimatelyconnected，practicallyonewiththelifeofthewholetree。Therefore，IsaythatthisIndianviewisnotunscientific。

Onthecontrary，Iamsurethatitisthoroughlyscientific。

Letustakeanotherpassage，outofthe"SvetasvataraUpanishad，"

which，speakingoftheselfsays:“HeistheoneGod，hiddeninallcreatures，allpervading，theselfwithinall，watchingoverallworks，shadowingallcreatures，thewitness，theperceiver，theonlyonefreefromqualities。”

Andnowwecanreturntothepointwherewelefttheargumentatthebeginningofthisdiscourse。Wesaid，youremember，thattheSelfiscertainlynomerebundleofqualities——thattheverynatureofthemindforbidsusthinkingthat。Forhoweverfineandsubtleanyqualityorgroupofqualitiesmaybe，weareirresistiblycompelledbythenatureoftheminditselftolookfortheSelf，notinanyqualityorqualities，butinthebeingthatPERCEIVESthosequalities。ThepassageIhavejustquotedsaysthatbeingis“TheoneGod，hiddeninallcreatures，allpervading，theselfwithinall……thewitness，theperceiver，theonlyonefreefromqualities。”AndthemoreyouthinkaboutittheclearerIthinkyouwillseethatthispassageiscorrect——thattherecanbeonlyONEwitness，ONE

perceiver，andthatistheoneGodhiddeninallcreatures，“SarvaSakshi，“theUniversalWitness。

Haveyoueverhadthatcuriousfeeling，notuncommon，especiallyinmomentsofvividexperienceandemotion，thattherewasatthebackofyourmindawitness，watchingeverythingthatwasgoingon，yettoodeepforyourordinarythoughttograsp?Hasitnotoccurredtoyou——inamomentsayofgreatdangerwhenthemindwasagitatedtothelastdegreebyfearsandanxieties——suddenlytobecomeperfectlycalmandcollected，torealizethatNOTHINGcanharmyou，thatyouareidentifiedwithsomegreatanduniversalbeingliftedfaroverthismortalworldandunaffectedbyitsstorms?IsitnotobviousthattherealSelfMUSTbesomethingofthisnature，abeingperceivingall，butitselfremainingunperceived?Forindeedifitwereperceiveditwouldfallundertheheadofsomedefinablequality，andsobecomingtheobjectofthoughtwouldceasetobethesubject，wouldceasetobetheSelf。

Thewitnessisandmustbe“freefromqualities。”ForsinceitiscapableofperceivingALLqualitiesitmustobviouslynotbeitselfimprisonedortiedinanyquality——itmusteitherbeentirelywithoutquality，orifithavethepotentialityofqualityinit，itmusthavethepotentialityofEVERYquality；

butineithercaseitcannotbeinbondagetoanyquality，andineithercaseitwouldappearthattherecanbeonlyONEsuchultimateWitnessintheuniverse。ForifthereweretwoormoresuchWitnesses，thenweshouldbecompelledtosupposethemdistinguishedfromoneanotherbysomething，andthatsomethingcouldonlybeadifferenceofqualities，whichwouldbecontrarytoourconclusionthatsuchaWitnesscannotbeinbondagetoanyquality。

ThereisthenItakeit——asthetextinquestionsays——onlyoneWitness，oneSelf，throughouttheuniverse。Itishiddeninalllivingthings，menandanimalsandplants；itpervadesallcreation。IneverythingthathasconsciousnessitistheSelf；itwatchesoveralloperations，itovershadowsallcreatures，itmovesinthedepthsofourhearts，theperceiver，theonlybeingthatiscognizantofallandyetfreefromall。

Onceyoureallyappropriatethistruth，andassimilateitinthedepthsofyourmind，avastchange(youcaneasilyimagine)

willtakeplacewithinyou。Thewholeworldwillbetransformed，andeverythoughtandactofwhichyouarecapablewilltakeonadifferentcolorandcomplexion。Indeedtherevolutionwillbesovastthatitwouldbequiteimpossibleformewithinthelimitsofthisdiscoursetodescribeit。Iwill，however，occupytherestofmytimeindealingwithsomepointsandconclusions，andsomementalchangeswhichwillflowperfectlynaturallyfromthisaxiomaticchangetakingplaceattheveryrootoflife。

“Freefromqualities。”Wegenerallyprideourselvesalittleonourqualities。Someofusthinkagreatdealofourgoodqualities，andsomeofusareratherashamedofourbadones！Iwouldsay:“Donottroubleverymuchaboutallthat。Whatgoodqualitiesyouhave——wellyoumaybequitesuretheydonotreallyamounttomuch；andwhatbadqualities，youmaybesuretheyarenotveryimportant！Donotmaketoomuchfussabouteither。Doyousee?Thethingisthatyou，youyourself，arenotANYofyourqualities——

youarethebeingthatperceivesthem。Thethingtoseetoisthattheyshouldnotconfuseyou，bamboozleyou，andhideyoufromtheknowledgeofyourself——thattheyshouldnotbeerectedintoascreen，tohideyoufromothers，ortheothersfromyou。

Ifyouceasefromrunningafterqualities，thenafteralittletimeyoursoulwillbecomepurified，andyouwillKNOWthatyourselfistheSelfofallcreatures；andwhenyoucanfeelthatyouwillknowthattheotherthingsdonotmuchmatter。

Sometimespeoplearesoawfullygoodthattheirverygoodnesshidesthemfromotherpeople。Theyreallycannotbeonalevelwithothers，andtheyfeelthattheothersarefarbelowthem。Consequentlytheir"selves"areblindedorhiddenbytheir"goodness。"Itisasadendtocometo！Andsometimesithappensthatvery"bad"people——justbecausetheyaresobad——donoterectanyscreensorveilsbetweenthemselvesandothers。Indeedtheyareonlytoogladifotherswillrecognizethem，oriftheymaybeallowedtorecognizeothers。

Andso，afterall，theycomenearerthetruththantheverygoodpeople。

“TheSelfisfreefromqualities。”Thatthingwhichissodeep，whichbelongstoall，iteither——asIhavealreadysaid——

hasALLqualities，orithasnone。You，towhomIamspeakingnow，yourqualities，goodandbad，areallmine。Iamperfectlywillingtoacceptthem。Theyareallrightenoughandinplace——ifonecanonlyfindtheplacesforthem。ButIknowthatinmostcasestheyhavegotsoconfusedandmixedupthattheycausegreatconflictandpaininthesoulsthatharborthem。Ifyouattaintoknowingyourselftobeotherthanandseparatefromthequalities，thenyouwillpassbelowandbeyondthemall。YouwillbeabletoacceptALLyourqualitiesandharmonizethem，andyoursoulwillbeatpeace。Youwillbefreefromthedominationofqualitiesthenbecauseyouwillknowthatamongallthemultitudesofthemtherearenoneofanyimportance！

Ifyoushouldhappensomedaytoreachthatstateofmindinconnectionwithwhichthisrevelationcomes，thenyouwillfindtheexperienceamostextraordinaryone。Youwillbecomeconsciousthatthereisnobarrierinyourpath；thatthewayisopeninalldirections；thatallmenandwomenbelongtoyou，arepartofyou。Youwillfeelthatthereisagreatopenimmenseworldaround，whichyouhadneversuspectedbefore，whichbelongstoyou，andtherichesofwhichareallyours，waitingforyou。Itmay，ofcourse，takecenturiesandthousandsofyearstorealizethisthoroughly，butthereitis。Youarejustatthethreshold，peepinginatthedoor。WhatdidShakespearesay?“Tothineownselfbetrue，anditmustfollowasthenighttheday，thoucan"stnotthenbefalsetoanyman。”Whataprofoundbitofphilosophyinthreelines！

Idoubtifanywherethebasisofallhumanlifehasbeenexpressedmoreperfectlyandtersely。

OneoftheUpanishads(theMaitrayana-Brahmana)says:

“Thehappinessbelongingtoamind，whichthroughdeepinwardness[1](orunderstanding)hasbeenwashedcleanandhasenteredintotheSelf，isathingbeyondthepowerofwordstodescribe:itcanonlybeperceivedbyaninnerfaculty。”Observetheconviction，theintensitywithwhichthisjoy，thishappinessisdescribed，whichcomestothosewhosemindshavebeenwashedclean(fromallthesillytrumperysedimentofself-thought)andhavebecometransparent，sothatthegreatuniversalBeingresidingthereinthedepthscanbeperceived。

Whatsorrowindeed，what，grief，cancometosuchanonewhohasseenthisvision?Itistrulyathingbeyondthepowerofwordstodescribe:itcanonlybePERCEIVED——andthatbyaninnerfaculty。Theexternalapparatusofthoughtisofnouse。

Argumentisofnouse。Butexperienceanddirectperceptionarepossible；andprobablyalltheexperiencesoflifeandofmankindthroughtheagesaregraduallydeepeningourpowersofperceptiontothatpointwherethevisionwillatlastriseupontheinwardeye。

[1]ThewordintheMaxMullertranslationis“meditation。”Butthatis，Ithink，asomewhatmisleadingword。ItsuggeststomostpeopletheturninginwardoftheTHINKINGfacultytogropeanddelveintheinteriorofthemind。ThisisjustwhatshouldNOT

bedone。MeditationinthepropersenseshouldmeantheinwarddeepeningofFEELINGandconsciousnesstilltheregionoftheuniversalselfisreached；butTHOUGHTshouldnotinterferethere。Thatshouldbeturnedonoutwardthingstomouldthemintoexpressionoftheinnerconsciousness。

Anothertext，fromtheBrihad-AranyakaUpanishad(whichIhavealreadyquotedinthepaperon“Rest“)，says:“IfamanworshiptheSelfonlyashistruestate，hisworkcannotfail，forwhateverhedesires，thatheobtainsfromtheSelf。”

Isthatnotmagnificent?IfyoutrulyrealizeyouridentityandunionwiththegreatSelfwhoinspiresandinformstheworld，thenobviouslywhateveryoudesirethegreatSelfwindesire，andthewholeworldwillconspiretobringittoyou。

“Hemakeththewindshisangels，andtheflamingfireshisministers。”[IneednotsaythatIamnotaskingyoutotryandidentifyyourselfwiththegreatSelfuniversalINORDERtogetriches，“opulence，“andotherthingsofthatkindwhichyoudesire；becauseinthatquestyouwillprobablynotsucceed。

TheGreatSelfisnotsuchafoolastobetakenininthatway。

Itmaybetrue——anditistrue——thatifyeseekFIRSTtheKingdomofHeavenallthesethingsshallbeaddeduntoyou；butyoumustseekitfirst，notsecond。]

HereisapassagefromTowardsDemocracy:“Asspacespreadseverywhere，andallthingsmoveandchangewithinit，butitmovesnotnorchanges，“SoIamthespacewithinthesoul，ofwhichthespacewithoutisbutthesimilitudeandmentalimage；

“Comestthoutoinhabitme，thouhasttheentrancetoalllife——deathshallnolongerdividetheefromwhomthoulovest。

“IamtheSunthatshinesuponallcreaturesfromwithin——

gazestthouuponme，thoushaltbefilledwithjoyeternal。”

Yes，thisgreatsunisthere，alwaysshining，butmostofthetimeitishiddenfromusbythecloudsofwhichIhavespoken，andwefailtoseeit。Wecomplainofbeingoutinthecold；

andinthecold，forthetimebeing，nodoubtweare；butourreturntothewarmthandthelighthasnowbecomepossible。

ThusatlasttheEgo，themortalimmortalself——disclosedatfirstindarknessandfearandignoranceinthegrowingbabe——FINDSITSTRUEIDENTITY。Foralongperioditisbaffledintryingtounderstandwhatitis。Itgoesthroughavastexperience。Itistormentedbythesenseofseparationandalienation——alienationfromotherpeople，andpersecutionbyallthegreatpowersandforcesoftheuniverse；anditispursuedbyasenseofitsowndoom。Itsdoomtrulyisirrevocable。Thehouroffulfilmentapproaches，theveillifts，andthesoulbeholdsatlastITSOWNTRUEBEING。

Weareaccustomedtothinkoftheexternalworldaroundusasanastytiresomeoldthingofwhichallwecansayforcertainisthatitworksbya“lawofcussedness“——sothat，whicheverwaywewanttogo，thatwayseemsalwaysbarred，andweonlybumpagainstblindwallswithoutmakinganyprogress。

Butthatuncomfortablestateofaffairsarisesfromourselves。

Oncewehavepassedacertainbarrier，whichatpresentlookssofrowningandimpossible，butwhichfadesintonothingimmediatelywehavepassedit——oncewehavefoundtheopensecretofidentity——thenthewayisindeedopenineverydirection。

Theworldinwhichwelive——theworldintowhichwearetumbledaschildrenatthefirstonsetofself-consciousness——

deniesthisgreatfactofunity。Itisaworldinwhichtheprincipleofseparationrules。Insteadofacommonlifeandunionwitheachother，thecontraryprinciple(especiallyinthelatercivilizations)hasbeentheonerecognized——andtosuchanextentthatalwaysthereprevailstheobsessionofseparation，andtheconvictionthateachpersonisanisolatedunit。Thewholeofourmodernsocietyhasbeenfoundedonthisdelusiveidea，WHICHISFALSE。Yougointothemarkets，andeveryman"shandisagainsttheothers——thatistherulingprinciple。YougointotheLawCourtswherejusticeis，orshouldbe，administered，andyoufindthattheprinciplewhichdeniesunityistheonethatprevails。Thecriminal(whoseactionshavereallybeendeterminedbythesocietyaroundhim)iscastout，disacknowledged，andcondemnedtofurtherisolationinaprisoncell。"Property"againistheprinciplewhichrulesanddeterminesourmoderncivilization——namelythatwhichisproperto，orcanbeappropriatedby，eachperson，asAGAINSTtheothers。

Inthemoralworldthedoomofseparationcomestousintheshapeofthesenseofsin。Forsinisseparation。Sinisactually(andthatisitsonlyrealmeaning)theseparationfromothers，andthenon-acknowledgmentofunity。Andsoithascomeaboutthatduringallthiscivilization-periodthesenseofsinhasruledandrangedtosuchanextraordinarydegree。Societyhasbeenbuiltonafalsebase，nottruetofactorlife——andhashadadimuneasyconsciousnessofitsfalseness。Meanwhileattheheartofitall——andwithinallthefranticexternalstrifeandwarfare——thereisallthetimethisrealgreatlifebrooding。ThekingdomofHeaven，aswesaidbefore，isstillwithin。

ThewordDemocracyindicatessomethingofthekind——theruleoftheDemos，thatisofthecommonlife。Thecomingofthatwilltransform，notonlyourMarketsandourLawCourtsandoursenseofProperty，andotherinstitutions，intosomethingreallygreatandgloriousinsteadofthedismalmassesofrubbishwhichtheyatpresentare；butitwilltransformoursenseofMorality。

OurMoralityatpresentconsistsintheideaofself-goodness——oneofthemostperniciousanddisgustingideaswhichhaseverinfestedthehumanbrain。IfanyoneshouldfollowandassimilatewhatIhavejustsaidaboutthetruenatureoftheSelfhewillrealizethatitwillneveragainbepossibleforhimtocongratulatehimselfonhisowngoodnessormoralityorsuperiority；forthemomenthedoessohewillseparatehimselffromtheuniversallife，andproclaimthesinofhisownseparation。Iagreethatthisconclusionisforsomepeopleamostsadanddishearteningone——butitcannotbehelped！

Amanmaytrulybe"good"and"moral"insomerealsense；

butonlyontheconditionthatheisnotawareofit。HecanonlyBEgoodwhennotthinkingaboutthematter；tobeconsciousofone"sowngoodnessisalreadytohavefallen！

Webeganbythinkingoftheselfasjustalittlelocalself；

thenweextendedittothefamily，thecause，thenation——evertoalargerandvasterbeing。Atlasttherecomesatimewhenwerecognize——orseethatweSHALLhavetorecognize——aninnerEqualitybetweenourselvesandallothers；notofcourseanexternalequality——forthatwouldbeabsurdandimpossible——butaninnerandprofoundanduniversalEquality。Andsowecomeagaintothemysticroot-conceptionofDemocracy。

Andnowitwillbesaid:“ButafterallthistalkyouhavenotdefinedtheSelf，orgivenusanyintellectualoutlineofwhatyoumeanbytheword。”No——andIdonotintendto。IfIcould，byanysortofcopybookdefinition，describeandshowtheboundariesofmyself，Ishouldobviouslyloseallinterestinthesubject。Nothingmoredullcouldbeimagined。Imaybeabletodefineanddescribefairlyexhaustivelythisinkpotonthetable；butforyouorformetogivethelimitsandboundariesofourselvesis，Iamgladtosay，impossible。Thatdoesnot，however，meanthatwecannotFEELandbeCONSCIOUS

ofourselves，andofourrelationstootherselves，andtothegreatWhole。OnthecontraryIthinkitisclearthatthemorevividlywefeelourorganicunitywiththewhole，thelessshallwebeabletoseparateoffthelocalselfandencloseitwithinanydefinition。ItakeitthatwecananddobecomeevermorevividlyconsciousofourtrueSelf，butthatthementalstatementofitalwaysdoesandprobablyalwayswillliebeyondus。Alllifeandallouractionandexperienceconsistinthegradualmanifestationofthatwhichiswithinus——ofourinnerbeing。

Inthatsense——andreadingitshandwritingontheouterworld——wecometoknowthesoul"struenaturemoreandmoreintimately；weenterintothemindofthatgreatartistwhobeholdshimselfinhisowncreation。

End