"Under the conditions of modern life we have more control over our thoughts, and in connection with this there is a special method by which we may work on the development of our consciousness using that instrument which is most obedient to our will; that is, our mind, or the intellectual centre. In order to understand more clearly what I am going to say, you must try to remember that we have no control over our consciousness. When I said that we can become more conscious, or that a man can be made conscious for a moment simply by asking him if he is conscious or not, I used the words "conscious" or "consciousness" in a relative sense. There are so many degrees of consciousness and every higher degree means "consciousness" in relation to a lower degree. But, if we have no control over consciousness itself, we have a certain control over our thinking about consciousness, and we can construct our thinking in such a way as to bring consciousness. What I mean is that by giving to our thoughts the direction which they would have in a moment of consciousness, we can, in this way, induce consciousness."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Fourth Lecture, p. 74
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._D._Ouspensky
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"Hints towards the solution of the problem of Eternity can be found in the various symbols and allegories of ancient r…"
"I felt that on a basis of a "search for the miraculous" it would be possible to unite together a very large number of…"
"When a man begins to know himself a little he will see in himself many things that are bound to horrify him. So long …"
"The problem of Eternity, of which the face of the Sphinx speaks, takes us into the realm of the impossible. Even the …"
"Generally speaking, the significance of the indirect results may very often be of more importance than the significan…"
"Two things can get people to make efforts: if people want to get something, or if they want to get rid of something. …"
"It is only when we realize that life is taking us nowhere that it begins to have meaning."
"I Saw the Man. His figure reached from earth to heaven and was clad in a purple mantle. He stood deep in foliage and …"
"With his hands he unites heaven and earth, and the four elements that form the world are controlled by him. The four …"
"And I saw another man. Tired and lame he dragged himself along the dusty road, across the deserted plain under the sc…"