Healthy Mind and New Year

No measure of Health - J. Krishnamurti

The year 2012 did not end with pleasant memories,

Killings of children, rape and death occupied the mind.

The comments by people in positions do not give confidence, especially about incidents

of Rape.

 Comments are insensitive, escapist, medieval and not addressing the issue.

Implied suggestion seems to be

 ‘Society is sick, adjust your life style and protect your self’.

It is not a healthy sign,

Let the New Year bring beside goodies, new healthy Mind.

So that celebration of an event becomes celebration of Life.

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 28)-Gurdjieff Self-Remembering & Multiple I

 Gurdjieff Self Remembering and Multiple 'I'.

In the earlier posts,

 We saw about ‘Self-Remembering’.

Now we will see it along with multiple ‘I’s.

Self-Remembering

One may begin Self-Remembering very vaguely,

Initially one might mistake ‘Thinking about one self’ or ‘Evaluating a Situation’

 for ‘Self-Remembering’.

Though both are also a form of reflection, they are not ‘Self-Remembering’.

They are called as impure-reflection according to Sartre usage.

But, still it will help one to recognize the mechanical nature of the act.

We will try to understand it through an imaginary situation.

Supposing one is angry over another for his past deeds.

There will be an element of anger in the psyche,

One can associate several causes for the anger,

Accordingly several ‘I’s will pop up.

One ‘I’ may remember good moments, another one may remember bad moments.

An ‘I’ with a self-image might say, ‘My status is at stake’

There could be many more.

Finally,

One ‘I’ will take the precedence and expresses it self through reaction.

In this case it would be mostly negative because personalities always take the easy route.

To respond positively requires suppression or reconciliation of ‘Anger’,

which is not easy.

But one might have to suppress Anger and react politely depending on the gravity of

the situation.

But the point is anger remain.

This is normal or casual mechanical reaction based on the Past (Ego),

 One is not remembering one self, his PRESENCE in the present.

So the perception would be

‘I am angry because he is such …’ – Impure Reflection, not Self-Remembering.

Now,

If one remembers one self or become consciously aware of rising anger,

Due to such a reflection,

 Consciousness is ‘arrested’ at ‘Anger’ and not yet appealing to the Past to find the

causes of the anger, which will eventually support and sustain it.

When we say not appealing to past, not only the cause of anger but several ‘I’s connected

to the individual as mentioned above.

As there is no appeal to the past,

None of the past ‘I’s will have the potential to influence the perception of the present.

It is not that we forget, but in a sense they are not ‘Mine’ or do not belong to current the

‘I’ which is present, which alone one is conscious of.

The perception is altered as

‘Because of Anger, he appears as such …’ - Pure Reflection or Self-Remembering.

In the earlier response, the ‘Anger’ needs to be suppressed to act politely.

But now ‘Anger’ need not be suppressed or yielded to because it is not yet related to the

Past, so not recognized to gain support and sustainability from the past.

As it hangs in balance, no support exist for it to sustain it self.

So,

 One is totally free to deal with the Present situation objectively (on merit), without

Any interference from the past.

The important aspect is

 it is only the Personalities that can act mechanically like a rolling stone because they

have the momentum in the form of past experience.

Now, in the absence of the past momentum, inevitably one become conscious of the

Present and respond accordingly.

If one continues to remember one self more and more, over time,

Mechanical False Personalities are weakened and Self-Remembrance is strengthened.

One becomes more and more conscious and a depth is generated in one’s awareness.

Let us now consider a much simpler situation,

If one is thirsty, need is Water but one may prefer Coke (An imaginary Need).

Normally, one will drink Coke or suppress the Desire for Coke and drink Water.

This is the casual reaction of personalities.

But,

In self-remembering (remembering one self),

His consciousness is arrested at being Thirsty, not yet appealing to the past.

The Instinctive ‘I’ will prefer Water – an authentic (Real) biological need.

The cultivated personality would prefer Coke.

As the present ‘I’ is not influenced by the past ‘I’s.

There is no ‘Demand’ for Coke; therefore there is no ‘Suppression’ of a desire.

One is free to choose Water or Coke without any stress.

One can begin with simple situations, and move over to complex situations.

As Gurdjieff himself suggested it can and should be practiced in everyday life events.

Unlike traditional meditation techniques which are practiced in isolation in general.

In fact, Gurdjieff’s ‘Work’ or 4^th Way has no element of Faith, Belief, etc.

All depends on, how hard one works on his consciousness to become aware.

More the effort, more the depth one gains.

It is organic, not organized in a traditional manner.

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Evolution of Consciusness(Post 27)-Multiple 'I'

In the last post, an assumed ‘I’ (I not to be I), is introduced to act as an observer of

Multiple ‘I’s or ‘Personalities’.

This ‘I’ make ‘Self-Remembering’ or detached observation possible.

Now, one can identify and separate personalities.

-         Controllable and uncontrollable

-         Conducive to the ‘work’ and resisting the work

-         Imaginary needs, images etc.

Added to this, one can ask for other’s opinion.

Because, life is relationship, it is through relationship, one can really see what one is.

Especially, others can easily identify the chief feature of one’s personality.

Note:

Here, one should remember, it is not analysis of one’s personality but knowing the

personality.

For instance, if one is disappointed.

Analysis is looking at causes ( EXTERNAL)  of disappointment.

By Knowing, we mean to look at that particular ‘I’ (INTERNAL) that is disappointed – its

features such as likes, dislikes etc could be  responsible for the disappointment.

 

Back to observation,

Though in the beginning, it takes effort to ‘Self-Remember’.

The more one remember oneself, the more one will understand the personality.

It works both ways,

The more one understand the personality, the more one remember one self,

because what prevents ‘Self-Remembering’ is the mechanical nature of the personality.

Over time,

the observing ‘I’ grow stronger and the mechanical nature of Personalities  become

Weaker (Very observation weakens the mechanical aspect)

The uncontrollable and mechanical (not conscious) ‘I’s become controllable and

Conscious.

Having control does not mean,

We can eliminate a Personality altogether; because we know it is part of our survival

Strategy and also they are interconnected.

It is about being aware and controlling them like a tool.

As we gain control over more and more ‘I’s , finally we will have control over

the Ego itself.

Because, Ego-Self is the repository of all the ‘I’s and Personalities.

The Ego-Self, which controlled us for so long like a Master, is now under our control.

That is, it is no longer the Master but a Servant.

Consequence is,

‘Ego-Self’, a derived and cultivated entity from the EXTERNAL world,

That controlled one’s life with its ‘Personal’ EXTERNAL VALUES no longer

occupies its place.

This makes way for so long suppressed ‘Universal’ INNATE ESSENCE to take the place

and influence life, leading to emergence of True Self .

That is,

Internal values of ESSENCE can appear only at the expense of external values of Ego.

True-Self can appear only at the expense of Ego-Self.

 

                             “ ..Even though our outward man is perishing, 

                            yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. “ 

                                                                               Corinthians 4:16    

        

    

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 26)-Multiple 'I' & Gurdjieff's Self Remembering

Multiple 'I' and Gurdjieff's Self Remembering

 

In the last post we saw about False Personalities and the Self Remembering as a tool to

fix it.

As we have already mentioned, one can not begin with ‘what is True I or True-Self?’

It is only an idea or concept.

So, one should begin with what one is – Multiple  I or  Personalities.

Practically everyone has Personalities, Roles based on the culture and society.

It is unavoidable and necessary as a survival strategy.

Problem is identifying them as the Self itself beyond their purpose and utility.

What we call False Personalities is, which are uncontrollable, Mechanical, Strong Likes

and Dislikes, imaginary needs  and also self-images based on ideas, interests and

ambition.

They are considered false for:

What is Uncontrollable can not belong to the person.

What is Mechanical can not be ‘conscious’.

Strong likes and dislikes create prejudices, the perception is not ‘Actual’ or ‘Fact’.

Imaginary Needs are not actual Needs but learnt or cultivated.

Self Images are imaginary, imposed or cultivated and limiting factors – limiting the

perception of a situation and subsequent Response.

Let us consider some imaginary simple situations.

If one is Thirsty, actual need is Water; one may LIKE to drink COKE. -  An imaginary

need.

Wrist watch is a needed accessory but a Diamond studded watch could be based on

advancing one’s Self-Image.

A Car could be a necessity but buying a premium luxury car beyond the means could be

based on the Idea of Social Status with respect to a neighbor.

Real life situations are numerous, many of them complex, but most of the

decisions are based on ‘images’ and the actions are mechanical.

We are not suggesting abstinence or austerity of any kind but only to become conscious

(Self Remembering).

Normally, a person is completely enveloped by the Personalities, whatever he sees, hears

or do are through the personalities according to its prejudices, likes, dislikes and images.

And, most of the responses are Mechanical – not aware.

This aspect has to be realized by the person - what he perceives is not necessarily   

‘Actual’ but could be a ‘View’ of the personality.

If the Personality is modified, then the view changes.

So., it is ‘Personalities’ that make decisions, that rejoices and also suffer.

Now,

If one is surrounded by theses Images, one require a vantage point from where detached

Observation is possible.

For that,

Among the multiple ‘I’s and Personalities, one can establish one more ‘I’.

 Its feature is ‘I, not to be I ‘– that is, it won’t yield or resist the Personalities but

Will watch.

This will serve as a vantage point to observe the other ‘I’s in action.

This is an aid to ‘Self-Remembering’.

Initially, it won’t be present all the time, but gradually it will become stable.

One has to work on it; UNDER ANY situation first thought should be ‘Self-

Remembering’, even while reading this text.

Over time,

This ‘I’ will establish itself and act as a Watch Tower without being influenced.

This will prepare the ground for the True “I” to appear.

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 25)-Multiple 'I'

 Multiple 'I' and False Personalities.

According to 4^th Way, people have multiple ‘I’s, not one integrated ‘I’.

How.

Let us first look at the three centers Instinct, Emotional and Intellect.

One can consider Instinctive Functions as an ‘I’, likewise emotional and Intellectual.

Now Let us consider a situation,

Emotinally one LOVES HIS WIFE, instinctively DESIRES FOR ANOTHER WOMAN.

Here supposing,

The instinctive ‘I’ overrides the emotional ‘I' , the person builds a relationship with the other woman, 

bringing disharmony in his relationship with his wife.

And further, as defense,

The Intellectual ‘I’ may come out with all sorts of REASONS, CAUSES to justify the action.

One can easily see how MECHANICALLY,  the 'I's  played out their act.

Here,

 we are not taking any MORAL stance, the purpose is to highlight the presence of

multiple ‘I’s  and their mechanical and contradictory nature.

Added to these basic ‘I’s,

As one has to performs different roles ( Brother, Father, Businessman, Friend etc) in the society, 

 more ‘I’s  called as ‘Personalities’ are added to the above basic three 'I's.

Among them there may be common characteristics and contradictions as well. 

All these multiple ‘I’s  are basically built as a survival strategy.

But, they are not necessarily harmonious or present at the same time,

One ‘I’ may take precedence over others and the rest will hide behind depending on the situation.

Now, 

the most important aspect of these ‘I’s  or Personalities is that one is not aware of  several

‘I’s’ operating in him but believes that there is only one ‘I’ and the True one.

And moreover,

Since, one is not aware, he has no control over them.

Let us look at the above situation,

The Instinctive ‘I’ took precedence and acted,

The Emotional ‘I’ is suppressed and

The Intellectual ‘I’  supported  the action.

All the three ‘I’s involved simply reacted according to what they are, like machines.

The person in the situation had no control whatsoever over the ‘I’s.

These ‘I’s controlled everything and the person did not have the slightest control over

them.

What we can not control can not belong to us.

So, these ‘I’s or Personalities do not belong to that person.

In other words, they are not True but False ‘I’s..

These are called as False Personalities.

In any situation,

False Personalities controls everything, and the person in the situation has no control over

them.

And so, all False personalities are wholly mechanical in nature.

They can only REACT according to what they are but never RESPOND to a situation.

When we say RESPOND, we mean taking an integrated view of the situation.

We saw in the above example, only fragmented INSTINCTVE view was in

Consideration, emotional (Family), and intellectual (Social) view did not appear.

Going beyond the example, we can examine many situations ourselves and figure out the False

Personalities and their mechanical nature.

We have already seen in the earlier posts that 'Personality' or 'Ego-Self' is a cultivated entity and the 

'Essence' or 'True-Self' is the real 'I'.

We will see, how to identify the False Personalities and  bring out the real  'I' .

Self-Remembering is the tool to do that.

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 24)-Gurdjieff & Sartre

 Self-Remembering And Pure-Reflection 

 In this post we will see the similarity between Gurdjieff’s  ‘Self-Remembering’ and

‘Sartre’s ‘Pure Reflection’.

By understanding Pure Reflection, we can understand the principles behind ‘Self

Remembering’.

We will start with, how consciousness perceives an object.

For instance

If we look at the computer, we can look at it from a particular angle only.

What we can see is only a profile of the computer, there is no way we can see the ‘Entire

Computer’.

And, there are as many profiles as there are angles.

So, our ‘immediate’ perception is only a profile of the computer.

The ‘Entire Computer’ we recognize is constituted by the mind through the profile.

So the object ‘Entire Computer’ can be logically considered as unity of all this possible

profiles.

But,

we can not directly see the  ‘Entire Computer’ in isolation, it appears when we are

‘Conscious’ of its profile.

Similarly, we can not see our 'Ego' in isolation, it only appears in our engagements. 

Now generally, when one is looking at an object

Pure Reflection

 

The immediate or ‘momentary consciousness’ is that of a profile (appearance).

If one can stop and Reflect (become aware) on the ‘momentary consciousness’,

what one becomes aware is just ‘seeing  an object of some shape and color’ not the

‘Entire Object’ 

Impure Reflection.

 

Further down the reflection one become aware of ‘seeing the Entire Object’

Now, we will move from Physical to Psychological plane.

Say,

If one sees a man he hates or dislikes , anger or resentment rises.

Initially one is conscious of ‘Resentment’ (Profile),

then the mind constitutes it as ‘ I am angry because He is such’. (Entire Object)

So the ‘momentary consciousness’ is a sense of resentment to begin with.

If one can stop and Reflect (become aware) on the ‘momentary consciousness’, what is

perceived is only Resentment, not yet ‘Qualified as angry because of Him’.

This is ‘Pure Reflection’.

(The common Impure Reflection comes later after the mind constitutes the object 

‘I am angry because He is such a person’)

 Now, in pure reflection the emotion (‘resentment’) exists in isolation without being

supported by a cause ( Constituted Cause ) . 

Just like profile of a computer ( object of some color and shape ) in isolation 

without being supported by the  'Entire Object' Computer.

In this situation, one can not come to any judgement or conclusion to do anything.

'Anger' can not be recognized as such without the 'Person' who caused it. 

So the 'Anger' dissolves.

( One can test it generally, 

No  'Feeling' can be recognized as a particular emotion without a 'Thought of a cause or person'.)

But, what is vitally  important is  ‘Pure Reflection’ has the potential to effect a Catharsis like

operation on the psyche by reversing the perception.

 That is,

In normal impure reflection the perception is

‘I am angry because he is such’

But in Pure-Reflection, the reversed perception is

‘My anger only makes him appear as such (Bad), NEED not be so’.

It makes it possible not only to dissolve the Anger, but to deal with him without

 the burden of the Past(Ego).

There is a possibility of  having  ‘Qualitatively new  Relationship' ,

Applying it to entire 'Ego-Self;.

There is a possibility of  'New Existence with a New Mind’.

The life of  rearranged or modified past has come to an end.

That is the reason why Sartre calls ‘Pure Reflection’ as ‘Purifying Reflection’.

Gurdjieff’s ‘Self Remembering’ and Sartre’s ‘Pure Reflection’ are similar in essence.

The following quote by Gurdjieff  would make it more clear.

“Self-observation brings man to the realization of the necessity of self-change. And in

observing himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes

in his inner processes… “

So,

By  ‘Self Remembering’, one can begin the journey from ‘Ego-Self’ to ‘True-Self’.

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 23)- Self Remembering (2)

Self-Rememberence & Jean Paul Sartre's Pure & Impure Reflection

In the last post we saw about Gurdjieff ‘s ‘self-remembering’ method in some detail.

In this post we will see some theoretical aspects of ‘Self Remembering’ through Jean Paul Sartre.

 

Jean Paul Sartre.

According to Sartre , becoming aware of one’s act ( he calls it Reflective Consciousness)

has two types.

Namely,

’Impure Reflection’ and ‘Pure Reflection’.

Let us revisit the example of a man watching a movie to understand the two types

Man is absorbed in the movie, experiencing it with a particular point of view.

He can not ‘see’ the experiencing ‘Me’  because his attention is occupied by the

‘Movie’, But he is perfectly aware of the ‘Me’ all the time, throughout the movie.

It is something like Eyes that see, but one do not see the Eyes.

Now,

 if the man becomes aware that ‘I am watching the Movie’.

Then,

his attention is occupied by the ‘Me’ instead of the ’Movie’.

Sartre call this ‘Reflective Consciousness’ where as the earlier one is ‘Non-Reflective Consciousness’.

Our concern is,

when the man ‘reflects’ or ‘becomes aware’, what kind of  ‘Me’ occupies his attention.

Impure Reflection

He can apprehend the ‘Me’ as an object, outside his consciousness of watching the movie , just like 

observing other man’s ego.

He can make judgments about the experience according to his ego (knowledge)

This is called Impure Reflection.

Pure Reflection

Otherwise,

He can apprehend the ‘Me’ as quasi object, within his consciousness of watching the movie

That is, the ‘Me’ is operating but not as part of his ego object , not yet associated with ‘Ego’,

And, as the ‘Me’ is not outside his consciousness of watching the movie as a part of his 'Ego'.

He can not make any judgment about the experience and also

He can not have any point of view about the ‘Me’ (That is why it is quasi object)

Perception of the quasi ‘Me’ is nether related to nor altered by the ego,

It is like experience is completely neither ‘Mine’ nor ‘Other’s’, it is a simple presence .

This is called Pure Reflection.

The ‘Impure Reflection’ is reflecting on the ‘Me’ as an object –Past

The ‘Pure Reflection’ is reflecting on the ‘Me’ spontaneously – Presence

Impure Reflection is what we commonly call as ‘Remembering’

But, what Gurdjieff refers in ‘Self Remembering’ is Pure Reflection.

This explanation may enable us to see the difference and do the right thing.

Technically, Pure Reflection is the foundation on which Impure Reflection appears.

If lucky enough, one can experience it without will or effort.

When we wake up from sleep, immediate perception is ‘Pure’ because it takes little time

for the ego to appear and color the perception.

In those instances one can practically experience ‘Pure Reflection’ or ‘Self

Remembering’.

Poem ! (Benediction in the Air) - J.Krishnamurti

Benediction in the Air

 

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 22)- Self-Remembering(Gurdjieff)

There are several meditation techniques to know one self.

And, basically it all depends on one’s inclination, temperament to choose a suitable 

technique.

We have chosen ‘Self-Remembering’ by Gurdjieff for its simplicity, it doesn’t require 

any special knowledge, place or training. 

Its simplicity does not imply that it is easy.

It demands undivided attention to sustain it.

Now,

What is ‘Self-Remembering?’ 

In Gurdjieff’s own words

 "There are moments when you become aware not only of what you are doing but 

also of  yourself doing it. You see both ‘I’ and the ‘here’ of ‘I am here’- both the 

anger and the ‘I’ that is angry. Call this self-remembering if you like."

For those who are not able make out anything substantial by reading Gurdjieff’s  words,

Let us elaborate his words by taking the ‘Anger’ portion of the definition. 

There are two parts in it.

1.      The Anger and 2. ‘I’ that is angry.

The first one ‘The Anger’ is abstract, the uncomfortable feeling that rises before being 

named as ‘Anger’

The second one ‘I that is angry’, is concrete, after the feeling is recognized by the ‘Me’ 

Or ‘Ego-Self’ in relation to its past events or persons as ‘Anger’.

This will become clearer if we compare the ‘Anger’ of a child with that of grownups.

 When a child gets 'Angry', it is just an uncomfortable feeling (Natural Response).

For the child ‘I that is angry’ do not exist.

Because there is no strong Ego-Self (repository of past is least) in the child to recognize 

the feeling from the past and Relate it to events or persons to name it or sustain it. 

So, we can say in a child, it is only ‘Anger’ that exists, not ‘I that is Angry’ 

(‘Anger’ is the word we use for understanding, for the child it is not so)

That is the reason why a child can be ‘Angry’ one moment and ‘Joyful’ the next 

moment.

There is no residue (thoughts) of any gone through feeling left in the psyche. 

Only for the grownups, the Anger, an uncomfortable feeling to start with,

becomes the ‘I  that is Angry ’ after being recognized by the Ego-Self  with respect to its 

past events or persons making it concrete and also sustainable.

And, all the other consequences follow mechanically.

 

So, the ‘Self-Remembering’ is being aware of both the ‘uncomfortable feeling’ in the 

beginning and the operation of the ‘Me’ or ‘Ego-Self’ (past thoughts) that qualifies it 

as ‘Anger’.

This explanation would also make clear  what is not ‘Self-Remememrance’ 

In the beginning, one may not see the interval between abstract ‘Anger'(Feeling without the word) 

and the qualified ‘I that is Angry’.

It is an unordinary interval to discover, perhaps a gateway to ‘Know thyself’.

At least now, we know there is such a thing.

We will move over from definition. 

Fortunately we do self-remember some events without being aware.

If one tries to recollect the past events, the vivid and nostalgic ones are mostly ’self-

remembered ‘ events at that time.

One can check this out with their own experiences.

Now let us take a popular example to bring more clarity.

One is WATCHING a movie and naturally involved in the story, events and characters.

His mind or consciousness is involved or occupied by the story.

He is not aware of anything else and certainly not aware that he is watching a movie.

The moment he become aware of his watching, his involvement in the movie stops.

This is the first part of self-remembrance.

Now,

He was not only watching the movie, but also experiencing (Enjoyable, Boring etc).

If he become aware of the ‘Me’ or ‘Ego-Self’ which is qualifying the movie as 

Enjoyable, Boring etc. 

That is the second part of the ‘Self-Remembrance’.

So, in ‘Self-Remembering’, one is now not only aware of ‘watching’ but also aware of 

the ‘I’ or ‘Me’ that is experiencing – that is one become aware of the contents of  ‘Me’ 

that qualifies the experience as good or bad objectively. 

If one really makes ‘contact’ with this awareness, one can practically ‘see’ the ‘Me’ away 

from himself, its  mechanical or robotic nature and its unreality.

But to begin with this exercise, 

One can start by "listening to one’s own words and voice while speaking."

More the occasions, more the clarity one gains about the nature the 'Me' or 'Ego-Self' .

We may have to see more about 'Self-Remembering', because it is simple( not easy) and can be very   

effective tool one can have.

Evolution of Consciusness(Post 21)-Know Thyself

Self Remembering and Know Thyself

In the last post we saw the necessity of liberating the Mind from its past ,

Where, ‘Ego-Self’ is the repository of all that is past.

And, we have also seen the extreme difficulty in moving away from one’s Ego .

Promises, Coercion, Torture, Persuasion, Training, nothing succeeded in their mission of 

liberating the Mind from the clutches of Ego.

Above things failed because they were either persuading or forcing someone to 

BECOME what he is not (Psychologically).

We have already seen this aspect, let us approach it bit differently.

Becoming is like reaching out to something, and also holding on to what one has.

It is quite normal in the physical world but murky in the psychological plane.

Say for instance,

One can hold on to his ‘old house’ and reach out for a ‘new house’.

But one can not hold on to ‘Anger’ and reach out to ‘Non-Anger’.

For reasons,

As long as one is holding on to ‘Anger’, one can not be ‘Non-Angry’.

And moreover, if one takes a closer look,


 Non-anger is a mere word for ‘Absence of Anger’, it has no independent 

Existence but for ‘Anger’ (There is no ‘Feeling’ such as non-anger).

So, actually there is nothing to reach out, what one can do is let go of Anger.

That is, there is no becoming, either one is angry or not-angry.

The ‘Non-Anger’, the psychological dual opposite of Anger, is simply an invention of 

the Mind, like psychological time to realize it. 

We have already seen this aspect of illusion.

Coming to Ego/Ego-Self,

One tend to do the same thing, that is

Holding on to the ‘Ego-Self’ and also trying to reach the ‘Egoless-Self‘.

The egoless-self is like non-anger, an invention of the mind.

Egoless-Self is just an idea, it has no independent existence but for Ego-Self.

So, here again, there is no becoming, one has to let go of the ‘Ego-Self’.

That is not easy, because ego is what one is.

If one is asked to let go of Ego, then the question will be ‘then, Who am I?’.

This question is raised by the Ego, because abstractly it project egoless self and 

comes out with a void or emptiness.

So, one has to begin with what one is, not on the ideas of a soul or true-self..

That is to know one-self.

Since ancient times, almost in all societies, there existed a saying in one form or another,

‘Know thyself, you will know the rest’.

The Greek maxim ‘Know thyself’ is probably not knowledge of one self but knowing one self.

To know anything, one has to observe it without bias and attachment.

There are many methods suggested by many systems.

And ‘Self-Remembering’ is one of the methods, suggested by Gurdjieff to observe one self.

We will see what is Self-Remembering and how to apply it.