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
