MAN IS A PLURAL BEING

Man is a plural being.
When we speak of ourselves ordinarily, we speak of 'I.' We say, "
'I' did this," " 'I' think this," " 'I' want to do this"—but this is a
mistake.
There is no such 'I,' or rather there are hundreds, thousands
of little I's in every one of us. We are divided in ourselves but
we cannot recognize the plurality of our being except by observation
and study. At one moment it is one 'I that acts, at
the next moment it is another 'I.' It is because the I's in ourselves
are contradictory that we do not function harmoniously.
We live ordinarily with only a very minute part of our functions
and our strength, because we do not recognize that we
are machines, and we do not know the nature and working of
our mechanism. We are machines.
We are governed entirely by external circumstances. All our
actions follow the line of least resistance to the pressure of outside
circumstances.
Try for yourselves: can you govern your emotions? No. You
may try to suppress them or cast out one emotion by another
emotion. But you cannot control it. It controls you. Or you
may decide to do something—your intellectual 'I' may make
such a decision. But when the time comes, to do it, you may
find yourself doing just the opposite.





































Man is subject to many influences, which can be divided into
two categories. First, those which result from chemical and
physical causes, and second, those which are associative in origin
and are a result of our conditioning.
Chemico-physical influences are material in nature and result
from the mixture of two substances which produce something
new. They arise independently of us. They act from
without.
For example, someone's emanations may combine with mine
—the mixture produces something new. And this is true not
only of external emanations; the same thing also happens inside
a man.
You perhaps have noticed that you feel at ease or ill at ease
when someone is sitting close to you. When there is no accord,
we feel ill at ease.
Each man has different kinds of emanations, with their own ,
laws, allowing of various combinations. ;
Emanations of one center form various combinations with
emanations of another center. This kind of combination is '
chemical. Emanations vary, even depending on whether I had
tea or coffee.
Associative influences are quite different. If someone pushes
Page 255
me or weeps, the resulting action on me is mechanical. It
touches off some memory and this memory or association gives
rise in me to other associations, and so on. Owing to this shock
my feelings, my thoughts change. Such a process is not chemical
but mechanical.
These two kinds of influences come from things that are
near to us. But there are also other influences which come
from big things, from the earth, from the planets and from the
sun, where laws of a different order operate. At the same time
there are many influences of these great entities which cannot
reach us if we are wholly under the influence of small things.
First, to speak about chemico-physical influences. I said that
man has several centers. I spoke about the -carriage, the horse
and the driver, and also about the shafts, the reins and the
ether. Everything has its emanations and its atmosphere. The
nature of each atmosphere is different from others because
each has a different origin, each has different properties, and a
different content. They are similar to one another, but the vibrations
of their matter differ.
The carriage, our body, has an atmosphere with its own special
properties.
My feelings also produce an atmosphere, the emanations of
which may go a long way.
When I think as a result of my associations, the result is emanations
of a third kind.
When there is a passenger instead of an empty place in the
carriage, emanations are also different, distinct from the emanations
of the driver. The passenger is not a country bumpkin;
he thinks of philosophy and not about whiskey.
Thus every man may have four kinds of emanations, but not
necessarily. Of some emanations he may have more, of others
less. People are different in this respect; and one and the same
man may also be different at different times. I had coffee but
he hadn't—the atmosphere is different. I smoke but she sighs.
There is always interaction, at times bad for me, at other
Page 256
times good. Every minute I am this or that, and around me it
is so or so. And the influences inside me also vary. I can
change nothing. I am a slave. These influences I call chemicophysical.
Associative influences, on the other hand, are quite different.
Let us take first the associative influences on me of "form."
Form influences me. I am accustomed to see a particular
form, and when it is absent I am afraid. Form gives the initial
shock to my associations. For example, beauty is also form. In
reality we cannot see form as it is, we only see an image.
The second of these associative influences is my feelings, my
sympathies or antipathies.
Your feelings affect me, my feelings react correspondingly.
But sometimes it happens the other way round. It depends on
the combinations. Either you influence me or I influence you.
This influence may be called "relationship."
The third of these associative influences may be called "persuasion"
or "suggestion." For example, one man persuades another
with words. One persuades you, you persuade another.
Everybody persuades, everybody suggests.
The fourth of these associative influences is the superiority
of one man over another. Here there may be no influence of
form or feeling. You may know that a given man is more
clever, wealthier, can talk about certain things; in a word, possesses
something special, some authority. This affects you because
it is superior to you, and it happens without any feelings.
So these are eight kinds of influences. Half of them are
chemico-physical, the other half associative.
In addition there exist other influences which affect us most
seriously. Every moment of our life, every feeling and thought
is colored by planetary influences. To these influences also we
are slaves.
I shall dwell only briefly on this aspect and shall then return
to the main subject. Don't forget what we have been speaking
Page 257
about. Most people are inconsistent and constantly stray from
the subject.
The earth and all other planets are in constant motion, each
with a different velocity. Sometimes they approach one another,
at other times they recede from one another. Their mutual
interaction is thus intensified or weakened, or even ceases
altogether. Generally speaking, planetary influences on the
earth alternate; now one planet acts, now another, now a
third, and so on. Some day we shall examine the influence of
each planet separately, but at present, in order to give you a
general idea, we shall take them in their totality.
Schematically we can picture these influences in the following
way. Imagine a big wheel, hanging upright above the
earth, with seven or nine enormous colored spotlights fixed
round the rim. The wheel revolves, and the light of now one
and now another projector is directed toward the earth—thus
the earth is always colored by the light of the particular
projector which illuminates it at a given moment.
All beings born on earth are colored by the light prevailing
at the moment of birth, and keep this color throughout life.
Just as no effect can be without cause, so no cause can be
without effect. And indeed planets have a tremendous influence
both on the life of mankind in general and on the life of
every individual man. It is a great mistake of modern science
not to recognize this influence. On the other hand this influence
is not so great as modern "astrologers" would have us believe.
Man is a product of the interaction of three kinds of matter:
positive (atmosphere of the earth), negative (minerals, metals)
and a third combination, planetary influences, which comes
from outside and meets these two matters. This neutralizing
force is the planetary influence which colors each newly born
life. This coloring remains for the whole of its existence. If the
color was red, then when this life meets with red it feels in
correspondence with it.
Page 258
Certain combinations of colors have a calming effect, others
a disturbing effect. Each color has its own peculiar property.
There is a law in this; it depends on chemical differences.
There are, so to speak, congenial and uncongenial combinations.
For instance, red stimulates anger, blue awakens love.
Pugnacity corresponds to yellow. Thus if I am apt to lose my
temper suddenly, this is due to the influence of the planets
It does not mean that you or I are actually like that, but we
may be. There may be stronger influences. Sometimes another
influence acts from within and prevents you from feeling the
external influence; you may have such a strong preoccupation
that you are, as it were, encased in armor. And this is so not
only with planetary influences. Often a distant influence cannot
reach you. The more remote the influence, the weaker it is.
And even if it were specially sent to you, it might not reach
you because your armor would prevent it.
The more developed a man is, the more he is subject to influences.
Sometimes, wishing to free ourselves from influences,
we get free of one and fall under many others and so become
even less free, even more slaves.
We have spoken of nine influences.
Always everything influences us. Every thought, feeling,
movement is a result of one or another influence. Everything
we do, all our manifestations are what they are because something
influences us from without. Sometimes this slavery humiliates
us, sometimes not; it depends on what we like. We are
also under many influences which we share in common with
animals. We may want to get free from one or two, but having
got free of them we may acquire another ten. On the other
hand we do have some choice, that is, we can keep some and
free ourselves of others. It is possible to become free of two
kinds of influences.
To free oneself of chemico-physical influences, one has to be
passive. I repeat, these are the influences which are due to the
emanations of the atmosphere of the body, of feeling, of
Page 259
thought, and in some people also of ether. To be able to resist
these influences one has to be passive. Then one can become a
little freer of them. The law of attraction operates here. Like
attracts like. That is, everything goes toward the place where
there is more of the same kind. To him who has much, more is
given. From him who has little, even that is taken away.
If I am calm, my emanations are heavy so other emanations
come to me and I can absorb them, as much as I have room
for. But if I am agitated I have not enough emanations, for
they are going out to others.
If emanations come to me, they occupy empty places, for
they are necessary where there is a vacuum.
Emanations remain where there is calm, where there is no
friction, where there is an empty place. If there is no room, if
everything is full, emanations may hit against me but they rebound
or pass by. If I am calm, I have an empty place so I can
receive them; but if I am full they do not trouble me. So I am
ensured in either case.
To become free of influences of the second, that is, the associative
kind, requires an artificial struggle. Here the law of repulsion
acts. This law consists in the fact that where there is
little, more is added, that is, it is the reverse of the first law.
With influences of this kind everything proceeds according to
the law of repulsion.
So for freeing oneself from influences there are two separate
principles for the two different kinds of influences. If you want
to be free you must know which principle to apply in every
particular case. If you apply repulsion where attraction is
needed, you will be lost. Many do the reverse of what is required.
It is very easy to discriminate between these two influences;
it can be done at once.
In the case of other influences one has to know a great deal.
But these two kinds of influences are simple; everyone, if he
takes the trouble to look, can see what kind of influence it is.
But some people, although they know that emanations exist,
don't know the difference between them. Yet, it is easy to dis-
Page 260
tinguish emanations if one observes them closely. It is very interesting
to embark upon such a study; every day one obtains
greater results, one acquires a taste for discrimination. But it is
very difficult to explain it theoretically.
It is impossible to obtain a result immediately, and become
free from these influences at once. But study and discrimination
are possible for everyone.
Change is a distant goal, requiring much time and labor.
But study does not take much time. Still, if you prepare yourselves
for the change, it will be less difficult, you won't need to
waste time on discrimination.
To study the second or associative kind of influence is easier
in practice. For instance, take influence through form. Either
you or I influence the other. But form is external: movements,
clothes, cleanliness or otherwise—what is generally called the
"mask." If you understand, you can easily change it. For example,
he likes you in black and, through that, you can influence
him. Or she can influence you. But do you wish to change
your dress only for him or for many? Some want to do it only
for him, others not. Sometimes a compromise is necessary.
Never take anything literally. I say this only as an example.
As regards the second kind of associative influence, what we
have called feeling and relationship, we should know that the
attitude of others toward us depends on us. In order to live intelligently,
it is very important to understand that the-responsibility
for almost every good or bad feeling lies in you, in your
outer and inner attitude. The attitude of other people often reflects
your own attitude: you begin and the other person does
the same. You love, she loves. You are cross, she is cross. It is a
law—you receive what you give.
But sometimes it is different. Sometimes one should love one
and not love another. Sometimes if you like her she does not
like you, but as soon as you cease to like her she begins to like
you. This is due to chemico-physical laws.
Everything is the result of three forces; everywhere there is af-
Page 261
firmation and negation, cathode and anode. Man, earth,
everything is like a magnet. The difference is only in the quantity
of emanations. Everywhere two forces are at work, one attracting,
another repelling. As I said, man is also a magnet.
The right hand pushes, the left hand pulls, or vice versa. Some
things have many emanations, some less, but everything attracts
or repels. Always there is push and pull, or pull and
push. When you have your push and pull well-balanced with
another, then you have love and right adjustment. Therefore
results may be very different. If I push and he pulls correspondingly,
or if the same thing is done not correspondingly,
the result is different. Sometimes both he and I repulse. If
there is a certain correspondence, the resulting influence is
calming. If not, it is the reverse.
One thing depends on another. For instance, I cannot be
calm; I push and he pulls. Or I cannot be calm if I cannot alter
the situation. But we can attempt some adjustment. There is a
law that after a push there is a pause. We can use this pause if
we can prolong it and not rush forward to the next push. If we
can be quiet, then we can take advantage of the vibrations
which follow a push.
Everyone can stop for there is a law that everything moves
only so long as momentum lasts. Then it stops. Either he or I
can stop it. Everything happens in this way. A shock to the
brain, and vibrations start. Vibrations go on by momentum,
similar to rings on the surface of water if a stone is thrown in.
If the impact is strong, a long time elapses before the movement
subsides. The same happens with vibrations in the brain.
If I don't continue to give shocks, they stop, quiet down. One
should learn to stop them.
If I act consciously, the interaction will be conscious. If I act
unconsciously, everything will be the result of what I am sending
out.
I affirm something; then he begins to deny it. I say this is
black; he knows it is black but is inclined to argue and begins
to assert that it is white. If I deliberately agree with him, he
Page 262
will turn around and affirm what he denied before. He cannot
agree because every shock provokes in him the opposite. If he
grows tired he may agree externally, but not internally. For
example, I see you, I like your face. This new shock, stronger
than the conversation, makes me agree externally. Sometimes
you already believe but you continue to argue.
It is very interesting to observe other people's conversation,
if one is oneself out of it. It is much more interesting than the
cinema. Sometimes two people speak of the same thing: one
affirms something, another does not understand, but argues,
although he is of the same opinion.
Everything is mechanical.
About relationships, it can be formulated like this: our external
relationships depend on us. We can change them if we
take the necessary measures.
The third kind of influence, suggestion, is very powerful.
Every person is under the influence of suggestion; one person
suggests to another. Many suggestions occur very easily, espe
cially if we don't know that we are being exposed to suggestion.
But even if we do know, suggestions penetrate.
It is very important to understand one law. As a rule, at
every moment of our life only one center works in us—either
mind or feeling. Our feeling is of one kind when another center
is not looking on, when the ability to criticize is absent. By
itself a center has no consciousness, no memory; it is a chunk
of a particular kind of meat without salt, an organ, a certain
combination of substances which merely possesses a special capacity
of recording.
Indeed it greatly resembles the coating of a recording tape.
If I say something to it, it can later repeat it. It is completely
mechanical, organically mechanical. All centers differ slightly
as to their substance, but their properties are the same.
Now, if I say to one center that you are beautiful, it believes
it. If I tell it that this is red—it also believes. But it does not
understand—its understanding is quite subjective. Later, if I
Page 263
ask it a question, it repeats in reply what I have said. It will
not change in a hundred, in a thousand years—it will always
remain the same. Our mind has no critical faculty in itself, no
consciousness, nothing. And all the other centers are the same.
What then is our consciousness, our memory, our critical
faculty? It's very simple. It is when one center specially
watches another, when it sees and feels what is going on there
and, seeing it, records it all within itself.
It receives new impressions, and later, if we wish to know
what happened the previous time, if we ask and search in another
center, we will be able to find what: has taken place in
the first center. It is the same with our critical faculty—one
center watches another. With one center we know that this
thing is red, but another center sees it as blue. One center is
always trying to 'persuade another. This is what criticism is.
If two centers go on for a long time disagreeing about something,
this disagreement hinders us in thinking about it further.
If another center is not watching, the first continues to think
as it did originally. We very seldom watch one center from another,
only sometimes, perhaps one minute a day. When we
sleep we never look at one center from another, we do so only
sometimes when we are awake.
In the majority of cases each center lives its own life. It believes
everything it hears, without criticism, and records
everything as it has heard it. If it hears something it has heard
before, it simply records. If something it hears is incorrect, for
instance, something was red before and is blue now, it resists,
not because it wants to find out what is right but simply because
it does not immediately believe. But it does believe, it
believes everything. If something is different, it only needs
time for perceptions to settle down. If another center is not
watching at the moment, it puts blue over red. And so blue
and red remain together and later, when we read the records,
it begins to answer: "red." But "blue" is just as likely to pop
out.
Page 264
It is possible for us to ensure a critical perception of new material
if we take care that, during perception, another center
should stand by and perceive this material from aside. Supposing
I now say something new. If you listen to me with one
center, there will be nothing new for you in what I am saying;
you need to listen differently. Otherwise as there was nothing
before, so there will be nothing now. The value will be the
same: blue will be red, or vice versa, and again there will be
no knowledge. Blue may become yellow.
If you wish to hear new things in a new way, you must listen
in a new way. This is necessary not only in the work but
also in life. You can become a little more free in life, more secure,
if you begin to be interested in all new things and remember
them by new methods. This new method can be understood
easily. It would no longer be wholly automatic but
semi-automatic. This new method consists in the following:
when thought is already there, try to feel. When you feel
something, try to direct your thoughts on your feeling. Up to
now, thought and feeling have been separated.
Begin to watch your mind: feel what you think. Prepare for
tomorrow and safeguard yourselves from deceit. Speaking generally,
you will never understand what I wish to convey if you
merely listen.
Take all you already know, all you have read, all you have
seen, all you have been shown—I am certain that you understand
nothing of it. Even if you ask yourselves sincerely, do
you understand why two and two make four, you will find that
you are not sure even of that. You only heard someone else say
so, and you repeat what you have heard. And not only in questions
of daily life, but also in higher serious matters, you understand
nothing. All that you have is not yours.
You have a garbage can and, until now, you have been
dumping things into it. There are many precious things in it
which you could make use of. There are specialists who collect
all kinds of refuse from garbage cans; some make a lot of
Page 265
money this way. In your garbage cans you have enough material
to understand everything. If you understand, you will
know everything. There is no need to gather more into this
garbage can—everything is there. But there is no understanding—
the place of understanding is quite empty.
You may have a great deal of money that does not belong to
you, but you would be better off to have far less, even a
hundred dollars that is your own, but nothing you have is
yours.
A large idea should be taken only with large understanding.
For us, small ideas are all we are capable of understanding—if
even these. Generally it is better to have a little thing inside
than something big outside.
Do it very slowly. You can take anything you like and think
about it, but think in a different way than you have thought
before.iberation leads