Theos-Talk Archives (August 1996 Message tl00409)

At 10:56 PM 19/08/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Sy Ginsburg - I appreciate your summary of the Gurjieff view of
>consciousness. You go on to write,
>
>>Gurdjieff says we have for existing in consciousness state #3 is
>>"ATTENTION".  It is, in fact, our only tool.  The work is to include
ourself in
>>our ATTENTION in every moment and at the same time include in our ATTENTION
>>whatever else we are attentive to.
>>
>
>I find this significant - This "Attention" - has the character of
>"intentionality" - in the sense that "Attention" is impossible without an
>act of intention...Would you say that "intentionality" is a pre-requisite to
>consciousness? Or does consciousness exist independently of "intention" ?
>
>Paul K.
>
Living in the Moment is what it seems to be called today. Here is a nice
little tale from the works of Vitvan.

"Today I can truly and freely say: "I do not ask to see the distant scene;
one step is enough for me." But once, when I was very discouraged, my teacher
told me this story. (He had gotten me along to where I sensed how vast was
the world of knowledge; how much I did not know, and how utterly
insignificant I was. I said, "The vastness,the illimitableness of it is
overwhelming; I can't do it; no mortal can do it." I was ready to quit.) He
said to me:
"I was with my teacher in India where we visited another Guru in the
Himalaya mountains, and there we met a chela of that teacher who was saying
about what you are saying - that one might as well quit, it is so
overwhelmingly vast. Finally, the Guru got up and took a lantern off the
wall of the cabin we were in and lit it, saying to the chela, 'Come with me
outside.' After the chela followed him outside, he said: 'Here, take this
lantern with this letter; I want you to go up the mountain to my friend's
place; there deliver the letter.'
It was dark outside and quite stormy; the chela said, 'I cannot see the way
in this darkness and storm!'
The Guru placed the lantern in the hand of the chela -
"See," he said, "the light shines three feet ahead of you. Walk those three
feet; see - it shines three feet ahead of you. Walk with the light; it will
be there three feet ahead of you all the way."
So, I am not concerned with that overwhelming vastness any more, for I
shall walk three feet with the Light!>Today I can truly and freely say: "I
do not ask to see the distant scene;
>one step enough for me." But once, when I was very discouraged, my teacher
>told me this story. (He had gotten me along to where I sensed how vast was
>the world of knowledge; how much I did not know, and how utterly
insignificant I was. I said, "The vastness,the illimitableness of it is
overwhelming; I can't do it; no mortal can do
>it." I was ready to quit.) He said to me:
>"I was with my teacher in India where we visited another Guru in the
>Himalaya mountains, and there we met a chela of that teacher who was saying
>about what you are saying - that one might as well quit, it is so
>overwhelmingly vast. Finally, the Guru got up and took a lantern off the
>wall of the cabin we were in and lit it, saying to the chela, 'Come with me
>outside.' After the chela followed him outside, he said: 'Here, take this
>lantern with this letter; I want you to go up the mountain to my friend's
>place; there deliver the letter.'
>It was dark outside and quite stormy; the chela said, 'I cannot see the way
>in this darkness and storm!'
>The Guru placed the lantern in the hand of the chela -
>"See," he said, "the light shines three feet ahead of you. Walk those three
>feet; see - it shines three feet ahead of you. Walk with the light; it will
>be there three feet ahead of you all the way."
>So, I am not concerned with that overwhelming vastness any more, for I
>shall walk three feet with the Light!"

I find that I am aware of the vastness but chose to focus the attention on
the moment in which I am. I accept that events will come into my life in any
moment and if I pay attention to the moment then I will know what to do
about the event and so follow my dhama even though I cannot see the full
picture. Some part of me does see it but I cannot connect to that yet.








Bee Brown
Member Theosophy NZ, TI.

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