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Notebooks of Paul Brunton> Category 2: Overview of Practicies Involved> Chapter : Balance the Psyche

Balance the Psyche

Engage the whole being

!

"hat we can do is to prepare favourable conditions for the #ight of the Overself$s

appearance or for the %anifestation of its &race' (his is the role and function of

%ystical techni)ue and is as far as it can go' (here is no techni)ue which can guarantee

to offer %ore than such preparation' If it does* it is )uackery'

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(he i%pelling force of an ardent desire for self+i%prove%ent %ust unite with the

attracting spell of the Overself$s beauty to give hi% the strength for these labours and

disciplines' On the one side* he reflects on the disadvantages of yielding to his faults

and weaknesses++on the other* to the benefits of establishing the virtues and )ualities ofhis higher nature'

,

- rich* %any+sided personality %ay still be in the process of accu%ulating e.perience

and unfolding potentialities' /.perience alone is a hard path0 it should be backed by

reason* intuition* and correct counsel' But reason is useful for truth+finding only when it

is detached and i%personal0 intuition %ust be genuine and not ca%ouflaged i%pulse or

wishful+thinking0 and correct counsel %ay be obtained only fro% the %ost inspired* and

not the %erely sophisticated* sources'

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"hoever wishes to develop beyond the spiritual level of the %ass of %ankind %ust

begin by changing the nor%al routine of %ankind' e %ust reflect* pray* and %editate

daily' e %ust scrutini3e all his activities by the light of philosophy$s values and ethics'

e %ay even have to change his residence* if possible* for serenity of %ind and

discipline of passion are %ore easily achievable in a rural village than in an urban city'

e should never forget that in his %etaphysical studies or %ystical practices he is

working towards an ulti%ate goal which lies beyond both %etaphysics and %ysticis%'

e is preparing hi%self to beco%e a philosopher* fitting hi%self to be granted the

Overself$s &race* unfolding passive intuition and critical intelligence only that thetranscendental insight %ay itself be unfolded'

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e has to learn how to surrender his egotis% and swallow his pride' e has to cleanse

his heart of i%purity and then open it to divinity'

5

(he philosophic life is a steadily disciplined* not a severely ascetic one'

6

(he aspiration toward the higher self %ust be for%ally repeated in daily prayer*cherished in daily retreats* and kept vivid in daily study'

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8o long as %an is i%perfect in character* defective in intelligence* and %echanical in

sense+response to his environ%ent* so long %ust he seek to i%prove the first* perfect the

second* and liberate the third' -nd there is no better way to achieve these ai%s than to

pursue a philosophic course of conduct and thought'

!9It is a wise rule of aspiration not to seek for %ore power than you are able to use or

%ore knowledge than you are willing to apply'

!!

(he inability to believe in or detect the presence of a divine power in the universe is to

be overco%e by a threefold process' (he first part so%e people overco%e by hearing

the truth directly uttered by an illu%ined person or by other people by reading their

inspired writings' (he second part is to reflect constantly upon the &reat (ruths' (he

third part is to introvert the %ind in conte%plation';P