Practical Work on Self

by E.J. Gold

BK023

$15.95

Trade Paperback

This chameleon of a book starts out to be a collection of Fourth Way and Zen practices, stacked in a certain order to be built upon in that order. It is, in this form, a primer of idea/exercises for attention and essence development, after which it becomes an "obligatory" - Basic Work On Self, after which it becomes an advanced training course, after.....

A Chapter From The Book

Doorways

The practice of remembering ourselves, "invoking our presences", having the continual presence of "I" makes a "vibration of Being" which gradually forms a relatively permanent crystallization called "Gradation of Evolution".

The presence of the nonphenomenal source of attention within the awakened machine, because negative emotion is absent in the awakened machine, produces the vibration which gradually forms itself into the permanent crystallization which we call the Being.

Each stage of transformation of the Being produced by the awakened machine is called "Gradation of Evolution".

We can separate the process of transformation governed by the human biological machine into twenty-one definite Gradations of Evolution, each slightly more objective than the previous gradation in the sense of existing in higher and higher dimensions as we scale upward toward the Absolute.

Under no circumstance is it possible for us to attain the three highest forms of existence, the highest of which is the Absolute itself, pure Being. No one who knows anything would really wish to evolve to the gradation of the Absolute, and it would be of no benefit to oneself or to the Absolute. Each Gradation of Evolution represents a specific crystallization of the Being. These higher gradations of evolution can only be the results of intentional transformation.

The transference of the identity from the non-phenomenal source of attention to the Being is necessary for the moment of machine-death when it is once again returned to its natural organic source-of-substances.

Even the nonphenomenal source of attention eventually dies if it has existed without transformation, but the Being which has become a permanent crystallization can never die.

Perhaps we ought to first taste what it means never to die...maybe we would prefer to just fall into annihilation and forget everything.

No two Beings have exactly the same frequency of vibration,. Frequencies are limited in number because they are, as is everything, material. However, due to a surplus of apathetic humans and a corresponding paucity of transformed Beings, very few frequencies have ever been taken off the market.

The stable Gradation of Evolution several times removed from the ordinary state of a human being, when taken in relation to a successful transference of identity from the nonphenomenal source of attention to the Being, can be called "Objective Consciousness" when developed.

Although we may not understand exactly how this might be true, stepping through a doorway is to taste death in some form. When passing the threshold of a portal, we can use this a a reminding factor to exert our will to awaken the machine., Passing a portal, even in the form of an ordinary door, is like the moment of death, the passing of the portal for which we prepare ourselves all our lives. We practice the awakening of the machine during these little deaths so that at our passing, when the chains of life are thrown off, and we feel our life slipping away, we will have attention, presence, Being, and an unshakeable work-habit.

Only then will we taste of death and not feel its sting.

Briefing Notes:

Main Themes:

Awakening the Machine: The book uses the metaphor of a "machine" to represent the human biological organism, which operates largely on automatic, unconscious impulses. The primary aim is to awaken this machine through various exercises and techniques, allowing for intentional control and evolution.

Self-Observation and Impartiality: Key to awakening the machine is cultivating the ability to impartially observe oneself, particularly the machine's involuntary movements, emotions, and thoughts. This awareness provides the necessary leverage to break free from habitual patterns.

Will and Voluntary Action: Once awareness is established, one can begin to exert their true will, overcoming the machine's resistance and directing its actions towards conscious evolution.

The Role of Suffering and Discomfort: The book emphasizes that intentional suffering and discomfort, skillfully applied, can serve as a potent force for awakening the machine and breaking free from its habitual patterns.

Important Ideas and Facts:

The Four States of Consciousness:

Horizontal Sleep

Walking Sleep

The Awakened State

Transformation of the Being

"Horizontal Sleep and Walking Sleep we can already produce in ourselves without help from a school." (p.2)

The Power of Attention: Attention is a powerful tool that can be utilized to control the machine and eventually awaken it.

"But we do have the will of attention, and we can actively use this will of attention to observe the human biological machine and its activities both internal and external, without actually trying to interfere directly in the life of the machine." (p.6)

Centre of Gravity Questions: These are essential questions designed to create slight discomfort in the machine, leading to deeper introspection and potential awakening.

"To really make a question mean more than just our restless inquiry we must not seek a quick end to severe discomfort." (p.106)

Harmless Whim: This technique involves deliberately gratifying a small, seemingly insignificant desire to gain control over the machine and develop the will.

"To gratify a harmless whim can be a method of activating Real Will, which is to say, the will of the nonphenomenal self to awaken the machine over the will of the machine to remain asleep." (p.87)

The Crocodile: This metaphor refers to the entire repertoire of the machine's negative manifestations, which should be actively studied and understood.

"We will call the repertoire of all these negative manifestations of the machine taken as a whole, The Crocodile." (p.48)

Booby Du Jour: Each individual's most relied upon mechanical manifestation, often seemingly trivial, upon which the machine most depends. Identifying this "booby" provides leverage for self-observation and transformation.

"In the course of studying the machine, whichever of the two you decide to use, theatrical character of machine as a crocodile or as a weather studying the machine as a crocodile or as a weather character, try to find that particular manifestation - usually seemingly trivial - upon which the machine depends the most." (p.48)

"I" Can Do Anything: This exercise involves cultivating an "insane optimism" and willingness to perform any task, overcoming the machine's resistance and inertia.

"Pretend that you have discovered some substance which we will call 'Luckium'. Whenever you have supreme confidence in yourself, and whenever anyone asks you to perform a task, without considering once - or even pausing for reflection, except in consideration of your actual organic safety - you immediately express abject glee, agreeing immediately and unquestioningly to perform the task regardless of any dislike you may have toward it." (p.166)

The Last Hour of Life: This practice encourages living each hour as if it were one's last, extracting maximum value and presence from every moment.

"Look at life as a business in which time is money. Time literally represents the money of life. We are given a certain amount to spend and no more when we come into this world." (p.185)

The Importance of the Teacher: The book acknowledges the significance of a genuine teacher or "Sly Man" in this work, emphasizing the inherent difficulty in achieving awakening without guidance.

"He can find many in the doctrine of influence who have not the means or the sphere. He can find a way to entangle them in his doctrine. He can find a way to entangle them in his sphere of influence so as to force destiny to provide him with his pupils and at the same time provide a means for the necessary understanding to continue his work. He must already possess knowledge." (p.66)

Quotes from the Source:

"In any case, no one would be able to see the reality of the situation from a mere intellectual argument coming from outside." (p.2)

"We must somehow see, feel and sense for ourselves that the machine is really asleep; we may even see it as the dead in the grimest sense of the word." (p.2)

"In those days a few of us passed around copies of Ropp's The Master Game and Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, trying to figure out how to do the exercises. We followed the tracks of monks and yogis and mystics through the Kabbalah, the Philokalia and Chuang Tze, not all popular authors." (p. ix)

"Man has no real place in the cosmic octave. He is nothing and less than nothing in the big scheme of things, but he has significance in another octave not concentrated in the Great Cosmic Octave." (p.154)

Overall:

"Practical Work on Self" presents a unique and practical approach to self-development and spiritual evolution. It provides a concise but potent set of techniques and exercises designed to awaken the individual from their mechanical slumber and embark on a conscious path towards transformation. The book's use of straightforward language, vivid metaphors, and personal anecdotes makes it accessible and engaging for those seeking a path of inner work.

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