...trying to conform to frantic society is like trying to dance in rhythm with an erupting volcano.
I have seven keys in my hand, but do not know which one opens the door.
Try them.
But what if none of them work?
That is the whole story of apprehensive man. He fears that nothing exists beyond his petty ways. Courageously experiment until identifying the six wrong keys. The remaining key will work but you cannot know this until eliminating the wrong keys.
...
Why do these teachings emphasize individual contemplation instead of attendance at religious or philosophical meetings?
Because a poor man in a bank is still a poor man.
So private contemplation is the sure way to inner wealth?
Yes, and in that case a man’s insight is tremendous. He knows at a glance whether the religious bank has real or counterfeit money.
What happens when an unaware person hears these facts for the first time?
Something hits him but he doesn’t know what. He is like a desert fox struck by rain for the first time. The newness of truth is so startling he has no idea how he should react. This split second of suspended judgment is his great opportunity to change himself. Unfortunately, most hearers miss the magic moment. They instantly spill out with habitual and mechanical reactions that fill the empty palace with junk. They argue or reject or feel threatened or want to run away. Be different. Leave the mental palace empty. Watch what happens.
...
How can I begin to wake up?
Watch yourself in daily action. Just quietly observe whatever you do, say, think, feel. Neither condemn nor approve what you see, but simply look at it without judgment. Mentally stand back a short distance from yourself and look at your daily actions, just as if you were casually observing a stranger. One result will be the faint feeling that you are not at all the person you have taken yourself to be. This is the start of a fantastic adventure, and the beginning of a totally new life.
What is my goal?
To find yourself.
What is my reward?
To be yourself.
Would it not be wise for me to remain at a distance from these ideas until I understand them better?
There was once a man who declared he would not enter the water until he had learned how to swim.
- Vernon Howard
