Sophisms of Distraction

Sophisms are the false reasonings that induce us to err and that are gestated by the ego in the forty-nine levels of the subconsciousness.

The subconsciousness is the sepulcher of the past upon which burns the fatuous fire of thought and in which the sophisms of distraction are gestated; the latter lead the intellectual animal to fascination, and thereby, to the sleep of the consciousness.

What is kept within the sepulcher is decay and the bones of the dead, but the sepulchral stone is very beautiful and on it fatally burns the flame of the intellect.

If we want to dissolve the “I,” we have to uncover the subconsciousness’ sepulcher and exhume all the bones and decay of the past. The sepulcher is very beautiful on the outside, but within, it is filthy and abominable; we need to become gravediggers.

To insult another person, to hurt his intimate feelings, to humiliate him, is something that is very easy when it is done supposedly to correct him for his own good. This is how irate people think, those who while believing that they do not hate, hate without knowing that they hate.

Many are the people who struggle in life to be rich. They work, save, and strive for excellence in everything, but the secret trigger of all their activities is secret envy, which is ignored, which does not come to the surface, which remains hidden within the sepulcher of their subconsciousness.

In life, it is difficult to find someone who does not envy the beautiful house, the brand new car, the intelligence of the leader, the beautiful suit, the good social position, the magnificent fortune, etc.

Almost always, the best efforts of citizens have envy as their secret trigger.

Many are the people who enjoy a good appetite and despise gluttony, but they always eat more than normal.

Many are the people who watch their spouse in an exaggerated manner, but they despise jealousy.

Many are the students of certain pseudo-esoteric and pseudo-occultist schools who despise the things of this world; they do not work at all because they believe everything is vanity, yet they are zealous of their virtues and never accept anyone classifying them as lazy people.

Many are those who hate flattery and praise, but they have no inconvenience in humiliating with their modesty the poor poet who composed a verse for them with the sole purpose of obtaining a coin to buy bread.

Many are the judges who know how to fulfill their duty, but also, many are the judges who with their virtue of duty have assassinated others. Numerous were the heads that fell by the guillotine of the French Revolution.

All executioners fulfill their duty and millions are their innocent victims. No executioner feels himself to be guilty; they are all just “fulfilling their duty...”

Prisons are full of innocent people, but the judges do not feel guilty because they are “fulfilling their duty.”

Filled with anger, the father or mother whip and beat their small children, but they do not feel remorse because supposedly they are fulfilling their duty and they would accept everything except being classified as being cruel.

It is only with a still and silent mind, submerged in profound meditation, that we will be able to extract from within the sepulcher of the subconsciousness all the secret rottenness that we carry within. It is nothing pleasant to see the dark sepulcher with all the bones and rottenness of the past.

Each hidden defect smells awful inside its grave. However, when seeing it, it is easy to burn it and reduce it to ashes.

The fire of comprehension reduces to dust the decay of the past. Many students of psychology, when they analyze their subconsciousness, commit the mistake of dividing themselves between analyzer and analyzed, intellect and subconsciousness, subject and object, perceiver and perceived. [Editor: see Separation in the Glossary.]

Those types of divisions are the sophisms of distraction that the ego presents to us. These types of divisions create antagonisms and struggles between the intellect and the subconsciousness, and where there are struggles and battles there cannot be stillness and silence of the mind.

It is only in mental stillness and silence that we can extract from within the dark grave of the subconsciousness all the rottenness of the past.

Let us not say “my I has envy, hatred, jealousy, anger, lust,” etc., it is best to not divide ourselves; it is better to say: “I have envy, hatred, jealousy, anger, lust,” etc.

When we study the sacred books of India, we become enthusiastic thinking about the supreme Brahma and in the union of Atman with Brahma. Nevertheless, as long as a psychological “I” with its sophisms of distraction exists, indeed we will be unable to achieve the bliss of uniting ourselves with the Universal Spirit of Life. Once the “I” is dead, the Universal Spirit of Life is in us like the flame of a lamp.