Aspects of self-knowledge: Willingness, understanding and discipline

Will, understanding and discipline

The self-knowledgeSelf-knowledge is the basic wisdom that every man and woman should develop if he or she really wants to succeed in life. All the wisdom that exists in the world is nothing but a pile of rubble if man does not advance in the knowledge of his own inner universe. Therein lie the keys to true success and the fullness of every human being's existence.

This kind of knowledge is not achieved through intellectual capacity alone, but brings into play other aspects that we all possess, but which we have to learn to use for our personal benefit. Three fundamental aspects of self-knowledge are: Will, understanding and discipline.

The starting point: the questions that arise within ourselves

Have you ever in your life thought about what you dislike the most? Have you ever considered the role of human beings in nature? Why do you want a nice house so much? Some of us have already encountered such reflections, others will never wake up from lethargy. Is self-knowledge for everyone? What are the keys to achieve it?

The V.M. Samael Aun Weor in the book Treatise on Revolutionary Psychology wrote the following questions:

"Why do you want to have the latest model of car? Why do you always want to be in the latest fashion? Why covet not be covetous? What offended you most at any given time? What did you like most yesterday? Why did you feel superior to so-and-so at any given time? At what point did you feel superior to anyone? Why were you puffed up when reporting your triumphs? Couldn't you shut up when they whispered about someone else you knew? Did you get the complimentary glass of liquor? Did you agree to smoke perhaps without having the addiction, possibly because of the concept of politeness or masculinity? Are you sure you were sincere in that conversation? And when you justify yourself, when you praise yourself, and when you recount your triumphs and report them by repeating what you told others before, did you understand that you were vain?"

V.M. Samael Aun Weor

All these reflections are part of the process of self-knowledge of anyone who decides to face it. They challenge the mechanics of everyday life on whose stage our inner world comes to light. Understanding what motivates our actions, our thoughts, our emotions is extremely important for those who want to know themselves. To help us in this personal quest for self-knowledge, it is important that we develop three characteristics: WILLINGNESS, UNDERSTANDING AND DISCIPLINE.

Free will

WILL is the force that makes us do something and pursue our goals. However, many times our will is conditioned by the ego or the psychological defects and errors we carry within us. Each of these defects such as greed, lust, laziness and so many others have trapped a small portion of our will. But as we advance in self-knowledge we can eliminate these defects and increase our conscious will. It is that free will that will lead us to true triumph guided by our inner Real Self and not by a bundle of vices and defects.

"We urgently need to disintegrate all those "I's" that live within us if we really want the perfect emancipation of the Will. (...)

Essence is "Will-Consciousness" unfortunately processing by virtue of our own conditioning.

When the Will is liberated, then it blends or functions, thus integrating itself with the Universal Will, thus becoming sovereign (...).

QHe who possesses a truly free Will can create new circumstances; he who has his Will bottled up in the "Pluralised Self" is a victim of circumstances. (...)

Unfortunately, as people's wills are caught between each "I", they are obviously divided into multiple wills, each of which is processed by virtue of its own conditioning.

It is clear to understand that each "I" therefore possesses its own particular, unconscious will".

V.M. Samael Aun Weor - A Treatise on Revolutionary Psychology

Understanding in self-knowledge

UNDERSTANDING is the ability to grasp the meaning of something without the interference of so much reasoning. Therefore, it is important to note that understanding and comprehension are different: one is of the mind and the other of the heart.

"It is only in this way that it is possible to consciously work towards radical change.

Affirming is one thing and understanding is another. (...)

Knowledge and Understanding are different. The first of these is of the mind, the second of the heart." (...)

"Understanding comes with self-observation and hard work on oneself.".

V.M. Samael Aun Weor - A Treatise on Revolutionary Psychology

Understanding comes through experience and observation, and one needs to develop intuition, which is a faculty of the heart. We could never understand our own inner functionalism just by studying theories and reading books. What is needed is experience, self-observation and integration with the divine principle within us all, i.e., its guidance.

Discipline is the bridge between goals and achievements.

DISCIPLINE refers to determined and consistent behaviour. We must be willing to observe ourselves daily. In the literature left by V.M. Samael Aun Weor and V.M. Lakhsmi Daimon we find several practices that help us in the process of self-knowledge, so it is essential to develop the discipline to perform them.

The discipline we are talking about is by no means something imposed from outside. Rather, it is about developing a self-discipline that allows us to achieve our goal, moving forward with steadfastness and tenacity. A conscious discipline not to fall into weaknesses, excuses and self-regard. For the latter are negative aspects that will lurk and can cause us to remain only in our intentions. For this not to happen we need strength, fortitude and self-discipline.

Will, understanding and discipline are three fundamental aspects for anyone who wants to embark on a journey along the paths of self-knowledge. This is a process that takes place on a day-to-day basis, in the very daily life of each one of us. It is a process that allows us to see how we function internally and how this impacts on our lives. And how external events are a reflection of our inner world. So by understanding this whole mechanism we will be able to modify the causes of what happens to us and achieve a radical change in our existence. Fundamentally, we can achieve inner peace and altruism in order to move forward in each stage we go through.

Gnostic techniques for self-knowledge are concrete and precise. Learn more about them in our self-knowledge courses.