As there are different qualities of the sight, such as long and short sight, so there are different qualities of mind. There are minds which can see a certain distance and no further, and others that can see a longer distance. And what is called foresight is not a supernatural, superhuman faculty, but a long range of sight. When a person can see the action of another person, the seer can see the reason of the action too, and if the sight is keener still, she can see the reason of the reason. One cannot give one's sight to another. She can tell what she sees, but that is not sufficient, for in order to be sure every soul wants its own experience.
The faculty of seeing through life can be developed by observation, which is called study. And the focusing of the mind upon the object of study is called concentration. As by making a habit of lifting one thing, a person can learn to lift several weighty things; so by observing one object of study one becomes capable of observing any object in the same way. Keenness of observation is a phenomenon in itself. In the first place the sight penetrates, so to speak, the object one sees. And the next thing is that as the light of the sun has the power to open the buds, so the power of keen observation commands the objects observed to unfold themselves and to reveal their secrets.
Every object has a soul in it, which may be called its spirit. In ancient times the seers recognized the spirit of all things — the spirit of mountains, trees, stars and planets, of the rivers, lakes, pools and seas. And penetrating through objects means touching their spirit. No doubt it is easier to touch the spirit of a person than to touch the spirit of the objects, for the very reason that people are more living than any other form of creation.
The person whose eyes are not steady cannot observe fully. So also, the mind that is not steady cannot observe things well. Therefore, the mystics prescribe certain postures in order to make the body stable. And steadiness of body and mind react on each other. So a self-mastered person who has control over her body and mind has balance and wisdom. Wisdom comes from steadiness, and insight follows wisdom.
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