"THE LESSON OF THE LEMON
A teacher of secret wisdom had established his school on an island off the
coast of Australia. Every few months a new class was formed, composed of
students from every continent. After hearing preliminary lessons,
including the need for attentiveness, the class received a visual lesson. A
vase of water with a lemon floating in it was set on a table. The teacher
instructed a student, 'Get rid of the lemon. Do this by pushing it to the
bottom of the vase. Then, withdraw your hand.'
The student followed instructions. When he withdrew his hand, the lemon
rose to its original position on top of the water. A second pupil was
instructed, 'Get rid of the lemon by pushing it into the water out of
sight. Then, release it.' The lemon disappeared into the depths of the jar,
but popped up once more in view of everyone.
'That is the first thing to notice about the nature of this lemon,' said
the teacher. 'Push it down and it jumps up every time.' A third student was
instructed, 'Get rid of the lemon by removing it from the jar altogether.'
The student lifted the lemon and set it on the table, after which the
teacher applied the lesson. 'A lemon suppressed in a jar is still in a
jar - and it is still sour. But removing it altogether is quite another
process. Millions of people suffer needlessly because they do not see the
difference between suppressing a negative state and removing it with
self-knowledge.'"
THE PATH TO PERMANENT SELF-COMMAND
Secrets for Higher Success, Chap. 8, p. 158 (Previous version)
Chap. 8, p. 117 (Current version)