George Gurdjieff: Difference between revisions

According to Gurdjieff, only one dimension of the three dimensions of thea person—namely, either the emotions, or the physical body or the mind—tends to develop in such schools and sects, and generally at the expense of the other faculties or ''[[Centers (Fourth Way)|centers]],'' as Gurdjieff called them. As a result, these pathsways fail to produce a properly balanced human being. Furthermore, anyone wishing to undertake any of the traditional paths to spiritual knowledge (which Gurdjieff reduced to three—namely the pathway of the [[fakir]], the pathway of the [[monk]], and the pathway of the [[yogi]]) were required to renounce life in the world. But Gurdjieff also described a "Fourth Way"<ref>[[P. D. Ouspensky]] (1949), ''[[In Search of the Miraculous]],'' Chapter 2</ref> which would be amenable to the requirements of moderncontemporary people living modern lives in Europe and America. Instead of developingtraining body,the mind, orbody and emotions separately, Gurdjieff's discipline worked on all three to promote comprehensivean organic connection between them and balanceda innerbalanced development.

In parallel with other spiritual traditions, Gurdjieff taught that a person must expend considerable effort to effect the [[Spiritual transformation|transformation]] that leads to [[Mystical experience|awakening]]. The effort that is put into practice Gurdjieff referred to it as "The Work" or "Work on oneself".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gurdjieff.org/index.en.htm |title=Gurdjieff International Review |publisher=Gurdjieff.org |access-date=2014-03-02}}</ref> According to Gurdjieff, "Working on oneself is not so difficult as wishing to work, taking the decision."<ref>{{cite book |last=Gurdjieff |first=George |title=Views from the real world |year=1975 |page=[https://archive.org/details/viewsfromrealwor00gurd/page/214 214] |publisher=E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. |isbn=0-525-47408-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/viewsfromrealwor00gurd/page/214 }}</ref>

Though Gurdjieff never put major significance on the term "Fourth Way" and never used the term in his writings, his pupil [[P. D. Ouspensky]] from 1924 to 1947 made the term and its use central to his own teachinginterpretation of Gurdjieff's ideasteaching. After Ouspensky's death, his students published a book titled ''The Fourth Way'' based on his lectures.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ouspensky|first=P. D.|title=The Fourth Way|publisher=Vintage Books|year=1971|isbn=0-394-71672-8|location=New York|lccn=57-5659|id="An Arrangement by Subject of Verbatim Extracts from the Records of Ouspensky's Meetings in London and New York, 1921-46"}}</ref>

Gurdjieff's teaching addressed the question of humanity's place in the universe and the importance of developing its latent potentialities—regarded as our natural endowment as human beings, but which was rarely brought to fruition. He taught that higher levels of consciousness, higher bodies,<ref>[[P. D. Ouspensky]] (1949). ''[[In Search of the Miraculous]]'' Chapter 2</ref> inner growth and development are real possibilities that nonetheless require conscious work to achieve.<ref name="ReferenceA">[[P. D. Ouspensky]] (1971). ''[[The Fourth Way]],'' Chapter 1</ref> The aim was not to acquire anything new, but recover what we had lost.

Gurdjieff taught people how to increasestrenghen and focus their attention and energy in various ways andso as to minimize daydreaming and absentmindedness. According to his teaching, this inner development of oneself is the beginning of a possible further process of change, the aim of which is to transform people into what Gurdjieff believed they ought to be.<ref>[[P. D. Ouspensky]] (1949). ''[[In Search of the Miraculous]],'' Chapter 9</ref>

Gurdjieff also used various exercises, such as the "Stop" exercise, to prompt self-observation in his students. Other shocks to help awaken his pupils from constant daydreaming were always possible at any moment.