G.i. Gurdjieff

[Amilcar]

Hello, my name is Amilcar,  I live in Washington DC area, looking for to increase my personal development related with awareness, consciousness and enlightenment. I think that I get a point where I need some guidance to certain technics and specific knowledge that could help me in this jorney. 

I began reading some books from Ouspesky, who narrates meetings with G.I. Gurdjieff. I discovered some centers around the world that apply his technics and methods. I tried to find centers that fit with my intrest but they are related to some specific religions. I am not looking for enlightment, awareness or consciousness through religion or scientific studies. I am curious about reality but I am a little afraid of it and I don't want to get confuse in this jorney. 

I want to hear of your experience about this "schools" around the world and the mean porpouse of them. I am thinking of joining in this school, but I am not sure which is the good one, if it is what I am looking for and the thing that I have to face when I get there. 

Thank you

[Gisela]

Hola Amilcar!

Well, I can share my experience.

About 10 years ago, going to a "transpersonal psychology" course in a school I discovered the Fourth Way. I began to study Nicoll 1 ("Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurgjieff and Ouspensky") but I was not convinced about the way they organized the class, the topics and readings, very confusing. I didnt feel confortable and I left.

But the Nicoll's book had already trapped me, and I did continue the readings by my own. My mind started to think with the ideas of the fourth way, and also during my psychology studies I realized I could understand much more with this perspective of the teaching in my mind.

Buddhism helped me, yoga helped me... yes, but it was something inside me that knew inside those books was something great yet to be discovered that at every time I began to read them again, something powerful started to shine inside. And buddhism or any other self-developement workshop that I did, was not so powerful as the content of the fourth way teachings (my personal experience, not saying that is objectively better)
 

I found another Fourth Way school, about some years ago and that was the begining of my self-transformation.

And now, I can tell you there are 2 different things involved. One is the teaching, as you can read them in the books, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Nicoll, and.. I can add other followers like Salzmann, Orange, etc. The other thing completely different is a Fourth Way school in our days.

It is simply because schools are made by persons like you and me or Leo perhaps that has so many years of self-developement, study and practice, and that produce the school goes in the direction that the director choose based on his own personal experience. So each school is a result of the level of consciousness of his master and are not for everybody.

 

My advice, as a monk with his kung fu master, that takes all he can learn from him until the point he really and deeply realizes is not learning much anymore from him and now the monk needs to continue the journey to new horizons.

[Guest]

When I read Ouspensky many years ago there was a great resonance with his view on the mystery of life.  His "In Search of the Miraculous" showed me that I was on a path of life worth pursuing.  When I read "The Fourth Way" it opened up a new dimension to my understanding.

Download "In Search of the Miraculous" PDF (396 pages) here.

Download PDF document (444 pages) of "The Fourth Way" here.  

joy

 

[Leo Gura]

If you're seriously interested in enlightenment, I wouldn't try to go for it through Gurdjieff or Ouspensky. Their methods and understanding is very rude compared to what's available. In the end, they were dabblers. For their time period it was nice, but 21st century spirituality has really advanced.

[Guest]

@Leo Gura Yes, I found that to be so in my case.  This was many years ago.  However, I was at the stage where I enjoyed all this new "stuff" that was not so available in the days before the internet and computers became commonplace.  I see that everything has something to do with our journey in life. 

joy

 

[Gisela]

@Leo Gura you are right, they are very rude in their methods with no real need to do that nor valid explanation comparing to the new approaches we know that work today. 
 

[Appolonie]

I have been going to the NY Gurdjieff Foundation for 18 years. I would recommend only the Foundations- not forth way schools - only because I don’t know them and the Foundations (NY/Paris) we’re established by Gurdjieff himself. There are groups all over the US and the world connected to the Foundations.

I would also not say they were dabblers - on the contrary - it is very rigorous empirical research - on oneself. If you choose to go to the Foundation someone will meet you for a light screening- once you are invited to a group you will begin to meet with a group leader once a week and in these meetings you discuss your impressions of yourself and are sometimes given tasks. As you attempt these tasks you learn more about yourself and bring those impressions to the group and on it goes. Wonderful process of a very real self discovery - in other words less based on what we ‘imagine’ ourselves to be but on what we actually are. No judgement- just observation and discussion.

Eventually you are allowed to go to a Movements class. Movements is an incredible practice which requires you to concentrate intensely due to the difficulty- and is emotional because of the music and obviously physical- as you are taking postures that are unfamiliar to oneself and thus experiencing oneself outside of ones usual automatic mind/feeling/body. It is an incredible system and ‘language’ that speaks directly to ancient latent parts of myself. 

There are also guided sittings and ‘work days’ - where you integrate the inner work with everyday work - like cleaning, cooking, manual work, building etc...

It is an incredible system and a real school.

I hope this helps. Fruitful search. Don’t waste time or energy- use your intuition to find your way to the right practice.