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Gurdjieff on Transformation: Part 3 – Transformation
The word transformation comes from Latin and literally means ‘beyond form’. The Fourth Way acknowledges the possibility of transformation and sets it as the ultimate aim of man’s inner struggles. This must not be taken for granted…
Gurdjieff on Transformation Part 2 – Foundation
These moment-to-moment efforts bear only as much fruit as the understanding upon which they are founded, because results in the work are proportionate to understanding, which brings us to the question of motive: Why dispel imagination? Why separate from resentment? Why drop judgment?
Gurdjieff on Transformation Part 1 – Collaboration
In the coming posts, we will superimpose Gurdjieff’s work on the Hindu tradition. The Churning of the Milky Ocean is a Hindu legend that tells of an age in which the cosmic balance between good and evil (personified as ‘gods’ and ‘demons’) had been disturbed, threatening the world with impending chaos….
Gurdjieff on Creation: Part 3 – Reflection
The word reflection comes from Latin and literally means ‘bending back.’ Originally, reflection meant a sending back of light from a reflective surface (as in a reflective mirror or a reflective pond). With time, however, it’s usage extended beyond the physical to imply fixing one’s thoughts in a particular direction. If something is absent, I can bring it back to my mind’s eye through reflection….
Gurdjieff on Creation Part 2 – Separation
The second step in the Biblical creation is division. This is an obvious next step, because division could not have happened before the first step of light. We cannot organize a messy room in the dark, and organic life could not be created without first dividing the waters to reveal dry land…
Gurdjieff on Creation Part 1 – Self-Observation
Sleep has degrees. In the deepest sleep, we are unaware of our sleep. Therefore, the beginning of awakening must be the realization of sleep. This realization throws a ray of light onto our inner world…
Gurdjieff on Liberation Part 3 – Opposition
What do you find when you try to be present for two minutes uninterruptedly? Can you see Māra increasing his resistance? Can you catch the emotions, thoughts and sensations of his army before they hinder you?
Gurdjieff on Liberation Part 2 – Resolution
Novelty awakens us. Peter Ouspensky verified this in his first experiments with self-remembering. He realized that he had occasionally remembered himself throughout his life, but unknowingly, infrequently and unintentionally…
Gurdjieff on Liberation Part 1 – Realization
Gurdjieff likened awakening to escaping from prison. The prison is man’s own sleep, and the primary force that keeps him locked up is that he is oblivious of his own captivity. As long as man enjoys the chains and fetters that bind him, as long as he holds in high regard the very traits that prevent him from awakening, he can never escape…
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