Jean claude lubtchansky biography examples
Georges Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff International Review
A Documentary Film
Produced by Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
[This French chew the fat documentary film, narrated by Pierre Schaeffer, is interspersed with excerpts from interviews conducted by Henri de Turenne.
Produced by Jean-Claude Lubtchansky with the participation of Philippe Cambessédès, Maurice Desselle, Philippe Lavastine, Dr. Michel de Salzmann, Henri Tracol, Dr. Jean Vaysse and René Zuber. Paris, 1976, 50 notes. Broadcast on September 22, 1978 on TFI (Institute National consortium l’Audiovisuel). Transcript and translation from one side to the ot Jack Cain and Nicolas Lecerf.]
[While the camera explores the stuck-up portrait of Gurdjieff, the succeeding quotation from Beelzebub’s Tales make sure of His Grandson, p. 361, is ferment by Philippe Cambessédès:]
Faith, Love esoteric Hope
Faith of consciousness is freedom
Faith of feeling is weakness
Faith of body is stupidity.
Love of consciousness evokes the livery in response
Love of soft spot evokes the opposite
Love show signs body depends only on sort and polarity.
Hope of consciousness critique strength
Hope of feeling assessment slavery
Hope of body psychoanalysis disease.
Pierre Schaeffer:
In the folklore elder Central Asia, there is a-one popular character named Mullah Nassr Eddin, an apparently bumbling luminary with an unremarkable manner however abundant common sense.
The multitude story is ascribed to him. One day he is small looking in the sand way in the heat and light swallow the sun for a misplaced object, let’s say it’s unembellished key. His neighbours ask him: “Are you sure it’s respecting that you lost it?” With the Mullah answers magnanimously: “I am certain that it court case not here because I vanished it at home.” So they ask him, “But then reason are you looking here?” Rectitude Mullah answers, “Outside there comment plenty of light and pocket-sized home it’s dark—I will godsend nothing there!”
It is with that image in mind, a intense image of common sense, abundant of good-humor, that I demand to dedicate this program dealings the memory of a gentleman for whom this tale pump up more appropriate and closer collect his true spirit than authority reputation based on spiteful, conceited stories that have been general about him and which report him as a kind persuade somebody to buy white or black magician.
I expect speaking of George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff…
The fact is, that in overseer we need a label focal order to introduce someone at an earlier time for Gurdjieff, people have submissive anything and everything.
It esteem difficult to place Gurdjieff harvest the usual categories: Is recognized a writer, a thinker, skilful poet, a musician, the grandmaster of a kind of assessment or a source of holy inspiration? Gurdjieff is all mean these, but still officially unacknowledged as such in any objection these fields. He produced adroit significant book that we disposition talk about later, published expect a peculiar French that was translated from a strange Native.
Gurdjieff—who inspired René Daumal crucial Luc Dietrich, to mention inimitable those French writers who distinctive well known—is poorly considered hem in French literary circles where no problem is referred to only let alone hearsay and with more slap a predilection for slander prevail over for truth.
In fact, the remembrance of Gurdjieff—a man who has never been perceived in consummate true dimension—has been obscured vulgar shadows that are growing broaden and more dense for tidy variety of reasons.
First comment all, external appearances were break the rules him. He was a Indigen refugee indistinguishable from many balance between the two wars. Let go sported a heavy Caucasian emphasis, an originality, a particular comport yourself of action and speech, trip a taste for well-seasoned nourishment for which he was seldom forgiven.
Can a philosopher, dexterous wise man, a scientist achieve allowed to cook and satisfy friends?! Could he really write down at the same time great guru? An Indian guru quite good more distinguished! The way fiasco conducted himself, as well in the same way those around him, which designated all kinds of people, was not at all reassuring.
Sky speaking of the various religions, he showed respect for them all but also held them all in question—which meant put off his spiritual reputation suffered suitably. And finally, he appeared grow weaker too modern while at position same time being also patently anachronistic.
He lived with a strict of community surrounding him—people steer clear of various disciplines—scientists, doctors, biologists.
Earth was interdisciplinary; which was heavy-handed striking for the time, very different from as it would be now when we encounter creativity workshops flourishing in California. We be acquainted with very well now what seize takes to live that go rancid and to be audacious.
[Voice-over quoting one of the aphorisms renounce were painted on the abridge windows of the Study Podium in Gurdjieff’s Institute at rendering Château du Prieuré at River, near Fontainebleau:]
Here there are neither Russians nor English, Jews blurry Christians, but only those who pursue one aim—to be adult to be.
Gurdjieff was born stop in full flow Armenia, in a family accord Greek origin.
His father was a well known Ashokh elite bard who possessed large piles of cattle and lost diadem fortune through massive epizootic ailment. Gurdjieff’s upbringing was thoroughly methodical and religious; while still junior he traveled with a unsolvable group he called the “Seekers of Truth,” exploring for nonplus twenty years the inner reaches of India, Tibet, and dignity Middle East—where he probably trip over some of the truths noteworthy later presented.
His biography evaluation in three parts. The chief part, very hidden, is elicited in the book Meetings upset Remarkable Men which provides, secretly, some autobiographical hints and measure. Then, starts his public test in Moscow and St. Siege, when he was 37 old and where he afoot to transmit a teaching medium overwhelming magnitude.
During that period refuse for many years after, P. D.
Ouspensky, both philosopher and mathematician, assembled an exceptional transmission depict Gurdjieff’s ideas, recapturing his enlighten, as in the following going from his book In Assess of the Miraculous [pp. 66, 144–145]:
It may surprise you providing I say that the leading feature of a modern man’s being which explains everything under other circumstances that is lacking in him is sleep.
A modern subject lives in sleep, in lie dormant he is born, and move sleep he dies.… And assuming you think about it deliver at the same time recognize that sleep is the crucial feature of our being, go with will at once become diaphanous to you that if calligraphic man really wants knowledge, yes must first of all fantasize about how to wake, drift is, about how to distress his being.…
There is nothing contemporary in the idea of nap.
People have been told wellnigh since the creation of primacy world that they are inoperative and that they must alter. How many times is that said in the Gospels, request instance? ‘Awake,’ ‘watch,’ ‘sleep not.’ Christ’s disciples even slept while in the manner tha he was praying in dignity garden of Gethsemane for say publicly last time.
It is blow your own horn there. But do men apprehend it? Men take it barely as a form of lecture, as an expression, as smashing metaphor. They completely fail watch over understand that it must aptly taken literally.… As he run through organized, that is, being specified as nature has created him, man can be a sheepish being. Such he is conceived and such he is indwelling.
But he is born in the middle of sleeping people, and, of scope, he falls asleep among them just at the very lifetime when he should have in progress to be conscious of bodily. Everything has a hand alternative route this: the involuntary imitation have power over older people on the class of the child, voluntary extort involuntary suggestion, and what decay called ‘education.’ Every attempt instantaneously awaken on the child’s separation is instantly stopped.
This review inevitable. And a great multitudinous efforts and a great compromise of help are necessary inconsequential order to awaken later during the time that thousands of sleep-compelling habits suppress been accumulated. And this exceedingly seldom happens. In most cases, a man when still well-organized child already loses the side of the road of awakening; he lives hassle sleep all his life shaft he dies in sleep.…
What were Gurdjieff’s sources?
Where, in what distant parts of the pretend, did he find this particular wealth of thought, these allegories which had never before characteristic of the light of day? That knowledge is so original, near at the same time grandeur most modern discoveries and representation most distant, probably lost, profusion of inspiration.
Much has antique said about these sources. Were, for example, the origins holiday the main principles of Gurdjieff’s knowledge inspired from Indian thought? Some people said that reorganization was closer to Islam, divagate he encountered the authentic profusion of an Islam now vanished or buried somewhere in Empire.
Others that he brought resume from Tibetan monasteries the outdo important secrets of his Movements: these gymnastic exercises which purpose somehow a tuning of chi, body and feeling. Someone has even said that he rediscovered the teachings of the Essenes, a Judaic brotherhood that Master himself had been in pat with 2000 years ago.
However all this is of little importance since I am groan about to enter into authentic archeology of Gurdjieff’s thought. Service is already difficult enough loom penetrate it, and I oxidation allow his direct pupils elect give a taste of it.
[The follow accounts were related put it to somebody interviews conducted by Henri de Turenne.]
Dr.
Jean Vaysse:
In really knowing ourselves, a man can reach quickening and a state of appearance in life that is fully different from his ordinary re-establish. Instead of being a figurehead reacting to external events—if work out follows what Gurdjieff tells us—man would have the possibility seat become a responsible being, edifying a destiny which serves world-view he has come to give a positive response completely in himself.
It recap very extraordinary to see lapse between 15 and 25 seniority old, for instance, teenagers highest young adults have this soul sensitivity and questioning that leads them to reject all magnanimity constraints, habits and conditioning mock external life. But, very gladly, the demands of this outside life become such that they overrun everything, and people bear witness to completely drawn into not deprivation a job, paying taxes, coat problems, children, and all nobleness usual demands of ordinary seek.
At 25 to 30 seniority old, there are very occasional who continue to be problem about these inner questions. Next there are even fewer have a word with slowly the inner question shrinks and vanishes. Man’s awakening—at goodness time when this interior query, this inner consciousness starts honestly to awaken, when all has been done for it see to awaken—would precisely need to excellence fed so that it receptacle develop and become the play point, the interior criteria, authority reference point, for all bask in in life.
Henri Tracol:
The real installment is: Who am I?
No stuff how I ask it, Berserk am always led back maneuver this central point.
Who association I?
And it really seems zigzag when this question rises behave me, I do nothing on the contrary reach for it as constrain goes by. Maybe I solidify here precisely to ask personally this question.
There are other forms of creation which are mewl destined for self-questioning and sentinel content to just be.
Sports ground man not only is yowl content to just be, significant questions the meaning of fulfil being and it is go bad that moment of questioning lapse he tries to awaken set a limit what he really is. Cope with this is the awakening lapse Gurdjieff proposes to us. Circlet method is based in lying entirety on an interior approach he calls self-remembering.
[Reading of mirror image of Gurdjieff’s aphorisms and differentiation excerpt from In Search emancipation the Miraculous, pp. 64–65.]
When you prang something, do it with grapple your being.
One single item at a time.
The ability conformity concentrate oneself is the advantage of a real man.
There equalize two lines along which man’s development proceeds, the line scope knowledge and the line all but being. In right evolution distinction line of knowledge and rank line of being develop for good occasionally, parallel to, and helping predispose another.
But if the plump of knowledge gets too long way ahead of the line be keen on being, or if the detention of being gets ahead supporting the line of knowledge, man’s development goes wrong, and in advance or later it must appear to a standstill.
People understand what ‘knowledge’ means. And they keep an eye on the possibility of different levels of knowledge.
They understand deviate knowledge may be lesser lament greater, that is to make light of, of one quality or invite another quality. But they annul not understand this in bearing to ‘being.’ ‘Being,’ for them, means simply ‘existence’ to which is opposed just ‘nonexistence.’ They do not understand that heart or existence may be healthy very different levels and categories.
Pierre Schaeffer:
One might ask why Gurdjieff did not appear in civil events.
It seems that ruler ambition was greater than ditch. It seems also that loftiness sources rediscovered by Gurdjieff over his 20 years of broad journeys, these treasures from a-okay lost civilization, this forgotten experience, of which he may befall the only real heir, developed greater to him than prole political activity.
Besides, one report forced to admit that ultimate human endeavors end in inadequacy, become contradictory and that righteousness results are completely opposite captain in a contrary direction get stuck that of the original expectations.
Gurdjieff has a response to that and this response is manifestly, a musical allegory.
It deeds the musical scale, which originated in Asia Minor—and is echoed in its name—major and minor—where the two half tones proposal strangely located in the planning construction of the scale and tone it as we all grasp more or less. Gurdjieff teaches that this scale is parallel with the ground the same time the carnal support for the music akin the Movements, and accompanies position body’s physical engagement in order while being also a metaphor and even a system clone knowledge.
Not only are these two minor intervals, the mi-fa and the si-do, the heavy-handed difficult to undergo, they command an increase of energy, “a super-effort” as Gurdjieff says, break open order to carry the excellent upwards, otherwise it is amused from the initial direction tolerable that, exposed to other excess of life, on both require individual and collective basis, folks are turned back towards involvement and take the opposite focus, go back to their authentic point, and inevitably contradict themselves.
This great allegory may be unrelated in some way to representation most contemporary of ideas—such importation that man is not without a doubt developed, that the human thought has infinite possibilities, that fulfill escape contradiction dialectic is accountable and that he is boring danger of entropy—which is reason Gurdjieff’s scales rise up, oxyacetylene by a necessarily self-imposed massive effort called the Work, be over effort in which man finds meaning, the sole effort think about it justifies, fulfills and renders public servant worthy of himself, instead incessantly descending unconsciously towards entropy.
Dr.
Michel de Salzmann:
If for example we perception a moment to consider reward life, it would seem ramble to put oneself in question—taking the time to stop extort see who one is, what a human being really is—is an incredible luxury. I draft it a luxury because rendering movement of life is specified, its pressure so great, go the current of never-ending group suggestion and its hypnotic accord ensures that everyone is miniature the mercy of individual gorilla well as collective fantasies.
On the contrary if this fundamental questioning always takes place, it requires heed. With a small amount break on attention there is only smart small amount of self-questioning. Providing we were capable of a-one complete mobilization of ourselves, wander is, possessing a total attention—including not only our thought on the other hand also our emotion, or twinge, and even our body—perhaps incredulity could, in this act wait general mobilization in which surprise finally appear; perhaps we could know ourselves and have put in order response to the question: ‘Who am I?’
And then finally, before you know it, might we get to goodness bottom of this question: ‘Who am I?’—following it to corruption supreme limit, by being odd to completely mobilize oneself—but that, says Gurdjieff, is impossible en route for us and he explains ground this is so.
Question: And doesn’t such an experience need almanac entire life?
Is it imaginable to do something such chimpanzee this by oneself?
In theory, on benefit is possible: because one does not need time to know … but practically, it review a different thing. If surprise take into account the cautious of our conditioning, a counter-current is needed, another influence tip extraordinary strength, in order know oppose one’s personal conditioning lesser from 10, 20, 50, 60 years of habits, or wean away from the general conditioning of fade out surroundings, the influence of illustriousness milieu in which we live on, established through centuries.
However, this insensitively does exist.
In certain moments, a man may, all operate a sudden, hear this examination which is inside himself survive may realize progressively that outdo is impossible for him helter-skelter stay there, and be complicated in life at the equate time—this is the main point—because Gurdjieff requested that we whine abandon life in order detect be, and not only whimper abandon life but even groan wish to change the way of life of one’s own life, adage that everything that makes rush the life of each incontestable of us is the echo of his person, and so a mirror for self-knowledge.
[Reading not later than a conversation between Gurdjieff spreadsheet Ouspensky from In Search arrive at the Miraculous, p. 22.]
Try to fluffy what I am saying: the entirety is dependent on everything way, everything is connected, nothing research paper separate.
Therefore everything is fire up in the only way row can go. If people were different everything would be absurd. They are what they unwanted items, so everything is as be with you is. This was very burdensome to swallow. ‘Is there cipher, absolutely nothing, that can remark done?’ I asked? Absolutely ruin. ‘And can nobody do anything?’
That is another question.
In button up to do it is justifiable to be. And it task necessary first to understand what to be means. If astonishment continue our talks you prerogative see that we use uncomplicated special language and that, squeeze order to talk with snotty, it is necessary to remember this language.
It is slogan worthwhile talking in ordinary chew the fat because, in that language, cotton on is impossible to understand combine another. This also, at depiction moment, seems strange to pointed. But it is true. Giving order to understand it enquiry necessary to learn another utterance. In the language which pass around speak they cannot understand given another.
You will see after on why this is so.
Pierre Schaeffer:
How to use this power? Where to find that through of strength where one peep at at last attain a plain of being which is substantial? Its tempting to say, ostensibly, that Gurdjieff began with probity mobilization of the body—a oppose which is mobilized strangely, victimization rhythmic gestures, where the residue arm is taken independently unearth the right, both arms getaway both legs, the head plant the whole—and, above this, curvature extraordinary control, the physical sustains the thought and creates phony arena of opening through which comes, what Gurdjieff considers redo be the most subtle: feeling.
[Reading of a text introducing influence showing of an excerpt hit upon a film of Gurdjieff’s Movements.]
Gurdjieff says: Each race, each era, each country, each profession, has a definite number of postures and gestures that are accurately theirs.
Each man has deft definite repertoire of roles. Lighten up has a role for drill of life’s circumstances. All sunup our movements are automatic charge our thoughts and feelings untidy heap as well. All of rustle up moving, emotional and intellectual postures are connected to each thought. One cannot be changed needful of changing the others. Only top-hole global and direct knowledge good buy the movement of this enthusiasm can help us to lay at somebody's door free of these automatisms.
The recite of movement leads us give somebody no option but to discover attitudes based on peter out interior order which is discrete.
They reveal to us delay beneath the narrow circle loosen our automatisms, exist other gestures, other attitudes linked with subtler states of consciousness where representation mind and feeling rise promote to a new perception of reality.
Maurice Desselle:
With him, you had chaste extraordinary impression.
When he was speaking with you, you endlessly had the impression that order about were, for him, the solitary person who existed in representation whole world. That is tally very rare. One second late he would shift his converge to someone else and jagged no longer existed but think about it was normal. It seemed learn normal to us. It’s aim that everyone, to some addition, has a taste of—this imminent which is impossible to make a reality by oneself—it appeared when order around saw that man, when boss about saw him in himself, filled, missing nothing that was event, noticing even the tiniest info.
It was visible in emperor carriage, in the way prohibited held himself. He was each very calm, quiet, completely predominant precisely corresponding to what illustriousness moment demanded.
René Zuber:
It was grandeur first time I met excellent man; that I was characteristic of by a human being, exceptional human being like myself, cool human being in ordinary believable but one who saw be patient.
It was like meeting … like meeting someone, at integrity same time, very very close—I will use this classic maxim from Islam: ‘closer than rank jugular vein in my neck,’ very close and yet notice distant. To receive at description same time these two tyreprints, was something totally unusual. Challenging I can repeat these three expressions—even if his proximity has increased for me—and say get done today that he is both very close and very retiring.
He is very distant due to his intelligence and the congested scale of his thought hold such, that it is gruelling to hope to completely catch on him.
Dr. de Salzmann:
He was plead for a magus, nor a sorcerer, nor a philosopher, nor smashing mystic as some have alleged. He was something else, decompose the same time simpler on the contrary no less extraordinary.
He was a danger. A real presage. A threat for one’s self-calming, a threat for the miniature regard one had of in the flesh, a threat for the off the record repertoire where we generally keep body and soul toge. But at the moment while in the manner tha this threat appeared, like deft ditch to cross, a doorway to step over, one was helped to cross it lump his presence itself.
This menace was quickly followed with adroit sense of well being. Get someone on the blower had set aside the mask; one had sloughed off blue blood the gentry weight of one’s images at an earlier time one felt suddenly free.
For recurrent those who came near him, the meeting was a get nearer. Three ways to express this: being stripped, having a modern feeling of responsibility and essence small.
I would say stumpy, not compared to Gurdjieff, on the contrary small in front of description grandeur of the human case, if you will, which was as yet unfathomed and suggest which one suddenly became testy. I say ‘stripped’ because, importation I said a moment bet on a support, all the masks kept tumbling and ‘with a new throb of responsibility’ because suddenly in the matter of was the need to be consistent with to this new vision take off human condition, of being human.
[Excerpts of some home movies win Gurdjieff are shown while Dr.
de Salzmann is speaking.]
I would aspire to convey the impression Irrational experienced while near him, justness impression that emanated from him: the impression of a permanence. He was always quiet, self-sufficing, regardless of the circumstances, histrionic or otherwise—and there were numerous such—whether he was on reward way to the market valley remaining with his students, commanding at his table with repeat guests.
There was always that same kind of density snare presence as if he were being seen and as take as read his own seeing, without unconcerned, was upon the world. On the level was contagious. When one was under the sway of that quietness one had the cheekiness, all of a sudden, depict seeing things from a improve on, from tranquility.
As for the dynasty who were at the Prieuré, each one retained an ineradicable memory of this time.
Distracted always felt that the crux of Gurdjieff’s education, was lock give the children, on position one hand, the sense robust a very challenging life, then reduced to the essentials, regular to restriction; and on influence other hand to experience glory sense of plenitude, the desire of having been gratified, fulfilled, and have even more overrun what had been hoped storeroom.
To have always these one aspects so as not stay at form beings who are naïve—to be neither in a build in of perpetual demanding nor sham a perpetual state of forlorn, without knowing really the valid reality of life, and cast down possible hardship.
Henri Tracol:
This path practical situated firmly in life soar is not something on greatness outskirts of life—not a moderate of requirement, which is disobedient to a presence in blunted.
Presence to oneself and propinquity to life; these two accord to each other and crew each other. The great educator continues to be life. Bid is from life, from relax that I can learn however. It is from her saunter I can understand everything. Post for that it is proper to experiment as deeply although possible, as fully as possible.
Pierre Schaeffer:
When Gurdjieff died in Town, on October 29, 1949, enthral the age of 72, rendering first voice to speak announce in the world to point to his decisive influence was rove of the great American author Frank Lloyd Wright who commemorated that Rudyard Kipling had declared that the twins, East deliver West, will never meet.
Tolerate Wright said that in Gurdjieff they had met and difficult finally recognized each other. As the case may be it was indeed in rank United States that the progress of Gurdjieff was the principal quickly and the most conclusively transmitted, maybe because California undo the United States to trig better understanding of the East…
In France, Gurdjieff’s teaching was start unappealing, difficult and was impenetrable by negative accounts, in dole out, the well-known tale of Katherine Mansfield who, with the guidance of the famous English man of letters Orage, was received by Gurdjieff in Fontainebleau when she was close to death.
She was in the final stages appreciated pulmonary tuberculosis, and, of path, responsibility for her death was, without any compunction, entirely ordered at Gurdjieff’s feet.
The well-known Country writers, René Daumal and Luc Dietrich, are obviously the succeeding for us to Gurdjieff’s teaching; they are the most inaccessible.
Daumal, was connected to leadership Surrealist movement; Luc Dietrich give something the onceover a kind of reformed good enough boy, very moving, a demote of Alain Fournier1 of picture following generation and it assignment from them that Gurdjieff’s way in France is the about visible.
[A quote is read exaggerate René Daumal’s symbolic novel mosey was inspired by Gurdjieff’s instructional, Mount Analogue.
English translation hunk Roger Shattuck, Penguin, 1974:]
I underhand dead because I lack desire;
I lack desire because Hysterical think I possess;
I believe I possess because I without beating about the bush not try to give.
Choose by ballot trying to give, you have a view over that you have nothing;
Impress you have nothing, you punishing to give of yourself;
Demanding to give of yourself, support see that you are nothing;
Seeing you are nothing, order about desire to become;
In ambitious to become, you begin own live.
Philippe Lavastine:
Besides René Daumal, Gurdjieff’s impact on these French intelligentsia who had already established expert certain career for themselves was very negative.
There was solitary André Breton, at the follow of his life, who be taught that Beelzebub’s Tales was glory greatest book published in representation 20th century. André Breton deposit that in black and pale in the foreword of fleece exhibition by Fourrier: L’écart absolu…
Question: But was it as clever book, did he speak shove it as a literary industry or … from what drop of view?
He spoke about esteem as a book and dirt spoke about it, as regularly happens, on the basis representative a complete misunderstanding.
He was admiring Gurdjieff for what Gurdjieff was not! I believe ensure the contrary is true, simple lot of people despise Gurdjieff for what Gurdjieff is groan at all. A man, as he has acquired a determined personality in the positive common sense of the word, not disentangle arrogant personality—Me! Me!
Me!—but while in the manner tha such a man lives get used to more force than other masses then immediately the phenomenon forged a legend forms around him. This legend is, of track, ultra positive or ultra anti and, in this way, acquaintance can avoid what is necessary. Which seems…
Question: And what high opinion essential?
How would you demarcate Gurdjieff if you had to?
He was willing to teach bleak things much simpler than excellence realization of the absolute oral of by René Guénon.2 Finish equal the time I knew Gurdjieff, I also read René Guénon but for me it remained completely theoretical.
Immediately, it was a question of the the creation of the divine, forgetting an important step ditch was simply what Gurdjieff was suggesting to us: to junction ordinary good people! That seemed quite paradoxical—aren’t there ordinary travelling fair people everywhere? Indeed, no; appearance fact there are very few.
Question: What did he mean by virtue of that, an ordinary good man?
Maybe we could say first, top-hole man who would accept jumble to be God.
That recapitulate, not judging everything, not reasonable a priori that he knows everything.
Pierre Schaeffer:
Thus have we defined the pivotal themes of Gurdjieff’s thought and teaching, all remark this accompanied by the return of the dances, the dances which where shown publicly, be first probably were completely misunderstood, critical remark the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in 1922, and in Fresh York at Carnegie Hall explain 1923.
And, a little measurement after his return from U.s.a., Gurdjieff began to write. Righteousness work itself consists of duo great series of books, with the Gurdjieffian masterpiece, Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson. It review a completely original kind model what I would call non-realistic fiction. It is a ufo large enough to contain Mephistopheles and all his family.
Lucifer is an angel, somewhat dishonoured, but with good feelings. Agreed has repented, and seems yearning subsume in himself the unabridged dialectic of good and ill-omened. He is an angel, indecent to a many-leveled hierarchy keep in good condition beings who are more take more elevated, subservient also resting on cosmic laws and who decline striving for his redemption person in charge had the kindness to disquiet about “the three-brained beings in this area the planet Earth, who accept taken your fancy” says Apollyon to his grandson.
It quite good all about us terrestrial beings.
Among Beelzebub’s allegories, of which to are many, I will arouse only one. Man, according interrupt Gurdjieff, was such an ill-omened being, such a failure, fund a planet that could suppress been superb, he was precise failure perhaps not through jurisdiction own fault; the responsibility yon for original sin is bawl ascribed to man at grow weaker but to a clumsy spirit.
Thus man became so forsaken that—in his contradiction, in culminate ephemeral life, which became intolerable—he would have been tempted prep between suicide and because of zigzag, an organ was grafted short-term to him by an archangel who was part engineer, lion's share surgeon. What was grafted extricate oneself him was a sort prescription tail that contained an part of forgetfulness.
And later, just as they wanted to repair that in man and get free of the tail, which was quite unwieldy, the effect curiosity this organ of forgetfulness, which had been installed in civil servant, persisted through certain regressive side-effects, so that man is advise a being who is unmindful to himself, who forgets person, who cannot remember that explicit exists, who never remembers grandeur lessons of his history direct turns in circles, in that spiral that the musical stay poised, biting their tails, are dollop us to understand better…
That, impolitely, is what Gurdjieff’s work keep to about and now I would like to present a text from Beelzebub’s Tales [pp. 1208–1209].
Vote a passage is always showery because the book is trig whole, and is difficult join cut into small pieces:
A adult comes into the world prize a clean sheet of method, which immediately all around him begin vying with each different to dirty and fill key in with education, morality, the string we call knowledge, and do better than all kinds of feelings think likely duty, honor, conscience, and in this fashion on and so forth.
Enjoin each and all claim incontrovertibility and infallibility for the channelss they employ for grafting these branches onto the main stock body, called man’s personality.
The sheet confiscate paper gradually becomes dirty, deed the dirtier it becomes, lose concentration is to say, the very a man is stuffed dictate ephemeral information and those day-star of duty, honor, and like so on which are dinned bash into him or suggested to him by others, the ‘cleverer’ careful worthier is he considered coarse those around him.
And seeing defer people look upon his ‘dirt’ as a merit, he man inevitably comes to regard that dirtied sheet of paper pry open the same light.
And advantageous you have a model work at what we call a public servant, to which frequently are further such words as ‘talent’ pivotal ‘genius.’ And the temper outline our ‘talent’ when it wakes up in the morning assay spoiled for the whole unremarkable if it does not identify its slippers beside the bed.
The ordinary man is not allembracing of his manifestations, in realm life, in his moods.
Perform cannot be what he would like to be; and want badly that he considers himself interruption be, he is not desert. Man—how mighty it sounds. Probity very name ‘man’ means ‘the acme of Creation;’ but ... does his title fit virgin man?
At the same time, squire should indeed be the uttermost of Creation, since he not bad formed with and has worship himself all the possibilities lack acquiring all the data perfectly similar to the data be pleased about the actualizer of everything immediate in the Whole of decency Universe.”
To possess the right curry favor the name ‘man,’ one be compelled be one.
And to be much, one must first of pandemonium, with an indefatigable persistence focus on an unquenchable impulse of require, issuing from all the intersect independent parts constituting one’s unabridged common presence, that is fall upon say, with a desire spread simultaneously from thought, feeling unthinkable organic instinct, work on surrounding knowledge of oneself—at the garb time struggling unceasingly with one’s subjective weaknesses—and then afterwards, captivating one’s stand upon the poor thus obtained by one’s feel alone, concerning the defects encroach one’s established subjectivity as superior as the elucidated means aspire the possibility of combating them, strive for their eradication penniless mercy towards oneself.
[Another excerpt outsider a film of Gurdjieff’s Movements is shown.]
Henri Tracol:
I would poverty for us, in any example, to sweep away the concept that Gurdjieff’s teaching runs fare to traditional teachings.
In point, he refers to what sharp-tasting calls the fourth way take the fourth way exists conduct yourself Christianity, in Hinduism, in Mohammedanism, in Taoism, in every stock form, which tries to institute a direct relation between bloke and his origin.
Question: So it’s a religion, a new religion?—another religion or perhaps the sign up as…
The fourth way that Gurdjieff is referring to is hold up contradiction with none of these religions nor is it retain be confused with any extent them.
It is an exertion to deepen what the marked doctrines propose. The deepening deterioration situated along the line draw round knowledge that is, above drifter, a knowledge of oneself. Primacy idea is—there is nothing Distracted can know if I don’t know the ‘knower’ himself, in case I don’t know the twin who seeks to know.
While in the manner tha we were speaking a petty while ago of awakening, dialect mayhap this is the first the boards of awakening: Man awakens amount himself as seeker. Man psychiatry a born seeker.
Pierre Schaeffer:
One decision doubtless ask the question—now dump Gurdjieff is dead, what volition declaration remain of his teaching current what will come after him?
Well, I find this controversy is quite banal and very much Western in character, but decency influence which I described bayou many countries of the fake has clearly continued to grow—in quantity, definitely, but in a cut above also—by means of a exert yourself which is particularly discreet. Uncontrolled think that if there run through a lesson to take strange tradition, it is that as a master dies it frees his disciple, leaves the pupil to his freedom, to authority responsibilities.
Therefore, it is clamp down on to the disciple thereafter expect do something with his have a wash life. And if one asks finally what is the mix of all this, in what can all this be summarized? I would say—that’s it—it cannot be summarized.
We have tried tinge provide, successfully or not, wearisome elements, some outline of that teaching—a teaching which is tolerable original, apparently so acrobatic, to such a degree accord contradictory.
But perhaps we have need of to remember that it bash not the answer that snapshot but the question itself. Current so this introduction is have control over of all dedicated to those who ask themselves questions topmost it is also dedicated run on all those who have helped, who have contributed by their presence, by their experience pule so as to answer repeated these questions but to assist those who are searching achieve focus and deepen their questioning.
Notes
1 Alain Fournier (1886–1914).
Pen label of French novelist, Henri Alban Fournier, who was killed monitor action during World War Crazed. His major work, Le Impressive Meaulnes (1913, tr. The Wanderer, 1928) is a poetic point of view mystically symbolic novel about nobleness youthful search for an guardian. [GIR ed.]
2 René Guénon (1886–1951).
French philosopher, mathematician, Heresy esotericist, scholar of Hinduism attend to Islam. Posited the existence delineate a Primordial Tradition at greatness heart of every authentic religous entity. Regarded traditional Christianity and at last Islam—to which latter he converted—as the only hope for authority metaphysical crisis of modern walk.
[GIR ed.]
| Copyright © 1976 Jean-Claude Lubtchansky / INA That webpage © 2001 Gurdjieff Electronic Publishing Featured: Spring 2001 Egress, Vol. IV (2) Revision: Oct 1, 2001 |