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While in Moscow in 1912, he met author, lecturer, mathematician, and his famous disciple, P.D. Ouspensky. Ouspensky helped to spread Gurdjieff's thoughts and ideas throughout the United States. Until 1920, Gurdjieff spent the majority of his time in Russia and Georgia.
To avoid harsh times after the Bolshevik Revolution, and after traveling through Georgia, Constantinople, and Germany, Gurdjieff and his followers fled to France in 1922. In France, he established the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at the Prieure at Avon. Gurdjieff established the Institute because he believed his ideas needed to be rediscovered by his students. He felt they could accomplish this discovery with unexpected and sometimes strenuous activities similar to the style of Marpa, the thirteenth-century Tibetan teacher of Milarepa.
In 1924, along with some of his students, he made his first trip to the United States. Before the group returned to the United States, Gurdjieff decided that O.R. Orage should remain in America as a representative for the group. From 1924 to 1934, Gurdjieff spent the majority of his time studying and writing books. 2
One of the key beliefs of Gurdjieff is that individuals live their lives in a type of spiritual sleep, unaware of their essence and outside forces. Man is like a machine that has automatic reactions to other reactions. Students of Gurdjieff believe this state is the result of three centers or paths; the mental, located in the head, the emotional which is in the heart, and the physical which is located in the belly. 8
The first three paths are: (1) Way of the Fakir , the physical center, which demands physical control and extreme asceticism, (2) Way of the Monk , the emotional center, requiring devotion, faith, love, and concentration of feeling, and (3) Way of the Yogi, the intellectual center, or the path of knowledge, involving mental attention.
The "Fourth Way " is the way of combining all three elements: mind, body, and feeling. Students are placed in high tension situations and during this time, they are supposed to gain self- conscious awareness. People may also awaken with dances, which were called "Sacred Gymnastics" when Gurdjieff lived in Russia and "Movements" once he moved to France. By practicing the dance and participating in the Way, followers may begin to awaken from their sleep. Because the Way is an oral tradition, few definitive details are known. However, Gurdjieff's teachings go beyond these paths.
The Fourth Way , also called "the Work" or "the way of the sly man" is when an effort is made in all three ways: the body (Fakir), feeling (Monk), and mind (Yogi). Gurdjieff's discussion of the Fourth Way is found in P.D. Ouspensky's book, In Search of the Miraculous . Unlike the other ways, a separation from ordinary life is not necessary for The Fourth Way.
Through practicing The Fourth Way, students learn to balance the three centers or paths. Once the balancing begins, an awareness is able to occur. Gurdjieff also felt it is important to work with others. His reasoning for this was that individuals see things differently, thus, a clear understanding may be attained if everyone works together. Another explanation for this belief is the differences may provide energy for inner work. The ideas contained in Sufism are similar to the Fourth Way. 9
Followers of Gurdjieff participate in Gurdjieff Movements which are sacred gymnastics, and physical-mental exercises used to arouse consciousness.
According to author Andrew Rawlinson, there are two main areas of Gurdjieff's teaching. One area is the psychological and the other is the cosmological . Waking people from their sleep deals with the psychological. A task of Gurdjieff's teachings is to become conscious by using the methods described in the "Fourth Way." According to his teaching, consciousness has four levels: sleep, so-called waking consciousness, self-remembering, and objective consciousness. The cosmological area deals with energy and the universe. Gurdjieff believed that energy is produced which feeds the cosmos and consequently sustains the universe. If a man fails to become conscious, the universe will find other suppliers for the energy. Furthermore, man has a responsibility to the intelligent universe. 10
The Institute for Harmonious Development of Man was a school Gurdjieff established near Fortainebleau, France, at the Chateau du Prieure, forty miles from Paris. At the Institute, followers were trained so they could instruct others about Gurdjieff. The Institute was in operation from October 1922 until 1933 when Gurdjieff relocated to Paris. From 1922 to 1925, the pupils participated in intense work which included the "Movements" or choreographed dances. The following eight years, Gurdjieff spent writing about his teachings and beliefs.
Members believe in order to understand Gurdjieff's work, there must be direct contact between teacher and pupil. Furthermore, Gurdjieffians believe the oral tradition cannot be accurately communicated outside the Foundations thus, they do not freely discuss the ideas and activites of Gurdjieff with outsiders. In addition, the believers feel that discussing the oral tradition in public may cause more confusion regarding the ideas and beliefs. Consequently, the number of members has not increased significantly.
A year of study is equivalent to the standard school year, September to June. During this time, members are involved in movement classes, group meetings, sitting meditation, group craft work, and lecture-discussion seminars. G.I. Gurdjieff felt working in a group benefits the participants and leader therefore much of the activites involve groups. During the summer, the institutional activites are suspended. However, Gurdjieff believes the students should meditate every morning regardless of whether or not the group is meeting. 11
Gurdjieff's Aphorisms: An aphorism is "a short saying, a general truth." (Webster's Dictionary) 4 The aphorisms were inscribed above the walls of the Study House at Prieure, France. In addition to Gurdjieff's books, these sayings provide information regarding his beliefs and teachings.
- Like what "it" does not like.
- The highest that a man can attain is to be able to do.
- The worse the conditions of life the more productive the work, always provided you remember the work.
- Remember yourself always and everywhere.
- Remember you come here having already understood the necessity of struggling with yourself-only with yourself.
- Here we can only direct and create conditions, but not help.
- Know that this house can be useful only to those who have recognized their nothingness and who believe in the possiblity of changing.
- If you already know it is bad and do it, you commit a sin difficult to redress.
- The chief means of happiness in this life is the ability to consider externally always.
- Do not love art with your feelings.
- A true sign of a good man is if he loves his father and mother.
- Judge others by yourself and you will rarely be mistaken.
- Only help him who is not an idler.
- Respect every religion.
- I love him who loves work.
- We can only strive to be able to be Christians.
- Don't judge a man by the tales of others.
- Consider what people think of you-not what they say.
- Take the understanding of the East and the knowledge of the West-and then seek.
- Only he who can take care of what belongs to others may have his own.
- Only conscious suffering has any sense.
- It is better to be temporarily egoist than never to be just.
- Practice love first on animals, they are more sensitive.
- By teaching others you will learn yourself.
- Remember that here work is not for work's sake but is only a means.
- Only he can be just who is able to put himself in the position of others.
- If you have not by nature a critical mind your staying here is useless.
- He who has freed himself of the disease of "tomorrow" has a chance to attain what he came here for.
- Blessed is he who has a soul, blessed is he who has none, bye woe and grief to him who has it in embryo.
- Rest comes not from the quantity but from the quality of sleep.
- Sleep little without regret.
- The energy spent on active inner work is then and there transformed into a fresh supply, but that spent on passive work is lost for ever.
- One of the best means for arousing the wish to work on yourself is to realize that you may die at any moment.
- Conscious love evokes the same in response. Emotional love evokes the opposite. Physical love depends on type and polarity.
- Conscious faith is freedom. Emotional faith is slavery. Mechanical faith is foolishness.
- Hope, when bold, is strength. Hope, with doubt, is cowardice. Hope, with fear, is weakness.
- Man is given a definite number of experiences-economizing them, he prolongs his life.
- Here there are neither Russian nor English, Jews nor Christians, but only those who pursue one aim-to be able to be.
Key Pupils
Gurdjieff worked closely with five key people. These people assisted him with the transmission of his ideas and teachings. These pupils are also responsible for the continuation of his work throughout the world after his death in 1949.
Pyotr Demianovich Ouspensky (1878-1947) is Gurdjieff's most well known student whom he met in 1915 in Moscow. P.D. Ouspensky was an author and lecturer whose most famous book is In Search of the Miraculous , which discusses an elaborate esoteric system and Gurdjieff's ideas of the Fourth Way. Ouspensky also played a significant role in spreading Gurdjieff's ideas throughout the United States and England. Ouspensky established Lyne Place, a center for studying Gurdjieff's teachings outside Surrey, England. 12Thomas de Hartmann (1886-1956), a composer, assisted Gurdjieff with the development of the music by which the Gurdjieff Movements are performed. De Hartmann was one of the founders of the Gurdjieff Foundation in New York. With his wife Olga, de Hartmann wrote In Our Life With Mr. Gurdjieff , which described their time with Gurdjieff from 1917 to 1922. 13
Alfred R. Orage (1873-1934), an English author and editor of New Age literary review. One of the contributors to this review was Katherine Mansfield, who was introduced to Gurdjieff's teachings through Orage and later died at the Institute. Orage sold the review in order to join Gurdjieff in France. He resided in Fountainbleau in the early 1920's and later lived in the United States as a Gurdjieff representative. As a result of Orage's ability to attract writers and artists, a substantial following developed in the United States. In addition to his work in the U.S., Orage was in charge of translating Beezlebub and Meetings with Remarkable Men from Russian to English. Orage also wrote numerous essays on religion, philosophy, and psychology. 14
Lord Pentland also known as Henry John Sinclair, was a pupil of Gurdjieff during the 1920's and 1930's. He was introduced to Gurdjieff's teachings through Mr. and Mme. Ouspensky. In 1953, he became the President of the Gurdjieff Foundations in New York and San Francisco. Until his death in 1984, he was a leader of the Gurdjieff movement in the United States. 15
Jeanne de Salzmann was an orthodox follower who studied with Gurdjieff for approximately thirty years. After Gurdjieff's death, she continued to spread his teachings. At his wish, she published the first and second series of the All and Everything trilogy, Beelzebub's Tales and Meetings with Remarkable Men . She also preserved and taught his movements or sacred dances. As a result, they continue to exist today. 16
George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff
The unofficial Gurdjieff homepage gives a short history of the movement, as wellas
providing links to Gurdjieff's writings and the status of the
Work
teachings today.
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/1181
Glossary of
Fourth Way Terms
This page provides numerous definitions of the special terms related to the Fourth
Way. Most of the terms may be unfamiliar to non-followers. Nevertheless, the site
provides clear descriptions of the key words and explainations of their connection to
Gurdjieff.
http://www.pcisys.net/~jmccabe/fourthway/glossary.html
The Fourth Way Gurdjieff Ouspensky
School-Home Page
Provides a detailed description and information regarding the Fourth Way and how it
relates to the beliefs of Gurdjieff.
http://www.fourthway.com
The Fourth Way
This page describes Gurdjieff's idea of the Fourth Way. It provides links to seminars
and other publications. Likewise, the page offers a person to contact with questions
about the teaching.
http://www.duversity.org/ideas/4thway.html
Gurdjieff Message Board
This link provides direct access to a Gurdjieff message board where you can post your
thoughts, raise questions with those who probably know more about G.I. Gurdjieff than
you, or read what others have posted. The site also links to a nice essay by John
Shirley entitled "The Shadows of Ideas: A Distant Glimpse of Gurdjieff."
http://members.aol.com/prlg/gurdjieff
Gurdjieff Movements Worldwide
"Gurdjieff Movements Worldwide is a directory of Gurdjieff Movements events and
resources around the world." This page is the product of Chronogram.com Book Store and
is not affiliated with any lineage or organization. One finds here a calendar of
upcoming movement events, contact names of organizations and individuals, and a link to
Gurdjieff books available online.
http://www.gurdjieffmovements.org/
Skeptic's Dictionary - Gurdjieff
This site offers a brief description of G.I. Gurdjieff and his beliefs. Although it is
from a "Skeptics Dictionary" it does not critique nor openly criticize the beliefs.
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us.go/btcarrol/skeptic/gurdjieff.html
Articles:
Created by
Cate Mansfield
For Soc 257: New Religious MOvements
Spring Term, 1999
University of Virginia
Last modified: 07/18/01