Georgy Gurdjieff's teaching fourth way of life. Georgy Gurdjieff

Not repelling the practical minds of Western thinkers. "P. D. Uspensky (Ouspensky, 1971), another student Gurdjieva, calls this system" Esoteric School ", which is not adapted for mass tastes; school that teaches how it should be done that according to religions Must be done - i.e. how to transform human consciousness. Gurdjiyev himself calls his "fourth way", unlike the traditional ways of Fakir, a monk or yoga; by "cunning man", which is not removed from the world in a solitary refuge for meditation , but it works on his consciousness in a mirror of relationships with people, animals, property and ideas. At an advanced stage, a student Gurdjieff should share acquired knowledge with others to advance even further. Numerous Gurdjiyev groups of the second, third and fourth generation thus developed their styles and Characteristic features. Since the original School of Gurdjieff used a wide range of technician, then a modern group May, at its discretion, use or not to use those methods that are discussed below, and are mainly borrowed from the books of Assumption.

Gurdjieff said that most people "sleep", that is, they live automatically, responding to incentives. "A modern man - said Gurdjieff (Ouspensky, 1971) gradually defended from the natural type he had to appear ... perceptions and manifestations of modern Man ... - These are just the results of automatic reflexes of one or another part of its cumulative essence. " Like Buddha, Gurdjieff understands under the normal state of a person the state of suffering. People because of their inability to see the state of affairs as it is, they remain entirely subject to egoism and animal passions, such as fear, excitement, anger and chase for pleasures. However, suffering can give us an impetus to freedom. The path to liberation is not in the generally accepted concepts of virtuous life, but in the deliberate program for self-transformation. The tool that Gurdjieff offers, begins with self-surveillance. Kenneth Walker (Walker, 1969, P.206), who studied at the Assumption and Gurdjieff, explains it like this: "We are imprisoned by our mind, and however we would expand and embrace them, we still remain locked in their walls . If we want to somehow block these walls, then the first step should be our understanding of the situation in which we are, and the vision of what we actually have, and not we would like to be. It may be achieved by maintaining the state of passive awareness ... "

Next, the Walker describes the technique of "self-resipation" - intentional division of attention in such a way as to send part of it back to himself. In his numerous and non-permanent "me", a person establishes awareness that only observes everything else is "observing I" or "Witness". Initially, it is very difficult to achieve the stability of the "observing I", and a beginner will also forget about what needs to be remembered, and self-surveillance goes to a complete identification with the "I" that dominates his mind at the moment. But in the presence of beginner perseverance, the self-resipant is strengthened, since, in the words of Assumption, the more we understand our real state, the state of sleep, the stronger we feel the need to change it. "Self-recipimizing reminds" full attention ", which we have already spoken about . The psychological installation necessary at the same method is a self-deduction, in which our own thoughts and deeds are considered as belonging to another person, with whom we are only superficially familiar. Assumption (Cyt. Walker, 1969, P.40) offered "to watch It is very careful, and you will then see that it is not you, not yours I, and some "it" says inside you; moving and feels, laughs and cries within you; Just as it rains, then it turns out, and after it rains again. Everything happens in you, and your the main task - follow and watch what is happening. "

When the student realizes that in his self-observation, a break was allowed, he again returns his distracted mind to the task of self-surveillance. Although Gurdzhiev groups use different technique, most often they are secondary to self-return. The art of referring attention to himself is decisive. Assumption (1971) said that both the state of the trance in Samadhi and the normal state of identification, "which limits the freedom of man with some small part of himself" opposite his goals. With a self-election, as well as in Vipassan-meditation, "distorting personality mirrors" are discarded so that you can see yourself. In the self-remember, as well as the fullness of attention in the practice of "Dzazen", a person takes itself completely, without commenting and without assigning the names that he sees.

Another example of Gurdzhiev exercises to the self-recipient is to focus on some one aspect of everyday behavior throughout the day - for example, on the movement of hands or facial people. Here is another instruction for self-remembering: "Wherever you are, whatever you do, remember your presence and watch everything you do." This instruction is similar to those offered to achieve full attention. Perhaps such similarity between systems is not accidental. And Gurdjieff and Asspensky were in those countries where Vipassan and similar techniques were passed enough to learn them, and Gurdjieff in this sense was a great borrower, transmitter and the converter of the East teachings.

During the practice of self-resipant, the student comes (as well as on the path of Vipassana) to understand that its internal states are in constant motion, and that does not exist inside such things as the unchanged "I". Instead, he sees a combination of character traits, the so-called "main traits". Each of them, dominating the scene, attaches its appearance of his personality. In case of self-observance, the multiplicity of these character traits becomes obvious. But then this plurality is gradually eliminated as self-surveillance, since the student ceases to identify itself with this set of various "I" and they gradually lose their strength. When strengthening the "I" observing and removing from all the others, the student "awakens", at the same time sacrifice his everyday "I". Walker describes this awakened state as a "feeling of presence, finding here; thinking, feeling, perception and movement with a certain degree of control, and not just automatically." In this state, the "witness" is crystallized into a permanent mental function. The student can judge itself completely objectively.

This degree of self-knowledge precedes the highest state of "objective consciousness". In this state, the student sees not only himself, but everything else with full objectivity. Objective consciousness is the culmination of self-election. The usual consciousness of a person is not expelled, but objectivity is imposed on it. It strengthens "inner silence" and a sense of separation from a continuous muttering of the mind. The perception of a human world with an objective consciousness is completely different. Walker (1969, p.47-48) So describes this final state of the Gurdzhiev training: "A small limited" I "of everyday life, which insisted on his rights and its separateness, has already disappeared and cannot more isolate a person from around the world. Man is immersed In a much deeper dimension of existence ... As if the noise of thoughts of UGAS, and their place in the inner silence occupies a stunning feeling of "being". Such limited statements as "mine" and "your" will lose meaning ... and even the previous temporary barriers As "before" and "then" drown in the bottomless depths of the incredit "now." The differences between the subject and the object are disappear between the knowledge book and a knowledgeable thing. "

Bennet (Bennet, 1973) cites seven levels of man according to the Gurdzhiev system, the last three of which are "freed." These three recent levels are the gradations of the "objective consciousness". An integral part of the transformation in the "objective consciousness" is the liberation of a person from the capricious, unreasonable effects emanating from external and internal sources. "The liberated" person, for example, on the sixth level is the same as "Bodhisatva" in Buddhism, Mahayana, or the great saints in Christianity and "Wadi" in Islam. Such a person is no longer concerned about his own well-being, but devotes to the salvation of all living beings. "

A century has come, broken the usual world.

The age of large cars, locomotives, steamats, cars and airplanes ... Civilization made a huge leap, and people were surrounded by machines and mechanisms.

Where did this mysterious person come from, this Georgy Gurdjieff, whose name was pronounced with a whisper, students or listeners of which were almost all the well-known figures of that time, including Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Sergey Yesenin, Mayakovsky, Blok and many others?

What is the mystery of this person who called himself "just a dance teacher"? Did he really, in fact, by some secret knowledge or was he just charismatic charlatan?

Did any secret knowledge of these people?

Maybe he correctly calculated that it was now that only people want new knowledge about their nature, because at that time thousands of discoveries, inventions, new theories rapidly changed their lives. Captured the spirit from pride for humanity, from grand opportunities. And from fear for the future.

New opportunities provide an advantage to the one who will apply them first. And this competition cannot end peacefully.

Convenience and comfort had its price: the cars not only made life easier, but also killed more efficiently.

The deadly car of the First World War rumbled, but in Russia, no one could imagine that it all completely mixed there, where it seemed to be comfortable, habitually and calmly. Although calmly - hardly. It was alarming and vigor.

However, the idea that everything collapses, seemed so fantastic that the most gloomy skeptics did not hear the voices of the roaring catastrophe. It was at this time that someone actively acted, some forces made their work, some people sacrificed in the name that other active people would prepare their place in this new world.

The situation seemed unreal, temporary, and this illusion ruined many.

It was at this time that a painful, passionate interest in the possibilities of man himself as a reserve, as to the factors of survival in this world, arise among people. Theosophical and esoteric societies, attempts to expand the knowledge of the human nature and nature of the world, for it seems a significant survival factor - all this has acquired grand sizes.

What differed from other guru this strange Gurdjieff?

He was different. He compared a person with a machine to learn to manage. He said: a person is a car, he lives in a dream: Look, it is actually so. Only sobering in the properties of this car, you can get huge benefits, and become more than the machine.

The laws of the universe are similar to the laws of harmony of music. You can make the car work correctly - in resonance with this harmony. And then you can learn how to manage not only your life ...

He founded not one school or a group of students in which various ways were trying in various ways, which he said, awaken a person. He did it not only by lectures or giving dynamic meditation lessons. Gurdjieff possessed, undoubtedly, the abilities that unambiguously be called excess.

His explanations of the world's device may seem strange, but amazingly consonant with the most modern theories in physics and astronomy.

He studied his students and honed his teaching method on them.

Many do not even believe that he died, according to the official version, in the car accident. Some suggest that he also teaches. What and to whom?

He was always in sight and is always alone. About him, in essence, no one knew anything.

Return from India. - War and "Searches wonderful." - Old thoughts. - Question about schools. - Plans for further travel. - East and Europe. - Note in the Moscow newspaper. - Lectures on India. - Meeting with Gurdjiev. - "disguised". - First conversation. - Opinion Gurdjieff about schools. - Gurdjieff group. - "The glimpse of the truth." - Further meetings and conversations. - organization of the Moscow group Gurdjieff. - Question about the board and tools for work. - the question of the secret; Obligations taken by students. - Conversation about the East. - "Philosophy", "Theory" and "Practice". - How was this system found? - The ideas of Gurdjieff. - "Man is a car", controlled by external influences. - "Everything happens." - No one "does anything." - To "do", you need to "be". - A person is responsible for his actions, and the car is not. - Do I need psychology to explore the car? - The promise of "facts". - Is it possible to stop wars? - Conversation: Planets and the Moon as living beings. - "Mind" of the Sun and the Earth. - "Subjective" and "objective" art.

I returned to Russia after a rather long journey in Egypt, Ceylon and India. This happened in November 1914, i.e. at the beginning of the First World War, which found me in Colombo. I returned from there through England.

Leaving Petersburg at the beginning of the journey, I said that I am going to "look for wonderful." It is very difficult to establish what is "wonderful", but for me it was a completely defined meaning. For a long time, I came to the conclusion that from that labyrinth the contradictions in which we live, there is no other exit, except for a completely new way, not like any of those who were known to us and we used.

But where this new or forgotten way began - I could not say that. Then I have already been known for the undoubted fact that there is a different reality for a thin shell of a false reality, which, due to some reasons, it separates us. "Wonderful" and there is penetration into this unknown reality. It seemed to me that the path to the unknown could be found in the east. Why in the east? It is difficult to answer it. Perhaps, in this idea there was something from romance; And perhaps, there was a conviction that in Europe, in any case, to find something impossible.

On the way back, during the few weeks that I spent in London, all my thoughts about the results of the quest came to a complete disorder under the influence of the insane absoluteness of war and related to her emotions that filled the atmosphere, conversations and newspapers and against my will often captured and me.

But when I returned to Russia and again survived the thoughts with whom I left, I felt that my quest and all that was connected with them are more important than any things that occur and can occur in the world of "obvious absurdities". I told myself that the war should be viewed as one of those catastrophic living conditions, among which you have to live, work and seek an answer to your questions and doubts. This war, The Great European War, in the possibility of which I did not want to believe and the reality of which did not want to allow a long time for a long time. We were immersed in the war, And I saw that it should be considered the Grand Memento Mori, showing that it is necessary to hurry that it is impossible to believe in the "life" leading in nothing.

By the way, about the expression "obvious absurdity." It relates to a book that I was in my childhood. The book was called - "obvious absurdity," belonged to the Stupinskaya "library" and consisted of such, for example, pictures, like images of a person with a home on his back, carriages with square wheels and the like. At that time, the book made a very strong impression on me - there were many pictures in it, which I could not understand that they were ridiculous.

They looked exactly as ordinary things. And later I began to think that the book actually gave pictures from a genuine life, because as I am growing up, I was more convinced that the whole life consists of "obvious absurdities", and the next my experiences only strengthened this belief.

The war could not affect me personally, at least before the final catastrophe, which, as it seemed to me, will inevitably break out in Russia, and maybe in all of Europe; But the near future did not succeed. Although, of course, at that time, this approaching catastrophe looked only temporary, and no one could introduce all of the internal and external decomposition and destruction that we would have to go through.

Fourth way

The fourth way is the way of Ida Yoga. It is similar to the way of yoga, but at the same time he has its own characteristics.

Like yoga, Ida Yoga is learning what can be studied. In general, there is no means to know more than by ordinary yoga. But in the east there is a custom: if I know something special, I only tell it my older son. The same, in turn, will say it only to his older son. Thus, separate secrets are transmitted from generation to generation that are not available to unauthorized people.

Perhaps one of the hundred yogis knows these secrets. But the fact is that there is a certain form of cognition that can contribute to work on this path. What is the difference? Consider this on the example. Suppose that to develop in it a certain substance, I must do breathing exercises. He knows that he needs to stretch and inhale air for a while. Ida Yoga knows what the yogi knows and acts just like him. But it has a certain apparatus, with which, inhaling air, it concentrates the elements necessary for its body. Ida Yoga wins in time, as he knows these secrets.

Where yogo spends five hours, Ida Yoga is one hour. Ida Yoga uses what is not known yoga. For the month he does what yoga is doing for the year. And so in everything.

All these paths are directed to one goal. Internal transformation s in a new body.

As a person can create a second astral body by a methodological process in accordance with the laws, it can also create a third body within himself, and then proceed to the creation of the fourth. One body arises from the other. They can be separated and cleared on different chairs.

All the ways, all exercises have the same goal. They always strive for the same thing. However, the one who entered one of these paths may not give himself a report. The monk believes, he thinks that you can go to the goal only by this way. Only his owner knows the goal, but he deliberately does not tell him about it, because if his student knew this goal, he would be less dictated.

Each path has its own theories, their evidence.

Matter everywhere is the same, but it constantly changes the place and enters various combinations. From a dense stone to fragile matter, each before possesses its own emanation, its own atmosphere, since each thing either eats itself, or either eat it. One thing eats another; I eat you, you eat a neighbor and so on. Every thing is exposed to involution and evolution. The creature is something that exists in a period without an involution (each organic and inorganic substance may be a creature. Next, we will see that everything is organic).

Every creature emanates, distributes certain matter. This applies both to Earth and to a person and a microbe. The land on which we live, enanitates and has its own atmosphere. Planets are also creatures, they also enanitate as the sun. Based on the positive and negative matter of the emanation of the Suns, they contributed to the birth of new forms. Earth - the result of one of these combinations.

Emanations of each creature have their limits and, as a result, every point corresponds to different density of matter. After the act of creation, the existence goes by his man, creatures continue to enanitate. Here, on this planet, there are Emanations of the Earth, planets and the Sun. But the emanations of the Earth are distributed only for a certain distance. On the other side there are sun emanations, planets, but not land.

In the Emanation Zone of the Earth and the Moon, Matter is more dense; Over this area of \u200b\u200bmatter is thinner. Emanations penetrate into every thing in accordance with their capabilities. So they reach a person.

In addition to our sun, there are other. Just as I viewed all the planets together, I now consider together all the sun and their emanation. On the other side, we can not see anything, but we can logically talk about the world of the highest order. For us that's extreme point. He is also inherent in his own emanation. In accordance with the law of the Trinity, Matter is constantly in various combinations, becomes more dense, comes into combination with another matter and becomes even more denser, which modifies all its properties and capabilities. For example, in the highest areas, the mind exists in its pure form, but, going down, he loses its qualities.

Every creature has a mind, in other words, any creature is more or less smart. If we denote the absolute density for 1, then the next density will be 3, because in God, as in all things, there are three forces.

The law everywhere is the same. The density of the following matter will be twice as bigger than the density of the second and six times the density of the first matter. The following density is 12 and at a certain point of matter will reach the density 48. This means that this matter is forty-eight times harder, forty-eight times less smarter and so on. We can find out the weight of each matter if we define her place. Or, on the contrary, if we define its weight, then we will know the place where this matter comes from.

"Look at just the past hour, as if it were for you the last hour on Earth, and you just realized that they died. Ask yourselfAre you satisfied with the last hour of your life? " - asked his student Georgy Gurdjieff. Quotes and aphorisms belonging to him make us think about how we live.

Does the person understand why does it all live? It is unlikely that you can be satisfied or not satisfied about this, without having a specific idea that it really means to live for him. Is it really a fuss of everyday life with its requirements for the "place under the sun" - this is life in the human sense? Look at yourself and your environment. Would you like many people to make the meaning of their existence difference from the meaning of the existence of plants and animals? There are a number of reasons why it is so worried about you, and does not care any of your ordinary environment.

The fourth path is the esoteric doctrine on the evolution of the human being from the level of satisfaction of the unusual desires and interests of the "White Raven of Human Faces" to the level of formation in the man of higher bodies, capable of living after the death of the physical body.

Accidentally or deliberately formed in the childhood Gurdjieva, the irrepressive desire to understand the meaning of a person's life was revealed during the years of his travels in the east of the search for knowledge that would answer this question. The path of Gurgesiyev demanded complete dedication and inhuman efforts.

After many years of wanderings, he returned to Europe to convey to people a doctrine belonging to esoteric schools. At the same time, according to Gurdjieff, "the fourth path is impossible without some kind of work of a certain value, without some endeavor, around which and in connection with which he only exists. When this work is over, i.e. The goal is achieved, the fourth way disappears, i.e. disappears in this place, disappears in this form, continuing, maybe elsewhere and in another form. "

What does the fourth way on Gurdjieff?

Georgy Gurdjieff believed that a person was not able to evolve until only the crumbs of his capabilities use, while in an ordinary condition like "sleep". The human attention is constantly attracted by different trifles, and he cannot control himself. Therefore, plans are constantly changing - he wants to really live, and not function in the form of an animal, then suddenly forgets, or even if he remembers, he does not want anything, then desires again wake up in him and he is ready to set itself ..

And therefore it is impossible to understand the essence of the teachings of Gurdjieff without a deep study of themselves and gaining control over themselves.

To start moving to this understanding, he suggested special exercises, including movements - the sacred dances of Gurdjieff, explained the ideas of esoteric teachings on practical examples, not allowing them only to material for reflection.

"Man-machine" on Gurdjieff

According to the teachings, George Gurdjieff, a person is a mechanical "car" that functions on the principle of stimulus reaction.

That is, when the person "sleeps", he cannot manage it, neither her life, since life is fully controlled by internal or external random mechanical stimuli. And thus, each our action is not caused by our will, but mechanical, often random reactions to these mechanical stimuli.

The weather is spoiled - and we will determine the mood, they scream on us - and we immediately begin to scream in response.

We do not live, but just swim by the flow, continuing to mechanically react to external randomly emerging incentives.

At the same time, in the usual state, a person is unable to see and realize the mechanism for the formation of these incentives and reactions. Therefore, work on the change begins with studying and observing itself, gradually forming the ability of the real awareness of itself.

Only a complete awareness of the nature of their mechanical reactions, incentives that are launched and impartial observation of this moment allow a person to see a complete picture of what is happening and to make a conscious choice of its reaction and ultimately - to live, rather than function on the principle of stimulus-reaction. This is the beginning of the Gurdjieff technique.

When you spill your morning coffee, argue with loved ones on trifles and make mistakes on your work, you do not realize yourself - you sleep. All your attention is focused on one "subject" and you do not see a complete picture of what is happening.

When you are here and now, even sraising your morning coffee, realizing yourself, you notice the beauty of the early morning, do not fall into important meetings and know how to achieve your goals - you are not quite a car, you are no longer sleeping.

Gurdjieff: Development Techniques

All esoteric, unlike religious teachings, strive for the same purpose as the fourth way - the evolutionary development of the human being, but they work on another principle.

Georgy Gurdjieff allegorically compared a man with a wagon. He believed that the person was divided into parts.

According to the Gurdjieff system, there are four centers in a person: intellectual, emotional, motor and instinctive. They must fulfill their functions, but often they are trying to take on other people's duties.

For example, we often try to appreciate the works of art only by the mind, although it must be done by the mind and feelings. Exercises Gurdjieva helps to establish a connection between different parts of a person.

In various exercises, people only work with one center, aware of fully only his work, and then they have to do the same work with other centers.

For example, a real monk can develop its emotional center with the help of sincere faith, circumscribed unity and the will ownership of its emotions.

But his physical body and mental abilities can remain undeveloped. And in order to take advantage of your evolution, what he achieved, he will have to develop his body and the ability to think. At the same time, the attitude towards his body in the monk is diametrically the opposite way - with the presentation he is as about the reason for the desire for the fall to the presentation as a divine vessel given by God, in which the soul can flourish.

The fourth way is the way of a cunning

To explain the idea of \u200b\u200bthe centers of Gurdjieff compared a person with a wagon. The target is an intelligent center, the horse is emotional, the wagon is instinctively motor.

Now they do not work nicely. The horse does not understand what Kucher says her, and there is no proper care for the wagon. So the emotional center does not obey the mind, because it does not understand the usual language. We must observe the work of the centers to tie them with each other.

The teachings of Gurdjieff

"A beginner pianist can never learn differently than little. If you want to play without prior practice, you can never play genuine music. The melodies that you will play will be cautious, make people suffer and hate you "- said Gurdjieff. 4 The path also begins with small exercises.

The Gurdjieff system helps a person here and now. First you have to work with small things, and gradually increase the load.

Starting should be started simple exercise: For example, do not cross legs while eating, try to look into the eyes of a person who speaks with you, then the level of complexity increases.

By making little efforts, and wandering the first victories, gradually we become capable of abandoning useless thoughts, throw bad habits, hard to work for days and weeks.

We, as if we pump the muscles of attention and awareness, preparing our body and mind to stronger exercises.

Georgy Gurdjieff and Enneagram

G. I. Gurdjieff believed that all our life proceeds under the action of cosmic laws. For their explanation, he used an ancient symbol called Enneagram Gurdjieff. Deciphering this figure gave his students an understanding of the laws of the world.

According to the ancient esoteric literature and archaeological excavations, it is known that Enneagram existed in the Middle East at least 2500 years ago.

This sign is found in Christianity, Judaism and Kabal, Sufism, in ancient Greek philosophers and mathematicians.

Hydrogen and octaves in the Gurdjieff system

Octave is a line of development of any process in the Universe: from the birth of a new planet before the appearance of a human soul. So that the processes proceed intentionally, you need to know that in any case there are points that change the direction of movement. To the work started successfully completed, you need to make additional efforts. Theoretical lessons of Gurdjieff included these topics.

Sometimes to successfully complete the octave, we need a special kind of thin matter, which the author of the system called hydrogen. This is not hydrogen in the scientific sense of the word.

So that subtle matters are formed in our bodies, you will have to stop leakage of energy and provide pleasant impressions.

Practice and exercises Gurdjieff

Gurdjieffa method is based on self-residency. This means that we must realize our actions every second, and, as it were, to see themselves from the side.

Without impartial observation, when we do unconscious actions, some part of us rebuilds the present so as to justify yourself and thus leads us from the actual reality in imagination.

Talk to turn with two ordinary people after a quarrel. Surely, each of them will set out the point of view in which he will be right, and another to blame. When we see, our car is more difficult to carry out this focus, so we perceive the present adequate and objective.

Self-love will not work immediately, so the practice of Gurdjieff begins with small exercises that require certain efforts. For example, when we sit in an uncomfortable posture or we make new things for us, it requires greater concentration and constantly reminds of themselves.

In the Gurdjieff system, a special place is paid to the division of attention into several parts. For example, we can keep the body in a certain pose and listen to music carefully. Try it, it's not as easy as it seems.

School Gurdjieva

The main center for working on the system during life George Gurdjieff was the Institute Harmonic Development The man who he founded in France.

In addition, Gurdjieff groups existed in America. Student life was subordinate to a strict schedule. Each was put on hard work. When a man mastered her, he moved to a new position.

After the death of the master, followers of Gurdjieff organized groups in different parts of the world to convey knowledge. Now there are several schools in the tradition of the fourth way. Despite different accents in training, they all pursue the same goal - to know ourselves.

Near the awareness without the support of other people is almost impossible. In class students make exercises and discuss ideas, trying to be as long as possible in the present.

Previously, to get to the Gurdjieff club was not easy: he immediately forced to make tremendous efforts that many novice students could not stand.

Now get to school is easier, but its methods are such that if you do not work at the proper level and make efforts to work on yourself, you will not be able to move on 4 ways.

School is not some kind of sect Gurdjieff. The participants of the group control each other, and remind the research team, not religious people. Students have no ultimate truth, only the point of view, reinforced personal experienceWith which they share each other with the aim of collecting a single picture of the world and the position of a person in it.

The groups associated with the fourth way exist in almost any major city on all continents. Among them are those who practice only Gurdjieff dances, there are those who approach ideas mainly from the intellectual side, there are groups that constitute a single whole world. The center of Gurdjieff in Moscow is one of them.

Literary works Gurdjieva

The most famous are the three books of Gurdjieff: "The stories looked up with her grandson," "meetings with wonderful people" and the afflicted book "Life is real only when I am."

G.I. Gurdjieff offered to master the cycle "All and the whole" exactly in this order, after reading each text three times to realize what was written.

Usually we read books almost automatically, so you quickly forget their content, but when studying this literature you need to make maximum efforts.

The philosophy of Gurdjieff is becoming practical only if we are trying to apply it, one study of the theory is not enough.

Georgy Gurges, quotes that many pseudo-commotome schools are used now, created a simple and at the same time the greatest system for human development. But we will not be able to take advantage of this method, if there is no effort to make enough. After all, the very simple rules The most difficult to observe. Therefore, if we want to try to work with the system, we need support and help of like-minded people.

To understand what Gurdjieff meant, the statements from his books would have to check in practice. Many of the metaphors are taken from the ancient esoteric knowledge that Gurdjieff studied. He learned about the wagon from Sufis.

Only in practice you can perceive the ideas of the system as real things, and not abstract philosophical concepts.

Newbies are better to start with the book "In Search of Wonderful". She was written by P. D. Supens, a student Gurdjieva, who was not equal in the skill of the presentation of the principles of the system. In consequence, he founded his school in the tradition of the fourth way in England.

If you want to learn more about the practical side of the system, read books and articles about Gurdjieva. Large material for reflection is presented in the works of J.G. Bennett, Ch.S. Notta, M. Anderson.

Fee for awareness: Gurdjieff about money

Once Gurdjieff said about money: "Nothing shows a person as good as his attitude towards money. People are ready to spend as much as you like our personal fantasies, but do not appreciate someone else's work. " Fee, whether money or rejection of pleasant habits, allows you to develop further.

"People do not appreciate the thing for which they did not pay."

"The board is the principle. The fee is not necessary for school, but the students themselves, for without payment they will not get anything. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe board is very important, and it is necessary to understand that the board is absolutely necessary. You can pay one way or another, and everyone should learn it for yourself. But no one can get something, for which he did not pay. Things cannot be given, they can only be bought. This is a magical, not simple. If anyone has knowledge, he can not give it to another person, for only if a person pays for him, he can have it. This is a cosmic law. "

"The board is the most important principle of work, and it needs to be understood. Without pay, you can not get anything. But, as a rule, we want to get something for nothing, and that's why we have nothing. If we really decided to strive for this kind of knowledge - or even to a very small thing - and we would like to go to him, not paying attention to everything else, we would get it. This is a very important question. We say that we want knowledge, but we do not want real. We will pay for anything else, but for this we are not ready to pay, and therefore as a result we do not get anything. "

Letter Gurdjieva daughter

Dushka Howerst, daughter George Ivanovich, made a lot to convey the Father's archives next generations and maintain his musical works. At the age of 70, she learned to use the computer to publish the book of memories of him.

All his life helped the advice of Gurdjieff. 63 short directions that are able to change the life of anyone with proper use.

Concentrate your attention on yourself.
Realize at any time what you think, you feel, you want or do.
Always complete you started.
Do what you do as well as possible.
Do not be tied to what can later destroy you.
Show your generosity without witnesses.
Contact any person as with his closest relative.
Fix all spoiled by you.
Learn to receive and thank for each gift.
Stop your self-defense behavior.
Do not deceive, do not steal - do this, you will deceive and steal.
Help those who are next to you, but not making them dependent on you.
Do not take too much space.
Not noise and do not make unnecessary gestures.
If you don't have more faith, imitate it.
Do not impressively easily from the impact of strong personalities.
Don't have enough anything and no one.
Distribute valid.
Do not seduce.
Eat and sleep exactly as much as necessary.
Do not talk about your personal problems.
Do not judge and do not distinguish until you know all the main facts.
Do not raise useless friendship.
Do not follow general trends.
Do not sell yourself.
Respect the agreement signed by you.
Be punctured.
Do not envy someone else's property and achievements.
Speak only about what is needed.
Do not think about the benefits that you can bring you your actions.
Do not threaten.
Keep your promises.
In the dispute always put yourself in place of others.
Admit when someone exceeds you.
Overcoming their fears.
Help others become capable of helping themselves.
Overcoming your feeling of dislike and be next to those who wish to reject.
Change your pride in self-esteem.
Change your anger in creativity and creation.
Change your greed in reverence of beauty.
Change your envy into the admiration of the advantages of others.
Change your hatred in mercy.
Do not praise, but also do not insult yourself.
To take care of what does not belong to you, as well as your own.
Do not check, do not complain about yourself.
Develop your imagination.
Do not give other instructions only for the sake of the pleasure of submission.
Pay for work and services that you have.
Do not promote your work and ideas.
Do not try to awaken in others in relation to yourself such feelings as: pity, sympathy, admiration, complicity.
Do not try to stand out on your appearance.
Never contraney, just keep silence.
Do not get into debt, buy and pay immediately.
Insulting publicly, apologize publicly.
Noticing his mistake in the conversation, do not insist on its rightness from a sense of pride and immediately refuse your previous intentions.
Do not defend your former ideas only because they are already proclaimed.
Do not store useless things.
Do not deco yourself with other people's ideas.
Do not take pictures with celebrities.
Be your judge.
Do not characterize yourself by what you have.
Aware that everything belongs to you.
If you meditate and the devil appeared to you, make and devil meditate.

Practice fourth way today

If you decide for yourself:

what do not want to be a mechanical machine,
what do you want to live, and not a fluctional on the principle of the stimulus reaction,
want deeper and objective to know yourself, your functions and the world around
bring into its existence light of consciousness and awareness,

that you have the opportunity to start learning the fourth way in the practitioner group today.

The fourth path practical group is students practicing Gurdjieff's teachings about the fourth way, an objective picture of the world and the position of a person in it.

They are divided by points of view about the ideas of the fourth way, supported by personal experience, with the aim of self-knowledge and awakening from sleep, folding pieces into one.

"You do not understand your position. You are in prison. All you can desire - if you are able to feel, is to run, break out of it. But how can you run? It is necessary to dull passage under the wall. One person can do nothing. But suppose that there are ten or twenty people - if they work in turn and if one covers the other, they will be able to finish the passage and escape "

"No one will be able to escape from prison without the help of those who ran before. Only they can tell how to make an escape, only they can pass the tools - files or something else, which may be needed. But one prisoner will not be able to find these people, to enter into contact with them. Organization is needed. Without an organization, you can not achieve anything. "

Preparing this article, I read several books Mystic and Psychologist George Gurdjieff and his student Peter Uspensky:

Georgy Gurdjieff. "Conversations with students", "views from the real world";

Peter Uspensky. "Psychology of the possible evolution of man", "in search of wonderful fragments of an unknown teaching."

As a basis, I took the last of these works.

I almost completely removed different mystical moments in the source texts. The rest is mostly different psychological fragments, partially known for me on other sources or from your own experience. For example, it says a lot about the fact that a person is a car with which something is happening, and a fair effort is required to understand what is specifically referred to. Therefore, to facilitate this understanding, I propose first to familiarize yourself with the fragment on the same topic "We are automata?" From the book of Vladimir Levi "Art to Be ourselves":

"We can say that we live a violent life: so little depends on our will then the main thing that supports our existence.

We make us live and gives you the opportunity to conscious your life a biochemical machine of the body: all these cells of the cells that make up our body, something is absorbed and excreted, split and synthesize with absolutely without our knowledge and constantly put us in front of a faithful fact that we are. Without asking for our wishes, the kidneys, the liver and spleen work, silently updates the blood brain silently, the heart focuses on ... Each hairs lives its own life ... Not our will lands this unit into the move and not ours, for few exceptions, stops.

But this is not enough. In the consciousness itself - the mass of it does not depend on it. Co-knowledge ... This is a distinct multitude of interloud patterns, which, imprinted in the brain, make feelings and motivations, thoughts and judgments, decisions and deeds - and we consider them yours. Is there anything other than new combinations from the already existing and learned?

But the machine, aware of its automation, ceases to be simply automata. When he penetrates the essence and the connection of things when the causal chains clearly sees, it becomes possible to count on. Further - only for the right combination of actions, and now you can already create.

The second is not simple, in my opinion, the subject of presentation of the representations of Gurdjieff is the allegations of the multiplicity of our "I", that the unity "I" only seems to be, and in fact hundreds or thousands of different "I" live in us. About hundreds and thousands of it, perhaps, Gurdjieva is better to know, but in his experience I will say that a dozen one and a half of these "I" really can be counted. And they lead themselves very similarly, how people behave in the team behave. To some extent, this is not news for the one who is inclined to analyze their actions and feelings. But truly it can be noticed only distracted by the usual current of your life and observing himself from the side. For this, the practice of changing its internal behavior is needed, as a result of which a new experience is purchased, without which you may not find anything in this message, except for a heap of some words. This truth is well reported by East wisdom: "A man who eating mustard grains knows about the taste of mustard more than the one who saw an elephant loaded with mustard grain". By the way, this is how, in my opinion, it is necessary to understand one of the main and difficult learned by students of Gurdjieff theses about the need for synchronous development of the knowledge line and the line of being. This knowledge is possible only when it is supported on the specific experience of a changed being.

The main point is the goal of the path. Gurdjieff, it seems to be the goal of improving a person, but Uspensky, judging by the name of his book, set the purpose of the search for wonderful. Perhaps, for this reason, the Usspensky moved away from Gurdjieff after four years of apprenticeship. Gurdjieff, according to Uspensky's testimony, could indeed create the so-called "miracles", but whether they were the manifestation of his own properties or the result of attracting some third-party forces - it is not known.

Gurdjieff speaks of four ways of finding unusual properties: the path of Fakir, the path of the monk, the way of yogin and the fourth way.

Fakira's path is the path of self-ruling, fighting the physical body. Man, in most cases, becomes fakir not because it understands the possibilities and results of this path; He becomes Fakir because of a religious feeling

The path of the monk is the path of faith, the path of religious feeling, religious sacrifice.

The third way is the way of yogin, the path of knowledge, the path of mind. He must achieve power over the body and over, emotions.

The fourth path does not require privacy in the desert, does not require a person to leave everything, which lived before, refused everything.

But the fourth path also requires victims:

"The more we saw and explained the complexity and a variety of working methods on themselves, the more clearly the difficulties of the path became. Each new step required forces. The ability to achieve something as little compared to the difficulties that many of us have lost the desire to make whatever then there was an effort.

It was an inevitable stage, through which every person passes, until he learns to understand that it is useless to think about the possibility or impossibility of great achievements in the future, that a person needs to appreciate what he has today, without thinking about tomorrow's acquisitions. "

"When a person comes to the conclusion that he cannot and does not want to live as he lived so far, when he truly sees everything that his life consists when he decides to work, he must be truthful in relation to To yourself, so as not to get into the worst position. A person will never be able to abandon everything, but it will not be necessary from him. But he needs to determine exactly what he intends to donate, and subsequently not bargain. "

Gurdjieff This illustrated the Armenian fairy tale about Wolf and Sheep:

"I lived somehow a wolf; he confused many sheep and relocate into the confusion and tears of many people. Finally, I don't know why, he suddenly he was a remorse and began to repent of his life; he decided to change and no longer kill sheep.

So that everything was serious, he went to the priest and asked him to serve thanks to the gratolate.

The priest began service, and the wolf stood and cried in the church. The service was long. The wolf happened to slaughter a lot of sheep and the priest; Therefore, the priest prayed with all seriousness that the wolf changed. But suddenly the wolf looked out in the window and saw that sheep was driven home. He began to shift from foot to the leg; And the priest prays everything, and the prayer is not visible.

Finally, the wolf could not stand and buried:

Kill, pop! And then all the sheep will drive home and leave me without dinner!

This tale is very good because it makes great describes a person. He is ready to sacrifice everything; But soon it turns out that today's lunch is a completely different matter. A person always wants to start with something big. But it is impossible: to choose from something; We must start with things and today. "

So, do you need readers, this fourth way in return is usually disassembled life - this is not a fact. Whether it will be achieved on this path that the results you are expected is also not a fact. But some new experience you will undoubtedly, if you change your behavior and actually follow the selected path.

I returned to Russia in November 1914 after a rather long journey in Egypt, Ceylon and India. Among the people I met on my readings in Moscow turned out to be two, a musician and sculptor, who soon told me that in Moscow there is a group where they are engaged in various "occult" studies and experiments under the leadership of some Gurdjieff, Caucasian Greek.

The first meeting with Gurdjiyev completely turned my opinion about him and what I could expect from him. I do not remember how our conversation began; Probably, we started talking about India, esoterism and yoga schools.

I am very interested, - I asked. - There are substances that yoga are used to cause special states of consciousness that make "magic" possible?

Yes, "said Gurdjieff," in many cases, these substances use for self-defense, in order to look forward to better learn their capabilities, learn before, "in advance", which they will succeed in achieving in the future, after long work. When a person sees and makes sure that they learned theoretically, and in reality, then he works consciously; He knows where to go. Sometimes it is the easiest way to see the real existence of the opportunities that a person only suspects.

The next day I was sitting in that very cafe, where I first met Gurdjieff.

I want you to understand, "said Gurdjieff. Look, all these people you see, and he pointed to the street. - All this is just cars and nothing more.

Let it be, but can a person stop being a car? - I asked a question.

BUT! That's the point, - answered Gurdjieff. - If you more often asked such questions, we may have achieved some result in our conversations. You can stop being a machine, but for this you need to know the machine first. The car, the real car, does not know and can not know himself. And the car that knows himself is no longer a car; At least, not the car, what it was before. She begins to be responsible for their actions.

During one of our conversations, I asked Gurdjieff:

How do you think it is best to prepare for the study of your method? Is it useful, for example, to study the so-called "occult" and "mystical" literature?

Saying this, I meant first of all the "Tarot" and literature about him.

Yes, - said Gurdjieff, - with reading you can find a lot. Take, for example, yourself. You could already know decent if you knew how to read. I want to say that if you understood everything that was read for our lives, you would already know what you are looking for. If you understood everything that wrote in our book ... I would come to you with a bow and asked me to teach me. But you do not understand anything that you read nor what you write. You do not even understand what the word "understand" means. The trouble is that no person knows nothing well. All he knows, he knows something, superficially.

I asked Gurdjieff, what to do to learn his teachings.

What to do? - asked Gurdjieff, as if surprised. Man is a car. All his affairs, actions, words, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, opinions and habits The essence of external influences, external impressions. From myself, the person himself is not able to produce any thoughts, not a single action. All he says does, thinks, feels, all this happens. A person cannot open something, come up with something. All this happens.

And no one can do anything?

This is another question. In order to make it necessary to be. And first it is necessary to understand what it means - to be. This is another lifestyle. Then a person must learn to tell the truth. It also seems to you strange. You do not understand how you can learn to tell the truth. You think it is enough to decide to do so. And I will tell you that people relatively rarely say a deliberate lie. In most cases, they believe that they say the truth. Nevertheless, they lie all the time - and then, when they wanted to deceive, and then, when they wish to say the truth. They are constantly lying and to themselves and others. Therefore, no one ever understands himself or the other. Tell the truth is the hardest thing in the world; And in order to tell the truth, it is necessary to learn a lot and a lot. One desire is not enough here. To tell the truth, you need to know what is true and what a lie is, first of all, in yourself. And no one wants to know this.

Gurdjieff often returned to the example of "prison" and "bias from prison". Sometimes he started a conversation from this, and then his favorite expression was the following: so that the prisoner had the opportunity to run at any minute, he must first understand that he was in prison. In the Turmeric of their prejudices, false opinions and passions. As long as he does not understand, while he thinks himself free, he has no chance. No one is able to help him or free forcibly, against his will, in advance of desires. If liberation is possible, it is possible only as a result of a lot of work and effort, above all, conscious efforts aimed at a certain purpose.

Gurdjieff never wanted to familiarize himself with his ideas. On the contrary, he believed that only overcoming difficulties, at least random and non-affiliated with the case, people will be able to evaluate these ideas.

People do not appreciate the fact that they are easily getting, - he said. Fusion, internal unity is acquired by "friction", thanks to the struggle between "yes" and "no" occurring inside a person. If a person lives without an inner struggle, if everything happens to him without the slightest resistance, if he goes there, where he is treated, or where the wind blows, he will remain like it is.

I remember that in connection with the conversations conducted in the group of students, I was struck by one fact. Many people heard something completely different than Gurdjieff said: and others paid attention only to secondary and insignificant comments and remembered them. Most of the listeners escaped the most fundamental principles of what Gurdjieff spoke. He told me that only a few ask questions on the merits. One of these questions remained in my memory:

How can a person be called inside the struggle between "yes" and "no"? - asked someone.

The victim is needed, "Gurdjieff replied. - If you do not donate anything, you do not get anything. And it is necessary to sacrifice something, at the moment precious, donate to them for a long time, donate to many. But if the stabilization is reached, renunciation, deprivation and victims are no longer needed. Then the man for himself is the law.

During one conversation with Gurdzhiev in our group - which began to turn into constant - I asked:

If an ancient knowledge has been preserved if there is knowledge different from our science and philosophy or even superior to it, why then it is so thoroughly hidden why not done by the general heritage? Why do people possessing this knowledge, do not want it to switch to the overall stream of life for the best, more successful struggle against deception, evil and ignorance?

Probably, this question arises from each person who first meets the ideas of esoterism.

Nobody hides anything; There is no mystery here. But the acquisition or transfer of true knowledge requires vast work. All existing well-known paths can be divided into three categories:

1. Path of Fakir. 2. The path of the monk. 3. The path of yoga.

Fakir's path is the way to fight a physical body. This is achieved through terrible suffering, body torture. The entire path of Fakir consists of various incredibly difficult exercises. Fakir or stands, not moving, in the same position with whole hours, days, months; or sits with an elongated arms on a naked stone under the rays of the sun; or torture himself with fire, etc. Man, in most cases, becomes fakir not because it understands the possibilities and results of this path; He becomes Fakir because of a religious feeling

The second way is the path of the monk. This is the path of faith, the path of religious feeling, religious sacrifice. The "monk" in the full sense of this word can be only a person with very strong religious emotions and the same strong abilities of religious imagination. The path of the monk is also very long and difficult. The monk spends on the fight against himself years and decades, subordinating all the emotions of one, namely, faith, and in this way he develops unity, will owes over emotions.

The third way is the way of yogin, the path of knowledge, the path of mind. Yogin's path is to work with knowledge, developing mind; But his body and emotions remain undeveloped; Like Fakiru and the monk he is not able to take advantage of the results of its achievements.

But all these paths are the path of Fakir, the path of the monk and the jog's path - have one common line. All of them start with the most difficult thing, with a complete change in life, with a renunciation of worldly. The person must leave the house, the family, if he has it, give up all the pleasures, attachments and duties of life - and go to the desert, to the monastery, to the school of yoga. From the first day, from the first step on its way, he must die for the world; Only so he hopes to achieve something on one of three ways. "

And this provision would be really hopeless if there was no fourth way.

The fourth path does not require privacy in the desert, does not require a person to leave everything, which lived before, refused everything. You can work on the fourth way and follow him, staying in the usual conditions of life, performing the former work, while maintaining the previous relationship with people, without refusing anything, without leaving anyone. The fourth path is different from other paths and the fact that his main requirement for man is the requirement of understanding. A person should not do anything that he does not understand, with the exception of any experience under the guidance and on the instructions of the teacher. The clearer understands the person what does, the more the result will be the result of his efforts. This is the fundamental principle of the fourth way.

By the beginning of November 1915, I already had a general idea of \u200b\u200bsome fundamental points of the Gurdjieff system concerning a person.

The first point on which he did the focus was the lack of unity in man.

The greatest mistake, he said, "think that a person is always the same. Man never happens long and the same. It is constantly changing; It rarely remains unchanged even for half an hour. You will be surprised by finding what a crowd of others lives in one person. If you learn to watch them, you will not need to go to cinema. "

A person as we know him, a "man-machine", which is not able to "do", with whom, through which everything "happens", is deprived of permanent and united "I". His "I" is changing as quickly as his thoughts, feelings and moods; And he makes a big mistake, considering himself always the same face; In fact, he is always another personality, not that which he was a moment ago. A person has no personality; He has no single big ya. A person is split into a lot of small "I".

And every single small "I" can call himself the name of the whole, to act in the name of the whole, agree or disagree, to make promises, to make decisions with which you have to deal with another "I" or all of the whole. This explains why people often make decisions and are so rarely fulfilled. In the fact and the tragedy of human existence that every small "I" has the right to sign checks and bills, and a person, i.e. The whole is forced to pay them. Often, the whole life of a person is to pay for bills of small, random "I".

At the meeting, someone asked:

How should I understand the evolution?

The evolution of man, "answered Gurdjieff," you can understand how the development of the forces and opportunities in it, which are never developing by themselves, mechanically. Only this kind of development, such a type of growth indicates a true evolution of man. No, there can be no other kind of evolution.

In almost every of his lectures, Gurdjieff returned to the topic, which, obviously, he considered extremely important, but which many of us was not easy to learn.

The development of a person goes on two lines, "he said, - Lines of knowledge and lines of being. With the correct evolution of the line of knowledge and being develop at the same time, in parallel to each other, helping one other. But if the line of knowledge is too ahead of the body of being or the life line will be ahead of the knowledge line, the development of a person will go through the wrong way and soon or later stop. Western culture people highly appreciate the level of human knowledge, but they do not value the level of its being and the low level of their own existence will not be ashamed. They do not even understand what it means, do not understand that the level of human knowledge depends on the level of its being.

If knowledge goes far ahead from being, it becomes theoretical, abstract and not applicable to life, and actually harmful. The reason for this is that knowledge that is not in harmony with the Being (does not relieve the experience of its use in Genesis), it cannot be fully fully and comply with the real human needs. In the boundaries of this (already established) being a further improvement in the quality of knowledge is absolutely impossible, and only the accumulation of information between the same nature within the limits of the already known one occurs. The change in the very nature of knowledge is possible only with the change in the nature of being.

Taken by itself, the human being has many different sides. The most characteristic feature of a modern man is the absence of unity in it, hereinafter - the absence of even traces of those properties that he likes so much to attribute: "Clear consciousness", "free will", "unshakable I", "ability to action." You will be surprised if I say that the main feature of the being of a modern person explaining all its flaws is a dream. A modern man lives in a dream (immersed in his inner world). If you think about it, remembering that the dream is the main feature of our Being, you will immediately become clear that if a person really wants knowledge, he must first of all think about how to awaken how to change his being.

To understand this, in order to generally understand the nature of knowledge and being, as well as their relationship, it is necessary to understand how knowledge and being belong to the "understanding".

Knowledge is one thing, understanding is another. (So, the knowledge of the directories of the surgeon is one thing, and understanding how to make a surgical surgery is another). People often mix these concepts and do not see the difference between them.

In everyday thinking, people do not distinguish understanding of knowledge. They think that greater understanding depends on greater knowledge. Therefore, they accumulate knowledge - or what is called knowledge - but they do not know how to accumulate understanding; And this question itself does not bother them. But the understanding depends not on the accumulation of knowledge, but on the experience of its application - the experience of being.

Previously, we talked about mechanical. A person cannot, say that he understands the idea of \u200b\u200bmechanical, if he only knows her mind. He must feel it with all his body, all his being - and then he will understand ... Just as in the field of practical activity, people are very well aware of the difference between simple knowledge and understanding. They see that it is easy to know and know how to do something, two different things. Knowledge of how to do is not created by one knowledge. But regarding the mechanics of their life, people do not understand what is "understanding".

As a rule, people see that they do not understand some thing, - and then try to find a name for what "do not understand". And when they find some name for this, they say that they understood. But "find the name" does not mean "to understand." Unfortunately, people are usually content with the words. A man knowing a lot of titles, i.e. A lot of words are considered to be a great understanding.

One of the reasons for the discrepancy between the lines of being and knowledge in life, lack of understanding, which is partly the cause, and partly by the consequence of this discrepancy, you need to search in the language on which people say. Language, as well as understanding, relies on a specific experience. But people do not understand themselves, to what extent they are subjective to their language, how many things will express each one and the same words. They do not realize that every person speaks in his own language and very poorly understands the language of another person or does not understand him at all. Two people with deep conviction say the same thing, but they call it differently and to infinity argue with each other, without suspecting what they think exactly the same way. Or vice versa, they say the same words and imagine that they agree with each other, which achieved mutual understanding, and in reality they say completely different things, not to understand each other.

For accurate understanding, accurate language is required. And the study of the systems of ancient knowledge begins with learning a language that allows you to accurately establish what exactly the point of view, from which point of view and in what connection. When a person will master this language, then, using it, he will be able to transfer and inform the mass of such knowledge, such information that is impossible in the usual language, even if you use different scientific, and philosophical terms.

Let us turn again to the idea of \u200b\u200bman. In the language I speak, instead of the word "man" seven words are used, namely: man number one, man number two, man number three, man number four, man number five, man number six and man number seven. With these family concepts, people talking about a person will already be able to understand each other.

Man number seven is such a person who has achieved full developmentpossible for a person who possesses everyone than a person can possess, i.e. Will, consciousness. I am constant and unchanged, individuality, as well as many other properties that we are in our blindness and in our ignorance we attribute to yourself. Only when we understand the number of seven numbers to a certain extent to a certain extent, we can understand those gradual transitions that are approaching it, i.e. We understand the process of development possible for us.

One of the following lectures began with a question set by Gurdjieff in one of those present: What is the purpose of his teaching?

Currently my goal can not have values \u200b\u200bfor you, because it is much more important for you to determine your own goal. The teaching in itself cannot pursue any goal. It can only show people the best way to achieve those goals that they have. The question of the goal is a very important question. As long as a person does not determine his goal for himself, he can't even start something to "do." How is it possible to "do", without having a goal? "Doing" primarily implies a goal.

Everyone must have their own goal: one need wealth, another - health, the third wishes the kingdom of heaven, the fourth wants to become a general - and so on. Here is the goals of this kind, I ask you. If you tell me what your goal is, I can tell you if we go on the same road.

So, the most correct desires from expressed here is the desire to be Mr. Himself, because without this everything else is impossible. Compared to this desire, all others are children's dreams, fantasies that people could not take advantage, even if their execution and was given to him.

Freedom, liberation - this is what should be the goal of a person. Becoming free, get rid of slavery - this is what a person should strive if he at least partly aware of his position. For him, nothing exists; And while he remains a slave both in the inner and in external life, everything else is impossible. But he is not able to get rid of slavery in external life, while remains a slave in the inner. Therefore, in order to become free, a person must conquer internal freedom.

The first reason for the internal slavery of a person is his ignorance, first of all, ignorance itself. Without knowledge of oneself, without understanding the work and functions of its car, a person is not able to control itself, unable to be free; And without it, he will forever remain a slave and toy forces acting on him.

That is why in all ancient teachings the first requirement at the beginning of the path to liberation was the rule: know yourself!

The next lecture began directly from the words: Know yourself!

These words, - said Gurdjieff, - usually attributed to Socrat, in fact, underlie many systems and schools, much more ancient than the School of Society.

Principle "Know yourself!" Contains very rich content. He demands, firstly, so that a person wanting to know himself, he understood what it means with which it is due to what it follows from this.

Knowledge of yourself is great, but at the same time very unclear and distant goal. In its current state, a person is far from self-knowledge. Therefore, strictly speaking, it is impossible to even determine its goal as a self-knowledge. The most important goal should be to study itself, and closest and simple - the beginning of self-learning and proper self-knowledge.

Study yourself is a job, this is the path that leads to self-knowledge.

But in order to study yourself, a person must first find out how to do what to start, what methods to apply. A person must learn the principles of self-defense, familiar with his methods.

The main of these methods is self-surveillance. Without proper self-observation, a person will not understand the relationship between the various functions of its car, will never understand how and why in each individual case everything "happens."

There are two self-surveillance methods: analysis or an attempt to analyze, i.e. an attempt to find answers to questions, which is why this or that phenomenon occurs, why there is such a dependence; The second method is registration, just "recording" in the mind of what is being observed at the moment.

Self-surveillance, especially at the beginning, should in no way becoming an analysis or an attempt to analyze. The analysis will be possible only much later when a person learns all the functions of his car and all the laws.

Observation should be guided as it were for the first time: the whole past experience, all the results of the previous self-surveillance must be postponed to the side. It is possible that they contain a lot of valuable material; But all this material is based on incorrect; Observations, incorrect division of observed functions. Therefore, it is impossible to use it, in any case, at the beginning of work on self-education. All that is there is valuable, in due time will be taken and used. But it is necessary to start from the beginning. A person must begin the observation of himself as if he did not know at all and never watched himself. (P.S. On this occasion in my diary there are two phrases: "Start as the first time" and "do not look back in the past - you will remain in it").

When he begins to watch himself, he must come to immediately determine which group of phenomena to which center the phenomenon observed at the moment. Some people are hard to understand the difference between thought and feeling; Another difficult to understand the difference between the thought and the motor impulse.

The next object of self-surveillance should be the habit of at all. Observation and study of habits is particularly difficult, for in order to see them and "write down", a person needs to move away from them, free from at least a moment. While a person manages some particular habit, he does not notice her; But at the very first attempts to fight her, no matter how weakness they are, he will detect her presence. Therefore, in order to observe and explore the habits, we must try to overcome them. This opens up a practical self-surveillance method. Such a struggle shows a person what is; Without it, he will not see what it consists of. The struggle against small habits is very difficult and tedious, but without it, self-surveillance is impossible.

In the sphere of emotions, it is very useful to try to fight with the habit of giving an immediate expression by your unpleasant feelings. Many people are very difficult to resist expressing their feelings caused by, for example, bad weather. It is even harder to not express unpleasant emotions when they find out that someone or something disrupts the position of things that they consider or justice.

In addition to the fight against the expression of unpleasant emotions, a very good self-surveillance method, it also has a different meaning: this is one of the few directions in which a person can change itself without creating other unwanted habits. Therefore, self-surveillance and self-learning from the very first steps must be accompanied by the fight against the expression of unpleasant emotions.

If a person performs all these rules in self-observation, he will celebrate the very important aspects of his being, kiss them. First of all, he will establish the fact that his actions, thoughts, feelings and words essence the results of external influences, and nothing comes from him himself. He will understand and see what is actually a machine gun acting under the influence of external incentives. He will feel his complete mechanicality, it will feel that everything "happens" that he cannot "do anything." It is a car driven by random external jokes. Each push causes one of his "I" to the surface. A new push - and this "I" disappears, and its place is occupied by another "I". Another small change in the environment - and the new "I" appears. A man begins to understand that he has no power over himself, that he does not know what can say or take the next moment; He begins to understand that it cannot be responsible for himself even for the shortest period of time. He will understand that if he remains the same and does not accomplish nothing unexpected, then this is because there is no unforeseen external changes. He will understand that all his actions are fully managed by external conditions, make sure that there is nothing constant in it, where control could go, - not a single permanent function, no sustainable state. "

In the psychological theories of Gurdjieff there were several points awakened in me of particular interest. The first point is the ability to change yourself, t, e. The fact that, starting to the right self-observation, a person immediately begins to change and that it never turns out that everything is in order inside it.

The second point is the requirement "not to express negative emotions." I immediately felt something significant here. And the continued course of events showed that I was right, as the study of emotions and work on them was based on subsequent development all system. But it happened much later.

Once in a conversation with Gurdzhiev, I asked about the consciousness and expressed the existing views and my thoughts about this.

All this is nonsense, "said Gurdjieff, - ordinary scientific sophisics. It's time to get rid of it. Yours home Error It is that you think that you already have consciousness that it is usually or constantly present, or is constantly absent. In fact, consciousness is such a quality that is constantly changing. And there are different degrees and levels of consciousness. Both consciousness and his different levels It is necessary to understand in itself through the feeling, so to speak, feeling his taste. No definitions in this case will help; Yes, they are impossible until you understand what exactly you need to determine. Science and philosophy is also not able to determine the consciousness, because they want to determine it where it does not exist. It is necessary to distinguish consciousness from the possibility of consciousness. We only have the possibility of consciousness and rare outbreaks. Therefore, we cannot determine what consciousness is. "

I can not argue that all of the reported consciousness immediately became clear for me. But one of the following conversations explained to me the principles on which Gurdjieff arguments were based.

None of you noticed the most important thing I drew your attention to, he said. - In other words, none of you noticed that you do not remember yourself (these words he emphasized). You do not feel yourself, you are not aware of yourself. In you, "Something is observed" - absolutely the same as "says something", "thinks", "laughs." You do not feel: "I watch", "I notice," "I see." You still have something "noticeable", "you can see" ... In order to really observe yourself, the person must first remember himself (he stressed these words again). Try to remember yourself when you watch for yourself, and later tell me about the results. Only those results will have some value that are accompanied by recalling themselves. Otherwise, you yourself do not exist in your observations. And what are your observations in this case?