Outer Streams, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff Part 5 of 7

Part 5 of 7: This week on Science and the Outer Streams, Peter Shor explains the philosophy of spiritual teacher George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff. Gurdjieff is arguably "the most colorful, enigmatic, and charismatic man of the 20th Century." Gurdjieff's basic teaching is that human life is lived in waking sleep, and transcendence of this state requires a specific inner work. This leads to otherwise inaccessible levels of vitality and awareness. Mr. Shor has been working with Gurdjieff's teachings since 1976. He is the president of the Claymont Society, an organization that directs Claymont Court, a community and school founded by J.G. Bennett, a principal student Gurdjieff's . Andy Nesky, President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Theosophical Society, is the host.

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[CameoGuise]

I think the way to "judge" whether a teaching works for you is that you begin to doubt "you". Everything you believe constitutes you as a person becomes cloudy and unclear. Only a humbling can cause one to feel unsure about themselves. And it's a very difficult process to undergo. But as you begin to break away from your concepts of you, an effortless feeling of being begins to emerge. And you realize that this feelingless feeling has been with you always. And from this comes peace. ^.^

[OpenMind00]

In other words you are implying tough love, sink or swim, to be or not to be.

[ghahandi]

I saw a post on an earlier part of this series suggesting the application of this teaching on many planes;That one must be sincere in trying to understand what is being conveyed by Gurdjieff. This therefore (in my humble opinion) becomes a very "personal work" ; a personal journey, and God willing, with effort and time, one begins to awaken little by little. As one becomes more aware, one will find his/her personal work. there is hope

[ghahandi]

In Ouspenky's book, I see great mention of "conscience labor and intentional suffering".

I may be wrong, but as Peter mentions, Gurdjieff's teaching continuously evolved (as did Gurdjieff), I believe Gurdjieff ceased to emphasize this after his Institute closed down in the 1920's. I know there exists a fragmenting in the lineages which this idea is an example of.

[dty2dty2]

In my view, each of us is unique and has a unique perspective and unique potential. We may trust a teacher's judgement initially, but ultimately we must make our own judgements, our own decisions to achieve our unique potential. This is not an issue for a true teacher who wants the pupil to eventually stand on their own two feet, to become themselves, not to be a clone of the teacher.

[EMITAURO]

I AGREE

[OpenMind00]

At 2:15

This is one of the most important and essential questions a person on a path of transformation will have. An answer to this issue is difficult to come by.