GURDJIEFF I AM I CAN I WISH

"Before continuing to explain
just what is necessary and how
one must consciously, both inwardly
and outwardly, manifest oneself in
order to obtain the arising in
oneself of such data inherent
only in man, which ought also
to appear as lawful aspects of
the whole individuality of a
real man, I shall be compelled,
on account of the absence in the
English language of any exact
verbal designation of these
three impulses, and as a
consequence the absence of
an approximate understanding
of them, to waste my time, in
order to give you an approximate
understanding of them and choose
for them some more or less
corresponding conventional
names which we shall use
in our subsequent talks.

"For an approximate definition
of the first of these three human
impulses which must arise and manifest
themselves in a real man, one might
employ the English word 'CAN,' yet
not in the sense in which this
word is used in the contemporary
English language but in the sense
in which Englishmen used it before
what is called the 'Shakespearean
epoch.'

"Although for the exact definition
of the second of these human impulses
in the contemporary English language
there is a word, namely 'WISH,' it
is nevertheless employed by you
Americans, as well as by the
English people themselves,
only in order to vary, of
course unconsciously, the
degree of the expression of
that so to say 'slavish impulse'
for which there are, particularly
in this language, a multitude of
words as, for example, 'like,'
'want,' 'need,' 'desire' and
so on.

"And as regards a word for
the expression and understanding
of the third definite aforementioned
human impulse, in the whole lexicon
of words in the English language
there cannot be found one even
approximately corresponding.

"This impulse, proper exclusively
to man, can be defined in the English
language only descriptively, that is,
with many words. I should define it
for now in the following words: 'THE
ENTIRE SENSING OF THE WHOLE OF ONESELF.'

"This third impulse, which should be
sometimes in the waking state of man,
one of certain definite manifestations
in the general presence of every normal
man, is of all the seven exclusively-
proper-to-man impulses the most
important, because its association
with the first two, namely, those
which I have already said can be
approximately expressed in English
by the words 'CAN' and 'WISH,'
almost composes and represents
the genuine I of a man who has
reached responsible age.

"It is only in a man with
such an I that these three
impulses, two of which are
approximately defined in
English by the words 'I CAN'
and 'I WISH,' acquire in their
turn that significance which I
presume; which significance,
and the corresponding force
of action from their
manifestation, is
obtained only in a
man who by his intentional
efforts obtains the arising
in himself of data for
engendering these
impulses sacred
for man.

"Only such a man, when he
consciously says 'I AM'-—he
really is; "I CAN"—he really
can; 'I WISH'-—he really wishes.

"When 'I WISH'-—I feel with my
whole being that I wish, and can
wish. This does not mean that I
want, that I need, that I like or,
lastly, that I desire. No. 'I WISH.'
I never like, never want, I do not
desire anything and I do not need
anything—-all this is slavery; if
'I WISH' something, I must like
it, even if I do not like it. I
can wish to like it, because
'I CAN.'

"I WISH-—I feel with my
whole body that I wish.

"I WISH-—because I can wish.

"Based on my own experience,
I consider it absolutely necessary
to note here that the difficulty of
a clear understanding of all this
without a long and deep reflection
and, in general, the complication
of the process of standing on the
right path for the obtaining in
one's common presence of factors
for engendering even only these
first three, from the number of
seven, impulses characterizing
genuine man, derives, from the
very first attempts, from the
fact that, on the one hand,
these impulses can exist
almost exclusively when
one has one's own genuine
I and, on the other hand,
the I can be in man almost
exclusively when he has in
him these three impulses."
--Gurdjieff
--Third Talk
--Third Series, p 110-112

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Gurdjieff
• Jung
• psychology
• am
• can
• wish

[Shiemash51]

There is a false conception that people have about me, and this false conception has not

anything to do with what may or may not be "real" and "deep knowledge" because

I think we can all agree that most of what I write HAS ALL THE APPEARANCE OF PSYCHOPATHY

since it happens to be true that the fourth way internet method has been a process for

me of self-healing, NOT TO BE "TEACHER"

OR "GURU", and I don't think anyone sees me in

that way, nor do I wish it.

[Shiemash51]

It is a fact that there exists a property,

which is inherent in every ordinary man, to whichever class he may belong and

whatever his age, that, whenever he thinks about something concrete outside himself, then his muscles instantly strain, that is

to say vibrate, in the direction taken by his

thoughts, and I have discovered from

experience that such muscular

"magnetic tension" is real. I will then

harmlessly and silently sit until that tension

passes unto liberation.

[ghahandi]

"Faith of conciousness is Freedom"

"Hope of Conciousness is Strength"

[ghahandi]

"Jumped~ Humped~ Born to suffer...

Made to undress~

In the wilderness...

[DEACONAP4LOVE]

very true, excellent answer!

[mantisofgold]

By putting yourself in situations you might not be comfortable with, G surmised it to be an effective tool for self awareness. As long as the suffering or uncomfortableness is achieved while staying awake. If your asleep at the wheel during the experiment or ordeal you are just an idiot. Real suffering is to awaken into discovery.

[DEACONAP4LOVE]

what is this experiment?

[mantisofgold]

Great experiment! Looks very uncomfortable, at least from my perspective. I think Mr. G is smiling.