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Are we able to say that life is governed by a group of conscious people? Where are they? Who are they? We see exactly the opposite: that life is governed by those who are the least conscious, by those who are most asleep.
Provocative ideas such as these have attracted generations of thoughtful people to the methods of self-study and inner work devised by Gurdjieff, one of the most radical spiritual teachers of modern times. According to Gurdjieff, the wars raging at this very moment are nothing more than millions of sleeping people trying to annihilate millions of other sleeping people. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such as thing as progress and evolution as long as humanity remains asleep.
Two hundred conscious people could change the whole of life on the earth, Gurdjieff says. If we want to become those conscious people, we must learn how to change ourselves. With the help of self-knowledge and an understanding of our relation to the universe, we can awaken to a higher level of beingif we wish to change ourselves.
All of Gurdjieff's fundamental principles and methods of transforming the intellect, emotions, and body, in the system known as the Fourth Way, are presented in this book in his own clear, precise words preserved by his closest pupils.
Arranged in an orderly sequence of passages drawn from two primary source booksP. D. Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, and Views from the Real World, recorded and arranged by Mme. Jeanne de Salzmannthis material is an indispensable introduction for those determined to undertake the efforts and practices necessary for awakening consciousness.
All the basic concepts and methods are covered, including:
man is asleep
we have no unified I
the need for self-knowledge
functions of the human machine
states of consciousness
levels of being
three centers: moving, emotional, and thinking
personality and essence
the possibility of self-development
self-observation
remembering oneself
conscious evolution
the law of three forces
the ray of creation
the law of octaves
the Enneagram, a universal symbol
the variety of spiritual ways
esoteric Christianity
working in groups
the necessity of schools
