| The term was coined by George
Gurdjieff to describe his path and to
differentiate it from traditional ways.
The first way…of
the Fakir,
involving effort in the body …(Hata Yoga)
The second way…of
the Monk,
involving devotion and concentration of feeling. (Bhakti
- worship)
The third way…
of the Yogi,
involving largely mental attention…(Gyana - knowledge)
In the fourth way,
effort is made in all three: body,
feeling, and mind.
This is harmonious development. Also, in contrast with
the traditional ways, the fourth does not require separation
from conditions of ordinary life. In fact, these conditions
are ideal, especially in times of turmoil, for the 'awakening'
process which is integral to the effectiveness of this
way.
According to Gurdjieff, most of us are sleepwalking
our way through life, automatically reacting
to what happens around us, in habitual, conditioned
ways.
Waking up involves "remembering ourselves."
As we remember ourselves, & become more aware of
our "automaticity", we learn to free ourselves
from the prison of our conditioning, to live an authentic
life. At the same time, to escape from prison, work
with others of like mind is essential…which is
why we work together, in groups.
Gurdjieff's concept of the fourth way, & techniques
for transformation developed by him, were heavily influenced
by his learnings in ancient Sufi monasteries in Asia.
The Work…(as it is called) offers an opportunity
for deep personal exploration, growth, and healing,
using the methods suggested by Gurdjieff, and other
Masters of the Fourth Way.
The Work is not mystical
It does not direct your attention to
that which is incapable of being understood
The Work is not a cult
We do not perform rituals and ceremonies
for the sake of astounding ourselves, or to impress
others.
The Work is not religious
We do not worship any mortally named
enigma.
The Work is not a sect
We do not blindly or mechanically revere
any human being.
The Work is not a club
It is not a collection of ordinary people
held together by similar weaknesses & maladies.
The Work is not a contemporary fad
Its secret paths have been trod by a
few since the dawn of the intellect.
The Work is not a popular pastime
Few feel its need, & even fewer
can pay the price.
The Work is not a necessity
Life has yet to require that human beings
realize their full potential.
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WHAT,
THEN, IS THE WORK?
It is more than all words,
less than all dreams.
It is a terror to behold,
a joy to experience.
It is the connecting threads
of a great and secret circle
Closing the gap
'twixt all and nothing' . |
The Fourth Way work Group…
is a group of like minded people, who have come together
to study the teachings of Gurdjieff and, to experience
through their own efforts, the effects of living a life
based on the wish to live consciously.
Includes a study of the Enneagram… Universal laws
of the Creation and Maintenance of Life on earth…
the Psychology of Selves… The functioning of the
Three brains of human beings…The Human Food Factory…The
story of Hydrogens… and other such interesting
phenomenon…in a search for an answer to the basic
question…Why are we here on earth?
Fourth Way Groups and Schools are "existential
gypsies"!! They spring up suddenly and flourish
wherever they are needed, and just as suddenly, vanish
without a trace.
Akhaldans is here, now.
I do hope you find it !!
GURDJIEFF AND THE FOURTH
WAY
Georgi Ivanovich Gurdjieff was an Armenian mystic, a
teacher whose ideas have influenced a generation of
people in the 20th. century. Trained in religion and
medicine, he embarked on a lifelong search for a body
of knowledge he suspected had its roots in ancient traditions,
and which he thought might shed light on the meaning
of mans existence. His journeys to almost inaccessible
centers of learning, temples and monasteries bought
him into contact with the secret, esoteric practices
of ancient brotherhoods, reaching from Egypt across
Central Asia, to India and Tibet.
After 25 years of searching and learning, he emerged
as a spiritual teacher in Russia, in 1912. During the
Russian Revolution, he escaped with a small caravanserai
of pupils, and finally settled down in France, where
he established the Institute for the Harmonious Development
of Man. Among the various disciplines practiced at the
institute were dances, generally referred to as "movements".
These dances served two vital functions, the harmonious
evolution of the dancers themselves and the transmission
of esoteric knowledge.
Although he died in 1949, Gurdjieff's ideas and teachings
are alive and very relevant in the present day context.
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