HERE ARE TWO COMMENTS I MADE SOME YEARS AGO ON THIS SUBJECT. Please let me know your thoughts on this if possible. Many thanks in advance.
11/11/2009 Written in my copy of IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS, by P.D. OUSPENKY,softcover along with other notes since I bught the thing more years than I can exactl remember.These are from my re-reading this book in 2009. copywrited in 1949 by Harcourt,Brace &World, Inc. a HARVEST BOOK.
Here is what I wrote years ago:
OUSPENSKY goes in search of: a school or schools -he does not say he went in search of a teacher or teachers or even teachings.
His QUEST was for a form, an abstraction, a proces, and not a person, a living being, who embodied, lived and practiced WISDOM and perhaps TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE, & LOVE.
His 8 (EIGHT) YEARS WITH GURDJIEFF-from the first meeting to the last meeting WERE NOT 8 CONTINOUS YEARS 'AT THE FOOT OF THE MASTER' but BROKEN LINKS, that is, with intervals and discord as well as some 'harmony'
This does not duplicate my original handwriting but for legibility purposes, etc
2011 I WROTE THE FOLLOWING THAT YEAR
In a sense, OUSPENSKY 'saved' these 'FRAGMENTS OF AN UNKNOWN TEACHING'from be coming merly another 'ism' or 'personality cult' and becoming another 'religion' which, of course, points to its (or theirs) Origins in the ANCIENT PAST, and put these 'fragments' into a 'PSYCHOLOGY' and therefore did not, as others did, or have done,focus on the body, its physical movements, 'the dances, or on teh physical senses,or 'the psychic-occult' powers or development.
From another perspective, the system omposed of these 'unknown fragments' appear intellectually focused and 'lop-sided' or 'mental' rather than physical,emotional,or sexually oriented and may be seen by some as not being 'harmonious' or 'balanced'.
Nevertheless, this 'system', this 'work', this '4th way' as described and taught etc. by OUSPENKSY
made it better known and attracted many who might have avoided 'the teachings', especially as presented o r demonstrated by GURDJIEFF and others of his folliowing,
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I was prompted by viewing a video on DVD produced in BELGRADE in the former YUGOSLAVIA adn which was based on the book IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS which is the title of the video. I shall talk about it a bit more when I have time. If you ahve not seen it, then I suggest ou obtain a copy or possibly find segment sof it on YOU TUBE After viewing this video, which I have done countless times since I bought it, I find that looking at the book whihc is only briefly along the book's format, obviously, it takes on new nuances for me, at least, and the stock footage of things in very is very interesting for those 'who know' and can discern the various significance of what has been selected from such. Most cannot make the connections or understand auch and a lot of things are outside most of the present day viewers experience and intersts.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I recognize that OUSPENSKY saw and met many people on his travels and after working with GURDJIEFF which reminds me of the similar travels that MARK TWAIN made to INDIA the topic of which has been a subject on PBS which I have seen twicw. I think the title of this is 'THE FIRST STAND UP COMIC who became world famous...or something similar. The images in India espcially of 'THE BED OF NAILS' which most take to be exhibitions of 'genuine yoga' are one of the things that OUspensky explored and describes. Although it is mor akin to THE WAY OF THE FAKIR the three traditonal ways are still there in both TWAIN's travels but not the teachers.
ReplyDeleteThe 'fragments' of this 'unknown' teaching'have come to be known as 'THE FOURTH WAY' and is the title of the first book by OUSPENSKY that I encountered in my college library at UNH in 1957 which led me to eventually look for other works and information sicne that time as well as of groups and individuals and nowadays somewhat on the internet. These 'unknown' teachings are hardly that since they are shown in various ways for those who become interested or attracted to them in varous ways or also repelled by them as is the case fo paricular individuals. Others make use of them, that is, the ideas and exercises and related topics for their use in either making them seem to be their 'work' or for commercial gain and self-exaggeration of all kinds. Nevertheless, any discussion or looking at these teachings does not make the actually known to thsoe who read and reread them or for groups who attempt to imitate the movements or other things deemed to be on the FOURTH WAY, Many, however,revert to the three 'traditional' ways or to the several variations and offshoots of these three...whihc may be yogic,religious, or 'fakerism'and end their lives no further 'advanced', 'conscious', 'aware' or 'present' and all the other possible descriptions offered over the years as a sort of 'evolution' perhaps to 'higher' states and so on. Despite the fact that all on any of these paths make claims and seek 'immortality' they all die and there these work for them obviously ceases, but if they have left the teachings for others and put others in the 'ascending' ladders' they are closer to the goals or aims they might have formulated. Let us hope so.
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