ഊഡീഏ'സ മേജര്‍ AIM

AIM is important in life and unless one has such, life will be simply an endless array of accidents and happenings until death.......GURDJIEFF insisted on aims of some kind in all who pursued his teachings....even if they were good or evil, extravagant or cheap, important or mundane,etc.... GURDJIEFF'S AIM was, as he codified it, at various times, TO UNITE EAST & WEST.....that is, to unite the WISDOM OF THE EAST WITH THE SCIENCE OF THE WEST in order to save the EARTH & HUMANITY....and unless this could be done, then both would perish...... This AIM is not quite like a lot of other aims that various groups or persons have put forth.....at various times in history.....and in this, this UNION OF 'EAST' & 'WEST' has a much deeper meaning that the ordinary conception....for it could also mean THE UNION OF RELIGON & SCIENCE or SPIRIT & MATTER.....a union of dualities....

MOUNI SADHU & GURDJIEFF PART ONE

In my researches on the internet, I came across to references and statements that MOUNI SADHU, who was POLISH or possibly also PRUSSIAN, and who traveled around the world in various places and who also was involved in several 'occult' groups and undertakings it would seem, had what can be described as 'a serious emotional reaction to GURDJIEFF that happened when he first met GURDJIEFF before G died and this affected him so deeply, he never got over it for the rest of his life. Various attempts to explain such on the parts of those who,either have followed GURDJIEFF at some time and who also either knew or met MOUNI SADHU and also liked him or appreciated his 'knowledge',' experiences in the occult, his practices and writings,etc., have been made but I think they have not seen what this is exactly. THAT MOUNI SADHU WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN BY GURDJIEFF'S WORDS TO HIM is without doubt and we can compare this to another such instance when GURDJIEFF CONFRONTED(though there are contradictory reports on this by several writers) ALEISTER CROWLY,THE GREAT BEAST who had come to see him as Sadhu had. BOTH being under the IMPRESSION(and possible ego-state) that GURDJIEFF WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THEM AS HIS EQUALS!

MOUNI SADHU

The writings of Mouni Sadhu, which I translated as meaning, 'LONELY PILGRIM' have had an influence on myself and a great many others and,for me, his actual identity was a mystery, until recently when I decided to search on the internet and found some interesting items about him, his life as much as is known, and his books,etc. I have read his books on CONCENTRATION, THE TAROT, & WAYS TO SELF REALIZATION-a modern evaluation of occultism & spiritual Paths. The latter I have here in the States, but the others are, if the termites have not consumed them still abroad with other books of all kinds. Right off I should mention that Mouni Sadhu translates his name as ,SILENT PILGRIM, but his writings seem to contradict this except that he does veil and omit certain details in many, if not most of his materials that have been published. He was, as I was, influenced by the books of PAUL BRUNTON and corresponded with him around 1952, after reading the books during 1945-46, apparently. Like Brunton, Sadhu, and a great number of others,including Miss Ethel Merston a follower at one time of Gurdjieff, became 'devoted' to RAMANA MAHARSHI. I will discuss RAMANA MAHARSHI under the WAY OF THE YOGI when I have time. He has been compared in some ways to Gurdjieff by some but this seems to me to be 'subjective' and dependent on actually having contacted or l ived with him. When the MAHARSHI was alive a great number of Westerners in search of TRUTH, WISDOM,etc. visited him and also grouped themselves into certain enclaves to study or practice this particular path.

THE PATH OF SKILLFULNESS

THE PATH OF SKILLFULNESS is also known as The Path of Craft & Slyness, both 'ENERGY YOGAS',split into THE ARISING & PERFECTING YOGAS. In many of his writings and talks, Gurdjieff is said to have mentioned 'THE SLY MAN' and some persons reading or hearing of this 'topic' have 'shied' away from some of its implications,just as they have from his 'ballet' THE STRUGGLE OF THE MAGICIANS'. In VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD,Early Talks of Gurdjieff, he discusses magic,both white and black, and compares it somewhat to GREAT KNOWLEDGE and connects both to Universal Laws,thus making one who knows and uses such as 'magicians'. From this he asserts that 'civilization' has two aspects: THE EXOTERIC & THE ESOTERIC. Both lines are parallel and independent. This means that, if we want and know how, we can work on both lines,perhaps succeeding along one and failing on the other. Of course, most persons cannot maintain any work for very long on either line or direction,let alone both at the same time or nearly the same time.

DEATH AT A DISTANCE

In the 3rd Series of his writings(which is not the entire or perhaps actual work proposed) :LIFE IS REAL ONLY THEN,WHEN "I AM", GURDJIEFF seems to make what most Westerners and scholars of his work would consider, at the very least, 'A BOASTFUL CLAIM'. On page 30 of my edition by the above title, he says,"ForInstance the development of THE POWER OF THOUGHTS had been brought to such a level that by only a few hours of SELF-PREPARATION I could from a distance ot ten miles kill a yak,or,in 24 hours, could ACCUMULATE LIFE FORCES of such compactness that I could in 5 minutes put to sleep an elephant." For me, this further indicates that Gurdjieff may have been in Tibet,since the power to cause death over distance and The CONCENTRATION of THOUGHT through special methods is considered by most Tibetans to be an actual fact, at least in those days it was.

GURDJIEFF IN TIBET

A few writers seriously doubt that Gurdjieff was ever in Tibet,much as those writeers who doubt that Madame Blavatsky was ever there. Some writers assume that in either instance or case, 'TIBET' is merely a word that has 'symbolic' rather than literal meaning(s) and this might well be the case that "TIBET' is an 'inner'experience,depending on several things that one must or should verify personally if possible. One clue to Gurdjieff's experience(s) in Tibet may well be the ENNEAGRAM. the ENNEAGRAM is a special reference system, a scale of measurement, that can serve as a 'GRID' that can also be overlaid on the human body, and in its mundane and practical applications,serve to locate certain precise points or locations on the human body, provided otehr things are utilized or manipulated to enable the one(s) using this PSYCHOCOSMOGRAM'for specific purposes, known best to them. This reference system is used in 'TIBETAN MEDICINE' and the 'enneagram' lines are usually somewhat varied from the final-exact one that Gurdjieff presented to the WEST. Gurdjieff,whether in the company of 'Tibetan' adepts or fellow 'TRUTH SEEKERS' ,seemed interested in various healing methods, especially those employing 'subtle' forces or 'energy' flows,channels, fluids,etc. whether induced by hypnosis, magnetism, drugs,. exercises,etc. according to what he and others have written. If Gurdjieff did set foot into Lhasa, he may well ahve 'studied' in some way or means at the Chagpori Medical College founded apparently around 1696 or at another one,the Mentsekhang College of Medicine and Astrology,founded in 1916. Gurdjieff's 'TIBETANISM' seems to flow from a non-monastic emphasis or version best known as 'FREE-FLOWING' TANTRICISM which is NOT dependent on 'celibracy' of any kind. MOreover, Gurdjieff's insistence and concern over 'ESSENCE' as opposed to 'personality', 'false self',etc relates to the Tibetan notion of 'PRIMORDIAL PURITY'. This form of 'TIBETAN TANTRA' bases its practices on an 'inner transformation' and the cultivation of dormant energies,which can be characterized(and are) as 'ALCHEMICAL' in the ESOTERIC SENSE. But knowing al this will not enable anyone to undergo such without the right effort and right kind of practice, as Gurdjieff well knew.

E J GOLD & COMPANY

In the 1980's, after I returned from an eight year sojourn in South East Asia,mostly in the Philippines, I decided to renew my 'Gurdjieff Studies' among other interests I was pursuing at the time, and contacted the group that E.J.Gold headed up by buying some of the books, four, two video tapes, and also a 'picture' or sort of 'psychic' work that was said to be one of my 'essence' done by him, probably not exclusively, which I still have but have never opened or looked at and do not intend to do so,if at all until I am ready to exit everything. I also purchased, now that I recall, an audio tape of his which was interesting and discussed,mostly, whether or not Rembrandt had a school and,of course, compared it, in leading-up questions being evoked from those present at this 'banquet or meal-time'(they were and he was chewing on food, if I recall and so forth) to
gurdjieff's work,etc. Numerous phone calls to my residence from what I perceived as being those of 'young, charming, seductively-alluring voiced females extolled his genius, his abilities, his offerings(which were numerous, and urged me to come out to California or wherever he was located at the time and see for myself, perhaps to join and undertake the experiences and work possibly. I resisted the blandishments for several reasons, namely one that it would be expensive to up and move out there lock-stock,-and-barrel, to possibly join what might well be just another commune of 'hippies with a deeper philosophy,etc. E.J. and his followers were also wrapped up in Tibetan activities, that is, selling 'singing' bowls and other devices which were also very expensive but of 'the finest quality and tones'etc. so one of the young ladies assured me. When I bought the videos which were of the 'movments' the dances of Gurdjieff, she or another one( I can't recall their phone names anymore) even told me which dancer she was in the video and to look for her. I asked her some pointed questions as to one video which supposed to be one of Gurdjieff but she confessed that in the end, when G striped off his mask it was EJ and that the footage was not authentic stuff with G actually in it, but the shock of seeing this was, undoubtedly, devised to 'awaken' me in some way,etc. I asked her also if EJ or any of them had been to Tibet and if the bowls,etc. were from there, I think she said no to all of the questions and I surmised that EJ had and his followers had merely read and studied the literature on the subject that was there,etc. I decided not to buy any of the equipment that was 'Tibetan'. I was pursing some of my studies in Tibetan 'Wisdom' and had been in contact with a Tibetan monk in Nepal/India prior to coming back to the States. After purchasing the art work I soon lost contact with them and probably it was because I did not respond or react to my 'special portrait' as they might have expected and after moving away, I did not attempt to contact them again. Recently, after looking over my bookshelf with '
Gurdjieff Materials' I started reading the four books again and found some interesting things. I knew, of course, that his father had been a publisher of a science fiction magazine and that EJ had apparently written some himself, none of which I have read. I had seen his special '
AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DEAD in the stores somewhere but never felt compelled to buy it for obvious reasons, namely, I much actual Tibetan sources in a more direct manner. After looking at the books, I then went to the internet and searched for things on EJ and found quite a number of colorful sites and commercial enterprises(arts and crafts,etc.) being offered plus some u-tube videos of sorts that I added to my FACEBOOK PROFILE but really didn't watch that closely or listen to,again for obvious reasons, but the main one is that I do not have a computer. I then came across a rather rambling document that someone had placed in which some rather amusing revelations about EJ and her 'lover' were mentioned and some experiences that were made to appear that certain psychic/astral powers rendered 'psychotic' that is, enough to seek help and treatment, all of which makes me suspicious in that it seems more like an advertisement for those who are seeking certain 'powers' and 'pyschic' abilities rather than avoiding such. Anyone reading it may disagree with me,of course, but as to detering anyone from studying EJ's ideas seems remote unless one is a strict 'fundamentalist'. At the same time there is another document shown on the internet that praised EJ and extolls him. So take your pick. The important thing to remember is that EJ GOLD IS NOT ANOTHER GURDJIEFF, no matter how talented, artistic, intelligent, creative, or fascinating he may be, simply because HE DOES NOT COME FROM THE SAME SOURCE AS GURDJIEFF nor has he done anything like what Gurdjieff did or experienced,which is not to say that EJ Gold does not resemble and re-assemble some things that can be gleaned from the available literature or from groups that originally studied with Gurdjieff or his close pupils at some time.