Life is real only then, when "I am"

A First Reading Of Gurdjieff

I became interested in learning about the teachings of George Gurdjieff (1877? -- 1949) after reading philosopher Jacob Needleman's memoir "What is God?" (2009), a book I admired a good deal. What Is God? Needleman is one of many Western thinkers and artists who has been deeply influenced by Gurdjieff. I tend almost invariably to prefer original sources over commentaries or summaries. Thus, I turned to this short, final book of Gurdjieff, "Life is real only then, when 'I am'" published many years after his death by his student Jeanne de Saltzman. Needleman also speaks highly of his experiences with Madame Saltzman. The book is the third series of Gurdjieff's arrangement of his books into three series. There is some suggestion that the book is to be read only after the reader has read the first two series, which I haven't done. On the other hand, the lectures suggest that they were written to be an accessible introduction. In any event, I had the book at hand and it served my purpose of getting an introduction to Gurdjieff in his own words. Needleman's discussion of his teachings helped greatly. Although the book is difficult to read and obscure, it is no more so than many other philosophical or religious works. I am skeptical at the outset of books that require an initiation to understand. And I took the book that was ready to hand.

The enigmatic title of this book itself suggests something of Gurdjieff's thought in its emphasis on the self and on the relationship between self-understanding and understanding of reality or God. The book is incomplete and is a collection of different kinds of writings, well organized. Autobiographical information and information about the Gurdjieff and his schools in interspersed and related well to his teachings. Madame de Saltzman's Foreward which discusses the history of the book and its place in Gurdjieff's teaching is valuable.

The most immediately apparent feature of the book is the writing style which is in non-idiomatic English and which probably was deliberately done in this matter to discourage skimming or casual reading. Most of the book is arranged in short paragraphs consisting of long sentences. Gurdjieff is wordy, repetitive, with sentences full of long awkwardly constructed clauses and an inveterate use of the passive voice. It is verbose and to my reading shows in itself a strong personality. Perseverance is needed to read this. The final portion of the book, an incomplete essay, is written more directly. In this review I assume that most of my readers, like myself, have little exposure to Gurdjieff. I will summarize briefly the sections of the book rather than to explain or assess the doctrine. Broadly speaking, I found valuable insights in this book and was glad to have read it. Gurdjieff's path and spiritual teachings are not matters I would likely follow or pursue in detail.

The longest section of this book is the introductory "Prologue" in which Gurdjieff discusses his early life wandering through Asia, his several illnesses and wounds, his establishment of a school in pre-revolutionary Russia and his move to Paris. In 1924, Gurdjieff nearly died as a result of an auto accident. He changed his approach and determined to write. This section is a difficult, cryptic account of his life and of the background to his teachings.

The second section of the book is called "Introduction". This section introduces probably the heart of the book, the five lectures Gurdjieff gave upon his second visit to the United States in 1930. There is further autobiography, and explanation of his reasons for coming to America, commentary on American culture, and brief but broad notes on his teachings.

Next, Gurdjieff gives transcripts of five lectures he delivered in New York City in 1930. He describes a purging and a reorganization of his American followers. He became discontented with the way the American movement was headed under the first American leader, a man named Orage. He required all Orage's followers to disclaim association with him and to sign a pledge to take instruction only from Gurdjieff himself or his designee. Orage himself signed the pledge which moved Gurdjieff to tears. The latter portions of these talks give instruction in doctrine and practice to Gurdjieff's reconstituted American followers. Thus, it seems to me, they are valuable material in getting an overview.

The final work in this collection is a lengthy, incomplete essay titled "The Outer and Inner Worlds of Man" which I found difficult but valuable in understanding Gurdjieff and his basic approach. The essay combines what are said to be quotations from ancient sources with newspaper articles, with Gurdjieff's reflections on the death of Orage, which came to his attention when he was writing the essay. The core of the essay is that most people tend to be driven by the external and internal demons. They come to selfhood only through reflection on their outer and inner worlds and coming to a third world of autonomy and independence which it is the goal of Gurdjieff's teachings to provide. The teaching holds little or know hope for people in their common state, without the understanding of esoteric spiritual wisdom.

I found it valuable to explore this book for what it shows about a pattern of modern spiritual search. Adventurous, critical readers with a strong interest in spirituality may benefit from exposure to Gurdjieff.

Robin Friedman