Masters of Wisdom

by J.G. Bennett

John G Bennett, a student and proponent of G I Gurdjieff, was working on this book when he died. The heart of the book is found in the remarkable chapter, "The Time of Christ," which exposes publicly Bennett's own deepest convictions and insights into the real truth of the events of Christ's life. By doing so he fulfills Gurdjieff's own prophecy that Bennett would one day draw back the veil from the Christian mysteries even further than he himself had done. Bennett endeavors to show how the secret of love passed historically from those associated with Christ into what is known as Sufism. It is here that he takes up the story of the Khwajagan, the "Masters of Wisdom" of Central Asia, of whom he first learned from an advance Turkish Sufi, Hasan Susud. Bennett's own love for and sympathy with these masters was such that he asserted one of them, Ubaidallah Ahrar of Tashkent, who died in 1490, to be one of his own teachers. Bennett's own degree of attainment at the end of his life was such that he achieved a contact with this sage outside of space and time.

Genres: Religion, History, Spirituality

178 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

John Godolphin Bennett (8 June 1897 – 13 December 1974) was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director and author. He is perhaps best known for his many books on psychology and spirituality, particularly on the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff. Bennett met Gurdjieff in Istanbul in October 1920 and later helped to co-ordinate the work of Gurdjieff in England after Gurdjieff's arrival in Paris. He also was active in starting the British section of the Subud movement, and co-founded its British headquarters.

Reviews

[Mark David Vinzens · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Masters Of Wisdom“ by J.G. Bennett is one of my favorite books, a presentation of the true esoteric history of the spiritual unfolding of life on planet earth. Gurdjieff‘s hypothesis of a divine intelligence guiding the affairs of mankind and working through the agency of spiritually advanced, enlightened human beings called the „Masters of Wisdom“ resonates deeply with me. Especially the story of the Khwajagan, the Masters of Wisdom of Central Asia inspires and fascinates me. After reading this book, it is clear to me that G. I. Gurdjieff's Fourth Way is sourced in the wisdom teachings of the Sufis/Khwajagan and the original mystical teachings of Yeshua. The masters of divine wisdom and cosmic love, the inner circle of humanity, is united in the realization of the essential unity of Life and Being. My intuition is that the spiritual future of humanity will be somewhere between the wisdom of the Sufis, mystical Christianity and the Indo-Tibetan tradition, the ancient art & science of awakening and transformation.

The essence of the Way of the Masters is expressed in the aphorisms of Khwaja Abd al-Khaliq:

1. hosh dar dam. This can be translated 'breathe consciously'. The Persian word hosh is almost the same as the Greek nepsis - in Latin sobrietas - used eight centuries earlier by the Masters of the Syrian desert and which appears very often in the Philokalia, a work that Ouspensky attributed to the Masters of Wisdom. He regarded this term as equivalent to Gurdjieffs 'self-remembering'. As used by the Khwajagan, it is always connected with breathing. According to their teaching the air we breathe provides us with food for the second or spirit body, called by Gurdjieff the kesdjan body from two Persian words meaning the „vessel of the spirit“. The Masters of Wisdom have always possessed the secret of breath. The longevity of the early Masters is attributable mainly to the zikr with breath control.

Hosh dar dam, conscious breathing, was regarded as the primary technique for self-development. The Rashahat says that the meaning of hosh dar dam is that breathing is the nourishment of the inner man. As we breathe, we should place our attention on each successive breath and be aware of our own presence. For this, it is necessary to be in the right state because if the breath is taken inattentively, it will not go to the right place. Mawlana Saad ad-din Kashghari explained that hosh dar dam requires that from one breath to another we should keep our attention open to our goal. Inattention is what separates us from God. He further said that in the way of the Masters, great importance is attached to learning how to retain the breath, because in retaining the breath, our attention is sharpened and it enters into us more deeply.

Khwaja Baha ad-din Naqshbandi said: "In this path, the foundation is built upon breathing. The more that one is able to be conscious of one's breathing, the stronger is one's inner life." He added that it is particularly important to keep awareness of the change from in-breathing to the out-breathing.

These directions for breath control are supplemented by detailed explanation of the way in which the zikr is to be performed. These were added by later scribes for the benefit of members of the Naqshbandi dervishes. Whereas the earlier Masters regarded hosh dar dam as the basic technique for nourishing the inner bodies of man, teachers outside the Khwajagan such as Najm ad-din Kubre gave it a more mystical significance; he connected it with the syllable Hu- which is the universal name of God that is pronounced consciously or unconsciously with every breath from the moment we are born until we die. Mawlana Jami, the great poet of central Asia, said that hosh dar dam is the absolute moment when personal identity is merged into the One. This, he said, is the ultimate secret of breath. Ghayb-i huwiyyat is a technical term used by the Khwajagan to signify the annihilation of self and union with the absolute being which is the final goal of liberation.

2. nazar bar qadam. Watch your step! Qadam means foot or step and also luck or fortune. It derives from the root q-d-m which expresses source or origin. The aphorism can be interpreted to mean: "Remember where you came from and where you are going. Keep your attention on the step you are taking at this moment." This aphorism is the basis of an important spiritual exercise used by the dervishes who trace their tradition back to the Masters of Wisdom.

3. safar dar watan. The journey home. This is interpreted to mean the transformation that brings man out of the world of unrealised potential, alam-i arvah, to the world of will, alam-i wujub, where man becomes aware of his destiny and is given the power to fulfil it. The alam-i wujub corresponds to the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospels. The Khwajagan taught that man can neither know nor realise his own destiny so long as he remains in the subjective dream state – khayalat.

4. khalwat dar anjuman. Solitude in the crowd. This aphorism is perhaps the most often quoted of the sayings of the Masters. There are many commentaries and explanations. In its simplest expression, it is what Gurdjieff calls"non-identification": to be able to enter fully into the life of the external world without losing one's own inner freedom. When asked for a short statement of the method of the Khwajagan, Baha ad-din Naqshbandi replied: "Khalvat dar anjuman, that is, outwardly to be with the people and inwardly to be with God". Khwaja Awliya said that it means: "to be so deeply occupied with one's own zikr that one can walk through the market place and not be aware of a sound."

5. yad kard. Remembrance. The explanation given in the Rashahat is that one must learn to keep contact between the tongue and the heart, especially in the zikr - what we feel we should say and what we say, we should feel. Saad ad-din Kashghari commenting on this aphorism says that when the shaikh is initiating the murid, he should make the declaration of faith "la ilaha ilallah wa Muhammad ar-rasul allah" in his heart, and the murid should feel it present in his own breast. Sitting in front of the shaikh he should hold himself, his eyes, his lips, his tongue and his mind, firmly fixed on the shaikh. Keeping his teeth firmly locked together, he should hold his breath and with full awareness he should, with all his heart, join himself to the shaikh. By this means the power of the zikr will be transferred to the pupil in such a way that his lips and his heart will remain united. After this, the pupil must patiently continue ro repeat the zikr three times over. At the end of each triplet, he repeats the holding of his breath. The Rashahat goes on to give quite detailed instructions, which are amplified in the commentary, on the way in which the shaikh is to verify the transmission of the zikr; he must be sure that his pupil learns how to be aware of his feelings at the same time as he is speaking.

6. baz gasht. Return, travel one way; be single-minded. Ubaidallah Ahrar interpreted this aphorism as meaning that we have within us the goal of our striving. The seeds of transformation are sown in us from above and we have to treasure them above all possessions. Where there is only one fruit-bearing tree, all else is weed and must be removed.

7. nigah dasht. Watchfulness. Be aware of what catches your attention. Learn to withdraw your attention from undesirable objects. This is interpreted as: "be vigilant in thought and remember yourself ", khawatir muraqaba. I think that nigah dasht is the same as Gurdjieffs „self-remembering“.

8. yad dasht. Recollection. This is explained as the last stage before transformation is completed. The seeker becomes aware that his loss of self will be compensated by objective Love, hubb-i zati. The humiliation that leads to this stage ceases to touch the seeker for he discovers before him the unlimited joy that the Truth will bring him.

According to the Rashahat, Khwaja Baha ad-din Naqshbandi introduced three further technical terms:

9. wuquf-i zamani. Awareness of time. To keep an account of one's temporal states. To distinguish presence, huzur, from absence, ghaflat. Khwaja Naqshbandi described this as 'self-possession' or 'mindfulness'. He added the significant advice that one must always remember to be thankful when one returns to a state of 'presence'.

10. wuquf-i adadi. Awareness of number. Khwaja Ala ad-din Attar said: "The number of times you repeat the zikr is not so important. What matters is whether you do it with presence and awareness." Baha ad-din Naqshbandi held that wuquf-i adadi is the first stage of entry into the spiritual world. This stage is marked by the cessation of verbal mentation and the beginning of a direct perception that does not require words.

11. wuquf-i qalbi. Awareness of the heart. This is the same as yad dasht. It marks the awakening of Divine Love. The individual becomes aware that his own existence is an obstacle to his final transformation and he no longer fears to sacrifice it, because he sees for himself that he will gain infinitely more than he loses.

[Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bennett describes the history and objective of a group he calls the Masters of Wisdom. He brings the group’s origins to the Demiurge, a creator god that shaped the world out pre-existing matter. The Demiurge subtlety influenced shamans in man’s earliest civilizations. Bennett then focuses on Persia and Israel, then Jesus, then Muhammad, then Sufis. He posits there is an unbroken chain of teachings the linked all these traditions, particularly with Zoroastrian influences. He died before finishing the last chapter on modern day masters, but one could presume it would include Gurdjieff, Bennett’s teacher.

I’m skeptical about the lineage and the guiding, invisible hand of the demiurge, but I did enjoy a lot of the historical background of various schools he described.

[Dave Cotton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched the documentary about legendary progressive rock band King Crimson. I didn't realize that the main songwriter, Robert Fripp, quit music altogether in the 70s to be a student of J.G. Bennett. Fripp is without question one of the greatest artists ever in the pop rock canon and my interest was piqued.

I took the book title literally in that I thought the pages would contain some secret to wisdom. Those who have read it, know that this isn't the case. The narrative is rather an outline of the social changes and classes from the year 0000 to the present day. Overall, I learned a lot about history pertaining to race, religion, and spirituality.

[Tom Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had two parts that I really liked. I found the concept of the demiurge to be fascinating, this is a lesser god that is in charge of the Earth who is distinct from God who created the universe. I also loved his section on the Gospel of Matthew. This gave me new appreciation for Jesus and his message of love. I am not particularly religious but this was my favorite part of the book. A sizable portion of the book is taken up by a spiritual history of the middle east which I did not find that interesting or convincing. I am willing to withhold judgement because this book was not finished at the time of the author's death. I will probably read another book by this author.

[Netanel Miles-Yepez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bennett takes a Gurdjieffian approach to spiritual history in this book, and it is most interesting if one accepts that perspective as one reads. By far, the most interesting chapters were those in which he discussed the Khwajagan (masters of wisdom), Sufis of Central Asia.