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Gurdjieff,: A very great enigma: three lectures given at Denison House, Summer 1963,
Book by Bennett, John G.
1000 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
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44 people want to read
About the author
J.G. Bennett
130 books67 followersJohn 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.
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August 15, 2023
THREE LECTURES SYSTEMATICALLY LOOKING AT GURDJIEFF
The back cover of this 1963 book explains, “During the summer of 1963, Mr. J.G. Bennett delivered three lectures on Gurdjieff… The first lecture acquainted his audience with the incredible environment of Gurdjieff’s boyhood. Such compelling names of places and peoples threaded their way through Mr. Bennett’s lecture… The second lecture was devoted to the sources of Gurdjieff’s ideas. The reader will be intrigued with his associations with the Armenian Secret Societies; of Sufism and the Dervish Brotherhoods; and of the Sufi Recluses of Persia and Turkestan. In this lecture, we find the Gurdjieff known as the professional Wonder Worker, who was evidently influenced by Russian Occultism and Zoroastrian teachings. The third lecture, which dealt with Gurdjieff’s teachings and methods, revealed a man with the basic human problems such as assail every man. It also, allowed the audience to see the practicality of the man through the plans he made and their execution. There remains an unanswered question: ‘How did Gurdjieff intend his work to continue?”
Bennett states in the first lecture, “Gurdjieff was a very great enigma in more ways than one. First and most obvious is the fact that no two people who knew him would agree as to who and what he was. If you look at the various books that have been written about Gurdjieff and if you look at his own writings, you will find that no two pictures are the same… It went with the peculiar habit he had of hiding himself, of appearing to be something other than he really was. This was very confusing, and it began from the time he was first known in European countries.” (Pg. 1)
He notes that a question “which was so sharp for Gurdjieff, ‘How is it that mankind, to whom so much has been given by the traditional teachings, and the revelations of the pas 4 or 5,000 years, how is it that man has been able to make so little use of what he has received, and how is it that he remains under the domination of forces which are quite alien to the real meaning of his own life?’” (Pg. 22)
In the second lecture, he observes that “Gurdjieff … travelled with a group of people whom he called ‘Seekers of the Truth,’ and some of whom he characterizes quite definitely and has spoken of since as people who were still living even ten or fifteen years ago. Probably the stories told in ‘Meetings with Remarkable Men’ are genuine enough, though I know, from a certain amount that I have been able to verify, they are all mixed up. In other words, he takes one particular story and puts a bit of it here and another bit there.” (Pg. 37)
He suggests, “This obvious similarity of [Gurdjieff’s] notions and the use made of them by the Rosicrucian authors of the 16th century… would make one at first think that Gurdjieff’s cosmology is nothing more than an ingenious use of the Rosicrucian material of the 16th century, particularly that of the very important and powerful Rosicrucian School that existed in Holland at that time…” (Pg. 51)
He explains, “a characteristic feature of Fourth Way Schools as described by Gurdjieff… [is that] They are not ‘permanent’ or ‘fixed,’ but appear and disappear according to the needs of time and place. Nevertheless, Gurdjieff insisted that there is always an ‘Inner Circle’ accessible only to those who are able to serve its needs and tasks.” (Pg. 58-59)
In the third lecture, he points out, “Then came another period from 1915 on when Gurdjieff had met Ouspensky and the people that Ouspensky brought to him. During this time he had several experimental groups with which he worked through the war-years from 1915 until the revolution, when he withdrew to Caucasus… It happens that we seem to know a good deal about Gurdjieff’s activities during the period from 1915-1919 because of what Ouspensky has written in his book, ‘A Search for the Miraculous.’ We must not forget that Ouspensky was in contact only with a small part of Gurdjieff’s work. A number of the experiments that Gurdjieff started were cast aside and he began to work in different ways, so that what he did later represents an entirely new phase.” (Pg. 81)
He explains, “there is both a possibility and a need for a limited number of people to follow what are called the ‘Ways of Accelerated Completion.’ …Among the Ways of Accelerated Completion is one called the Fourth Way which is characterized by the fulfillment of all ordinary life obligations, coupled with a very exactly regulated and very intensive personal work.” (Pg. 87) Later, he adds, “The notion of the Fourth Way is wholly bound up with these two principles; the first is that of complete involvement in life externally, and secondly, in the acceptance internally of responsibility for certain work is required for a great Cosmic Purpose.” (Pg. 91-92)
He concludes, “I have not given these lectures because I wanted to arouse new interest in Gurdjieff; but because at the moment things are developing in such a way that I believe that his great aim in connection with people can now be carried a certain step further… in England and other countries, developments are taking place with the aim of making it possible for people who are in search of the Creative Activity to have the opportunity of meeting… My purpose in giving these lectures was not simply to chat about Gurdjieff; but also to tell you that there are certain directions in which I think is it now possible to carry forward this work in a very productive way.” (Pg. 100)
This book will interest those seeking an ‘outsider’s’ perspective on Gurdjieff.
The back cover of this 1963 book explains, “During the summer of 1963, Mr. J.G. Bennett delivered three lectures on Gurdjieff… The first lecture acquainted his audience with the incredible environment of Gurdjieff’s boyhood. Such compelling names of places and peoples threaded their way through Mr. Bennett’s lecture… The second lecture was devoted to the sources of Gurdjieff’s ideas. The reader will be intrigued with his associations with the Armenian Secret Societies; of Sufism and the Dervish Brotherhoods; and of the Sufi Recluses of Persia and Turkestan. In this lecture, we find the Gurdjieff known as the professional Wonder Worker, who was evidently influenced by Russian Occultism and Zoroastrian teachings. The third lecture, which dealt with Gurdjieff’s teachings and methods, revealed a man with the basic human problems such as assail every man. It also, allowed the audience to see the practicality of the man through the plans he made and their execution. There remains an unanswered question: ‘How did Gurdjieff intend his work to continue?”
Bennett states in the first lecture, “Gurdjieff was a very great enigma in more ways than one. First and most obvious is the fact that no two people who knew him would agree as to who and what he was. If you look at the various books that have been written about Gurdjieff and if you look at his own writings, you will find that no two pictures are the same… It went with the peculiar habit he had of hiding himself, of appearing to be something other than he really was. This was very confusing, and it began from the time he was first known in European countries.” (Pg. 1)
He notes that a question “which was so sharp for Gurdjieff, ‘How is it that mankind, to whom so much has been given by the traditional teachings, and the revelations of the pas 4 or 5,000 years, how is it that man has been able to make so little use of what he has received, and how is it that he remains under the domination of forces which are quite alien to the real meaning of his own life?’” (Pg. 22)
In the second lecture, he observes that “Gurdjieff … travelled with a group of people whom he called ‘Seekers of the Truth,’ and some of whom he characterizes quite definitely and has spoken of since as people who were still living even ten or fifteen years ago. Probably the stories told in ‘Meetings with Remarkable Men’ are genuine enough, though I know, from a certain amount that I have been able to verify, they are all mixed up. In other words, he takes one particular story and puts a bit of it here and another bit there.” (Pg. 37)
He suggests, “This obvious similarity of [Gurdjieff’s] notions and the use made of them by the Rosicrucian authors of the 16th century… would make one at first think that Gurdjieff’s cosmology is nothing more than an ingenious use of the Rosicrucian material of the 16th century, particularly that of the very important and powerful Rosicrucian School that existed in Holland at that time…” (Pg. 51)
He explains, “a characteristic feature of Fourth Way Schools as described by Gurdjieff… [is that] They are not ‘permanent’ or ‘fixed,’ but appear and disappear according to the needs of time and place. Nevertheless, Gurdjieff insisted that there is always an ‘Inner Circle’ accessible only to those who are able to serve its needs and tasks.” (Pg. 58-59)
In the third lecture, he points out, “Then came another period from 1915 on when Gurdjieff had met Ouspensky and the people that Ouspensky brought to him. During this time he had several experimental groups with which he worked through the war-years from 1915 until the revolution, when he withdrew to Caucasus… It happens that we seem to know a good deal about Gurdjieff’s activities during the period from 1915-1919 because of what Ouspensky has written in his book, ‘A Search for the Miraculous.’ We must not forget that Ouspensky was in contact only with a small part of Gurdjieff’s work. A number of the experiments that Gurdjieff started were cast aside and he began to work in different ways, so that what he did later represents an entirely new phase.” (Pg. 81)
He explains, “there is both a possibility and a need for a limited number of people to follow what are called the ‘Ways of Accelerated Completion.’ …Among the Ways of Accelerated Completion is one called the Fourth Way which is characterized by the fulfillment of all ordinary life obligations, coupled with a very exactly regulated and very intensive personal work.” (Pg. 87) Later, he adds, “The notion of the Fourth Way is wholly bound up with these two principles; the first is that of complete involvement in life externally, and secondly, in the acceptance internally of responsibility for certain work is required for a great Cosmic Purpose.” (Pg. 91-92)
He concludes, “I have not given these lectures because I wanted to arouse new interest in Gurdjieff; but because at the moment things are developing in such a way that I believe that his great aim in connection with people can now be carried a certain step further… in England and other countries, developments are taking place with the aim of making it possible for people who are in search of the Creative Activity to have the opportunity of meeting… My purpose in giving these lectures was not simply to chat about Gurdjieff; but also to tell you that there are certain directions in which I think is it now possible to carry forward this work in a very productive way.” (Pg. 100)
This book will interest those seeking an ‘outsider’s’ perspective on Gurdjieff.
Displaying 1 of 1 review