Kirjahaku

The Armenian-born mystic, philosopher, and spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff (c.1866-1949) is an enigmatic figure, the subject of a great deal of interest and speculation, but not easily fitting into any of the common categories of "esoteric," "occult," or "New Age." Scholars have for the most part passed over in silence the contemplative exercises presented in Gurdjieff's writings. Although Gurdjieff had intended them to be confidential, some of the most important exercises were published posthumously in 1950 and in 1975. Arguing that an understanding of these exercises is necessary to fully appreciate Gurdjieff's contribution to modern esotericism, Joseph Azize offers the first complete study of the exercises and their theoretical foundation. It shows the continuity in Gurdjieff's teaching, but also the development and change. His original contribution to Western Esotericism lay in his use of tasks, disciplines, and contemplation-like exercises to bring his pupils to a sense of their own presence which could to some extent be maintained in daily life in the social domain, and not only in the secluded conditions typical of meditation. Azize contends that Gurdjieff had initially intended not to use contemplation-like exercises, as he perceived dangers to be associated with these monastic methods, and the religious tradition to be in tension with the secular and supra-denominational guise in which he first couched his teaching. As Gurdjieff adapted the teaching he had found in Eastern monasteries to Western urban and post-religious culture, however, he found it necessary to introduce contemplation.

What is the Maronite Catholic faith? It is a Church which professes the same creed as the Universal Catholic Church. It is an expression of the revelation and sacramental dispensation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, addressed to a people who shared the Aramaic language and culture of the Semitic world into which He Himself was born. If we think of it as a tree, then its seed was planted by the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as passed on through His apostles. In the person of St Maroun of Syria, that seed put down roots. Then, through his disciples, who journeyed to Lebanon, a sapling shot up from the soil of Lebanon. Finally, a full-grown cedar appeared, tended by St Yuhanna Maroun (a monk from a Syrian monastery named after St Maroun), who was elected Patriarch of Antioch to preserve the Christian faith. -- From the Introduction

"I am only a bridge; when you have got over the stream you can kick me away." -Gurdjieff to John G. Bennett This work advances a thesis about Gurdjieff's mysticism and shows how one of Gurdjieff's most eminent pupils developed the heritage. It also compares John G. Bennett-for whom this is the first biographical study-with other Gurdjieff pupils, notably Ouspensky and Jeanne de Salzmann. Bennett has been a controversial figure in the Gurdjieff lineage, rising to prominence, as he did, in the generation after Gurdjieff's death. Scholar Joseph Azize scrutinizes Bennett's visions (near-death, out-of-body, and mystical experiences), showing the original ways he witnessed life, death, and resurrection. Azize also reveals how Bennett was taken advantage of by Idries Shah, and why there's a widespread view among students of Gurdjieff that Idries Shah was a poseur, a pretender to esoteric knowledge, prepared to deceive others when it was to his advantage. Bennett's later connections with Shivapuri Baba, and his correspondence with David Bohm, are also sure to stimulate more explorations of Gurdjieff-related matters.