Presence is Its Own Reward

Presence is Its Own Reward

There are various reasons why people have joined our private Facebook page. Perhaps you are an artist and simply enjoy the tapestry of images. Perhaps the quotes presented by enlightened men and women have resonated with you and nudged your interest. Maybe you have no idea why you have come to this page and are simply curious about the Fourth Way or disillusioned about other traditions you have stumbled upon. Reading this post now might even be your first introduction to the Work ideas presented and developed by G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky. In my case as I look back on my life, an invisible guiding hand has reliably given direction to my steps – a sort of “super—vision” which has not failed me and brought me to the Fourth Way.

When I stumbled upon these Work ideas, I was unaware of the dormant, hidden kernel within myself that was compelling me to look deeper into the meaning of life – the deeper meaning of existence, particularly my own existence. What I did not expect to find was the simple, immediately available state of inconspicuous presence, which was available to all students of the Fourth Way, regardless of whether a student was in the Work for one month or 40 years. The unpretentious, infinite, and eternal state of presence equalizes all.

When competition for a resource comes into the picture, the lower self fights for its share. If a resource is infinite, such as the state of presence, the fight of the lower self is rendered unnecessary and so the higher self can ascend to prominence and not only share but encourage others to the same state. Whatever the reasons are that have persuaded you to come “here” — where you are right now — my hope is that the kernel of this living teaching takes root in you and deepens your understanding of the world and your place in it. Hopefully, you have found something that will not only enrich your journey to grow toward the light of presence but “super—vise” your steps. It is a privilege to share my understanding and encourage this state in you.

Let me share a simple example of an invisible effort I made to remember myself and evoke inconspicuous presence while writing this post. The clothing tag on my shirt has been irritating me all the while I have been writing to you. To be honest, I usually remove tags so that my clothing is more comfortable. More comfortable for whom? My lower self. The effort I made today was not to cut the tag out but to use this small irritation to continually return to presence each time I noticed the irritation. Used as a reminder it is a useful bridge to inconspicuous presence. The nature of inconspicuous presence belongs to the realm of invisibility and wordlessness. As you can see from my clothing tag example, the state of inconspicuous presence is neither flashy nor externally profitable or visible to anyone else. The higher state is its own reward.

Presence does not want to talk about itself; it wants to be itself. Be comfortable with inconspicuous Presence. — The Teacher

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St. John Theologian in Silence, (Detail) Russian Icon, 1694