Theoretical Study is Not Sufficient

Theoretical Study is Not Sufficient

From our friend, Joan

No one is concealing anything; there is no mystery whatsoever. But the acquisition or transmission of true knowledge demands great labor and great effort both of him who receives and of him who gives. And those who possess this knowledge are doing everything they can to transmit and communicate it to the greatest possible number of people, to facilitate people’s approach to it and enable them to prepare themselves to receive the truth. But knowledge cannot be given by force to anyone.— G.I. Gurdjieff

P.D. Ouspensky, a student of Gurdjieff, continued teaching the knowledge of the Fourth Way system into the early 20thCentury. The following excerpt from his book, “The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution,” offers insight as to why a Fourth Way School is an evolving practice dependent on the effort of its students. Ouspensky begins by explaining the great differences between men no. 1, 2, and 3, and men of higher levels of consciousness. Because of these great differences, he describes humanity and all life as being divided into inner and outer circles. Ouspensky continues:

“Schools of different kinds serve as gates through which people can pass into the inner circles. But this penetration into the circle higher in comparison with the one in which a man is born requires long and difficult work. The very first step in this work is the study of a new language. … It is the language of the inner circle, that language in which people can understand one another.

“People in the outer-inner circle study the language of the middle circle, and people in the middle circle study the language of the innermost circle. If you ask me how all this can be proved I will answer that it can be proved only by further study of oneself and further observation. If we find that with the study of the system we can understand ourselves and other people, or for instance, certain books, or certain ideas better than we could understand them before, and particularly if we find definite facts which show that this new understanding develops, that will be, if not proof, at least a sign of the possibility of proof.

“We must remember that our understanding, exactly as our consciousness, is not always on the same level. It is always moving up and down. That means that at one moment we understand more, and at another moment we understand less. If we notice these differences of understanding in ourselves, we shall be able to realize that there is a possibility first, of keeping to those higher levels of understanding, and second, of surpassing them.

“But theoretical study is not sufficient. You must work on your being and on the change of your being. If you formulate your aim from the point of view that you wish to understand other people, you must remember one very important school principle: you can understand other people only as much as you understand yourself and only on the level of your own being.

“This means that you can judge other people's knowledge, but you cannot judge their being. You can see in them only as much as you have in yourself. But people always make the mistake of thinking that they can judge other people's being. In reality, if they wish to meet and understand people of higher development than themselves they must work with the aim of changing their being.”

One must patiently allow for time to align one’s being with one’s knowledge. — The Teacher

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G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky