The Practice of Contemplation in the Work of Gurdjieff
Issue: Vol 6 No. 2 (2015)
Journal: International Journal for the Study of New Religions
Subject Areas: Religious Studies
Abstract:
In Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson, Gurdjieff writes of the critical importance of “Aiëssirittoorassnian-contemplation” for the formation of the “soul”. First, I discuss some definitions of “meditation” and “contemplation” in relation to Gurdjieff’s practices with a view to determining the most appropriate term. Second, commencing with Beelzebub, but ranging across Gurdjieff’s oeuvre, I explore his understanding of the “soul”, and “Aiëssirittoorassnian-contemplation”. I then examine Gurdjieff’s first recorded contemplative technique, the “I Am” exercise, thus illuminating an under-appreciated aspect of Gurdjieff’s practice. It transpires that Gurdjieff’s contemplative techniques are more significant to his practical teaching than previously suspected.
Author: Joseph John Azize
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