FEB. 21 — GEORGE GURDJIEFF QUOTES
QUOTES OF JEANNE DE SALZMANN
(George Gurdjieff's most senior student)
"Man can serve the Earth by becoming a link between two levels. He can receive energy from a higher level in order to have an action on the level below; not a reaction."
"Religious people talk about the Lord, Seigneur. That is an energy of a very high level. They say, 'The Lord helps me.' That is true. But something is required of me. I have to prepare myself for this Seigneur to help."
"Intensity is needed. Work at least three or four times a day, for twenty minutes to half an hour. When one opens one's eyes, one sees differently. But there is a moment when a sort of explosion takes place inside. It is difficult to explain it. But only then transformation is possible. Work on it for two or three days, then speak to me. Try to keep some inner attention when meeting other people, or doing anything else. Intensity, more intensity. Otherwise, one wastes time."
"One needs to see that one is in pieces. Stay in front of that, and suffer for it. Then, a new feeling arises which can change something. The work is not turning the mind to the body. The ordinary mind must be absolutely quiet; only then can the higher mind be related with the body. This requires attention, active attention."
"Your body is not only yours. You need to work in order to relate the higher with the lower. That is the purpose and function of human existence."
"Right now, the most necessary thing is to see, in fact, that your body and mind are not related, and to stay in front of that and to suffer for your inadequacy. Work often, but not for long, because it takes much energy; and sense the difference in levels between when you are related and when you are ordinary."
~ Ravi Ravindra's "Heart Without Measure":
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ALL LIFE NEEDS LOVE
[Gurdjieff] said: ‘All life needs love. Cows give more milk and hens more eggs when their keepers love them. Different people sowing seeds get different results. Strong men can wither plants through hate, and even destroy other people. Begin by loving plants and animals, then perhaps you will learn to love people.’
~ CS Nott “The Teachings of Gurdjieff - A Pupil's Journey”
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MEMORY WORKING TOGETHER WITH SENSE, MAKES ATTENTION
Miss Gordon asks, "How can one know which is sense brain and which is feeling brain?"
"Can know that when come to you those stops – maybe you have no spinal brain working at this task and you can know that by the absence of feeling in the spinal cord."
He says again, "Memory working together with sense, makes attention. Important – sense have two meanings – in English no two words – but is something like feeling and sense-feeling in solar plexus region and sense in spinal cord."
~ "Gurdjieff and the Women of the Rope"
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IN ORDER TO BE FREE FROM THE LAWS OF SPACE AND TIME, YOU YOURSELF MUST CHANGE. THIS CHANGE DEPENDS ON YOU, AND IT WILL NOT COME ABOUT THROUGH STUDY
Once again, Gurdjieff listened very seriously, and examined the diagram which I drew to indicate the 'upper' and 'lower' levels of exist-outside of our space and time. He said: 'Your guess is right. There are higher dimensions or higher worlds where the higher faculties of man free play. But what is the use of studying these worlds theoretically? Suppose that you could prove mathematically that the fifth dimension really does exist, what use would that be to you so long as remain here?" He pointed to the diagram and sphere representing whole of space and time. "If you remain here you will have to go down. If you wish to ascend into the world of freedom, then you must do so in this present life. Afterwards, it will be too late." He reminded me of what he had said about the crystallization of a finer body and added: "Even that is not enough, because that body also under material laws. In order to be free from the laws of space and time, you yourself must change. This change depends on you, and it will not come about through study. You can know everything and yet remain where you are. It is like a man who knows all about money and the laws of banking, but has no money of his own in the bank. What does all his knowledge do for him?"
~ JG Bennett "Witness"e to edit text