Life Is Real Only Then, When 'i Am': All and Everything, Third Series

by G.I. Gurdjieff

Book Overview

This is one of the few records published by Gurdjieff in which he offers guidance to his 'community of seekers', the pupils from many countries who joined him in Paris and New York.

The first section is mainly autobiographical, relating material crucial to an understanding of the nature and intensity of personal effort required for an all-inclusive work on oneself. This is followed by a series of talks which Gurdjieff gave to his pupils...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140195858
• ISBN13: 9780140195859
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Gurdjieff

Reading this book gave much insight into the life and teachings of Gurdjieff. It helped make sense out of the 'school' teachings giving kind of a hidden awareness that wasn't quite obvious. A deeper understanding of the man Gurdjieff was presented here exposing some of his humanness and methods of teaching.

The Last Writing of Gurdjieff

This book is the last of a series of three books. The other two are BEELZEBUB'S TALES TO HIS GRANDSON and MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN. There is also a compilation of his lectures called VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD. The best one of the three to start with is last one mentioned. LIFE IS ONLY REAL WHEN "I AM" does not really stand on its own. A person would have needed to read other books on the Fourth Way in order to appreciate this book. The book is also incomplete. It stops mid-sentence when Gurdjieff was about to describe the qualities of a complete man who would be his successor. This abrupt ending had puzzled a number of his followers and several of them thought of his successor being Pak Subhud or Idries Shah. But without any writing at all, it would be hard to confirm any candidate. I take the abrupt ending as a kind of unintended Zen koan. The mention of being able to knock out a yak at a distance was significant to John Bennett, because it indicated that Gurdjieff did receive some mind training in Tibet (where yaks are present). There is also a technique artfully embedded in the book that I have found very valuable and which involves concentrating attention on various parts of the body. Several Fourth Way groups have taken this exercise and developed it further. All in all, the book is a kind of scrapbook of interesting items, some autobiographical, some historical, and some practical. In terms of core material about the system Gurdjieff left behind, there is not much in this book that a person really needs to know. It is definitely not a beginners book on the system either. But I do feel that it helps complete the picture of his teachings and therefore is an appropriate final book to his series. The one practical item, the technique mentioned above, is not present in most of the Fourth Way literature. It is not in IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS or THE FOURTH WAY (both by Ouspensky), nor in the ones mentioned above. It is worth studying this method and doing it for a while. The method mentioned also appears in TRANSFORMATION by John Bennett in a more detailed form. I have not found this method in any other Fourth Way book, though it does resemble a Hindu method. In an odd way, its abrupt end is significant, because it means that we have to complete the work ourselves.

One must 'see' to understand

This book, as all of Gurdjieff's works, are meant to make you 'think'. There are a many great gems in this book. However, like a great 4th Way teacher, he doesn't just hand them out like candy. You have to have the eyes to 'see'. This book answered many questions for me, it was a great read.

Nothing much to discuss

This book isn't a book, it represents a means for transferring a higher knowledge. As such, its value for the reader depends on the readers essence, and his ability to use this means. To me, it has great value. For a casual reader it will be incomprehensible.

difficult to understand idea

This work takes many hours of self examination and doing what you find uncomfortable then examining your thoughts as to why.The idea is to see what really is rather than what you automatically think and feel.This work will expand your abilities to look and see things from your individual perspective and react from a intergrated rather than a fractured mental process. The process allows you to see others in their fractured states and without understanding of why they react the way they do as they think from a small universe of habits.Once you become free of habitual thinkings and habits a third force comes into play and enlightens the struggle of your-self opposing nature-this is what is divine essence in this work.Keep in mind nature wants to receate you without your essence but knowing your indivuality fights nature.Using your personality to understand the essence of your indivuality is difficult and much like a search in a dark room but the third element is anchored by way of the sychronicity of events in your life and its time line but your mind must be free of its learned ways to see and be guided.Once your path is established un-natural- things will happen -it is magic!Fight nature and you knock it off balance and the laws of the universe begin to release their hold on your reality -sounds insane but you will be the most sane as you look out and see who has really examined their reality inside out and upside down. Good luck!