GURDJIEFF, G.I. â Life is real only then, when I am - Integral Book

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presence of man, ordinarily perceived by people, is thatwhich is called "attention."The degree of sensitivity of the manifestation of thisproperty or, as otherwise denned by ancient science, "thestrength of embrace" of this "attention" depends entirelyupon the so-called "gradation of the total state" of a givenman.For the definition of this property in man, which is called"attention," there is, by the way, found also in ancientscience the following verbal formulation:"THE DEGREE OF BLENDING OF THAT WHICH IS THE SAMEIN THE IMPULSES OF OBSERVATION AND CONSTATATION INONE TOTALITY'S PROCESSES WITH THAT OCCURRING INOTHER TOTALITIES."This above-mentioned "gradation of the total state" ofman extends, as science formulates it, from the strongestsubjective intensity of "self-sensation" to the greatestestablished "self-losing."That totality always becomes the initiating factor for therealization of a common function of the three separatetotalities which represent the general psyche of man inwhich at the given moment this "gradation of the total state"has its center of gravity.I have cited this at-first-glance fantastic hypothesis of our distantancestors at the beginning of the illumination of the given question,first, because it can be a very good starting point for what follows, andsecond, because my own attempts to make clear to myself the truesignificance of just this hypothesis have led me to the conclusionswhich I wish to impart to my readers in the present chapter.
From the contents of this ancient "fantastic" scientific assumption,that which intrigued me personally, during the course of many years,was chiefly the mentioned verbal formulation, "The degree of blendingof that which is the same in the impulses of observation andconstatation in one totality's processes with that occurring in othertotalities."Though attaching great significance to everything else in thishypothesis, I could by no means understand the meaning expressed inthis verbal formulation.Especially was I intrigued by the words, "that which is the same."What is "sameness"? Why "sameness"? For what purpose thispeculiar "sameness"?Even that idea, "absurd" for all contemporary scientists, that thereproceed in man simultaneously three associations of independentnature, did not surprise me, and I accepted it with a feeling of greatrespect for the knowledge of ancient people.And it did not surprise me because previously, at the time of myspecial verifications of what seemingly pertains to the psyche of man,carried out with the aid of all sorts of experimental means attained bycontemporary civilization, chiefly by means of the science of"hypnotism," I noted and firmly established that there flowsimultaneously in man three kinds of associations—of thought, offeeling and of mechanical instinct.Most important of all is that not only do the three kinds ofindependent associations flow simultaneously, but also there participatein all of them the results of the three sources found in man for thetransformation of the three natures of so-called "cosmic vivifyingness."These sources are located in man as follows: the first, in a
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PREFATORY NOTE Although this text i
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Tales to His Grandson, that the Thi
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first thing, is to prepare a nucleu
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PROLOGUE I am. . .? But what has be
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"black" thoughts, I had decided to
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with the impressions with which dif
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It would, strictly speaking, even b
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Under such conditions of tension ye
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Only the next morning, when it bega
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On this original instrument I then
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And I also knew that the reason for
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there, then also in an almost delir
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Instead of lying down to sleep awhi
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I could not attain the state of "re
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The difference between Him and my s
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always in my various general states
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Even my propensity during this peri
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physical body of mine, but sucked f
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From such a "promenade," it was dis
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my exposition, I made it a custom i
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ciently long and serious mentation,
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First to die, from a long-standing
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The fact is that my mother knew not
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I began once more to remember these
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From the very beginning, from the 1
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already here, that, in their compos
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All three of the aims, self-imposed
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So, thanks to this, the third reaso
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Although all the strange will-tasks
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wits got together purposely to thin
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which follow almost all the misunde
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INTRODUCTIONNovember 6th, 1934Child
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y me at the end of 1930 and the beg
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As the mention of such a free attit
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as a supplement to the used-up prod
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The result of this was that at subs
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opinion, generally for every reader
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Expecting with indubitable certaint
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"I am not yet certain if it really
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FIRST TALKdelivered by me on Novemb
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life of people by means of the Inst
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of achievement of the required data
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advice and direction concerning sev
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Coming Good, was first noticed by t
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ing himself with his whole being of
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standings which had an equal relati
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data for their psychic functioning,
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SECOND TALKdelivered by me in the s
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other "a flea on a chain," I consid
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enthusiasm was that during our stay
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as much as my deep occupation with
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Page 110 and 111: the former group, a list of whose n
Page 112 and 113: fulfilling of which advice may alon
Page 114 and 115: wrote after I had very definitely s
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Page 120 and 121: whole lexicon of words in the Engli
Page 122 and 123: to concentrate each separate part s
Page 124 and 125: and the third part should follow th
Page 126 and 127: FOURTH TALKdelivered by me on Decem
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Page 130 and 131: ers of his group, but all at once,
Page 132 and 133: what Mr. Gurdjieff has said here in
Page 134 and 135: my head in the cushions which, by t
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Page 140 and 141: FIFTH TALKto the same group on Dece
Page 142 and 143: in people in general, particularly
Page 144 and 145: At the beginning it is necessary to
Page 146 and 147: In my opinion, it is only by fulfil
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Page 150 and 151: ciations automatically flowing in m
Page 152 and 153: THE OUTER AND INNER WORLD OF MAN Al
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Page 160 and 161: Work went so well that by nine o'cl
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Page 166 and 167: was not a 'blood brother' of his an
Page 168 and 169: "All present sat or kneeled quietly
Page 170 and 171: In short, irrespective of my unquen
Page 172 and 173: I took The New York Times, a huge,
Page 174 and 175: THE OUTER AND INNER WORLD OF MANTHE
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Page 180 and 181: which have already been mentioned.O
Page 182 and 183: The first is the outer world—in o
Page 184 and 185: This principle, which is beyond sci
Page 186: And as soon as a man begins to thin
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GURDJIEFF, G.I. â Life is real only then, when I am - Integral Book

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