Gurdjieff Bennett and the Fourth Way (2)

Bennett‘s oeuvre is large (see bibliography). In order to gain an overview of the
field it will be useful to divide his books into five groups. However, these should not
be seen as hard and fast categories.
Works directly concerning Gurdjieff and his teachings.
There are three main books in this category:
Gurdjieff Today (transcript of a public lecture given in 1973);
Gurdjieff: a very great enigma (compiled from a series of three lectures
given in 1963);
Gurdjieff: Making a New World (1973).
The first of these will prove especially useful as evidence of the extent to which
Bennett contextualized his own practical activity as connected to Gurdjieff‘s work
(see Chapter Two).
The second and third provide evidence of Bennett‘s
understanding of the provenance and underlying authority of Gurdjieff‘s work. In this
latter context mention should also be made of Bennett‘s The Masters of Wisdom
(posthumously published, 1977) in which he sets out ideas concerning an ancient
esoteric tradition of which he considered Gurdjieff‘s teachings to be a manifestation.
Perspectives on Gurdjieff and Bennett‘s relationship to him are also to be found
in books of all of the categories.
Autobiographical and biographical.
The primary source of information concerning Bennett‘s spiritual search, his
experiences, contacts and responsibilities is his own Witness (first published in 1961;
updated version published in 1974). Further useful information is to be found in his
published diaries. Idiots In Paris: diaries of J.G.Bennett and Elizabeth Bennett, 1949
provides additional insight into Bennett‘s relationship with Gurdjieff during the final
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