“But on the fourth way knowledge is still more exact and perfect. A man who follows the fourth way knows quite definitely what substances he needs for his aims and he knows that these substances can be produced within the body by a month of physical suffering, by a week of emotional strain, or by a day of mental exercises— and also, that they can be introduced into the organism from without if it is known how to do it. And so, instead of spending a whole day in exercises like the yogi, a week in prayer like the monk, or a month in self-torture like the fakir, he simply prepares and swallows a little pill which contains all the substances he wants.”
— Gurdjieff
Impermanence is a factor in all of Life. It is intimately related to Time, as an aspect of Time. Because of the nature of impermanence we only have so much time in our lives. We as humans measure time with the length of our lives. So as with all things in Nature, our lives only last a certain length of time. And then we are faced with the unknown.
If impermanence were posed as the riddle of life, as a question to be answered, or a problem to be solved, then the transference of one’s life into the Eternal, above Time, would then be the path to solving that riddle. The achievement of immortality is the answer to the question posed by impermanence and death. The Eternal transcends Time and also unties the knot of impermanence.
Religions and philosophies have differing approaches to what lies beyond this life, but generally they all agree that it is better in theory to live “the Good Life” (usually meaning an overall moral life), as that determines a happier and more satisfactory result in what comes next after death. A good or moral life is for the average man the most accessible way to approach immortality; although, as there are degrees of morality, so there are also degrees of success in achieving immortality. That is to say, while immortality is a goal, perhaps viewed as a prize to be won, it can also be looked at as a long-term goal, being obtained either over time somehow after death, or over several lifetimes of work.
An archetypal symbol of impermanence is the Moon, with its phases of waxing and waning; its completeness in its ‘full phase’ and its emptiness at its ‘new phase’. The Upanishads call the Moon ‘King Soma’, as the Moon governs the tides of the oceans, the sap within herbs and plants, and the life energies of the animal realm. Gurdjieff said cryptically that Life on Earth serves as ‘food for the moon’, the Moon governing the life energies of living beings, and then absorbing those same life energies at their deaths.
Some philosophers ask if there is an immortal spark in Man, a Self. The Upanishads attest that the mere act of doubting the existence of that spark of Self within leads to “darkness”. Other philosophers ask if Man has a “soul”; perhaps a rephrasing of the question, “Who am I?”. That is a question that can be answered for oneself upon honest self-reflection: Man internally is governed by change, by impermanence. The solid within Man is, upon reflection, instead actually mutable. Outwardly, he projects a personality of stability to the world and to others. But inside he changes constantly, becoming almost an entirely different person from day to day, and from minute to minute. He is internally subject to changing moods, emotions, and thoughts; even his self-image mutating daily.
Gurdjieff claimed to have unveiled a hidden system that could over time help Man achieve inner permanence, what he called “will”, although probably not what the modern West calls “will power”. Will is a factor within Man which allows him to walk amongst the mutability and ever-changing impermanence of the World, without himself changing. A man with “will” is also a man with consciousness. He is not the product of outward factors; he is not a pawn in the hands of Life. He is a player himself, playing the pieces on the game board of Life, and winning.
To Gurdjieff, a man with will and consciousness, (and also, as he said, a man with the “ability to ‘do’”), that man could also be said to be immortal. That is because that man has developed enough structure within himself that he could be said to have developed a series of “higher bodies”; bodies which last after the death of the physical body.
Gurdjieff said there are only four distinct, very narrow ways or methods to achieve immortality, to develop will, or to “crystallize” those higher, permanent bodies. These specific ways are the only ways in existence; all that is available to mankind. Failing to achieve permanence through these ways, man can only serve as “food for the moon”. The East Indian Upanishads also speak of life serving as food for the moon (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad VI 2 16). But it goes into much more detail about what that process means; which generally boils down to life being subject to reincarnation. To the East Indian philosophers also there was certainly a spectrum of different karmic outcomes for a man, from the unsatisfactory rebirth as a biting insect, to the superior rebirth within the family of holy parents.
The rest of this essay will describe ways out of the rule of impermanence; ways or paths that develop an inner structure and solidity of some kind — methods that develop the soul. In the following I hopefully plan to illuminate the four ways Gurdjieff described for a human being to achieve immortality, the four paths to no more rebirth, the paths to eternity.
“Right work on oneself begins with the creation of a permanent center of gravity.”1
— Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff was a spiritual technician, as well as a spiritual scientist in a way. He developed or transmitted a psychology that describes Man as having definite centers; centers of intellect, of emotion, and also the centers that govern the physical body. Gurdjieff was a technician in that he strived to fine tune the centers of himself and of his students. But he was a scientist in that he identified definite ways of working in the world, based on the development of those centers, which lead to immortality.
Gurdjieff taught that human evolution could proceed along the lines of development of Man’s different centers: either intellectual, emotional, or physical. Specifically, he called these three lines of work the way of the Yogi, the way of the Monk, and the way of the Fakir, respectively.
These three lines of work on oneself, of self-evolution, are all Eastern paths, not to be found in the West. And all of these lines require a man give up his life of a householder, and follow a teacher or guru in a school, temple, or ashram. A man choosing one of these paths has to leave his life in the world and never go back.
The way of the Fakir is the way of the body. It is the most difficult of all the ways, as well as the longest and the most uncertain. It entails the Fakir going through much torture and hardship; standing unmoving upon his fingers and toes, standing motionless with one hand upraised above him, adopting an uncomfortable yoga posture and holding it for days, weeks, and years. After a long time though, and after much struggle, the Fakir may develop will — will over the body. At this point he can accomplish many things physically, and overcome great obstacles, he can obtain what he wants.
The next way is the way of the Monk, the way of emotions. This is not as long and hard as the first way, but still requires much labor and hardship. The Monk struggles to modulate his emotions, refraining from sinful negativity, and developing faith, charity, and love of God. After many years of intense prayer and works of charity, he may develop unity, or will over the emotions.
Then comes the way of the Yogi, he who develops the mind. This is the quickest way of the three; the Yogi knows what he wants to achieve and how to achieve it. He works on and elevates the mind.
But these ways of the East are almost impossible for a Westerner to access and follow. Fortunately, there exists a fourth way; a way that follows all of the first three ways — ways of the body, emotions, and intellect — all at the same time. The fourth way dictates that the follower work in the world, in the situation that he exists already.
Work on the fourth way can be tricky in that Gurdjieff himself did not leave an organization in place, as a school for his followers. As a result the real inner work upon the emotions and intellect can often be overlooked. Mimicry can pass as attainment. Buzz words and catch phrases can be repeated unconsciously in place of genuine teaching. Simply adopting a serious facial expression or somber vocal tone allows one to fit in. Worldly success or fame or even simply physical beauty can make one a candidate for teachership. Inner work is of course rare and difficult upon any of the four paths.
The schools of the fourth way are not in public existence now.
Fortunately, there is a type of “fourth way teaching” which has been transferred to the West and which still legitimately exists. That is the transference of Tibetan Buddhism which has taken place over the past few decades. Tibetan Buddhism is a definite type of work on the mind, emotions, and body. It has aspects of the ways of the Yogi, the Monk, and the Fakir, all three. It is a legitimate school which the West now has access to.
In Tibetan Buddhism there is a sophisticated development of the emotions with the adoption of compassion and loving-kindness in a very dedicated way. There is also an intricate teaching of inner yoga, entailing complex visualizations and movement of the winds within the channels. Then there is the purification of the body through prostrations and offerings.
Tibetan Buddhism is an “inner Buddhism”, as my guru has said; rather than just outward show, or superficial and repetitive physical imitation. However, this inner layer of Tibetan Buddhism can be accessed through also internalizing and practicing the Gurdjieff system in addition to Buddhism. One could say that the fourth way teachings are a key, which turns on the ignition of Tibetan Buddhism. Though the presence of an accomplished Tibetan Buddhist guru also gives one access to the great power of this vehicle, its engine. A real guru is not only indispensable as a teacher, but acts, in a way, as a “fourth way guide” to the student. The two systems are quite complimentary.
“All religious teachings, excepting of course the completely degenerated religions of savages and the invented religions and sects of modern times, consist of two parts, the visible and the hidden.”2
— Gurdjieff
In summary, the path to immortality is difficult to find in the modern world. But one can approach it as a householder in the West through living a life of conscience, and also of consciousness. And if one wants an organized way to follow — a fast way, so to speak — one need not travel to the East. The East has come to the West, in the transference of Tibetan Buddhism, with its Lamas, from across the world. Gurdjieff’s legacy is his words and writings, along with his system. Internalizing his system can open the door to the inner workings of any legitimate religious path, but in particular to those of Tibetan Buddhism, which has preserved the wisdom and technology of thousands of years of Eastern sages.
Under the law of impermanence, all philosophical and religious organizations degenerate eventually. It takes a highly developed man or woman, a teacher or guru of inner substance, to reinvigorate a faith or philosophy, to breathe life back into it. If one happens to encounter such a man or woman, they can be the door to the Path — the Path to Immortality.
“There is not, nor can there be, any outward initiation. In reality only self-initiation, self presentation exist. Systems and schools can indicate methods and ways, but no system or school whatever can do for a man the work that he must do himself. Inner growth, a change of being, depend entirely upon the work which a man must do on himself.”3
— Gurdjieff
1. Gurdjieff — In Search of the Miraculous, P. D. Ouspensky chapter 12
2. Gurdjieff — ibid
3. Gurdjieff — ibid, chapter 15
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