Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts

«Objective art is reflected in all three maj or works» — consigna que el arte objetivo, uno de los conceptos centrales del sistema, atraviesa las tres series de *All and Everything*. El «maj or» partido es del OCR.

«All and Everything has been recognised as one of the most 7 Wntten’ and ye£ il remains agonisingly difficult to read» — el juicio sobre la obra mayor, con el OCR corrompido en medio: la lectura propuesta es «recognised as one of the most» —el troceo pierde aquí «remarkable books ever»— y «wntten and ye il remains agonisingly difficult to read», con el OCR averiado.

«He explains that the dancers make the most beautiful celestial music, not with instruments, but through vibrations that result from the extreme precision of their outer and inner movements» — sobre los Movimientos, la parte del sistema que no es textual: la precisión del gesto produce la música, y expresamente NO los instrumentos. Es relato de Wellbeloved sobre lo que Gurdjieff contó a sus alumnos, no afirmación suya.

«More than one Gurdjieff instructor has told pupils that the work is to be appreciated’, not analysed.» — Wellbeloved registra la objeción que su propio libro recibe de dentro de la tradición: que el trabajo se aprecia y no se analiza.

«This is not the intent of Gurdiieff who prepared instructors ‘to put into the lives of people what I had already' learned (Life, p.28).» — objeta esa posición con una cita del propio Gurdjieff en la tercera serie: preparó instructores para poner lo aprendido en la vida de otros. El OCR imprime Gurdiieff.

«Understanding of his enigmatic and deceptive writings can come only from careful guidance, from ‘alarm docks’ as he was wont to call teachers» — expone que los escritos, que ella califica de enigmáticos y engañosos, requieren guía; alarm docks es el OCR de alarm clocks, el término de Gurdjieff para el maestro.

«These ‘Three Series’ display narrative surfaces that cover deep meaning, for Gurdjieff expressed truth best, as he said, in the form of a ‘lie’.» — expone la clave de lectura de las tres series: superficie narrativa sobre sentido profundo, y con la fórmula que ella le atribuye a él, la verdad dicha en forma de mentira.

«A.R. Orage, one of the finest critical minds of the twentieth century, called Gurdjieff’s myth of World Creation and World Maintenance superior to the thousand books he had read on philosophy.» — consigna el juicio de Orage, con el elogio que ella misma le añade al citarlo.

«Nonetheless, there has been little detailed or comprehensive explication of Gurdjieff’s myths, though his early teaching in Russia was elaborated in systematic form by P.D. Ouspensky.» — señala el hueco de la bibliografía y distingue entre el mito de Gurdjieff, poco explicado, y la sistematización que hizo Ouspensky de la enseñanza rusa.

«He says that if the Tibetan dancers are not precise in their movements their music will be cacophonous and, although his pupils are not going to make music, yet they too must be exact m what they do and have a real feeling of ‘I am’, for which he» — expone el traslado que Gurdjieff hace de las danzas tibetanas a sus alumnos: la exactitud del gesto y el sentimiento de I am, no la música.

«Gurdjieff knows about this because the music is part of an initiation ceremony that he himself had received.» — consigna la base que Gurdjieff alega para lo que cuenta: haber recibido él mismo la iniciación. Wellbeloved lo refiere sin suscribirlo.

«the ‘pennants’ were a kind of radio, yet his initiation had taken place thirty-five years earlier, fifteen years before the invention of radio.» — objeta con una cuenta de años: la iniciación que él data es anterior al invento con que la explica. Es la clase de reparo cronológico que da a este libro su función en el corpus.

«The facts of Gurdjieff’s early life are known only from his own mythologised autobiographical writings.» — la advertencia central de esta obra sobre la biografía de Gurdjieff: la única fuente de sus primeros años son sus propios escritos, y ella los llama mitificados.

«The mythology of his early life-story echoes that of Helena Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, and although he repudiated her teaching Gurdjieff was strongly influenced by Theosophy.» — adjudica a la teosofía una influencia fuerte sobre Gurdjieff y consigna a la vez que él la repudiaba; las dos cosas juntas, sin resolverlas.

«P.D. Ouspensky, who was one of Gurdjieff’s early pupils, sets out an account of the teaching he received in Russia.» — sitúa a Ouspensky como alumno temprano y su libro como relato de lo recibido en Rusia, no como exposición del sistema entero.

«First published in 1949, In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching is generally regarded as the most comprehensive outline of Gurdjieff’s teaching and often forms the basis from which Gurdjieff and his teaching are understood.» — data el libro de Ouspensky y consigna su papel de base para la comprensión corriente de Gurdjieff. La fórmula generally regarded es suya.

«However, it is worth bearing in mind that Ouspensky writes only about the first seven years of Gurdjieff’s teaching (that is, until 1922), while Gurdjieff continued to teach for another twentyseven years.» — la acotación que impone al uso de Ouspensky: cubre siete de los treinta y cuatro años de enseñanza. La fuente imprime twenty-seven partido por el salto de línea.

«There are anomalies in Gurdjieff’s ideas, which Ouspensky either did not see or did not wish to see.» — adjudica anomalías a las ideas mismas y deja abiertas las dos lecturas sobre Ouspensky: no las vio o no quiso verlas.

«For example, Gurdjieff taught that an exact language is necessary for the transmission of an exact knowledge, but he also tells his pupils not to take what he says literally and not to regard symbols as fixed in meaning.» — el ejemplo de anomalía que da: exige lengua exacta y a la vez prohíbe la lectura literal.

«Gurdjieff said that his teaching was only for those who were not happy with life.» — refiere el criterio de admisión que él enunciaba.

«Gurdjieff said that it is sometimes necessary to steal knowledge, and that his teaching had come from a variety of sources, which he gives as Eastern, from Tibet, from the Sarmoung monastery and from an unnamed Sufi centre.» — recoge las fuentes que él declaraba —Tíbet, el monasterio Sarmoung, un centro sufí sin nombre— y consigna que una de ellas queda sin nombrar.

«We should be aware of this and not take statements as definitive expressions of Gurdjieff s own views.» — la regla de método que propone al lector: lo transmitido por alumnos no vale como formulación definitiva de él.

«However, we should also be aware that not all memories are accurate:» — extiende la cautela a la memoria de los testigos, que es la otra base de la documentación disponible.

«The terms include those that exist only within Gurdjieff’s teaching (e.g. Legorrumsm’); those that are understood by Gurdjieff in a specific way (e.g. ‘bodies’, ‘centres’); and general terms (e.g. suffering, relativity’) about which Gurdjieff held specific views or displayed specific attitudes and that significantly affect the theory and practice of his teaching.» — declara el criterio con que arma el diccionario, en tres clases de término. Legorrumsm es el OCR de Legominism.

«Gurdjieff saw the United States as being the most receptive place for his teaching, so the English-language version of Tales was of prime importance.» — data la prioridad de la versión inglesa por el destino previsto de la enseñanza.

«At the same time, it may be argued that some of the apparent anomalies (e.g. the conflicting demands for the pupil to have complete trust in his teacher, set against the injunction to the pupil to verify everything he hears and to believe nothing) can be understood m relation to the specific stage the pupil has reached.» — propone que parte de las contradicciones se resuelven como fases pedagógicas, y lo propone con su it may be argued, sin adoptarlo.

«Initially the pupil needs to have total trust in his teacher, later on the pupil must learn to question.» — la lectura por fases aplicada al caso: primero confianza total, después pregunta.

«Gurdiieff’s concept of relativity means that none of his concepts can be understood on their own, but only in relation to all the others.» — expone la relatividad como principio de lectura del vocabulario entero, y con ella justifica que su libro sea de referencias cruzadas.

«The Absolute is the name given to the incomprehensible All or One that comprises all worlds (see world/s, all worlds).» — la entrada del Absoluto, con la remisión cruzada que caracteriza al libro.

«The three forces, which exist everywhere, exist in the Absolute as a whole possessing will, full consciousness, and understanding of themselves and all they do.» — expone la ley de tres en el Absoluto: allí las tres fuerzas son un todo con voluntad y conciencia.

«The Absolute gives birth to perhaps an infinite number of different worlds, each of which begins a new Ray of Creation.» — sitúa el Ray of Creation como uno entre muchos posibles; el término va sin traducir.

«The direct influence of the Absolute does not reach man.» — la consecuencia cosmológica que expone: entre el Absoluto y el hombre no hay influencia directa.

«The will of the Absolute can only manifest itself in our world by mechanical laws.» — precisa el modo en que aquella voluntad llega hasta aquí, y es el punto del que depende la mecanicidad del hombre en el sistema.

«He also equates the Absolute, at the top of the Ray of Creation, with God.» — consigna la identificación del Absoluto con Dios, atribuyéndosela a él y no dándola por supuesta.

«Gurdjieff expresses his own aim (Herald: 13, 16-17) as being o understand the precise significance of the life processes on earth and of all outward forms of breathing creatures, in particular of the aim o human life.» — recoge el fin que él declaró en el Herald, con la referencia de plana; el OCR come las preposiciones of.

«The aim of GurdjiefFs writings is to make his readers aware of the necessity of helping one’s neighbour (Herald: 7) and to overcome people’s mass psychosis.» — el segundo fin declarado que ella documenta: ayuda al prójimo y remedio de la psicosis de masas.

«Gurdjieff said that during his life he had ‘had many aims, a different aim for each phase.» — consigna que él mismo describía su obra como una sucesión de fines por fases, lo cual sostiene la lectura de las contradicciones por fases.

«Jeanne de Salzmann (see appendix 1) writes, in terms suggesting a long-term overall aim for the Work, that Gurdjieff showed that evolution cannot be approached through mass influences but is the result ot individual inner growth;» — atribuye la formulación a de Salzmann y no a Gurdjieff, marcando la mediación de la sucesora.

«She also stated, around 1982, that the aim of individual work is for the service of something higher, that 'without conscious work, the Earth will be in great danger’ (Ravindra 1999: 100; see also» — data la declaración de de Salzmann hacia 1982 y da su fuente; el aparato de referencia es lo que distingue a esta obra en el clúster.

«Peters (1976 [1964, 1965]: 39) records Gurdjieff saying that his work was not for everyone, that it was difficult and could be dangerous.» — recoge, por testimonio de Peters, la advertencia de peligro que el propio Gurdjieff hacía sobre su trabajo.

«The right of Sophia Wellbeloved to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by her...» — de la página de créditos: la fórmula legal de autoría, que es aquí el testimonio de atribución más firme.