Our Approach to Movements and to the Reality of What We Are
Tirado, José
What moves us?
In most cases, a group is a gathering of people who share a
similar goal in their mind. My focus in forming and maintaining a
group, however, is not so much on our goals as on our motives. This is
based on my observation that a group organized around a goal is hardly
able to generate within itself an energy of such quality that justifies
the goal, a fact that becomes painfully evident when the group attempts
to work on the Movements. Trying to solve this problem by heady
discussions aggravates the situation. Thus, as I see, the first
responsibility of a group leader is to facilitate the group to meet in
the depth of motives than on the highness of aims. Similarly, though I
understand concerns about the authenticity of teachings and methods,
the authenticity of our motives seems more important at least in the
beginning of a journey, where I find myself and many of my fellow
travelers at.
The presence of a man like Gurdjieff and Osho, or even of someone who
slightly has became aware of a presence of similar quality within
oneself, acts as a force that enters us from outside but moves us from
within. Such a force also comes from pieces of objective art including
Gurdjieff's music and Movements. This force is not available through
worship; rather, it originates in the realization that I am
Him, He am I, with the combination of happiness and sorrow in
recognizing in oneself the same potential for being but so unattended
to. A movement that originates in a space closer to the source is
distinct from a movement motivated by our personal goals. If I find it
more rewarding to work on the Gurdjieff Movements with Osho's sannyasins,
those who wished to open themselves to his provocation at least once in
their life, than those whose interest in Gurdjieff's idea is mostly
intellectual, it is because they have acquired more sensitivity and
openness to this phenomenon.
In the beginning, however, we are barely aware of any desire of soul
buried within us. Rather, all our motivation in life seems to come from
a part of us that is biologically determined, in the sense that they
are all connected directly or indirectly with impulses related to the
larger meaning of the word survival, that is, of
the body, of the species, and of the ego. Even though these impulses
could be beneficial to our nature as a biologically-evolved organism,
they are constantly diverting our attention away from something extra
that is evidently in us: our second nature. A little control we have
over our mental attention often gives us an illusion that a little more
training of this attention may give us larger freedom. However, given a
fuller realization of the extent to which these impulses are governing
the major direction and involuntary movement of our attention, it seems
evident that a more satisfactory manifestation of ourselves as a man -
a double-natured being - would first require our discovery of desires
and needs inherent to the second nature of man.
Through persistent inquiry into the sources of our actions and the
causes that move our attention, I attempt to bring ourselves to sincere
realization of the situation as it is and only then bring our attention
to urges that comes from this realization. This comes as a result of
persistent asking of more basic questions. What moves us in life? What
do we really want? Through sharing these questions of mine with others,
I came to realize how unmannerly these questions are. It seems that
asking of such questions to ourselves and to others is inhibited not
only by social manners but also by our biological conditioning. A group
is a situation in which the distinction between survival-based impulses
(including ego strivings) and motives based on qualities unique to man
becomes clear. The survival-based impulses, in whatever form of
disguise, cannot be shared with other group members in a way that
contributes to the group energy. Stronger an animal, more separate from
others it lives. Since we sense the non-sharability of these
survival-based impulses through our animal instinct, the working of
which we are not so conscious about, we often manifest a strange form
of reluctance and even an alarming drop of intelligence when we attempt
to speak honestly about them. I recently learned about the results of
an academic study about a similar phenomenon through my latest work of
translation: "Emotional Intelligence and Emphathic Accuracy" in a book
titled Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life.
In Zen, it has been known for long that one reacts or responds to a
question like the ones mentioned above in either one of the two ways: a
way that leads him in or a way that leads him out. While our ordinary
response to a question is an effort to explain away contradictions, a
serious questioning reveals our contradictions and like a sword cuts
into the gap between our two contradictory natures, which in terms of
physical sensation is like harakiri. As the group
goes through this process, one eventually comes to a realization that
he has no motives or wishes that he can call truly his own. One
typically needs some external help at this point because alone it is
difficult to understand the value of this realization. In fact, only
after this realization, one can be open to reality and the benefits of
the work we may do together.
This realization eventually connects us with what Gurdjieff called the
striving to become aware of the aim and significance of the Being of
beings, and though less obviously, also with another line of
striving Gurdjieff repeatedly mentioned, that is, the
striving to free oneself from the consequences of the organ Kundarbuffer.
When the group can meet on the ground of these strivings, it is
sometimes possible to create among ourselves through our collective
efforts a space which we may perceive as sacred in the sense that it
temporarily enables us to be aware of the aim and significance of
ourselves. In these rare moments, we find ourselves more capable of
understanding and pronouncing the words Lord Have Mercy,
as we are instructed to do in certain Movements . . .
The above is a part of a longer article linked from the homepage of the Osho Institute for Sacred Movements [gone 2007], Japan. For those who have not heard of Osho and also for those who only have heard rumors about him or read dubious artibles about the communal movement which happened around him, the same homepage provides a link to some of his words that touch on themes relevant to those who are acquinted with the teaching of Gurdjieff.
Please note that in my writings I don't intend to represent or speak on behalf of others who have made themselves available to the influences of both Osho and Gurdjieff because the degree to which one can truly reconcile the two should depend not only on the power of his/her being but also on many other factors. The process of such reconciliation is unsharable because it happens in the depth of one's being but its results can be manifested in what one does. The two other articles ("Entropy. . ." and "Working with Arrows") available from the links on the left are examples of such manifestations even though I have not made it explicit.
Finally I would like to take this opportunity to ask the leaders of Gurdjieff Foundation/Society groups worldwide to reconsider about their rules, if any, that prevent their group members from making a contact with anyone associated with Osho (or with any outside group?). I suspect the existence of such rules because more than one such group members worked or made a contact with us in the past, invariably asked me to keep the contact secret. One of them told me that their group leader banned even an E-mail contact with us. To any concerns or criticisms held by those group leaders who believe that such contacts are harmful, I can respond personally (mister.go@nifty.ne.jp). Who knows whether we are moving in entirely opposite directions or not? Whichever the case may be, it is good to check it out. For my reason for regarding such mutual contacts beneficial, please read the other two articles of mine.
Comments
movements are Sacred
Perhaps the "skin" of a Gurdjieff group is wrapped loosely,
however I do believe that any contact is not casual as one enters or
exits a group. For instance the movements are not just for individuals
but make possible a connection within the room and the organization,
congealing carbon-connected tissues (via the air breathed as the
muscles and minds align, between teacher, students, and the teachers'
teacher) into an organ of perception for the Planet Earth. One must, as
a "cell", chose one's master or if possible "attract" one.
Arlene Rodgers, United States
todeni@hotmail.com
added 2003-09-01
exactly so . . .
Yes, I agree. It is exactly so. I also would use the word
"skin" in the same way. Any organism - any group- needs a skin for its
existence, which should not be too thin nor too thick.
Plavan, Japan
mister.go@nifty.ne.jp
added 2003-09-01
Your Note
Foundations/Society
In fact, the Foundations and Societies differ somewhat from
each other in their relationships to the outside world. This is a
direct result of the 'level of the leader(s)' of any particular
organization. But it applies to all of us.
In connection with the Fourth Way Contacts site and the entries that I
have activated on it over the past week there are some that give the
contact and some that give the contact and what I would call 'their
view of the Gurdjieff World'. Overall the Foundations do this in a very
good way.
The view is based on what the head of the organization thinks and is
subjective. In a similar way the attitudes and opinions to others and
other organizations, who are outside their world, are formed on this
basis.
I sympathize with you and just want to add that these people are also
only human and we all seem to have similar properties.
Reijo Elsner, Denmark
added 2003-09-02
Confusion about names
Dear Reijo, the subject of your comment is related to what
we may call “confusion about names” that I touched upon in the “Working
with Arrows” article. Also it concerns the Fourth Way Information site
that you recently started with Martin.
With my previous contacts with a few of Society/Foundation group
leaders and some of their group members, I have been vaguely aware of
major differences in the quality and content of the work carried out by
different groups in the world bearing the name of Society or
Foundation. If such is the situation today, their sharing of the same
name inevitably produces in others the mirage of unity where there is
none, especially if many of them carry on the policy of not publicly
revealing much about themselves.
My major concern is about the presence of a few groups among them that
seem to promote or take advantage of the above-mentioned mirage of
unity often with a formatory statement about the lineage. Example: “We
are similar to what’s called Society in Britain and what’s called
Foundation in America,” “We are in the authentic lineage of the Work
brought by Gurdjieff and transmitted through Jeanne de Salzmann and
Henri Tracol,” with the group leader’s comment saying “it is always
somewhat impolite to speak on one's own behalf” but he was asked to be
a group leader by so-and-so.
In my opinion, for any group that associates itself with Gurdjieff, it
is obligatory to present something more than a contact address and a
stylized description about Gurdjieff’s teaching. Talking much about the
teaching and remaining silent about oneself is not only in gross
violation of the principle of self-remembering but also shows one’s
dependence on the authority of Gurdjieff and his older pupils, which
may be close to the misuse thereof.
The quality of a group work depends much on how the group leader has
reconciles and help other reconcile a collision between the teaching
and the subjective side of oneself. One has to say something about it
when he invites others to join him, especially if he is so dare to use
the name of Gurdjieff as a part of the name of the group he leads.
Words from a Zen master: “Manifest! Manifest! If you don’t, your
silence is not of meditation but of dumbness.” To be impartial, finally
I say that the above view of mine applies also to those who are
reluctant to reveal their connection with Osho in their contact with
the Gurdjieff community at large.
Plavan, Japan
mister.go@nifty.ne.jp
added 2003-09-03