All And Everything

[Scholar_Warrior]

http://www.gurdjieff.org/beelzebub.htm

My personal favourite book, and seeming life-long study, was written by Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff and is entitled "Beelzebub's Tales To His Grandson." It is the first series in his group of books entitled "All And Everything."

It is certainly not for everyone, not that anyone is intentionally driven away, but simply that it is unique and unusual in it's approach and so will not feel right to everyone who approaches it.

It is my personal belief, founded on my studies of this masterpiece and those writings about it as I have so far encountered, that this book was written specifically for this time in history. G (Gurdjieff) could see that the time had yet to come for his teaching to mature, and that he would not live to see that time so he set his system down in a legominism in the form of books.

The story involves the whole range of involution and evolution, and is illustrated by Beelzebub's exile from the Center of Creation, or His Everlasting Endlessness. (God) It began with a thought, which began his separation from Unity. For a very long time Mr. Beelzebub was compelled to live in exile in the farthest reaches of space, namely the solar system Ors, of which Earth is a part. Eventually due to all the good deeds performed there for the good of all of Creation, Beelzebub is forgiven and allowed to return to our Common Endless Creator.

This is a gross over-simplification of a most complex work, but it is an overview that I hope illustrates it's place in the theme of One Love.

It seems to me, and apparently many others, that humanity, as a whole, has strayed just about as far as we can from Objective Truth and One Love. We seem to be on the edge of the abyss. Egoism, or separateness rules the day for the mainstream of humanity today.

Through all this it seems that the time has come for a relative few to lead the way through this "Age of Confusion" back to the age of One Love, or Unity. Though relative to the mass of humanity in general they are few, still there are many teachers coming to the aid of humanity, hopefully in time to guide us back to where we belong in the Nature of things. It is my personal belief that Mr. Gurdjieff is one such teacher.

I humbly submit that perhaps "Beelzebub's Tales To His Grandson" should be among the COOL Library.

[BlackBillBlake]

'Beelzebub' is indeed a great work - but as you rightly say, not for everyone.
I'd put it among the half dozen or so most important books of the last century.

One thing I'd say about the possibility of including quotes from Gurdjieff in the Conscious Bible - many quotes from 'Beelzebub' only make sense to one who is already aquainted with the book, because of references to 'three brained beings', 'djartklom' and so on - quotes from 'Beelzebub' would have to chosen with care.
There are other works - G's talks with Ouspensky, his lectures and so on, from which it might be easier to find material.

In a compendium type book, I think some quotes realating to the basic ideas would be good, but how far can you go into it before it gets too complex and needs a lot of explanation...that's what I wonder.

The aim would be really to give some basic info, and who is interested can take it further themselves.

I think similar considerations would apply in the case of some other teachers and illuminates too.

[Skip]

Yes, there is great wisdom in Gurdjieff's work, as well as others like Madame Blavatsky, but their writing is so arcane, and their message so esoteric, that I'm not sure they can be a core reference. Perhaps for the more advanced among us who enjoy those kind of challenges... ;)

I think P.D. Ouspensky's Fourth Way is a good introduction to Gurdjieff's teachings.

[Scholar_Warrior]

I guess I was thinking that it would be good to have available in the sense of a book at a library for lend. Certainly, it could not be incorporated into another book, like a COOL Bible. Perhaps, however, some of Mullah Nasr Eddin's quotes could serve a similar purpose as a zen koan.

I came to G's work first through Patterson's "Eating the I", next through Ouspensky's "The Fourth Way". Imho, "In Search of the Miraculous" was O's best book on G's system.

[BlackBillBlake]

Imho, "In Search of the Miraculous" was O's best book on G's system.
I agree.

[Skip]

Could you post this review up on the new COOL site as a story? Let me know if you can't get access.

Same for everyone else who posted stuff here, let's move it over. I'm letting you people move it yourselves cause then you'll get credit for the posts.

Thanks! :)