Past Teaching Present
George Gurdjieff – Gatherer of Ancient Wisdom
George Gurdjieff was a philosopher and teacher of esotericism who grew up during the last quarter of the nineteenth century in the pre-industrial environment of Armenia, where remnants of ancient wisdom were still alive and accessible. He gathered a group of interested seekers and conducted systematic research into lost ancient teachings. His group visited active teachers, temples and monasteries in Mount Athos, Tibet, India and Central Asia, in search of hidden truths he suspected had to exist.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Gurdjieff came across the Sarmoun Brotherhood in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Northern Afghanistan. Or rather – according to his biographical account in Meetings with Remarkable Men – the brotherhood found him – after which he joined their secret order. The details of his apprenticeship are vague, but it would seem that Gurdjieff’s experience with the Sarmoun Brotherhood transformed him from a ‘seeker’ to one who had ‘found’ and became ready to impart.
In the early twentieth century, Gurdjieff moved to Russia and began formulating his ancient wisdom into a contemporary teaching palatable to modern intellectuals. He gave his unique system various titles, among which were ‘Fourth Way’ and ‘Esoteric Christianity’. ‘Fourth Way’ is what it has come to be known in our age, largely due to the influence of one of his chief disciples, Peter Ouspensky.
Below are listed posts on George Gurdjieff’s expressions of ancient wisdom in the twentieth century.
