Gurdjieff

Gurdjieff was a totally different kind of person than you understand a wise man should be – nice, polite, beautiful like Gautam Buddha. He was a Caucasian, very strong. He could kill any man just with his hands.

So one night he took Ouspensky to Gurdjieff’s place. A dozen people were sitting there around Gurdjieff. These two also sat down. Half an hour passed, nobody spoke. Ouspensky was getting troubled. What is happening? Even the friend who had come was sitting with closed eyes. He nudged him and said, “Do something. This way I will never be introduced.”

So the friend told Gurdjieff, “I have brought a new person. He wants to become part of our circle. It is up to you to accept him or not.”

Gurdjieff called Ouspensky to come close so he could see into his eyes. And Ouspensky said, “I have never seen such eyes, and I have never felt so nervous – almost on the point of breakdown. And that man’s eyes were penetrating to the very deepest core of my being, like swords.”

Gurdjieff pulled out a piece of paper, gave it to Ouspensky, and he said, “I know about you. I have seen your book, Tertium Organum. You know nothing, but still you have written a very great book. But you cannot deceive anybody who knows.”

Gurdjieff laughed. He said, “This is not disqualification; this is qualification. You are honest, you are sincere. Being so famous, writing so many books, still you are capable of accepting the truth that you don’t know anything. You are accepted in the group. Your training begins from this point: I do not know. Now there is a clean inquiry possible.”

- Osho (From Bondage to Freedom)

Medium: Water colours on art paper