Introductory note to Commentaries on Works Ideas

Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky

~Maurice Nicoll

In the teaching of the ideas of this system of work, it is necessary to give the work-ideas in pure form—that is, the work-ideas as originally taught must be handed on just as they were taught. This is the task of anyone who is given permission to teach the work to others. Otherwise people begin to alter the ideas a little according to their own level of understanding, with the result that in process of time they become quite different, according to each person's prejudices, buffers, bias, and so on.

In the talks about the work itself, the ideas are given in their original form. But the object of the work-ideas is to make people think for themselves by means of them, for none of the ideas of the work can really take hold of a person unless he or she begins to think about them and tries to see what they mean individually, and begins to value them and think about life and its meaning and themselves from the standpoint of these ideas. And it must be added here that no one can be different from what he is now unless he begins to think in a new way. The work is to make us think and awaken our individual minds or what is called in this system the driver in us, which in the vast majority of people is fast asleep and remains fast asleep throughout life in spite of all troubles and disasters, one reason being that man prefers to live in the basement of himself, in the lower part of him—in the instinctive and moving centres—that is, in sensation, appetites, and muscular activity. But since the first object of the work is to make people think for themselves about its ideas and from its ideas, what are called commentaries have a place in the work.

Commentaries are reflections about the work, individual thoughts arising out of it through personal observation and application of the work-ideas practically, additional illustrations, and so on. These commentaries form, therefore, an additional side of the work, but they are, so to speak, personal contributions to the general system of ideas of the work and therefore must never be taken as being the actual teaching of the work itself or confused with it, and they can be accepted or not, according to individual choice. The teaching of the work-ideas is one thing: the commentaries are another thing. The teaching of the work-ideas is permanent. The commentaries are of another order and more in the nature of suggestions, possible amplifications, explanations, and so on. But as a body, the commentaries are merely additional and may be changed according to circumstances. The important thing is to be able to remember what is the work itself and what belongs merely to commentaries, as they are called. In this respect, it must be understood that there are several things in the work, as it has been given so far, that are obscure and need some additional thoughts, in order to try to make their meaning more distinct. But such additional thoughts are nothing but commentaries. They are additional material, and nothing more, and as I said, can be accepted or not according to individual choice. If they assist in understanding the work better, they are useful, and if not, they need not be taken as the work itself. The commentaries on the work fall under two headings. The first is: commentaries which contain ideas not definitely found in the work itself. The second is: commentaries which are merely additional reflections and illustrations directly referring to one or another aspect of the work—such as commentaries on self-observation, self remembering, and so on.

[Uit Deel I]