Gurdjieff: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas

G.I Gurdjieff was an early 20th century mystic. His emanationist philosophy was a flowering branch on the tree that sprouted the gnostics, the Kabbalists, and Philip K. Dick’s bad trips. The practical application of that philosophy was a long hard road. Shirley offers a loving portrait of the man — and illuminates his thinking like a flash of summer lighting. What’s revealed ain't no feel-good New Age fortune cookie. Gurdjieff’s ideas are diamond bullets aimed at your conventional sense of self. The robotic nature of 99.99% of human existence being one; the correct definition of free will being another. (Evidently your real self isn’t something you find; it’s more like a construction project.) Shirley's lucid book is a doorway into the Work, not a substitute. Walk through it while you can.

Although I am not new in the "Work", it is always very stimulating to come across a nice and well written literary work about such a man as Mr Gurdjieff, or simply G. No matter how much deep we dig into our selves, to me at least, this man still stand above us in his sharp and compassionate view of our own possibilities. In reading Mr Shirley book, one gets the feeling and the atmosphere of those first years of the "work", in a time where the world was (like today!), very much immersed in deep sleep (wars...). But I do have one little piece of criticism, nothing that denegrates the work itself, but an attitude commom among orthodox Gurdjieff followers. That is, the subtle negativity directed towards Mr Ouspensky. One can feel that throgought the book, and it is my belief that the work (or Mr G) does not need anyone defending its purity, or making sure everyone undertands that Mr G was really THE TEACHER. Other than this minor mistake (in my view, of course), the book is very pleasent to read and well structured. I do recommend.

You might know author John Shirley from his cyberpunk novels, his Blue Oyster Cult lyrics, or screenplays (The Crow, for one.) In this book he summarizes the life and teachings of G.I Gurdjieff, one of the more illustrious figures from the early days of the New Age. He was a contemporary of Crowley and Blavatsky, but found his own way and taught his own style of mysticism. He doesn't get the attention that many others do, but deserves to... I'm no expert but was curious what Gurdjieff was all about and this book is a marvelous introduction to the life and teachings of a very complex man. Shirley's writing style is clear and concise, he cites sources when needed but not to the point of distraction. I will certainly be reading more; no one book can do this man justice but here is a great place to start.

John Shirley does an excellent job with yet another biography of Mister George Gurdjeff. The only problem I see with books like this are that there are hundreds of them, all equally excellent, and of course, I buy them all even if it is from one piece of gold. There certainly several nuggets here, but I just can't say I love it, but it is a good beginning for the student just wishing to know more about Mister Gurdjeff's life and teachings.

Great value and a good updated overview.

Never knew what Gurdjieff was about. This was in alignment with The Emin Way - and really made so much sense to me. Amazing revelations. Made me want to research more by reading Gurdgieffs writings.

The depth and complexity of Gurdjieff's teachings simply do not easily lend themselves to explanation. While there are many books on Gurdjieff which detail his complex philosophies, they require basic level of understanding of the Gurdjieff to understand them. Until now, that basic level of understanding could only be achieved through years of research. For the first time, this introduction is available in a single book. Gurdjieff: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas is the seminal stepping stone toward all other Gurdjieff teachings. The clarity and charisma with which Mr. Shirley wields his pen, place this work apart from all other explanations of Gurdjieff and his teachings. Most of these other books, while indeed enlightening, are a true labor to digest. Mr. Shirley's book stands in stark contrast to these difficult reads. Without eschewing detail, Mr. Shirley enlightens and entertains with his splendid introduction. Finally, a definitive background on Gurdjieff and his philosophies, you will not want to put down.

It seems there are always strong personalities around who want to dominate others. And there are others looking for a life and let themselves be dominated. Shirley, like other Gurdjieff devotees, is so full of hero worship he doesn't see the shortcomings he describes in his hero. Gurdjieff's teachings are pretty ordinary, and derivative. He cherry picks ideas from Kabbalah, then adds some twists of his own.His actual teachings are simplistic.He loved to mess people up by getting them to do things they found unpleasant, such as giving him something they highly valued.Gurdjieff had his pupils do senseless things, such as dig holes and them fill them in. At one point Shirley says Gurdjieff was saintly. Shirley, after stating Gurdjieff fathered an unknown number of illegitimate children, rapidly moves on to other matters.Gurdjieff smoked, drank alcohol, and ate meat. (Shirley reports that Krishnamurti didn't think much of Gurdjieff because he smoked.) This biography is one-sided because Shirley has too much hero worship for his subject.

Good

I started reading books about Gurdjieff and it is a magnificent adventure. I'm glad to read this book now as it provides some coordination of events and ideas that I was starting to desperately need. I might read again sometime when I've lost the wood for all of the trees.