"Eight Meetings in Paris" by G.I. Gurdjieff

This is the second volume of the records of meetings in Paris, this time typeset and laid out clearly.  The format is pretty much the same as the previous typed booklet, students asking questions and Mr. G. and sometimes Mme de Saltzman, answering them.  The one line that flows uninterrupted through the booklet (only 39 pages) is that the students are lazy, do not work, are going to die like dogs, are not becoming of human beings and similar warm and fuzzy stuff Gurdjieff has been known to utter for most of his life. 

Be it as it may, there are plenty of good instructions in this booklet, given, of course, that one does not try the actual practical exercises on one's own.  The importance of incorporating the work in the daily life, professional and personal, without anyone (else) noticing is emphasized many times.  Also a question has been asked several time - whether one can still be ambitious, career-driven, running after money and promotions (free interpretation by the reviewer) and still do the work, not in fantasy, but in reality.

Gurdjieff gave a peculiar answer that all of that is ok, that one can even "kill a man" in the work, as long as it is a task that one has set for oneself to achieve as a part of the work, a part of an exercise.  This could be interpreted as advice that any worldly pursuit is OK as long as there is no lust for the result as a thing in itself, but only as a means to learning more about oneself and achieving additional self-consciousness.

There was a harsh criticism of the question of one student (asking something about the energy contained in the air), who came in only once in 3 months and Gurdjieff claimed that his questions insult the other students because he is not doing any actual work but only imagining.  Gurdjieff said "you cannot do this among other things" basically saying that the work should come first, before any other obligations or endeavors of any kind, personal or business, and everything is to be seen through the prism of the work.  

"Meetings in Paris" Vol I - G.I. Gurdjieff

This is the first volume of the records of Paris meetings - the one that is 68 pages, half-faded typewriter facsimile, not the typeset, 39 page volume called "Eight Meetings in Paris" which I call Vol II.  It is pretty hard to read as the ribbon on the typewriter was not of a high quality and pretty old, however, it is all legible with some effort.

The book is a typescript of the actual meetings between Gurdjieff and his students and the words flow well and the ideas are mundane and everyday, something anyone working on themselves are bound to encounter.  There are several exercises described, but it is not advisable doing exercises from teh Gurdjieff system from books.  A living link in the tradition is needed.

One interesting point that is repeated many times throughout the booklet is that one's parents should be one's God in the beginning.  Gurdjieff says that God will then take the place of the parents when they are gone, as we all will wither and pass away at one point.  Gurdjieff even makes a point that it completely doesn't matter what kind the parents are, good, bad, abuse, disinterested, etc.  This concept harkens back to the beginning of human civilization and only in the last couple of centuries it has been destroyed, almost out of recognition today.