The Path to Mastery is Not Narrow

I’ve got a bit of mystic here for you on a Tuesday. According to the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, who is known only as “G” in P.D. Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous, there are four rooms of development known as bodies. The first body is the carnal body, the second is the natural body, and the third is the spiritual body. While these three developmental bodies have distinct advantages, they also have specific limitations. In addition, they are vehicles of development to ultimately reach the pinnacle body, the fourth body.

The fourth body is known as the divine body. This is the master. All developmental pursuits are an effort to reach the fourth room or the level of master. The first three rooms, however, are characteristically incomplete.

“G” provides archetypes for these lower bodies that you might recognize in yourself and others. Keep in mind these thoughts were penned more than a hundred years ago and the behaviors they describe still remain true to this day.

The fakir represents the pursuit of the first room or the carnal body. This individual, for example, represents the pursuit of mastery by way of struggle with the physical body. “The fakir strives to develop physical will, power over the body. This is attained by means of terrible sufferings, by torturing the body,” says Ouspensky. This approach seeks to enter the fourth body if his or her efforts don’t completely break him or her down or kill him or her in the process, however, this pursuit leaves his or her emotional and intellectual functions underdeveloped. As a result, “he has acquired will but he has nothing to which he can apply it..”

The monk represents the pursuit of the second room of development. The way of the monk is also long and hard, but focuses on the second body, the body of feelings. “Subjecting all his other emotions to one emotion, that is, to faith, he develops unity in himself, will over the emotions, and in this way reaches the fourth room,” Ouspensky explain. Similar to the fakir, however, this approach leaves his or her thinking capacities and physical body underdeveloped.

Lastly, the yogi represents the pursuit of the third room. This is the way of the mind by way of seeking knowledge. As you can imagine, this long, hard road seeks to enter the fourth room, but leave the physical and emotional capacities underdeveloped.

This builds in important awareness that there is another way. This fourth way is a pursuit to the level of master by including the intellect, the physical body, and the emotions. Given that we are a gym, you might be statistically more susceptible to fall in to the path of the fakir. If you’re seeking to pave your way to enlightenment with one narrow approach, let me join “G” in encouraging you to seek the fourth way. I encourage your in inquire in yourself in the areas of intellect and emotional development with the vigor and the intensity of your snatch pulls today.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach