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September/October 2006 Living Now
Review: In Search of P.D. Ouspensky

In Search of P.D. Ouspensky: The Genius in the Shadow of Gurdjieff
Gary Lachman

Quest Books, 2004, $24.95

P.D. Ouspensky could easily be ranked as one of the five greatest writers on spiritual and transcendent concepts of the Twentieth Century, but his contentious relationship with charismatic philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff overshadowed Ouspensky’s brilliance.

Gary Lachman’s In Search of P.D. Ouspensky reevaluates the controversial partnership of these two highly evolved spiritual teachers. The book revisits their collaboration from a new perspective, highlighting Ouspensky’s valuable contributions to spiritual and philosophical thought. Lachman offers new insight into a troubled pas de deux that commentators on Gurdjieff’s methods have been trying to sort out for decades, often to the detriment of Ouspensky’s reputation.

There is no doubt that Gurdjieff had a profound influence on modern society through his philosophical synthesis of Eastern, Western, Christian, ancient Egyptian and Sufi mystical teachings. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of many to publicly praise the profound significance of Gurdjieff’s spiritual teachings. Many other artists and thinkers of similar stature chose to remain silent, believing that a certain degree of secrecy is needed for the teachings to remain effective.

Although Gurdjieff’s method is not completely original (his Law of the Three can be traced to the Hindu concept of the three gunas—sattva, rajas and tamas), no one has been able to determine the exact source of Gurdjieff’s extraordinary psychic and spiritual powers, let alone his teachings. Gurdjieff’s students were taught to question everything in his teachings. Yet, often he would tell them they must accept much on faith until they could come into their own larger understanding of the truth he was leading them toward.

The lesser known Ouspensky had made a small but brilliant career as a successful writer on the spiritual trends flowing rapidly between Russia, Asia and Europe. With sharp and penetrating insight, he delved into a wide range of methods, including anthroposophy, Buddhism, theosophy and yoga. This insight came from a life of travel and study, not a university education. He had his own followers, a core group of the St. Petersburg intelligentsia that attended his lectures long before he committed himself completely to the advancement of Gurdjieff’s teachings.

Lachman makes it clear that Ouspensky was carefully selected for his ability to generate interest in Gurdjieff’s teachings—a role he faithfully played even after they were no longer on speaking terms. Ouspensky became a promoter of Gurdjieff, but with his own spiritual and philosophical insights, Ouspensky had the ability to match Gurdjieff’s brilliance and challenge him at his deepest levels. When the final public break came between them, it most likely was as profoundly upsetting for Gurdjieff as it was for Ouspensky.

The Ouspensky/Gurdjieff drama was set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. Gurdjieff deliberately immersed himself in the dramatic extremes of political conflicts in order to deepen his understanding of humankind. Such dedication led him to be shot three times, one a near fatal wound. He traveled with his newly formed St. Petersburg group to the Black Sea coast. Journeys without Ouspensky were made over torturous mountain ranges, in the darkest night and often while evading gunfire. Before rejoining them, Ouspensky had his own harrowing exposure to the madness of the revolution at a train station where several people were shot on the whim of the soldiers. Ouspensky also endured the confiscation of his entire library in St. Petersburg. Though there were real dangers to avoid, Gurdjieff would heighten the drama of situations to “awaken” his students.

When their falling out occurred, Ouspensky and Gurdjieff confronted each other in psychic battle during a teaching session. Gurdjieff used his occult abilities and Ouspensky was able to read Gurdjieff’s thoughts and receive his “teaching” without uttering a word.

Throughout their collaboration, Gurdjieff seemed to have true knowledge while Ouspensky was seen as a dilettante and writer about such knowledge. While there is truth to this evaluation, it omits the central problem in Gurdjieff’s relationship with his students: Gurdjieff had attained knowledge of a transcendent world nested within our everyday world, but his corrupt uses of occult and psychic powers had perhaps made him a dilettante in the depth of his own teachings.

Ouspensky was quick to find the flaws in a method that he first had hoped would help him to achieve spiritual transcendence. In Search of P.D. Ouspensky is a fascinating spiritual detective story and teaches valuable lessons on how to discern the truth in the teachings of contemporary masters.

--Phil Jefferson