Paul E. Anderson & the Gurdjieff Work

8/9/2019 Paul E. Anderson & the Gurdjieff Work

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Paul E. Anderson

1897–1983

by Russell Huff

In the year 2000 a manuscript of the collected talks of aul !" #nderson $as accepted into the permanent library collection of Har%ard&ni%ersity" 'his manuscript is a samplin()in no $ay e*hausti%e)takenfrom +r" #nderson,s talks durin( the period from 1972 throu(h 197-"

#s such. these talks represent a small fra(ment of the teachin(s of auland /aomi #nderson. $hose li%es $ere de%oted to the sharin( of theurdieff ork $ith others"

'here is an anecdote re(ardin( +r" urdieff. that once $hile $orkin(on his monumental le(ominism. #ll and !%erythin(. he remarked that he

$ould ha%e to bury the do( deeper4)not. in this case. the do(,s bone.but the do( itself" ith this he con%eyed that the ideas he $as concerned

$ith $ere li%in( entities $ith their o$n %itality and instincti%e potency.and they $ere not meant to come into our possession $ithoute*ceptional efforts. sustained efforts of the sort that only those $ho

%alued them most $ould e%er put forth"

5n his last %isit to #merica. +r" urdieff chose aul #nderson as hislast #merican 6ecretary. statin( He not only has eaten one do(. but


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s$allo$ed $hole packs of do(s and I rest %ery contented $hen Ilea%e because you are my special #merican 6ecretary"41

'he roup to $hich these talks $ere (i%en had its earliest be(innin(saround 199 $ith a small (atherin( at lark &ni%ersity in orcester.+ass" 5ur introduction to the #ndersons came by $ay of a letter from

:ohn " ;ennett in !n(land)a man $ho $as. and $ho $ill beincreasin(ly reco(niurin( the early daysof the roup $e had si(nificant personal contact $ith +r" ;ennett. as

the #ndersons had a(reed to help $ith efforts to launch ;ennett,s6herborne #cademy"

In his book. urdieff= +akin( # /e$ orld.3 ;ennett mentioned the #ndersons in connection $ith three key e%ents" ?irst. he noted that the #ndersons or(ani


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teachin(. in $hich one $as deftly placed off (uard before a shock $as(i%en"

#round their meetin(s there $as a physically palpable ener(y $ithin thearena of $hich time seemed to cease. %istas of meanin( opened. andthere came upon one the certainty that ne$ possibilities $ere comin(

$ithin reach. that enablement $as present" 5ne felt as $ell that e%eryhidden aspect of oneself. e%ery co%ert attitude and inner lie. $ere no$dra((ed out into the li(ht" Fyin( $as utterly useless. and. yet e%erystatement one uttered $as so easily a total lie" It $as as if ra$ onsciencehad entered the room like an intimidatin( #n(el"

!%ery aspect of the meetin( seemed capable of sudden turns ofimplication" 'he e*traordinary teachin( partnership bet$een +r" and+rs" #nderson (a%e an effect. a taste. $hich none $ho e*perienced $ille%er for(et" It remains indelibly fi*ed in the deepest part of them. thepart touched only by the certainty of one,s o$n death" 'hey had theability to enter completely into the unfoldin( Duality of the moment. andto partake of its primordial creati%ity"

It $ould be less than honest to omit recordin( of the fact that +r" #nderson had achie%ed a different Duality of perception from that $hich $e accept as ordinarily possible" Here I shall (i%e t$o instances from myo$n e*perience=

It $as customary for one to ha%e a pri%ate inter%ie$ $ith the #ndersonsearly on in one,s membership in the (roup" >urin( the e%enin( prior tomy first inter%ie$ I had spent some time in preparation so as not to missanythin( durin( my opportunity to ask Duestions" #t the end of my

period of selfCpreparation I had come at last to a sin(le Duestion $hichto me e*pressed the essence of $hat I $anted to kno$" I then stated thisDuestion to myself" 'he ne*t day. as my inter%ie$ dre$ to a close. I hadasked Duestions for hours. Duestions that had been incubatin( $ithin mefor years. and on many topics" Ho$e%er. I had not asked the Duestion Ihad so carefully formulated that e%enin( before in onnecticut" I hadfor(otten to ask that Duestion" #s the inter%ie$ $as about to close. +r"

#nderson looked at me and stated %ery Duietly. ;ut. of course. none ofthis $as your ori(inal Duestion. $hich $as 4 He then stated theDuestion in the e*act phrasin( that I had (i%en it"


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In the last years of his life. already in his ei(hties. aul #nderson be(an aperiod of intensified e*ertion in his teachin(" >urin( this period. $hichundoubtedly shortened the number of his remainin( years. he completelyaltered the out$ard form and attachments of his life" He thre$ ate%eryone the necessity to confront their reactions accordin( to type andto ree%aluate their relationship $ith the ork" It seemed to many amerciless period" I did not personally participate in many of the e%ents"Ho$e%er. I do kno$ from some con%ersations $e had to$ard the end ofhis life that one moti%ation $as to pro%ide an a%enue of refu(e for thosestudents $ho $ere in many $ays his responsibility to pro%ide for) althou(h. as he said. there are no (uarantees"4 ?rom this standpointthen. there $as first the necessity of lettin( e%eryone kno$)in $ays

they could not i(nore)that time $as (ro$in( short and that soonnothin( $ould be left the same"

uttin( aside the turmoil of those times. $e can attempt to state at leastthe most apparent element of +r" #nderson,s final years of teachin(" Heundertook. and did indeed accomplish. the buildin( of a most creati%econnection $ith 'ibetan ;uddhist teachers" It $as a proect of rareDuality" >urin( those years he met many 'ibetan ;uddhist lamas. andthey unfailin(ly e%idenced the hi(hest re(ard for him and for +rs"

#nderson as $ell"

+r" #nderson $as particularly in%ol%ed $ith the +aha 6iddha/yin(mapa enter in Ha$ley. +ass" I associate him especially $ith thebuildin( and dedication of a chorten there" Fater he met thee*traordinary >


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+r" #nderson died on ?ebruary 2B. 1983" 6ince his passin(. t$o 'ibetanlamas ha%e dedicated $ritten $orks to his memory" 'he first of these

$as 'he 6hort reliminary ractice of Fon(Cchen /yin(C'hi(.-compiled by the ?ourth >odrup hen Rinpoche" #nd the second $as

'he ycle of >ay and /i(ht. $ritten by hG(yal /amkhai /orbu"

It is difficult to penetrate the intentions of one $ho is no lon(ermoti%ated by the e(oism $hich so permeates our $orld" !%en $henapproachin( the end of his life. at a time $hen speech $as no lon(erpossible for him. aul #nderson remained uncompromisin(ly present) (i%in( testimony to $hat is essential in humanity and in the ay=presence. effort. and compassion)a testimony to that mali(ned particle

of >i%inity $ithin us all" ;y the end of his life he had mo%ed beyond anylimitations re(ardin( the outer form of 'eachin(s. and spoke of the (oalof the ork as freedom beyond human comprehension" 'his had beenforeshado$ed by a toast he (a%e once at a meetin( in endell.+assachusetts= 'o +an. $ho has been (i%en such possibilities thate%en od is en%ious"4

+rs" #nderson passed a$ay on #u(ust 13. 198B" ;y the time of herdeath there $as no doubt that she had met all of her challen(es. lea%in(nothin( undone" 'here $as at the end a %isible radiance. apparent to all

$ho sa$ her. about the presence of this truly remarkable $oman to $hom all of her students o$e a (reat debt"

'his is only the barest outline of the story of t$o people $ho should beremembered for the sake of all $ho choose to confront the mystery andchallen(e of their o$n e*istence" It is important that $e should kno$.and remember. that e%en in our time and in our culture. there $ere those

$ho ha%e achie%ed the oal"

/otes1 !*cerpt from a Fetter to ;ernard +et


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B " I" urdieff. ;eel

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Paul E. Anderson & the Gurdjieff Work