Tolstoy - Beelzebub was on this planet until 1921. And he was struck with this, that Tolstoy, with no more knowledge than you and I, nevertheless got himself passed off as one of the writers of contemporary religion. He was, so Gurdjieff says, who knew him, a perfectly silly man.
Later on he gives an example of Tolstoy, though not naming him, who without any real knowledge of life or self became regarded as the author of a modern gospel. Gurdjieff knew Tolstoy, who was naive and self-ignorant.
Why do people believe Tolstoy’s gospel? Because we never verify by applying personal knowledge and effort. Why not? It involves effort of self-knowledge and consequent estrangement.
Tolstoy’s stories are accepted as having spiritual value, they have only psychological.
A.R. Orage - Commentary on "Beelzebubs Tales to his grandson"
Ross Halper
AntwortenLöschenRoss Halper
AntwortenLöschenNo, Tolstoy was wise. G could have written this himself!"In order to understand, observe and draw any conclusions a man must first of all be conscious of being alive. A man’s sense of being alive derives from his yearning, which means being conscious of his own will. But there is only one way that man becomes conscious of his will, the very essence of his being – he conceives of it as free will. If during self-observation a man sees that his will always operates by the same law (whether it be the need to consume food, exercise the brain, or whatever else), he can only see this unvarying direction of his will as limitation placed upon it. It wouldn’t be possible to limit something without it being free in the first place. A man’s will seems limited precisely because he cannot conceive of it as anything but free. You tell me I’m not free. But I have just raised my arm and put it down again. Everybody understands that this reply may be illogical, but it is also irrefutable evidence of freedom. It is an expression of consciousness and not subject to reason." WAR AND PEACE
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