The Fourth Way—Principal Ideas

Mr. Gurdjieff distinguishes between to two types of sleep. The first is the ordinary sleep in bed. In this state we are passive and immersed in our dreams.

The second state is the so called 'waking state' in which we go to our jobs, read books, interact with family and friends, and so on. At first glance this second state is much different than the passive state of sleep. But in fact it is just another form of sleep—hypnotic sleep.

We are hypnotised by the surrounding environment and our identification with everything and everybody. We cannot stop the flow of our thoughts, we cannot control our emotions, our imagination or our attention. We are lost in the subjective world of our likes and dislikes, our desires, our judgments. We never see the real world.

We can awaken from this sleep, but first we must realize that we are asleep and only by serious self-observation will we be able to see that for ourselves.