Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky: Vol. 1 Paperback – August 16, 2020

This is a great adaptation of this work to the kindle. Something those who are not in the Gurdjieff Work must realize is that it is so vast that it is difficult to pin it down into neat systematized books, thus the teachings tend to be collections of commentaries and talks by the teachers of the path. Each teacher has different takes on the same subjects and many dimensions of understanding to each. I have found that there has been a legacy of great teachers such as Nicoll since Gurdjieff who have not simply attempted to emulate Gurdjieff's style, but bring novelty into the 4th Way and thus keep it alive.Nicoll's commentaries are among the best talks by any teacher that I have come across. They are pragmatic and accessible. It takes time to slowly read these. I don't recommend going from cover to cover. I tend to skip around in talks such as this. It is also not recommended to read though a lot of commentaries in a short time. Like they used to say in Zen teachings such as these are dark to the mind and light to the self, soul, essence or whatever.

I bought a new copy of this book as my old one fell apart (1998) Have all 5 volumes and M Nicoll's work has been a life changer.

There isn't much to write in the review: this book is a classic and well known text on Fourth Way teachings. It is a good addition to the works of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, as it approaches the topic from the point of view of psychology and makes it easier to understand some aspects of it. Very useful for those interested in the Fourth Way.

Nicoll's five volumes of Commentaries are like having gathered together numerous little books, each one being a valuable jewel if discovered one-by-one in little out-of-the-way bookstores. They enhance P. D. Ouspensky's Work books rather than replace them, yet contain great understanding and effective teaching.

"As long as there is no change in the level of being, the personal history of a man remains the same. Everything repeats itself in his own life: he says the same things, he does the same things, he regrets the same things, he commits the same things. And all this belongs to this immensely deep idea that the level of being attracts his life." To those who find this and practice this work, a great blessing follows; such might just find themselves under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

But here It is 2021 and I feel like I’m reading a different book. Maurice Nicolle has captured the essence of Ouspensky and Gurjieff and put the information in a very understandable form.

Excellent ! I have been a fan of Nicolle for many years. Always nice to review ! He has quite an insight!

This is absolutely the best book that I've encountered on the 4th Way. The commentaries are both insigthful and extremely valuable with regards to integrating the teaching into your reality.