Robert Earl Burton, the founder of the Fellowship of Friends.

The Fellowship of Friends is a non-profit religious organization recognized by the state and federal governments. ^[1] It was founded in 1970 by Robert Earl Burton as a Fourth Way school based on the teachings of P.D. Ouspensky, as well as the teachings of George Gurdjieff, and Rodney Collin.^[2] It incorporates additional esoteric knowledge not directly connected with the Fourth Way teaching as presented in the West. Members seek a spiritual awakening leading to the development of an immortal soul. This includes preserving what are seen as the highest forms of beauty, knowledge, and culture.^[3] The Fellowship of Friends has approximately 2,000 members, about a third of which live near the organization's retreat in California.^[4] Members also reside in South America, Europe and Asia. The organization's connection to Fourth Way teachings is controversial and disputed. Claims of false prophecy and abusive behavior have additionally caused controversy for the Fellowship of Friends. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Fourth Way is the name, as documented by Peter D. Ouspensky, that G.I. Gurdjieff gave to his ideas and teachings [1] [1]. Today they are also sometimes referred to as The Work, The Gurdjieff Work, Work on oneself or simply the Work. Gurdjieff claimed that the Fourth Way... P.D. Ouspensky Peter D. Ouspensky (March 5, 1878, Moscow - October 2, 1947, Lyne Place, Surrey, England), (Pyotr Demianovich Ouspenskii, also Uspenskii or Uspensky) was a Russian philosopher with an analytic and mystical bent who combined geometry and psychology in his discussion of higher dimensions of existence. ... Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (January 13, 1872 - October 29, 1949), the Greek-Armenian mystic and teacher of dancing born in Alexandropol, Armenia (then of the Russian Empire, now Gyumri, Armenia), traveled to many parts of the world (i. ... Rodney Collin (died May 3, 1956) was a British writer in the area of spiritual development. ...

Beliefs and practices

Esoteric schools

The Fellowship of Friends claims to use ancient methods practiced by esoteric schools throughout history. Different esoteric traditions are said to have expressed this same teaching in different ways. These methods have the purpose of allowing members to "be present" and achieve a higher spiritual state. The ancient Egyptians, Jews, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Sufi, creators of the Tarot and Gothic architects are considered examples of such schools. Additional sources include the Fourth Way, Sumerian texts, the schools of Pythagoras and Plato, the Philokalia, and Buddhist teachings. A belief in the continuation of Fourth Way schools through recorded and unrecorded history was also held by Ouspensky: “When I met this system I very soon became convinced that it was connected with schools and in this way had passed through recorded and unrecorded history. During this time methods were invented and perfected.” ^[5] It is believed that all possessed the same knowledge, methods and source. In the Fellowship of Friends' teaching, all efforts revolve around one aim: to experience higher states of consciousness. ^[6] Etymology Esoteric is an adjective originating during Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: within. It is a word meaning anything that is inner and occult, a latinate word meaning hidden (from which... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Visconti-Sforza tarot deck - The Devil card is a XX Century remake of the card missing from the original XV Century Deck The tarot is a set of cards featuring 21 trump cards and a special card called The Fool, in addition to the usual suit (face and pip) cards... The Fourth Way is the name, as documented by Peter D. Ouspensky, that G.I. Gurdjieff gave to his ideas and teachings [1] [1]. Today they are also sometimes referred to as The Work, The Gurdjieff Work, Work on oneself or simply the Work. Gurdjieff claimed that the Fourth Way...

The Fellowship of Friends believes that before Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, schools had to conceal their knowledge in symbols and stories. For example, while it is now possible to speak openly about lower centers and the machine, earlier schools referred to them as the ‘world’ and ‘earth’. Previous schools called higher centers ‘Beloved’, ‘God’, ‘Lord’, or ‘sun’. They knew that "higher centers" are the divinity within: a different order of creation, just as the sun is a different order of creation from the earth. The fourteenth-century Sufi, Shah Nimatullah, wrote: “Indeed, the whole world is imagination while God alone is the true reality.” He was speaking esoterically, of course. His use of the word ‘imagination’, however, shows that with the Sufis the system was beginning to emerge in exoteric form.^[7]

One of the central tenets of Robert Burton's teaching is that esoteric schools have existed since the dawn of humanity and that they all used the same system for awakening man, although the language they used to convey it may have been slightly different. George Gurdjieff said: "But speaking of schools, there are only special schools; there are no general schools. Every teacher, or guru, is a specialist in some one thing. One is an astronomer, another a sculptor, a third a musician. And all the pupils of each teacher must first of all study the subject in which he has specialized, then, afterwards, another subject, and so on. It would take a thousand years to study everything." ^[8]

It was not until the twentieth century that the system appeared for the first time in its exoteric form when Gurdjieff and Ouspensky introduced these ideas as the Fourth Way.

The Fellowship teaches that higher forces have founded the Fellowship, that conscious beings guide and sustain the Fellowship and it's members, and intend it to serve as an ark to survive the collapse of civilization. ^[9]

Sleep and awakening

The Fellowship of Friends says that when presence is not there, man is in a state of "imagination" or "identification", also called simply "sleep".^[10] The work, as practiced in the Fellowship of Friends, revolves around methods to promote presence. Robert Earl Burton states that presence must be found within and that an individual must do everything to sustain it. For example, a person might internally say, "drop imagination - be present, look with presence, listen with presence, move with presence", according to the circumstances of the moment.^[11]

Consciousness and presence

According to Robert Burton, consciousness is a wordless state that is simultaneously aware of itself and what it observes. This consciousness resides above the realm of imagination and has a clarity of perception that is independent of normal human functions. Burton teaches that, through intensive work on being present, a permanent state of consciousness can be achieved. According to the organization's teaching, no one is automatically aware of himself, no one is conscious of himself. More consciousness can be attained through purposeful effort: the effort to be present. The organization also teaches that presence is not a point of view, it is not a thought or an emotion, and it is not a palpable energy. It is an invisible, independent, and wordless state of pure consciousness.^{[12] [13]}

Many I's and work 'I's

According to the Fellowship of Friends, people suffer from ego attachment, thinking in terms of "I" and "me". This is represented by such thoughts as "I think", "I feel", "I want" and so forth. According to the Fourth Way, all feelings of "I" are the result of multiple independent parts of the human "machine". None of them are considered to be the "real I" of consciousness. The distinction is believed to be subtle because people are accustomed to that sense of self and unaware of consciousness as a distinct and wordless state. The different "I's" pass continually whereas a "present" consciousness stands apart in observation of the "I's". "Self-remembering" is held as essential to maintaining present consciousness, or "presence".^[14] The current teaching of the organization is moving more and more away from this exoteric description of the lower nature of man, focusing on how to promote presence through the use of work 'I's. These "work I's are 'I's which remind a person to make efforts to further his work to awaken. ^[15]As Robert Earl Burton mentioned recently, the work ‘I’s locate presence, and when they find it they do everything they can to sustain it. They do this by prompting presence with a delicate, urgent plea. For example, work ‘I’s might say internally things like: Drop imagination, Be present, Look with presence, Listen with presence, Move with presence, and so on—according to the circumstances of the moment.^[16] The Fourth Way is the name, as documented by Peter D. Ouspensky, that G.I. Gurdjieff gave to his ideas and teachings [1] [1]. Today they are also sometimes referred to as The Work, The Gurdjieff Work, Work on oneself or simply the Work. Gurdjieff claimed that the Fourth Way...

Higher centers and higher states of consciousness

All efforts to divide attention and be present revolve around one aim: to reach higher centers and experience higher states of consciousness. This is represented in esoteric literature as the ‘second birth’ and the ‘mystical inner marriage’. When not dividing attention, an individual exist externally but we are not present internally. Awareness is being drawn out of us and diffused as imagination and identification. ^[17]

The value of divided attention—where an individual becomes aware of himself and his surroundings at the same time—is that it stops imagination and replaces identification with presence. As a result, the individual starts to see things more vividly. As Robert Burton teaches, this is the higher emotional center beginning to emerge in the third state of consciousness. The third state can happen in flashes when you find yourself in a new place or when something unexpected happens, like suddenly meeting a friend you have not seen for years. The newness or awkwardness of the situation prompts you to be more aware of yourself in your surroundings. According to the beliefs of the Fellowship of friends, this is the third state, and if it is deep enough you never forget it because it is a higher state of consciousness that exists out of time.

There is also another state, the fourth state, which can occur, for example, in moments of danger. People who have had life-threatening experiences often describe a state of extreme clarity, the perception of time halting, and an unusual ability to perceive what is happening in the moment. These are perceptions from the higher intellectual center in the fourth state of consciousness, according to the beliefs of the Fellowship of Friends. But they, too, are usually very short and cannot be sustained. Although they are called ‘centers’, the higher centers differ from the lower centers in every way. They are a different order of creation, just as the sun is a different order of creation from the earth. Higher centers do not produce ‘I’s. They are wordless and conscious. They are the divinity within the individual. According to Fellowship beliefs, this is why esoteric schools throughout history referred to the lower centers as ‘earth’ and the ‘world’, and referred to higher centers as the Beloved, God, or Lord. Robert Earl Burton says that the presence of higher centers is the hidden meaning of life on earth. Yet most people, not knowing about higher centers, search for meaning in their lower centers. ^[18]

For example, the intellectual center looks for truth in books while the emotional center looks for faith in religions. The instinctive and moving centers pursue physical achievements and strive for well being through things like diet, yoga, and meditation. Meanwhile, the higher meaning they are all searching for is inside. It is the true Self—the divine presence of higher centers. The purpose of esoteric schools has always been to distinguish higher centers from lower centers and to use lower centers to promote the presence of higher centers. Higher centers gradually become stronger, appear more often, and stay for longer periods of time. ^[19]

Valuing presence

The Fellowship of Friends believes that presence is not a point of view, not a thought or an emotion, not a palpable energy or an ‘I’. It is an invisible, independent, and wordless state of pure consciousness. This state is so simple and unobtrusive that it is possible to fail to see its significance. It may not be seen at all because, as the Fellowship of Friends teaches, presence usually emerges for just a second or two before it disappears again—before it is swept away by imagination. People are so accustomed to and comfortable with imagination, with the steady stream of ‘I’s from the four lower centers, that wordless presence is a foreign experience. Robert Burton says that man must be taught how to recognize this state, how to allow it, and how to sustain it. It is believed that in comparison to the many ‘I’s, presence appears intangible. It seems to be nothing, to not exist, while the Fellowship believes that it is just the opposite.^[20]

It is believed that wordless presence is the most real thing of all and can become permanent, whereas the many ‘I’s are superficial and fleeting. As the ‘I’s keep displacing each other in a repetitive cycle of imagination, presence can remain poised in a state of "divided attention". With conscious awareness, presence consciously observes a person's ‘I’s and his surroundings without analysis, comment, or conclusion. As taught by the Fellowship of Friends, the difficulty of sustained presence is that it can at any moment be lured into the stream of imagination. Unless a person has been prepared in advance with "work ‘I’s", ('I's which remind a person to make efforts to further his work to awaken).^[21], presence can stay immersed in imagination for hours, days, weeks, and even months at a time—to the point that virtually all of a person's life is spent in the second state of consciousness. This "second state" of consciousness or "waking sleep" are terms from the Fourth Way. The appeal and pull of imagination are incredibly convincing and strong. To repeatedly break away from imagination and establish wordless presence at the core of a person's being, great sincerity and determination are needed. The Fellowship of Friends believes that the reverse is true. ^[22]

The principle of payment

As a part of work on oneself, the Fellowship of Friends teaching incorporates what P.D. Ouspensky refers to as “a most important principle in the work”: payment. To join the Fellowship, members are asked to pay a tenth on their gross monthly income, while some members pay more.^[23] The membership donation is reduced for the first year to allow time for verifications to occur. Fees are paid from month to month and a member may leave at any time. To rejoin, a re-entry fee applies.^[24]

In relation to this, the Fellowship of Friends notes that Gurdjieff and Ouspensky have emphasized payment as an essential principle in the work. They said is not possible to value anything without paying for it personally, but that generally people want to get something for nothing. Ouspenky states that: Generally, paying must be difficult for you and useful for the work. ^[25] The principle of payment is further understood by these comments from Gurdjieff: “Many people were very indignant at the demand for payment, for money. In this connection it was very characteristic that those who were indignant were not those who could pay only with difficulty, but people of means for whom the sum demanded was a mere trifle. Those who could not pay or who could pay very little always understood that they even if we [the school] needed no money at all it would still be necessary to keep this payment. It rids us at once of many useless people. Nothing shows up people so much as their attitude towards money.” ^[26]

History

In 1967 Robert Burton began studying the Fourth Way ideas under Alex Horn.^[27] In 1970, Burton founded the Fellowship of Friends as a non-profit religious corporation. In 1971, the organization acquired 1,300 acres of land in the Sierra Foothills in Northern California, in order to provide its members with a retreat where they could realize their principles of self-development.^[28] The Fourth Way is the name, as documented by Peter D. Ouspensky, that G.I. Gurdjieff gave to his ideas and teachings [1] [1]. Today they are also sometimes referred to as The Work, The Gurdjieff Work, Work on oneself or simply the Work. Gurdjieff claimed that the Fourth Way...

In 1976, Fellowship "centers" were begun across the United States. Approximately 20 centers were founded and the membership increased dramatically. In the early 1980s centers were founded in major European cities. Eventually centers were also established in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, many Central and South American cities, and—after the fall of the Berlin wall—in Russia and Eastern Europe. As international centers were established, members were encouraged to travel around the world, teaching newer students and studying languages and the arts. The retreat hosted an ambitious concert series and developed its own opera, orchestra, chorus, theater, and ballet companies. In 1991 Burton’s book, Self-Remembering, was published, which highlighted the core of his teaching of the Fourth Way: his unwavering emphasis on the disciplines of self-remembering and the transformation of suffering.^[29]

Robert Burton stated that he was receiving guidance from higher beings, and that he was told by them that a world-wide depression would occur in 1984, that an earthquake would destroy California in 1998, and that a nuclear war would follow in 2006, and that the Fellowship of Friends would survive these predicted events.^[30]

A former member sued Robert Burton and the organization in 1996 for sexual abuse, sex with a minor, and brainwashing.^[31] This case and another suit claiming sexual abuse were settled out of court, and the outcomes were sealed from public.^[32] The Fellowship of Friends' president stated in a newspaper article that "one suit was dismissed and two others were settled by the organization's insurance companies to save the costs of litigation." She also added that "the suits were filed by former members who failed to produce evidence to support their accusations." ^[33]

Criticism

A number of former members have criticized Burton for alleged sexual abuse, behavioral control, brainwashing, and some members have left the organization in recent years because of these concerns.^[34] Some consider the organization a cult, stating that it attempts to control its follower’s lives.^[35] William P. Patterson has gone against the organization's claim to be in the lineage of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky through Alex Horn, as well as their claim to be a Fourth Way school. ^[36] Robert Burtons's estimated $250,000 annual income, and the Fellowship's estimated 5 million annual income, have been criticized.^[37] William Patrick Paterson is a Fourth Way teacher who was a long-time student of Lord John Pentland. ...

See also

• The Fourth Way
• George Gurdjieff
• Peter Ouspensky
• Rodney Collin

The Fourth Way has come to be used as a general descriptive term for the body of ideas and teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff, which are also sometimes called The Work or The Gurdjieff Work. // When asked about the teaching he was setting forth, Gurdjieff said, The teaching whose theory... Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (January 13, 1872 - October 29, 1949), the Greek-Armenian mystic and teacher of dancing born in Alexandropol, Armenia (then of the Russian Empire, now Gyumri, Armenia), traveled to many parts of the world (i. ... Peter D. Ouspensky (1878 - 1947), (Pyotr Demianovich Ouspenskii, also Uspenskii or Uspensky) was born in Moscow and died in England. ... Rodney Collin (died May 3, 1956) was a British writer in the area of spiritual development. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ...

Further reading

External links

• Official site of the Fellowship of Friends
• Los Angeles Times newspaper article on the Fellowship of Friends
• Various Sacramento Bee newspaper articles on the Fellowship of Friends
• The Canons of the Fellowship of Friends [14]

Criticism

• Blog about the Fellowship of Friends
• Information about the Fellowship of Friends from the Rick A. Ross Institute
• Freedom of Mind Steven Hassan's website
• Taking with the Left Hand: Enneagram Craze, People of the Bookmark, & the Mouravieff Phenomenon (1998) by William Patrick Patterson, edited by Barbara Allen Patterson. Arete Communications (Publishers), ISBN 1-879514-10-9
• Deadly Cults: The Crimes of True Believers (2003) by Robert L. Snow, Praeger Publishers, ISBN 978-0275980528