(Active attention as work: the original state of conscious man)
The word work for us means active attention, free from all my concerns, and subtle enough, perhaps, to join for a moment the Intelligence of the cosmos. Seeing objectively, being present, related to higher energies—all these are prominent themes.
All my thoughts, feelings, ideas are nothing compared to this precious treasure, this quality of energy that is not mine but what I AM.”
“There is a secret consciousness contained in the silence, hidden from ordinary mind. Recognize what is there—I AM—this life-energy coming into me. This tree… when I am quiet in myself, and I look at this tree,” here he smiles, “we are already in Paradise.” At dinner he speaks of “an original state for human beings: active attention in the mind, a sensitive body, vibrating feeling.” He adds, “This is normal man. This is conscious man. But something must come from me—intensity of attention, capacity to stay.”
“Freedom is first of all freedom from identification…. To learn not to identify, man must first of all not be identified with himself.” When is it ever not about me?
Jean-Claude says, “There is no problem with the higher consciousness. It is always there. But it is blocked. The space is always occupied by beliefs, thoughts, emotions; protecting my image of myself. Beliefs are of no use. Only this active awareness.” Can the energy animating my body become more important than my thought? “Direct perception instantly bypasses all the old channels,” Jean-Claude continues. “True silence: silence of the mind. Receptive to a finer material, this force, which requires an activation of consciousness. A mobilization again and again. The rest is ideas, philosophy. Mr. Gurdjieff was a very smart man. He put out the bait, but the bait has poison in it.”
(Quality of effort, opening to presence, and the relief of not doing)
Peter Brook says, “We have become experts in what isn’t. Now we begin to see what is. And everything is different.”
“I need to come every second to a deep, strong contact with this Intelligence. Submit to it, let it penetrate you,” says Jean-Claude. “…Always it’s about quality of effort. From that, quantity will come. If the quality is not there, mind goes back to yesterday’s memories, imagination, psychology—but am I present now?”
Seeing at each moment: not so easy when talking or moving, but something sees how I am. Then it becomes possible for Attention to flow through. A level of intensity can come by opening again and again to Presence. If I am near, I go deeper into that dimension. If I am far away, I come back.
All My Beliefs Are Nothing I do not need to “get something.” That is not it. Not something in the future. But the process of opening to the Attention now. Must respect this finer Intelligence, aware of it. We have the structure to receive it. And then can respect it in others—sacred community—caring for this common treasure. Must respect that in myself, in others, not demanding, not pushing. Consciousness in everything.
All my ideas, beliefs, about Work are nothing. It is all just ordinary mind, not what transforms.
It doesn’t matter where you are. Now is all there is. If I am here in the Now, I can be that again.
It is a relief not to have to “do” anything. The body relaxes…. From just above the head, a fine material comes in with breathing… and circulates through the whole body. I… AM….
(Passivity as reminder, work at the limit, and being seen)
What Comes First: Being Present Now The silence in you, in me—recognizing it, attending to it. Without criticism, without judgment, of myself, of others. Can receive impressions. Very rich. Is food.
There is a great misunderstanding in the Work: ideas, analysis—this is not Work. Not for one second. Work begins at the limit—when I can stay.
The secret the devil told the seeker: Your passivity is your greatest reminder. When I see it, accept it, the “yes” will appear. Awareness will appear.
There is no problem with ordinary mind except that it cannot work. The greatest help of all is our passivity because it is a reminder—a shock when I see that I have been asleep. It is the call to wake up. To see the reality of what is, to see the truth.
The higher consciousness is always there, ready, waiting to come down. But it is blocked—the space is always occupied by beliefs, thoughts. Just be seen. Purer seeing. Not the ordinary mind—“sense this, sense that”—directing. But being seen. Staying present. Receiving these impressions of myself—whatever it is. If I could be an empty space—not full of thoughts, feelings—the Goodness would rush in.
There is a danger in the Work now about sittings. You sit, “do” an exercise—then go about as usual. Like church on Sunday. Work means something is given. Work comes from Above, not from myself. There is an axis of attention in you—but you are not the center of the world. When this force appears, it is like a tsunami, like a wave that washes away everything else—thoughts, feelings, reactions, ego, washed away in the moment.
(Waking, dying, and returning: the force that needs you as its channel)
This force of Life contains everything, but it needs me to have an influence on the earth. I am here to recognize it, let it pass. I don’t “do” it, but without me it cannot be done.
The only sincerity is with oneself with Presence.
But each time I awaken, each time I see, I die to that passive part that keeps me a slave and am reborn into Consciousness. Each moment, all at the same time. “To awake, to die, to be reborn” means all at once. Now.
If it is “me” and “the world,” you suffer because that is not real. The magic wand is acceptance—see it, let it be. Open to this life force, always here. Yes, there are thoughts, reactions, ego—to protect itself. I don’t understand the role of my functions. See—accept—return.
PART TWO Holland, 2008 My father always said, “The Work is not for me.” One is disturbed by that thought. But if one tries to understand it in another way, I mean if we understand that there is another nature within us that participates in another dimension—something universal. The Work exists for that nature…. Attention is the element that allows the relation with that other nature. —Alexandre de Salzmann
Stay just exactly as I am. Not to run away. To stay with the impression, to let the impressions come in. The Attention is non-judgmental. Let it touch your state. There is an Intelligence in me that can accept. Like the sun. It doesn’t care if an ant is crawling across the rug. The sun radiates with life.
(Not for myself but through myself: the Teaching from Above)
Not For Myself But Through Myself We talk too much, make a mishmash. “First line of work” is a complete misunderstanding. There is no first line of work “for myself.” Not for myself but through myself.
What We Are Made For There are no teachers. There is a Teaching that comes from Above. When there is a shared moment of Work between two people, there is mutual teaching. If I work now, I will work tomorrow. I don’t have to worry about tomorrow.
Not just to be…{smiles}…. But to be vibrating.
PART THREE New York, 2015–2018 The attention needs to be free. It needs to be very strong in order not to be distracted by associations or outer events. There is an external silence and an inner silence. With an inner silence a higher energy can come down from Above, and I can function, think, speak, from this Intelligence. Work is not something you can “do.” The higher energy does the work. One has to open to it, and allow it to flow, to penetrate one’s being. The most important thing? It is to let the higher energy manifest in me so that all my functions serve the Light. —Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
Finer Energy Can Appear There is the passive, of the earth, and the subtle, a mystery, unknown, from very high—free from all the influences of earth.
A radiance that penetrates more and more deeply.