Ebook: The Teachers of Gurdjieff

Gurdjieff—a major teacher, mystic and prophet to his followers—a charlatan to those who rejected him. Much has been written about the teachings of this extraordinary man and the movement he established that has continued to grow since his death in 1949. With this book, Rafael Lefort fills in a portion that has remained essentially unexplored—researching the origins of this teaching by finding and meeting with the Teachers of Gurdjieff. In a tantalizingly dramatic manner, he traces his journey through the Middle East—tTurkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan—Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo. He describes his meetings with Hakim Abdu! Qader, carpet weaver; with Hashim Mhmd Khattat, calligrapher; with Ataullah Qarmani, coppersmith; and numerous others who knew and taught Gurdjieff. The search for understanding the background of Gurdjieff and his teaching finally leads Mr. Lefort to a dusty city in remote Afghanistan, not far from the spiritual “‘power houses’’ of Sufism in the Hindu Kush. There, he is at last permitted to meet the great Sheikh ul Mashaikh, who ends his quest, thus allowing him to return to Europe to carry on his share in the Great Work.