In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching

Looking at other reviews of ISM, it is hard to think of many other books that get such disparate responses. It depends on what you bring to it and what you are looking for. I was introduced to it long ago by a friend who had been a student of Mrs. Popoff and then moved off into Tibetan Buddhism. I didn't make it through the first time, but this is my third complete reading. Parts of it make a lot of sense: the mechanicalness of much of our lives (just check during the day how often you go on autopilot), trying to observe yourself, trying to avoid expressing negative emotions. The hydrogen tables and alchemical parts are hard to fathom; sometimes I think Gurdjieff created these to provide a "scientific" alternative for people who weren't show more receptive to religious ideas.

Some parts have parallels in the Philokalia; perhaps not surprising that Ouspensky's secretary Madame Kadloubosky translated parts of the Dobrotolublye, the Russian version, into English. show less

While I don't agree with Fritz Peters' assessment that this book is unreadable, it is dense and was written 100+ years ago. Language and how we read and write change with time. I found it helpful to read this alongside Maurice Nicoll's Commentaries.

For me, the most engaging part was Ouspensky's brief but thoughtful descriptions of the conditions in Russia and the Caucasus before and during the Revolution. Having that information helped establish context for Gurdjieff's early work.

Back when I was a callow youth, attending university and living unconsciously, I took a course at the university where this book was assigned as suggested reading. I never did read the book at that time, but when I began to "wake up," I remembered that book and thought it might hold some answers for me. So I read it, and it set me on the path to discovering my Self. It was just the first step on the path, and it doesn't hold all the answers, but it is an eye opener for people who want to think a little deeper about things and wake up from the dream.

Reading it changed my perspectives on life! This is perhaps the most profound book I have ever read along with Marcelo Motta's Astral Attack and Defense. Every day was a wonder and each paragraph seemed to bring a whole flurry of thoughts, ideas and insight. The Fourth Way and Thelema are parallel in that both recommend that an aspirant develop all of his/her faculties - athletic, rational/detached/scientific, intuitive/emotional/artistic, and sensual.

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Since its original publication in 1949, In Search of the Miraculous has been hailed as the most valuable and reliable documentation of G. I. Gurdjieff's thoughts and universal view. This historic and influential work is considered by many to be a primer of mystical thought as expressed through the Work, a combination of Eastern philosophies that had for centuries been passed on orally from teacher to student. Gurdjieff's goal, to introduce the Work to the West, attracted many students, among them Ouspensky, an established mathematician, journalist, and, with the publication of In Search of the Miraculous, an eloquent and persuasive proselyte.

Since its original publication in 1949, P. D. Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous has been hailed as the most valuable and reliable documentation of G. I. Gurdjieff's thoughts and universal view. This historic and influential work is considered by many to be a primer of mystical thought as expressed through the work, a combination of Eastern philosophies that had for centuries been passed on orally from teacher to student. ... Ouspensky describes Gurdjieff's teachings in fascinating and accessible detail, providing what has proven to be a stellar introduction to the universal view of both men. In Search of the Miraculous has inspired great thinkers and writers of ensuing spiritual movements, including Marianne Williamson, the show more highly acclaimed author of A Return to Love and Illuminata. In a new foreword, Williamson shares the influence of Ouspensky's book and Gurdjieff's teachings on the New Thought movement and her own life, providing a contemporary look at a timeless classic. (Amazon.com) show less