Essence and Personality

[Eddie Lopez]

Can you explain more what Gurdjieff means about the essence and the personality and what is the difference?

[Lewis]

Hello Eddie,
There is a magnificent difference between the nature of essence and personality, meaning, that essence is that which is our own. It’s our essential being that is, our core of who we are. On the other hand the personality is that which is not our own. Personality is the false part of us that we present to the world. It’s like wearing a mask, we smile, we pretend, we lie, and we make up fantastic stories to impress others. The personality is the false self, the imaginary self of who we think we are. In reality we really don’t know our essential nature until we begin feel enough pain and in desperation we feel that there must be more to life then what we are chasing. Everyone wants happiness and peace; however, only through self-discovery through the process to know thyself we’ll be able to find this essential part of our being.

On the other hand, personality is formed by the environment we grew up in. All the habits, the education, the hearsay information, and the confused experiences we don’t really understand take root in our memory and the nature of our personality acts from this surface knowledge.
In the book “In Search of the Miraculous” written by Ouspensky, will give you more information and clarity. Importantly, I have a reading page list that I focus on which I would gladly send you. Not all of Gurdjieff do I follow.
Lewis

[Eddie Lopez]

Dear Lewis,
Yes, I would love a list that you recommend.
Eddie

[Lewis]

Eddie..this is the list I follow:
IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS
(Preferred Reading Pages)
The following pages in Ouspensky’s IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS
are valuable, sometimes extremely valuable, helpful or at least not
a hindrance to the work in the Spinoza-Gurdjieff Group. All other
material in the book is of no value, occasionally contrary or confusing.
Read this latter material if you find it of interest, but bear in mind the
above distinctions.
————————————————————————-
from page 3 to page 23 to bottom par. ending: how he spoke.
from page 26 2nd par. beginning: In Moscow…to page 31
thru par. beginning: But the lectures…
from page 32 2nd par. beginning: Fusion, inner unity
to page 37, 1st par only
from page 39 2nd par. beginning: That is one aspect…
to p. 40, 1st two sentences
from page 44, 2/3 down, par. beginning: At the next meeting…
to page 54, first 2 lines
from page 54, line 26 beginning: All our attention…
to page 56 thru next to last par.
from page 58 2/3 down, par. beginning: In speaking of evolution
to page 75 thru par. beginning: It is impossible…
from page 99 to page 122 thru 2nd par. beginning: I subsequently became…
from page 129 line 10 beginning: After a certain period…
to 6 lines from bottom ending: point of a needle
from page 133 par. 2 beginning: The greatest insult…
to par. 3 ending: – can control nothing.
from page 141 thru page 166
from page 178 line 2 beginning: you ought to know…
thru par 8 ending: come to him of itself
from page 179 line 3 beginning: We come to the conclusion…
to bottom par. ending: its own existence
from page 181 thru top 2 lines page 182
from page 199 thru page 204
from page 217 to page 250 line 11 ending: refused to be mollified
from page 251 last par. beginning: Conversations in groups…
to page 255, 1st par ending: constant self-deception
from page 256 line 14 beginning: Is complete sexual abstinence….
thru page 274 par. 6 ending: decipher what this means
(but pay no attention to references to hydrogen 12)
from page 295 par. beginning: Men have tried for a long time…
to page 304 par. 11 ending: and what they really mean
from page 309 par. 8 beginning: Contemporary culture requires…
to page 317, thru par. 4 beginning: Many new people (see last ref.)
from page 340 par 3 beginning: I spoke a great deal to page 376
thru next to last par. beginning: In February
from page 379 to end
from page 324 par. 8 beginning:…this was G’s last visit…
to page 329, thru par. 4 beginning: Our conversations used often
————————————————————————–

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