The Fourth Way is very clear in expressing the idea that man is, psychologically speaking, not one but many; he doesn’t have unity. How can unity be forged?

“Man has no permanent and unchangeable I. Every thought, every mood, every desire, every sensation, says ‘I.’ And in each case, it seems to be taken for granted that this I belongs to the whole, to the whole man, and that a thought, a desire, or an aversion is expressed by this whole. In actual fact, there is no foundation whatever for this assumption. Man’s every thought and desire appears and lives quite separately and independently of the whole. Man is a plurality. Man’s name is legion.” — George Gurdjieff

The Bible expresses the same idea, when Jesus asks the devil, “What is thy name”? The devil answers, “my name is legion: for we are many.” Devils or demons are used as symbols for thoughts and emotions that obstruct the presence of Real I, while the devil is used to represent the lower self as a whole. The lower self tries to prevent self-remembering, because it needs to become passive or ‘die,’ temporarily, for ‘Real I’ to come into being.

Buffers and obstacles to unity

“There are various mental phenomena and mental postures that obstruct the potential for true understanding. Because of their harmful and destructive nature, they are called demons or devils.” — Muso Soseki, Japanese Zen master

If one tries to explain to the average person that they have no unity, one will be met with skepticism and disbelief. It is difficult to believe, because we don`t have self-awareness in our daily life. We have an imaginary idea of who we are. The illusion of having unity is very strong. Buffers cause this illusion, psychological attitudes that prevent one from seeing oneself objectively.

Gurdjieff compares a man to a house in which there is no master, and thus no control. The servants, representing the many I’s, do whatever they want. Even though they are only in charge for a few moments, they think they are in charge all the time. In other esoteric traditions, the idea that man lacks unity is hidden in myths and symbolism.

Unifying the “kingdom” – The Mahabharata

One example is the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. This story relates the holy war between the five Pandava brothers, who have Krishna on their side, and one hundred Kaura brothers. The country ‘Mahabharata’ is a symbol for man’s being. The five Pandava brothers are descendants of the gods and are at the heart of the Mahabarata. They symbolize the part in a man that is making efforts to remember himself, while Krishna represents Real I and unity.

“I am the Self, Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.” — Krishna speaking, Mahabharata

The hundred Kaura brothers represent the many I’s from the lower self. Taoism also uses the analogy of comparing a man to a country. While Gurdjieff emphasizes that the master is usually not present, Taoism usually addresses the time when the ruler is present. But it does not emphasize that this is rarely the case. As a result, people with an interest in Taoism usually take this analogy literally and think it is about an enlightened ruler. The 18^th century Taoist Liu Yiming expresses this idea directly when he says, “The human body is like a country, and the mind is like a ruler.” If one is able to see this in oneself, the question is how to bring back one’s inner ruler.

Fourth Way Tools for Forging Unity

In the Fourth Way, self-remembering and divided attention are the main tools. Divided attention means being aware of oneself in the midst of daily activities. Normally, one’s attention only goes outward and one is not aware of oneself.

In Taoism, divided attention is expressed as ’ turning around the light.’

“Constancy means single-mindedly applying the will, the longer the stronger… If you obtain Unity, the ten thousand pursuits are completed.” Liu Yiming, Cultivating the Tao.

If a person sustains self-awareness long enough, if he or she can lift the veil of being preoccupied with worldly thoughts and emotions long enough, Real I and unity appear.