Philosophy, theory, and practice are different ways of approaching the Fourth Way.
When I say ‘this is theoretical’ or ‘this is philosophy’ in answer to a question, it means that the language is wrong. You cannot ask something in a philosophical way and expect a practical answer. ~ P. D. Ouspensky
The distinction between philosophy, theory, and practice is important if you want to ask questions about inner work or to teach the system. Philosophy, theory, and practice refer to different scales of thinking.
Philosophical Scale
Philosophy is where you take very general ideas and try to figure them out using the mind. It is, in a sense, pure thought. In esoteric circles, philosophy is said to be the easiest of the three scales of thinking because it requires no personal observation.
According to this system philosophical schools are merely preparatory schools. ~ P. D. Ouspensky
Theoretical Scale
Theory is when you try to observe general laws and principles. You can try to understand the universe, or yourself, in relation to these laws and principles. As a way of thinking, theory requires more than philosophy. Theory requires you to base your deductions on actual observations of laws and principles.
Practical Scale
Practice means you; it means your work. It means that you experiment, practice what you learn, and make deductions and decisions about your inner work based on your observations.
Three Scales of Thinking
People commonly misunderstand this idea of three levels of thinking. For instance, people often believe that the subject of the thinking determines whether it is practical, theoretical, or philosophical. Perhaps some subjects, like the nature of God’s existence, can never be practical. However, we can consider most ideas on all three scales. We can think about being present practically, theoretically, and philosophically.
Philosophical thinking in relation to being present differs from theory in that it is about man in general, not particular people. It does not include actual observations made by those having the discussion. It would, in a word, be abstract.
A theoretical discussion about being present might include questions about the laws and principles that govern being present. For instance, ‘What is the role of attention in being present?’ or ‘How does being present awaken higher centers?’ or ‘Is it possible to be present and to be negative at the same time?’ As you can see this discussion is still not quite personal, but the questions, because they refer to actual laws and principles, are more than likely have some real observations behind them.
In a practical discussion about being present the questions would be more like ‘Yesterday I tried to be present when reading, and then I forgot about it. Is there some way I can keep my attention on being present and read at the same time?’ Practical thinking in relation to being present is about you. It’s about your efforts and about what you can do to make your presence stronger.
What Scale of Thinking Accelerates Awakening?
When we talk about conscious evolution, the distinction between these three scales of thinking often indicates our seriousness about awakening. If you study only the philosophical side of Gurdjieff’s ideas—its history, its cosmology, or its connection to the major religions—you may never connect to higher centers. This isn’t wrong. It’s fine to be a scholar. But the primary purpose of the system is to teach people to awaken. You cannot awaken unless you are willing to make inner efforts and take a practical approach to the knowledge.
At the same time, it would be a mistake to think that theory and philosophy have no place in inner work. For instance, many cosmological ideas have to be studied theoretically or philosophically. They are part of the system because they help you understand the world. Because you contain the same worlds inside you, they have the possibility of helping you understand yourself.
The fourth way is a way of understanding. The more you understand about yourself and about the world, the faster you will come to the necessity of inner effort. And inner effort is the only way to connect to higher centers. There are other types of conscious evolution, or ways, that don’t require understanding. For instance, the paths of the monk (the second way) and the hermit (the first way) require a strong belief and a willingness to obey. In these paths clarity and understanding are not so important.
But in our times these ways are quickly disappearing. The possibility of passing on a local esoteric tradition becomes more remote. In the twenty-first century, the most accessible and versatile form of conscious evolution is the fourth way. The fourth way is a way that we can do anywhere and under any circumstances, without long retreats or external institutions like monasteries.
William Page is the author of the blog BePresentFirst.
Other recent articles from William that touch on theory and practice in the Fourth Way include:
https://fourthwaytoday.org/we-always-make-a-profit/ , https://fourthwaytoday.org/difficult-times/, https://fourthwaytoday.org/freedom-of-the-real/, https://fourthwaytoday.org/memory-and-higher-states/ and https://bepresentfirst.com/on-finding-oneself/.
w cambridge
Saint Augustine: “Learn to dance so the Angels know what to do with you when you get to Heaven.” This is such an appropriate way to express the aim of a practical School. Practical Schools emphasize methods to create Presence because, ultimately, Presence is the only thing of value to one’s Self and to Higher Forces. In practical Schools, we are given ordinary lives with which to practice what in some traditions is called “Dharma”. Dharma can be viewed as the activity of Steward in everyday moments to draw closer to Presence or to distance oneself from lower states. Dogen: “Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to Dharma see no Dharma in everyday actions. They have not yet realized that there are no everyday actions that are outside of Dharma.” One’s personal Dharma can be viewed as the gradual and continual accumulation of habits (or “Doing” as Gurdjieff would say) that minimize the mechanical aspects of our nature. Eliminating unnecessary talk is an excellent example of an invisible effort that becomes a central part of one’s Dharma.
As our work progresses, we may come to see that these continuous efforts are in reality preparation for us to pass through increasingly difficult intervals which are given to us from time to time.
Anonymous: “Don’t practice until you get it right – practice until you can’t get it wrong.” And to remind us of our own nature, Aldous Huxley says: The only completely consistent people are the dead.” (C influence.)