誇大的知識和能力

Exaggerated Knowledge and Abilities

誇大的知識和能力

 

     Although Gurdjieff undoubtedly possessed an understanding of the human condition far surpassing that of most people, his knowledge and capacities were perhaps more modest than he claimed.  Critics have accused Gurdjieff of arrogance, exaggeration and even megalomania.  Psychiatrist Anthony Storr questioned his claim in Meetings with Remarkable Men that he knew eighteen languages, noting that there is no evidence to support this.  Author Louis Pauwels challenged Gurdjieff’s assertion in a 1923 pamphlet distributed in Paris that he had almost 5,000 adherents throughout the world and was conducting research in a number of scientific fields.  According to Pauwels “many of his statements were patently absurd . . . wholly misleading and untrue.” (11)

 

        雖然葛吉夫無庸置疑對人類的狀況擁有超越大部份人的了解，他的知識和才能恐怕沒有他所宣稱的誇大。評論家們指控他傲慢、誇大，甚至是誇大狂。精神病醫師安東尼史多爾質疑他在「與奇人相遇」中所說的，他會十八種語言，記錄中並無任何證據支持這點。作家路易斯包威爾挑戰葛吉夫於1923年在巴黎分發的小冊子中所宣稱，他在全世界擁有將近5000名的擁護者，而且在一些科學的領域中帶領研究。據包威爾所述「許多他的陳述很明顯的荒謬……完全誤導而且不真實。」

 

     Storr called Gurdjieff to task on a number of his pronouncements which contradicted accepted scientific knowledge:

 

        史多爾認為葛吉夫的一些研究發表，與已經被接受的科學知識是矛盾的：

 

Gurdjieff’s arrogance and disregard of established experts were extraordinary.  When he visited the caves of Lascaux, he told J.G. Bennett that he did not agree with the Abbé Breuil’s dating of the rock paintings at thirty thousand years ago because he had concluded that the paintings were the work of a brotherhood that existed after the loss of Atlantis some           seven or eight thousand years ago . . . He said that he had invented a special                means of increasing the visibility of the planets and the sun and also for releasing energies that would influence the whole world situation.Gurdjieff’s complete disregard for science and for the views of generally accepted experts is narcissistic in the extreme. (12)

 

葛吉夫的傲慢和漠視有聲望的專家是異乎尋常的。當他參觀拉斯科洞穴，他告訴J.G.班納特他不同意阿貝布瑞爾測定這岩石繪畫是在三萬年前，因為他推斷這些繪畫是一個兄弟會的作品，存在於七八萬年前亞特蘭提斯消失後……他說他已經發明一個特別的方法增加行星和太陽的能見度，而且也為了釋放能量，其會影響整個世界形勢。葛吉夫徹底的漠視科學和普遍被接受的專家觀點，極度的自我陶醉。

 

     Gurdjieff was not a licensed doctor and did not possess any legitimate medical credentials.  However, his followers were convinced that he had acquired a vast know-ledge of the workings of the human body and mind.  He frequently recommended unorthodox treatments to his pupils, including lengthy fasts, dietary regimes, olive oil enemas and breathing exercises.  He used hypnosis and other unconventional methods to treat alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and sexual dysfunctions.

 

        葛吉夫並非有執照的醫生，而且並無擁有任何合法醫藥證書。然而，他的追隨者相信他已經獲得一種廣大的知識，能治療人類的身體和心靈。他常推薦非正統的治療給他的門徒，包括長時間禁食、膳食制度、橄欖油灌腸和呼吸練習。他運用催眠和其他非傳統的方法治療酗酒、藥物上癮、抑鬱和性障礙。

 

     During the 1920s and 1930s, when Gurdjieff began to rely on giving medical treatments and advice as a supplementary source of income, he found himself frequently in conflict with the medical establishment, who widely regarded him as a quack.  In one instance, when one of his students vomited blood, Gurdjieff disputed the diagnosis of an intestinal ulcer made by English physician James Young, but was subsequently proved wrong.  In another case he interfered with the treatment of an alcoholic woman, which infuriated the attending physician.  Some of Gurdjieff’s methods, like hypnosis, are no longer considered as out of the ordinary by contemporary medical practitioners.  However, Gurdjieff’s practices of diagnosing illness and prescribing treatment without any medical training were widely regarded by the medical authorities as irresponsible and dangerous.

 

        在1920年代和1930年代，當葛吉夫開始仰賴給予醫學治療和建議作為收入來源，他發現他常常與醫學組織衝突，他們視他為冒充內行的人。某次，他的一位學生吐血，一名英國內科醫生詹姆士楊診斷為腸潰瘍，葛吉夫質疑了他的診斷，但隨即被證明他是錯的。在另一個案例，他介入了一位酗酒女士的治療，而激怒了處理的醫師。有些葛吉夫的方法，像催眠，不再被現代的開業醫師視為不尋常。然而，葛吉夫執業診斷疾病並且開治療處方而沒有任何醫學訓練，普遍被醫學專家視為不負責任和危險。

 

     Despite his lack of official credentials, Gurdjieff was considered a genuine healer by many of his pupils and associates.  Accounts by students like Fritz Peters and others indicate that Gurdjieff was able to transmit subtle healing energy and influence the psychological and physiological functioning of those he treated.  On balance, the available evidence suggests that while Gurdjieff possessed genuine healing abilities, he clearly overstepped proper ethical and professional boundaries in believing he could provide proper medical treatment and advice to all who came to him for help.

 

        儘管他缺乏正式的證書，葛吉夫被他很多學生和朋友認為是一個真正的治療者。據像學生弗列茲彼特斯和其他人的描述指出，葛吉夫可以傳遞微細的治療能量和影響被治療者的心理和生理功能。總的來說，可見的證據顯示雖然葛吉夫擁有真正的治療能力，他仍明顯的逾越了適當的倫理和專業界線，相信他自己可以提供適當的醫學治療和建議給所有來找他幫忙的人。