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。

來自葛吉夫門徒的批評

Criticisms by Pupils of Gurdjieff

來自葛吉夫門徒的批評

 

     Students have expressed reservations about Gurdjieff from the earliest days of his

teaching mission.  His most famous pupil, P.D. Ouspensky, began to lose confidence in

Gurdjieff as early as 1917.  Finally, at a meeting in January 1924 with his English pupils, Ouspensky formally broke off all relations with Gurdjieff.  There he discussed his misgivings:

 

學生們對於葛吉夫在他傳道早期的最早時期持保留態度。他最有名的門徒P.D.鄔斯賓斯基，早在1917年，即開始對葛吉夫失去信心。最後，在1924年一月與他的英國門徒的會面中，鄔斯賓斯基正式的與葛吉夫切斷所有的關係。他表達了他的擔憂：

 

               Mr. Gurdjieff is a very extraordinary man.  His possibilities are much

               greater than those of people like ourselves.  But he can also go in the

               wrong way.  I believe that he is now passing through a crisis, the out-

               come of which no one can foresee.  Most people have many “I”s.  If

               these “I”s are at war with one another it does not produce great harm,

               because they are all weak.  But with Mr. Gurdjieff there are only two

               “I”s; one very good and one very bad.  I believe that in the end the

               good “I” will conquer.  But meanwhile it is very dangerous to be near

               him. (6)

 

葛吉夫先生是一個非常特別的人。他的可能性比像我們這樣的人大了許多。但他也可能走錯方向。我相信他現在正在度過一個危機，其結果沒有一個人可預見。大部份人有很多的「我」。如果這些「我」互相戰爭，並不會產生大的傷害，因為他們都很微弱。但對葛吉夫來說，只有兩個「我」；一個非常好，一個非常壞。我相信最後那個好的「我」會戰勝。但同時，靠近他會非常的危險。

 

     By the early 1930s Gurdjieff’s reputation among many of his students was in tatters. They were disillusioned by his seedy appearance, unprincipled behaviour, and his alleged  use of hypnosis and unorthodox medical treatments as a source of income.  By the summer of 1933 scandalous rumours about Gurdjieff had reached a crescendo: he was slovenly and debauched; he was afraid of the dark and of being alone; he was out of control and destroying everything; he was alienating even his closest students.

 

        在1930年代早期，葛吉夫的名聲在他的學生中是非常破裂的。他們感到幻滅，因為他破爛的外表、無原則的行為、宣稱使用催眠，和以非正統的醫藥治療作為收入的來源。1933年夏天，關於葛吉夫的醜聞謠言越來越多：他非常懶散和放蕩；他怕黑和孤單；他失控和破壞一切；他疏遠每一個人甚至是他最親近的學生。

 

     Even Jean Toomer, a loyal follower of Gurdjieff for many years, began to experience  doubts about his teacher:

 

        甚至是珍圖摩，一個長年對葛吉夫非常忠誠的追隨者，開始懷疑他的老師：

 

               Was he the supreme egotist?  Was he, as some claimed, insane?

               Did he, as some also claimed, know psychic laws but was essentially

               stupid in his practical dealings with people?  If he knew anything

               at all about me, how could he fail to know that I was ready and wil-

               ling to do all I possibly could as regards any real need of his that I

               could grasp and understand, whereas just these tricky manipulative

               tactics were sure to throw me off. (7)

 

他是個極端自我中心的人嗎？他是否真如某些人說的精神錯亂？他是否也如某些人說的，能了解心靈法則，但本質上拙於在實際層面與人交往？如果他夠了解我，他怎麼會不知道我隨時願意盡我可能滿足他，只要我能理解他的需求，反而就是因為這些狡滑的操縱技倆，讓我確定離開他。

 

     Some of Gurdjieff’s pupils considered the litany of criticisms directed at him to be  one-sided and unjust.  Others believed that Gurdjieff was being scapegoated for anything negative that he happened to be proximate to:

 

        有些葛吉夫的門徒認為這些批評所列舉的只導向一面，而且不公正。其他人相信葛吉夫是為這些剛好發生在他身邊的負面事物成為代罪羔羊：

 

               He is accused, blamed, for having been present, for having been

               absent, for helping and for refraining from helping, for talking and

               for being silent, when a variety of events ranging in people’s imagi-

               nation from rape to taking the veil, from natural death to suicide,

               from bankruptcy to brilliant success took place in the lives of this

               one or that one of his followers. (8)

 

他被指控，被責備，因為在場，因為不在場，因為幫忙，和因為不幫忙，因為說話，和因為沉默，很多不同的事件分佈在人們的想像力中，從強暴到當修女，從自然死亡到自殺，從破產到聰明的成功，都發生在他的追隨者的這個人或那個人的生活中。

 

     During the Second World War, Gurdjieff resided in occupied Paris, and although he  kept a lower profile there his reputation was far from spotless.  Despite widespread rationing, Gurdjieff maintained a very comfortable lifestyle: “His lavish hospitality struck a jarring note at a time of material privation: for even if the Master expended a great deal of time and money on his pupils, just how, in that occupied city, had he acquired the vodka and the delicacies which gave his feasts their memorable flavor?” (9)  According to James Webb, authorities assembled a wartime dossier on Gurdjieff which was bulging with reports of unlawful activities.  Webb claimed that Gurdjieff worked the black market and even collaborated with the Germans.

 

        二次世界大戰期間，葛吉夫住在被佔領的巴黎，雖然他保持低調，他的聲譽仍然無法毫無瑕疵。雖然到處都實施定量配給，葛吉夫仍維持一種非常舒服的生活方式：「他奢侈大方的宴客在物質匱乏的當時令人相當不愉快：因為即使師父花費大把的時間和金錢在他的門徒身上，在當時被佔領的城市，他如何能取得伏特加酒和那些難忘風味的精緻美食？」依據詹姆士韋伯記述，當局蒐集了葛吉夫在戰時的檔案，裏頭都是他進行非法活動的報告。韋伯聲稱葛吉夫在黑市工作，甚至和德國人合作。

 

     Following the war, students of Gurdjieff from all over the world returned to their teacher.  However, many were shocked by his bad language and outrageous behaviour.   When John Bennett brought a large group of English students to meet Gurdjieff, he saw  fit to prepare them for any manner of conduct by Gurdjieff:

 

        隨著戰爭，葛吉夫的學生們從世界各處回到他身邊。然而，很多人被他的罵人和粗暴行為嚇壞了。當約翰班納特帶了一大群英國學生來會見葛吉夫，他為這些客人預作準備，以防葛吉夫的任何行為態度：

 

               I must warn you that Gurdjieff is far more of an enigma than you can

               imagine.  I am certain that he is deeply good, and that he is working

               for the good of mankind.  But his methods are often incomprehensible.

               For example, he uses disgusting language, especially to ladies who are

               likely to be squeamish about such things.  He has the reputation of

               behaving shamelessly over money matters, and with women also.  At

               his table we have to drink spirits, often to the point of drunkenness.

               People have said that he is a magician, and that he uses his powers

               for his own ends . . . I do not believe that the scandalous tales told of

               Gurdjieff are true: but you must take into account that they may be

               true and act accordingly. (10)

 

我必須警告你們，葛吉夫是一個遠非你們所能想像的謎。我很確定他非常的良善，而且他為了人類的利益工作。但是他的方式常是令人費解的。例如：他使用令人厭惡的語言，特別是對那些在這方面有潔癖的女士們。他名聲不是很好，對於金錢和女人毫無羞恥心。在他的飯桌上我們必須喝酒，常常是酩酊大醉。人們說他是魔法師，為了他自己的目的使用能力……我不相信關於葛吉夫的謠言是真的，但是你們必須考慮這些傳言有可能是真的，並有相應的做法。

 

     The final few years of Gurdjieff’s life were arguably the most fertile of his long teaching career.  Students remember this time as one of bountiful giving as Gurdjieff drew from his vast spiritual resources to pass on his profound knowledge.  Yet the critics continued to have their say.  A 1946 article in the French periodical l’Illustration accused Gurdjieff of spell-binding powers which sent his pupils into a “cataleptic state.”

 

        葛吉夫最後幾年的生活可以被認為是他常年教師生涯中最多產的時期。學生們記得這段時期是葛吉夫授與最豐富的時候，由他廣大的靈性資源中傳遞出他深厚的知識。但批評仍然持續。1946年法國期刊l’Illustration裏頭的一篇文章，指控葛吉夫用咒語縛綁的力量讓他的門徒進入一種「全身僵硬的狀態」。

 

     Gurdjieff’s negative reputation even followed him to his grave.  In the years following his death a number of critical articles were published in the French press which contributed to a distorted impression of Gurdjieff and his ideas.  In the last few decades, however, a new generation of scholars have looked more critically and objectively at information promulgated by critics and the press about Gurdjieff, and have challenged the veracity of many of their allegations.

 

        葛吉夫的負面聲譽甚至隨著他進入墳墓。在他死後數年，一些批評文章在法國出版，促成了葛吉夫的形象和他的思想的扭曲。然而，在後面數十年，新世代的學者更批判和客觀的看待由評論界和媒體所傳播的關於葛吉夫的資訊，而且挑戰他們所論述的真實性。

聲名狼籍的葛吉夫

CONTROVERSIAL REPUTATION

聲名狼籍

 

     During the 1920s Gurdjieff gained prominence in the West as a powerful teacher of esoteric ideas.  Important writers, journalists and academics began paying attention to Gurdjieff and his students.  As with many charismatic figures surrounded by an entourage of dedicated followers, rumour and innuendo swirled like dark clouds around Gurdjieff and his community at the Château du Prieuré in France:

 

在1920年代期間，葛吉夫在西方成為了一個引起注意的秘教老師。許多重要的作家、記者及學者開始關注葛吉夫和他的學生們。伴隨著一群祟拜者圍繞而製造出的魅力形象，謠言和譏諷也如烏雲罩頂般的環繞葛吉夫，和他在法國普里耶城堡裏的從眾者。

 

               A certain ambivalence broods over the historical Prieuré, almost as if

               both White and Black Magician held sway there; perhaps -- in unequal

               measure -- they did.  Bechhofer-Roberts detected signs of hoofs and

               horns all over the place; Clifford Sharpe, despite his fundamental

               sympathy, had Gurdjieff manipulating ‘with an ingenuity that is almost

               diabolical’; and Captain John Godolphin Bennett (a weekend guest)

               alleges: ‘Some people went mad.  There were even suicides.  Many

               gave up in despair.’ (1)

 

有兩種矛盾存在普里耶，就好像白魔法與黑魔法統治了那裏；或許—以不相當的份量—確實存在。貝克佛-羅伯茲察覺到到處都有蹄與角的符號；克立佛夏普，儘管有著最基本的同情，仍然認為葛吉夫「用一種幾乎如惡魔般的機巧」在操縱著一切；約翰顧德芬班納特(一位週末訪客)宣稱：「有些人瘋了。甚至有人自殺。很多人絕望的放棄了。」

 

     Even though many of the allegations were subsequently proven to be untrue or at least greatly exaggerated, an impression was created in the minds of many that Gurdjieff was disreputable or even dangerous.  He was described by cynical journalists and members of the French metaphysical establishment as an authoritarian dictator who controlled and manipulated his followers: “Gurdjieff demanded and received absolute obedience from every one of his pupils.  His word was law, and he reigned as a tyrant among devoted slaves.” (2)

 

        雖然很多言論隨後被證實是不真實的或至少某種程度的被誇大，但某種印象已經在人們心中建立起來，即葛吉夫是聲名狼籍的或甚至是危險的。他被一些冷嘲熱諷的記者和法國形上學術機構學者形容為專制的獨裁者，控制和操縱他的追隨者。「葛吉夫要求和受到每一個門徒絕對的服從。他的話就是法律，而且他如一個暴君統治這些獻身的奴隸們。」

 

     In subsequent years the press, outside observers and some of Gurdjieff’s own students continued to question and criticize his motives, scope of knowledge, unorthodox healing practices, personal behaviour and habits, patriarchal beliefs, gender attitudes and even his driving.  And after his death in 1949 a number of critical articles and books appeared which vilified the man and his teachings, reinforcing the impression that Gurdjieff was at best misguided and at worst a charlatan and demagogue.

 

在接下來的幾年，媒體、外圍觀察者和一些葛吉夫的學生繼續質疑和批判他的動機、知識範圍、非正統的治療執業、個人行為和癖好、大男人的信念、性別態度和甚至是他的駕駛行為。在他死後的1949年，一些批判性的文章和書籍出現，貶低這個人和他的教導，加強了某些印象，最好的印象是葛吉夫被誤導，最糟的是他是一個吹牛大王和群眾煽動者。

 

Criticism by Journalists and the French Metaphysical Community

記者和法國形上學團體的評論

 

     The establishment of Gurdjieff’s Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at the Château du Prieuré in 1922 attracted the attention of many journalists eager for a sensational story.  Gurdjieff and his followers did not disappoint.  A number of rumours quickly surfaced and circulated with little or no evidence to substantiate them.  The popular press vied for the most outrageous article: Gurdjieff exercised occult powers; he seduced his female disciples; he was responsible for several deaths under suspicious circumstances.  Gurdjieff was widely referred to as a ‘Black Magician,’ and one French critic labelled him “a false prophet, a pretentious ignoramus.”

 

        葛吉夫於1922年在普里耶城堡建立的人類和諧發展機構，吸引了很多記者的注意，渴望得到一個轟動的故事。葛吉夫和他的追隨者沒有讓他們失望。一些沒有得到證實的謠言隨即四起，並且到處散播。主流媒體競逐最誇張的文章：葛吉夫運用超自然能力；他誘惑女門徒；他要為幾宗可疑的死亡負責。葛吉夫最被普遍指涉的是他是一個「黑魔法師」，而且一篇法國評論將他貼上「假先知，自負而不學無術」的標籤。

 

     Gurdjieff’s controversial image followed him to North America.  In 1933 well-known English writer Rom Landau visited Gurdjieff in a New York City hotel for an interview. According to Gurdjieff biographer James Webb, Landau was alarmed and agitated by the experience:

 

        葛吉夫聲名狼籍的形象跟隨他到北美。在1933年，知名的英國作家羅姆藍道拜訪葛吉夫位於紐約的旅館進行訪談。根據葛吉夫的傳記作者詹姆士韋伯記述，藍道因為這個訪談經驗而驚慌焦慮：

 

               The interview with Gurdjieff went badly.  Landau was discomposed

               by having unwanted cigarettes pressed on him, and Gurdjieff clearly

               did not intend to answer his questions.  Even worse, the journalist

               appeared to be falling under some “hypnotic influence” or “electric

               emanation” which deprived him of the power to move from his chair

               and gave him a feeling of “acute nervousness” in the pit of his stomach.

               Gurdjieff looked “the perfect Levantine, evasive in his answers, hyper-

               bolic and anxious as to what effect he was producing.” (3)

 

與葛吉夫的會面非常的糟糕。藍道被葛吉夫強塞雪茄而不安，而且葛吉夫很顯然的不想回答他的問題。更糟的是，記者似乎受到「催眠影響」或「電流」讓他失去力氣而從椅子上跌下來，而且在他的胃上感受到一種「尖刺的緊張」。

 

     Many of the rumours surrounding Gurdjieff during and after his life were wildly speculative without a shred of supporting evidence.  James Webb claimed that Gurdjieff was once an agent for the Russian secret service, but supplied no convincing substantia-tion in his 1980 biography of Gurdjieff.  A rumour, circulating in London émigré circles during the 1930s, suggesting Gurdjieff had been imprisoned for evading military service in his youth was, again, sheer speculation.  Allegations by French writer Louis Pauwels in 1954 that Gurdjieff played an important role in shaping Nazi ideology, including having suggested use of the inverted swastika, were subsequently refuted by credible historical sources.

 

        很多謠言圍繞著葛吉夫在他生前與死後，大部份是推測而少有支持的證據。詹姆士韋伯在他於1980所撰的葛吉夫傳記裏，聲稱葛吉夫曾經是俄國情報機構的間諜，但提不出可信的證據。1930年代，有一個謠言散播在倫敦外國移民者的圈子裏，稱葛吉夫年輕時曾因為逃避兵役而坐牢，這仍然是純粹的推測。1954年，法國作家路易斯包威爾聲稱，葛吉夫在形成納粹意識型態上扮演了一個重要的角色，包含建議使用反轉的十字記號，這項聲稱隨後被可信的歷史資料所反駁。

 

     Some of the most serious allegations about Gurdjieff involved sexual misconduct and suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of some of his students.  Biographer James Moore thoroughly reviewed these accusations and found virtually no supporting evidence. (4)  Although the most outrageous allegations have been dispelled by Moore and others, the impression they created at the time left a cloud of suspicion that hung over Gurdjieff for the rest of his life.

 

        有些最嚴重的指控，是關於葛吉夫涉及通姦和涉嫌有些學生的死亡。傳記作家詹姆士摩爾重新探討這些指控，發現並無實質上的支持證據。雖然最惡劣的指稱已經被摩爾和其他人驅散，但這些指控在那時造就的印象，讓葛吉夫終生疑雲罩頂。

 

     Gurdjieff was also opposed by the French metaphysical establishment.  When he began teaching in France in 1922 there was already a long tradition of esoteric studies in that country.  Proponents of these metaphysical schools quickly denounced Gurdjieff and his ideas as an affront to traditional spiritual teachings. He was labeled a charlatan and accused of leading his followers into a spiritual void.

 

        葛吉夫也遭法國形上學學會的反對。當他於1922年開始在法國教授時，在這個國家已經有非常悠久的秘教研究傳統。這些形上學派的支持者們很快的譴責葛吉夫和他的思想是公開污辱傳統的靈性教誨。他被歸類為吹牛和被指控領導他的追隨者走向靈性的空洞。

 

     The chief critic of Gurdjieff and his teachings for much of the 1930s and 1940s was the leading French esotericist René Guénon, who advised his students to “flee Gurdjieff like the plague.”  He strongly condemned Gurdjieff’s personal behaviour and perceived disregard for traditional spiritual transmission through established religions such as Christianity and Islam. (5)

 

        1930年代及1940年代對葛吉夫和他教誨的批評，最主要是來自法國神秘主義的領導者瑞芮顧耶儂，他勸告他的學生們「趕快像避開瘟疫一樣的逃離葛吉夫」他強烈的譴責葛吉夫的個人行為，和他不尊重透過已建立的宗教來傳遞傳統的靈性，例如基督教和伊斯蘭教。