Can a Poor Man Enter The Kingdom of Heaven?
G.I. Gurdjieff was a spiritual teacher operating in Europe and America in the late 19th Century. He was the one that brought us the term “Enneagram,” though, he used it to refer more to a model of the universe than a personality program taught in Christian churches and weekend seminars.
Gurdjieff’s teachings concerned elevating man to a higher level of being. He called this practice, “The Work.” He held the potentially controversial opinion that the work was only appropriately executed by “Householders.”
Gurdjieff likely borrowed that term from Buddhism. In Buddhism, “Householder” refers to a settled family-man and laborer — what, in modern America, we might refer to as middle or upper class — a landowner, or, at the very least someone who owns or rents a house. Someone with a family or someone who is settled in their lifestyle. A layman. A worker.
This idea strikes some as odd or incongruous. Do spirituality and spiritual practice discriminate on the basis of material wealth? Aren’t we all familiar with the image of the ascetic or the monastic who forsakes worldly possessions and status in order to focus on the spiritual life?
I hesitate to speak for Gurdjieff but I think we can discern his thinking here by looking at some of his other teachings. Gurdjieff taught that there were three kinds of transmissions available to the common man.
The first kind of transmission comes from the culture at large and it usually concerns the things that culture values — starting a family, securing employment, shelter, and monies. Basically, participating in life at a very basic level.
The second kind of transmission comes from the ascended masters of history, like Jesus, Moses, or Buddha, but comes to man through a mediator. When we read the Bible, we get the words of Jesus but we get them through the intermediary of a writer. Likewise with the Old Testament and Moses. When we study Buddhism, we receive the teachings of Siddhartha Buddha, but we receive them via a teacher or school of thought.
The third kind of transmission is getting the teachings of the ascended masters direct from the source. Since we do not live contemporary lives to these masters, we must receive these teachings through visions or channeling. This kind of transmission is available to very few people and not even believed possible by the vast majority (even believers).
What does this tell us about Guerjieff’s Householder comments? Well, I believe what he might be trying to say is… well… get your shit together. If you’re constantly striving for a family, a job, or mere survival, then the only transmission you’re likely ever going to be open to is the first kind. Thoughts on establishing yourself and your “life” will consume your mind, so you’re not likely to have the time or bandwidth to ascend the ladder of transmissions.
So, does that mean the poor or lower class are excluded from transmissions of enlightenment or even partaking in the work, to begin with? I don’t think so. But, I think what it tells us is that rich or poor or middle class, you have to be a peace with your lot. Endless striving, be it for a relationship, a promotion, or just a daily meal tends to push spiritual work to the back burner. When we’re worried about our survival, our place in life, or our paycheck we have a lot less time for spirituality.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying all true seekers operate on this plane of non-attachment and that if you ever worry about money or status feel burdened by loneliness that spirituality is off-limits to you- I’m just saying “the work” as Guerjieff describe it is pretty all-consuming. And that spirituality, in general, takes a lot of energy and attention.
Raja Yoga (differentiated here from the stretch pants variety) is a spiritual lifestyle and it describes itself with eight arms. The second arm is referred to as Niyama and it basically entails self-discipline and developing regular devotional practices. This sort of thing is necessary for a successful practice before you ever get to meditation or breathwork. Why? Because the teachers of Raja Yoga understood that it was easier to achieve spiritual heights if you had a baseline to start at.
Of course, the fact that establishing that baseline is one of the arms of Raja Yoga kind of implies that the very act of getting your shit together is part of the spiritual practice. Maybe spirit work isn’t just about receiving transmissions from enlightened masters. Maybe it’s also about finding the peace and power within yourself to wrestle this life to the ground and enact your true will upon it.
I’m not sure that Guerjieff would agree but I’m not sure that I care.
