Basic Self-Knowledge

by Harry Benjamin

Consciousness begins with ourselves. When we have basic self-knowledge, we can then break out of the molds of our everyday lives and conditioning and start to make contact with a deeper and far more satisfying level of life and understanding. This basic introduction to slef-knowledge is based on the system of esoteric development introduced to the West by Gurdjieff, with references to the writings of Krishnamurti.The only way of affecting change in our lives is to start within. Basic self-knowledge is the key to becoming more responsible for the quality of our lives, our future, and ultimately our inner peace and happiness.

Genres: Psychology

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Joseph Josephson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is a great "as simplified as it gets" intro into the very complex issue of Self-knowledge. It is written in a way that even people that aren't familiar with esoteric training or ideas can still understand and benefit. I am very tempted to buy a few copies to give as gifts to the few that I feel might have a basic longing for Real Self-knowledge. The Work is hard, it is constant, it is from moment to moment and never ends but is infinitely worth it. This system works! If anyone who has read this book and has not benefited from these practices(whether they found these teachings elsewhere or not),is due to their own lack of understanding and or lack of will power. As far as The Work goes this is very comprehensive instruction for even a "Basic", intro type but could benefit even those on the advanced path. I would recommend this book as a great introduction to Samael Aun Weor's books but more specifically the titles Revolutionary Psychology and The Revolution of the Dialectic which are much harder to grasp and comprehend with the intellect as this book is. I invite you to use the scientific method and test these teachings and apply them practically, to see if they work for you or not to benefit your life and others.

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started this book my knowledge of Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way was pretty scant, but by the end of it I had a better understanding of the basic ideas and some sense of how to implement them. Certainly there are ideas that could be sketched out with more detail, but as the title suggests, this is basic self-knowledge.

The integration of Krishnamurti is less complete, but I've grateful for the later chapter that outlines his ideas. I've read some of his "communications" and while I think I understand some of what he's saying, it's nice to read a reduced distillation. Benjamin is very clear as to how it does and does not mesh with Gurdjieff's teachings.

All in all a good read, though some may find Benjamin's tone a bit too forceful. I wish that, rather than mention the works of Oupensky and Nicoll within the text, he had included a bibliography. Nonetheless, this book got me interested enough that I plan on eventually reading their work, and I've definitely been thinking of these ideas in my daily life, which is good.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

A waffly, self-indulgent, and vague book on the basics of esoteric development. It contains some good ideas, but if I had not already read on this topic elsewhere, it would have been hard to follow. The writer presents his own controversial point of view as fact, without any debate to justify himself. The "examples" were not very concrete, and it did not describe any development exercises to begin the reader on his inner journey; instead, the writer simply refers to other books. My suggestion: read those instead.

[Lucinda Winslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific introduction to the Work of Gurdjieff.