Stop Exercise
Gurdjieff’s stop exercise was
tremendously significant,
perhaps
one of the greatest contributions to the modern world
– and the modern world is not even aware of it.
He will tell his disciples to be engaged in all kinds of activities:
somebody is digging in the garden, somebody is cutting
wood,
somebody is
preparing food, somebody is cleaning the floor.
All kinds of activities are going on,
with the one condition that when he says "Stop!"
then wherever you are,
in whatsoever posture you are,
you stop dead.
You don't be cunning, because then the
whole point of the exercise is lost.
For example, if your mouth was open
and seeing that Gurdjieff is not here to see,
you can just close your mouth and be at rest, but, you have missed the point.
Your one leg was up – you were just
moving – and one was down;
now
comes suddenly the call, "Stop!"…
…When you become just a statue,
you are not allowed to blink the eyes even;
you stay exactly as you are at the moment you hear the word
"Stop!"
It simply means stop and nothing else.
You will be surprised
that you become suddenly a frozen statue
– and in that state you can see yourself
transparently.
You are so constantly engaged in activity
– and with the activity of the body, the mind's activity is associated.
You cannot separate them,
so when the body completely stops,
of course,
immediately the mind also stops
then and there.
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