THE PRESCRIPTION OF THE SHEIKH AND THE PRACTICES DIFFER ACCORDING TO THE INDIVIDUAL, IT IS LIKE A DOCTOR DISPENSING MEDICINE

The moment you come together with your guide, he will give you, just like a doctor gives you a prescription. The training necessary for you and your personality will be given. That is a secret between you and your guide. It could be suitable only for you and not for others.

Practices differ according to the individual. There are so many methods, and the teacher or guide may appoint for each follower an exercise that is suitable for him or her. Once the follower has received his practice he must follow it carefully to derive benefit from it. But when speaking about a practice we must clarify our intended meaning. Practices are of two kinds: those performed by the body, and those performed with the heart. In other words some practices are spiritual and others are physical.

The practice of the heart is the most important of all, more important than anything we may do with our physical bodies. The matter is really quite simple and easily understood. You may engage in a practice, be it the Islamic practice of prayer (Salat, Namaz), the practices introduced by Mr. Gurdjeff or any other practice ” as long as it is only a set of physical motions you can derive from it nothing for your soul. Mere physical practices cannot suffice you. After all your practicing you may find that you are unchanged, the same person you were before. Your personality, your inner characteristics, will change only when there is a change of heart.

The secrets of a man’s heart are made evident through the personality and its characteristics. When a weed is pulled with little care, attention and knowledge, the root is left in and it grows back again. Physical practices without the practice of the heart are like this – the root of the problem always remains