Verification: explanation
In a higher sate, different possibilities may not appear mutually exclusive, but may be seen to exist together.
Rodney Collin
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Verification
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Verification is explained by Mr. Gurdjieff and Mr. Ouspensky as a fundamental principle of The Fourth Way. The idea is that a person should not believe anything without verifying it for themselves, and should not do anything in relation to the work without understanding why they are doing it. Furthermore, that the more a person understands why they are making efforts, the more results their efforts will yield.
Logical mind, however, deduces that there are only two sides to this issue and that one is right, the other wrong. It cannot see that both have their useful place, even on The Fourth Way.
For example, it is true that a person must not ‘believe’ he is asleep without verifying it for himself. For only then is it possible to value self-remembering the right way. It is also true that a person trying to remember himself must ‘believe’ he can awaken, that it is possible. This is not blind faith. It is a direction and focus that a person takes on, not under self-deception but with the intention of reaching a specific goal.
In the same way, it is sometimes appropriate on The Fourth Way to make efforts without necessarily knowing where they will lead, yet with the understanding that they may lead to further awakening. This is true, for instance, in the effort to not express negative emotions. In spite of what the books say, one cannot know for certain what result it will produce. With self-remembering, also, one enters uncharted territory which each individual must plunge into and discover for himself. If a person waits to understand everything about these two areas before making efforts, he simply will not get anywhere.
With relativity, then, it can be said that whereas blind faith contradicts The Fourth Way, intelligent trust and common sense do not. Indeed, the more a person develops along The Fourth Way, the more they come to trust this sense of trust as a key ingredient which, instead of holding them back, actually propels them forward into a more personal, more direct understanding about what the work is and how it works—how it can be used for awakening.
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