observe

Translating the Teaching

A three-piece path on the honest middle ground between 'just follow the method' and 'self-help can't work.' Generic methods cannot fit a specific person without translation; even right methods can do harm if applied without enough self-knowledge to foresee side effects; and the practical answer is to build, over time, the inner translator who adapts any teaching to your particular machine. Cites Gurdjieff once on the equilibrium problem, and respectfully departs from his strongest conclusion.