John G. Bennett

"I am only a bridge; when you have got over the stream you can kick me away." -Gurdjieff to John G. Bennett

This work advances a thesis about Gurdjieff's mysticism and shows how one of Gurdjieff's most eminent pupils developed the heritage. It also compares John G. Bennett-for whom this is the first biographical study-with other Gurdjieff pupils, notably Ouspensky and Jeanne de Salzmann.

Bennett has been a controversial figure in the Gurdjieff lineage, rising to prominence, as he did, in the generation after Gurdjieff's death. Scholar Joseph Azize scrutinizes Bennett's visions (near-death, out-of-body, and mystical experiences), showing the original ways he witnessed life, death, and resurrection.

Azize also reveals how Bennett was taken advantage of by Idries Shah, and why there's a widespread view among students of Gurdjieff that Idries Shah was a poseur, a pretender to esoteric knowledge, prepared to deceive others when it was to his advantage.

Bennett's later connections with Shivapuri Baba, and his correspondence with David Bohm, are also sure to stimulate more explorations of Gurdjieff-related matters.

Joseph Azize was born in 1957 to a Lebanese family in Sydney. After working as a lawyer for many years, he became a priest in the Maronite Church, where he now lives a contemplative life. An honorary associate at the University of Sydney, Azize has taught there and at the University of Notre Dame Australia and the Catholic Institute of Sydney. Azize earned a PhD in philosophy (ancient history) and has published several books on Gurdjieff and his pupils, most recently, Gurdjieff: Mysticism, Contemplation, and Exercises (Oxford University Press, 2020).