Welcome to Fourth-Way.com, the website for our syncretic transformational work group.
These are the principles behind our work.
It is possible for humans to go through a process of awakening to their true nature. Because most of us live in Westernized cultures whose mainstreams are sceptical of this possibility, we value asociation with others who share our vision.
This inner evolutionary process of humans does not depend on time, place or culture. Therefore there is no problem with appropriately adopting the ideas and methods of wisdom traditions from different times and places, which in any case is how all the major wisdom traditions have formed in history. The core of the teaching itself originates outside of history, beyond the influences of time and place.
Transformational work takes place in three contexts.
Work done regularly in a group. Theeory and evolutionary practices are transmitted. The group is a class led by a senior student that takes place on many levels. The doors to transformation are opened.
Work done regularly by oneself. Transformation happens slowly over time, like water smoothing pebbles.
Work done with a profoundly awakened person who can transmit states of being directly, mind to mind, through resonance. Transformation happens suddenly, like lightning strikes. The group teaches practices which, engaged on a regular basis, prepare a person to be able to open to a higher influence. While we recognize the danger of egoic individuals exploiting the teacher-student relationship, we have confidence both in our discrimination of the profoundly liberated, and in our own strength of mind not to be manipulated. Just as we may need at times to find honest, capable doctors or auto mechanics, we use due diligence in seeking spiritual guidance.
We consider the degree of awakening of the living teachers of a school to be the primary criterion. Historical lineage connection in tself does not guarantee real knowledge. Reality does not have a brand name. No human tradition owns reality. Reality cannot be watermarked. Claims of having the only true path are evidence of a lack of wisdom.
There is a mystical consensus about the closest language can come to describe our true nature and the ultimate reality of our world: it has no qualities, it has no parts, is is beyond time, space, being, and non-being. Therefore it is called transcendental. In both European late antiquity and in Upanishadic India this was termed non-dual reality. We understand this without comprehending it.
The mechanisms and processes by which humans arise who are ignorant of this true nature, and by which humans can recover awareness of it, are as complex as humans. That is, very. The human brain is the most complex entity known to modern science. People recover their contact with true nature in stages. Human psychology in each of the many levels of awakening is unlike ultimate reailty itself; it has mechanisms with parts and functions that change over time according to cause and effect. We seek to learn the intricacies of a human's possible mystic evolution so we can efficiently practice toward enlightenment.
It is only an apparent paradox that dualistic, effortful, time based practices can lead toward realization of the unmoving eternal moment, because awakening itself is a mere appearance within duality. The effectiveness of such practices is well established historical and personally experienced fact.
For us the term "fourth way" refers to any way with three characteristics. It does not require renunciation of ordinary life. It applies esoteric alchemical knowledge of the intricacies of human evolution. It works with all the centers.