Gurdjieff International Review

To Recognize a Master

by Henriette Lannes

[At a meeting in London on 29th October 1957, the anniversary of Mr. Gurdjieff’s death, Mme de Salzmann posed a question for everyone present: “How do we recognize a Master?” In response to the question, a number of those who had been with Mr. Gurdjieff spoke of the experience. The last person to do so was Mme Lannes. The following is a transcript of what she said.]

When I first heard the ideas of Mr. Gurdjieff’s teaching from Jeanne de Salzmann, nothing had yet been published and the name of Gurdjieff was quite unknown to me. At that time I was not looking for a master, although I had always been full of questions. The idea of a real teaching and a true master had never occurred to me. I did not believe such a thing could exist, at least in our own time.

When I heard the ideas I was dumbfounded. I could not get them out of my mind. They haunted me day and night. I felt they were true.…

[The complete text is available in the printed copy of this issue.]