title: The Reality of Being: The Fourth Way of Gurdjieff
author: Jeanne De Salzmann
description: Jeanne de Salzmann (1889&ndash;1990) was born in France and pursued a career in music, dance, and theater. She met Gurdjieff in 1919 and became his closest pupil. Before his death in 1949, Gurdjieff directed de Salzmann to continue his work worldwide. She founded centers in New York, Paris, London, and Caracas, Venezuela. Madame, as she was called with respect, was an esteemed teacher in her own right, transmitting the Gurdjieff Work and especially his &ldquo;Movements,&rdquo; or sacred dances.
zlib_text: > “A work that offers a long-needed clarification and exploration of what G.
  > I. Gurdjieff called the Fourth Way. Madame de Salzmann’s writing style will
  > strike outsiders as having the clarity of reporting and the concentration of
  > poetry. The light she shines is a watershed event in the development of the
  > teaching, and in spiritual search in the West. With the publication of her
  > book, she joins Gurdjieff and other great masters from other times and
  > traditions who have dedicated their lives to bringing the incomparable gift
  > of true consciousness, true love, and true being to the world.”
  
  > —Tracy Cochran, _Parabola_ magazine
  
  > ABOUT THE BOOK
  
  > As the closest pupil of the charismatic spiritual master G. I. Gurdjieff
  > (1866–1949), Jeanne de Salzmann was charged with carrying on his teachings
  > of spiritual transformation. Known as the Fourth Way or “the Work,”
  > Gurdjieff’s system was based on teachings of the East that he adapted for
  > modern life in the West. Now, some t