Other Books and Resources We Recommend

In addition to their own books, Don Riso & Russ Hudson recommend the following books and resources as worthwhile background material on the Enneagram, spirituality, personal development, and related ideas.

While not necessarily agreeing with the contents of all of these resources, we nevertheless think that they merit the serious Enneagram student's attention.

ECKHART TOLLE

A. H. Almaas

A.H. Almaas, known to his students as Hameed Ali, has developed an extraordinary system of spiritual development synthesizing Fourth Way ideas and traditional Buddhism, Sufism, and Judeo-Christian mysticism with the contemporary discoveries of ego and depth psychology. His teachings are clear, comprehensive, and very compatible with Enneagram studies. His school is the Ridhwan School.

Almaas, A.H. Diamond Heart Series, Berkeley, CA: Diamond Books, 1987-1997.

The Diamond Heart series is compiled from transcripts of live talks given by Almaas, and are easily the most accessible of his books. A good place to begin exploring his work.

________. Essence With the Elixir of Enlightenment : The Diamond Approach to Inner Realization. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1986. A thorough investigation of the subject of Essence—what it is, and what it is not. Almaas explores the topic in the light of a variety of sacred traditions as well as the findings of developmental psychology. More technical than the Diamond Heart books, but accessible to most readers.

________. The Void : Inner Spaciousness and Ego Structure. Berkeley, CA: Diamond Books, 1986 Volume One of the Diamond Mind Series, this book is more technical than the Diamond Heart books and is written mainly for the therapeutic community, but can be read by anyone with some familiarity with psychoanalytic terminology, or at least the patience to learn some. The book explores the relationship between the structured nature of the ego self, and the open, boundless qualities of Essence.

________. The Pearl Beyond Price : Integration of Personality into Being an Object Relations Approach. Berkeley, CA: Diamond Books, 1988. Volume Two of the Diamond Mind Series, this book is far more extensive than The Void, and goes into considerable detail, mapping out the structures of the ego in terms of object relations—the formative relationships between parent and child—and exploring the consequences of these structures on the development of Essence. A very important, but challenging book.

________. The Point of Existence : Transformations of Narcissism in Self-Realization. Berkeley, CA: Diamond Books, 1996. Volume Three of the Diamond Mind Series, this book looks at narcissism not just as a particular problem or issue in the ego structure of some individuals, but as the basis of and consequence of all identification with the ego. Almaas argues that the ego, as an artificial construct of the mind, is, by its very nature, empty, deficient and without any sense of inherent value. Thus, identifying with ego requires constantly "investing" value in it to defend against these underlying feelings of emptiness. He describes the process of seeing through and breaking down identification with the ego "shell" so that the true value of our essential nature becomes the center and source of our identity.

________. Facets of Unity : The Enneagram of Holy Ideas. Berkeley, CA. Diamond Books, 1998. The Holy Ideas were part of Oscar Ichazo's original presentation of the Enneagram. He taught that there are nine enlightened perspectives, nine ways that we perceive reality when we are not identified with our ego. Each Holy Idea represents a non-dual view of existence, and each Enneagram type is particularly sensitive to one of them. Almaas writes about the Holy Ideas with clarity, compassion, and humor. We recommend this book to serious students of the Enneagram, but it can be confusing to novices because it is not about the personality types as such. It is the first major treatment of this subject in print.

________. The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence.

________. Brilliancy: The Essence of Intelligence (Diamond Body).

Davis, John. THE DIAMOND APPROACH: An Introduction to the Teachings of A.H. Almaas. Boston and London: Shambala Books, 1999. This is probably the best introduction to the work of Almaas. It is an effective overview of the major teachings of the Diamond Approach, and is presented as a narrative. Davis describes his own experience of the work over a period of several years. Highly recommended for its readability and for providing a more accessible entry point into these wonderful ideas.

THE GURDJIEFF WORK:

An Annotated Bibliography of Recommendations

Tart, Charles, WAKING UP: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Potential. Boston: New Science Library, Shambhala, 1986. An excellent general overview, in greater detail than Speeth's book. Tart also successfully relates Gurdjieffian terminology and concepts to other contemporary psychological theories. Highly recommended to introduce Work ideas.
Speeth, Kathleen Riordan, THE GURDJIEFF WORK. Berkeley: And/Or Press, 1976. Revised, second edition, 1989.
A good, concise overview of the basic ideas of Gurdjieff's teachings. Very helpful in becoming familiar with Work terminology. Good illustrations and diagrams.
Ouspensky, P.D., IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS. New York: Harcourt Brace and Co., 1949.
An astoundingly clear and multi-leveled exposition of Gurdjieff's ideas, accompanied by Ouspensky's comments and confessions. This is a deeply informative book, and is indispensable to the serious student.
Gurdjieff, Georges Ivanovitch, VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD: Early Talks of Gurdjieff as Recollected by His Pupils. New York: Dutton, 1973.
A book of questions by pupils answered by G. Clarifies and expands on many of the ideas introduced in IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS. Very practical, particularly useful once one is engaged in Work exercises. Indispensable.
Nott, C.S., TEACHINGS OF GURDJIEFF: The Journal of a Pupil. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1964.
This book contains a wonderful introduction to ALL AND EVERYTHING, as well as a very readable account of life in the Prieuré with Gurdjieff and others.
de Hartmann, Thomas, OUR LIFE WITH MR. GURDJIEFF. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1964.
The best book recounting life with G. at his Institute at Fontainebleau. Thomas de Hartmann also discusses the early years he spent with G in Russia. Both books offer glimpses of another way of life, as well as insights into G's unusual methods of teaching.
Gurdjieff, G.I., MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN. New York: Dutton, 1963. G's account of his childhood and formative influences.
This book is enjoyable to read as a series of adventures, fables, and remembrances, but all of these stories communicate important ideas which are often initially understood only subconsciously.
Gurdjieff, G.I., ALL AND EVERYTHING: Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson. New York: Harcourt Brace and Co., 1950.
G's magnum opus. ALL AND EVERYTHING is not easily approached. G wrote this book in an intentionally difficult style so that it could not be read "mechanically"—that is, in one's habitual way of reading. In this sense, ALL AND EVERYTHING is a hermetic text. It contains the "secrets" of the Work—real wisdom; however, the process of uncovering these "jewels" is inseparable from the effort to understand them. In other words, if someone were to explain the "meaning" of a particular chapter, you might get an interesting piece of information, but no real wisdom. Like the medieval alchemical texts, the struggle to understand this book brings about an enhanced state of awareness which causes us to receive the book's knowledge in an unaccustomed way. Essential reading, at the proper time.

There are a few movies we know of that we can recommend:

Meetings With Remarkable Men, by Peter Brook, is a dramatization of Gurdjieff's search for meaning.
Three-Part Documentary on Gurdjieff's Life, by William Patrick Patterson, goes into great detail about Gurdjieff’s life.

There are a number of other books that supplement these source materials. Some of them support the above-mentioned titles, and others convey related ideas that have been greatly beneficial.

Nicoll, Maurice. PSYCHOLOGICAL COMMENTARIES ON THE TEACHINGS OF GURDJIEFF AND OUSPENSKY. Boston and London: Shambhala, 1985.
This is a multi-volume commentary on Work ideas (in six volumes) by a noted psychologist who also worked extensively with Jung. Dr. Nicoll provides some wonderful explanations and new material, but the books are really intended for people already familiar with Work ideas. Like IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS, this set of books is based on talks to Work students that have been given over a number of years.
Ouspensky, P.D., THE FOURTH WAY. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1957.
Questions and answers with Ouspensky and his pupils in Great Britain. Fascinating, but not as powerful as IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS. Good supplemental material including some of Ouspensky's own theories and comments.
Bennett, J.G., GURDJIEFF: Making A New World. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
Bennett was an impressive teacher in his own right and explored a number of interesting spiritual traditions. His time with the Work was short compared to many other authors, nonetheless, this book, as well as another Bennett book, WITNESS, make intriguing reading. They both offer moving accounts of Bennett's contact with the Work, and of his spiritual discoveries.
Gurdjieff, G.I., LIFE IS REAL ONLY THEN, WHEN 'I AM'. New York: Dutton, 1975.
G's last book, similar in tone to MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN, was never completed before his death in 1949. We have only an unfinished preliminary draft of the book, but even in this condition, it offers great insights. Not recommended until one is well-versed in Work ideas.
Patterson, Wm. Patrick, EATING THE I: An Account of the Fourth Way—The Way of Transformation in Ordinary Life. San Anselmo, California: Arete Communications, 1992.
An enjoyable account of involvement in contemporary Work groups as well as some discussions of other "paths" the author explored. Gives a sense of what it's like to participate in a modern Fourth Way organization.
Mouravieff, Boris, GNOSIS: Study and Commentaries on the Esoteric Tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy. Newbury, Massachusetts: Praxis Press, 1989.
Only recently translated into English from the original 1961 French editions, this three volume set purports to provide the origins of the Fourth Way teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky in the esoteric traditions of the early Greek Orthodox Church.
It interprets the ideas found in Ouspensky's books in an overtly Christian context and refers to lines from Scripture and early eastern orthodox works such as the Philokalia which support the Work's psychological and Cosmological perspectives. Although it will take further scholarship to determine the accuracy of Mouravieff's assertions, it is true that he and Ouspensky knew one another, and the world view presented in these volumes is fascinating in its own right-particularly for those curious about the origins of the Enneagram.

OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Andrews, Frank. The Art and Practice of Loving. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Book, 1991.
Barks, Coleman, and others. The Essential Rumi. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1995.
Beck, Charlotte. Nothing Special. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1993.
Bennett, J.G. Enneagram Studies. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1983.
Bradshaw, John. Bradshaw On The Family. Dearfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 1988.
________. Homecoming. New York: Bantam Books, 1990.
Brown, Byron. Soul Without Shame. Boston: Shambhala Books, 1999.
Cameron, Julia and Mark Bryan. The Artist's Way. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Book, 1992.
D'Adamo, Peter and Catherine Whitney. Eat Right for Your Type. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996.
DeMello, Anthony. Awareness. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
________. The Way to Love. New York: Doubleday, 1991.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
Epstein, Mark. Thoughts Without a Thinker. New York: BasicBooks, 1995.
Epstein, Perle. Kabbalah, The Way of the Jewish Mystic. Boston: Shambhala, 1988.
Fremantle, Christopher. On Attention. Denville, NJ: Indication Press, 1993.
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam, 1995.
Greenberg, J. and Stephen Mitchell. Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983.
Guntrip, Harry. Schizoid Phenomena, Object Relations, and the Self. Madison, CT: International Universities Press, 1995.
Hales, Dianne and Robert. Caring for the Mind. New York: Bantam, 1995.
Halevi, Z'ev Ben Shimon. The Way of Kabbalah. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1976.
Hanh, Thich Nhat. The Miracle of Mindfulness. Boston: Beacon Press, 1975.
Hinsie, Leland and Robert Campbell. Psychiatric Dictionary (4th Edition). New York: Oxford University Press, 1970.
Horney, Karen. Neurosis and Human Growth. New York: W. W. Norton, 1950.
________. Our Inner Conflicts. New York: W. W. Norton, 1945.
Ichazo, Oscar. Between Metaphysics and Protoanalysis. New York: Arica Institute Press, 1982.
______. Interviews with Oscar Ichazo. New York: Arica Institute Press, 1982.
Johnson, Stephen. Character Styles. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994.
Jung, C. G. Psychological Types. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1974.
Kasulis, T. P. Zen Action, Zen Person. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1981.
Kernberg, Otto. Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism. New York: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1975.
Knaster, Mirka. Discovering the Body's Wisdom. New York: Bantam Books, 1996.
Kornfield, Jack. A Path with Heart. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
Krishnamurti, J. The Flame of Attention. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1984.
Leonard, George, and Michael Murphy. The Life We Are Given. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Books, 1995.
Lowen, Alexander. Narcissism. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1983.
Maoquarrie, John. In Search of Humanity. New York: Crossroad, 1985.
Mahler, Margaret S., Fred Pine, and Anni Bergman. The Psychological Birth of the Human Infant. New York: Basic Books, 1975.
Maslow, Abraham. The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. New York: Esalen Books, 1971.
Matt, Daniel. The Essential Kabbalah. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994.
Millon, Theodore. Disorders of Personality. New York: J. Wiley & Sons, 1981.
Moore, James. Gurdjieff: The Anatomy of a Myth. Rockport, MA: Element, Inc. 1991.
Napier, Nancy J. Sacred Practices for Conscious Living. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Naranjo, Claudio. Character and Neurosis. Nevada City, CA: Gateways/IDHHB, Inc., 1994.
Nisargadatta, Maharaj. (Translated by Maurice Frydman.) I Am That. Durham, NC: The Acorn Press, 1973, 1982.
Oldham, John and Lois Morris. The Personality Self-Portrait. New York: Bantam:1990.
Olsen, Andrea, with Caryn McHose. Bodystories. Barrytown, NY: Station Hill Press, 1991.
Ornstein, Robert. The Roots of the Self. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1993.
Plotinus. The Enneads. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Powell, Robert. The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. New York: Globe Press Books, 1992.
Rudolph, Kurt. Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1987.
Rumi, Mevlana Jalaluddin. (Translated by Camille and Kabir Helminski). Jewels of Remembrance. Putney, VT: Threshold Books, 1996.
Satir, Virginia. The New Peoplemaking. Mountain View, CA: Science and Behavior Books, Inc., 1988.
Schimmel, Annemarie. The Mystery of Numbers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Schimmel, Solomon. The Seven Deadly Sins. New York: The Free Press, 1992.
Scholem, Gershom. Origins of the Kabbalah. Princeton, NJ: The Jewish Publication Society, Princeton University Press, 1962.
Shah, Idries. Caravan of Dreams. London: The Octagon Press, 1968.
________. Learning How to Learn. London: Octagon Press, 1978.
________. Tales of the Dervishes. New York: Arkana/Penguin, 1967.
Shapiro, David. Neurotic Styles. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1965.
Smith, Huston. Forgotten Truth. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1985.
Taylor, Thomas. The Theoretical Arithmetic of the Pythagoreans. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1983.
Tracol, Henri. The Taste for Things That Are True. Rockport, MA: Element, 1994.
Trungpa, Chogyam. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Boston: Shambala, 1973.
Walsh, Roger and Frances Vaughn. Paths Beyond Ego. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Perigee Books, 1993.
Wegscheider-Cruse, Sharon. Another Chance. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books, Inc., 1981.
Wilber, Ken. The Eye of Spirit. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.
________. Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. Boston: Shambhala, 1995.
________. The Spectrum of Consciousness. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1977, 1993.

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