How did you find the Diamond Approach?
I found the Diamond Approach in 1986 through a Rolfer in bodywork, who was a student in the teaching. His practice happened to be down the street from where I lived in Denver, and he had literature displayed in his office that described the school’s teaching. From there I found a private teacher to work with. That in itself was a wonder and a luxury, because the Gurdjieff teaching I came from did not offer private work.
When you first started, what was your greatest challenge?
Probably the biggest challenge at the beginning was learning to discern my experience in the moment from my mind’s intervention (through commenting and judging) of the experience. It was difficult to see that there was a living experience that I was participating in, other than that of my mind’s assertions and interpretations.
What has kept you engaged with the Diamond Approach teachings?
The Diamond Approach has a beauty and a majesty to it, and this has certainly sustained my engagement with the teaching. It is comprehensive both in scope and depth, and doesn’t have an end point. Thus, I feel the teaching can meet and hold my process, and provide a framework for understanding. It is through my engagement with inquiry—our teaching’s primary methodology—that I experience the personal relevance of the teaching in my own experience, which is quite a blessing and joy for me.
What aspect of the teaching is most alive in you right now?
What is probably most alive for me right now in the teaching is working with and discovering The Personal in my being—the particulars of my unique manifestation and expression. It is a rich and ongoing exploration for me. I am grateful that our teaching so includes the personal element in the exploration of humanness and of Reality.
What has been the most surprising discovery for you?
The most surprising discovery in the last year or so has to be the more direct and ongoing contact with my soul—the ever-present medium of experiencer and experience, all in this mysterious location of presence called myself. I feel joy in the intimacy this discovery brings me, a fluidity not of my doing.
What advice/encouragement would you offer to someone "on the fence" about attending an intro event?
I would say to someone unsure about attending an intro event about our teaching to trust your wish to attend and then let your own experience be your guide as to the next step. Our teaching highly regards where each person is on their journey, so there is room and opportunity to see if this path is for you. It was true in my situation, as well.
If you could have one wish for humankind, what would it be?
True tolerance and acceptance for the diversity in our humanity. Deep down we are all the same in our nature, so there is room to celebrate and support the infinite individual expressions of each of us.
Gregory Beck formally began his spiritual practice when he was 21 years old, following the Gurdjieff tradition. He has been a member of the Ridhwan School since 1990, and became a teacher in 2003. Gregory has lived in Colorado, where he began raising his family of three children (and now five grandchildren), with Holly, also a student of the teaching. They currently live in the Bay Area of California, their native state. Gregory has owned several businesses, loves the ocean and baseball. His present interests include travel, gardening, and investing.