The Buddhist Trace in the Mysticism and Philosophy of G. I. Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky

Introduction. This article analyzes the anthropological aspects of the teachings of the G. I. Gurdjieff and the Russian philosopher P. D. Ouspensky. Specifically, it examines the fundamental theses of both thinkers' about of human in comparison with similar concepts in Buddhism. Content. Analyzes the meaning of the central thesis in the anthropology of G. I. Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky: "human is a mechanism." The article reveals the significance of the anthropological propositions in the Gurdjieff-Ouspensky system derived from this thesis: the doctrine of the absence of a "permanent “self”" and the illusory of self-consciousness. It hypothesizes that G. Gurdjieff borrowed these propositions from Buddhist philosophy of consciousness. Arguments are given in favor of this hypothesis. Conclusions. The conclusions formulate propositions that point to identical aspects of Gurdjieff-Ouspensky's "Fourth Way" system and the Buddhist teaching on the "no-soul"– anatmavada–supporting the validity of the stated hypothesis.