Bill Segal - by Andrei Serban

William Segal studied at NYU on a football scholarship and went on to found American Fabrics and Gentry Magazines. A millionaire by the time he was thirty, he turned to painting. In the early 1930s he met Ouspensky, and through him, Mr. Gurdjieff. Strongly attracted to Zen Buddhism, he also studied with Suzuki. He was an active member of the New York Gurdjieff Foundation where he served as Chairman.

For William Segal - by David Appelbaum

William Segal, a long time student of Gurdjieff, died on May 16, 2000. David Appelbaum’s compact, articulate eulogy celebrates the multi-faceted life of William Segal as a philosopher, business-man, artist and spiritual teacher.

A Voice at the Borders of Silence

These excerpts are taken from the recently published book, A Voice at the Borders of Silence: The Autobiography of William Segal. Segal was a pupil of some of the most influential spiritual masters of the 20th century—including Mr. Gurdjieff and D. T. Suzuki. His life is explored through his own writings and art, as well as through interviews.

Wm. Segal - by Daniel Hess

William Segal illuminates an exceptional array of topics, especially self-transformation, in this interview with Daniel Hess which was first published in the Shambhala Sun, November–December 1992.

In Light of Meaning: An Interview with William Segal

In this 1995 interview, William Segal and David Appelbaum discuss uses of language and demonstrate that quality of attention and an inner presence are essential elements in the art of communication. First published in Parabola, Vol. XX, No. 3, New York, and is reprinted with their kind permission.

The Patriarch Goes West

William Segal compares Gurdjieff to a Zen Patriarch and points out that his teaching has a timely appeal to Westerners, especially for those who are “hungry for deeper, more authentic modes of life.”

Spiritual Masters

“Even a modicum of relationship with a master gives rise to an openness and a reception of energies which is not possible without the teacher’s presence.”

The Force of Attention

“The attention is not mine. In a moment of its presence, one knows that it does not originate entirely with oneself. Its source surrounded by mystery, attention communicates energies of a quality the mind cannot represent.”