Dismantling the Fantasy: An Invitation to the Fullness of Life


Darryl Bailey - 2010
    What is it that remains when the spiritual path, and even enlightenment, is transcended? Dismantling the Fantasy is a consideration of the movement out of thought itself. This may sound extreme or even impossible, but again it is a simple consideration of your potential as a human being, and you can easily understand it from the life experience you already have.

Nothing to Grasp


Joan Tollifson - 2012
    This book is an invitation to wake up from commonplace misconceptions and to see through the imaginary separate self at the root of our human suffering and confusion. Nothing to Grasp is a celebration of what is, exactly as it is.

An Extraordinary Absence: Liberation in the Midst of a Very Ordinary Life


Jeff Foster - 2009
    Using everyday language and drawing on both personal experience and age-old wisdom, Foster shares the possibility that all the seeking and longing of the mind can come to an absolute end with the falling away of the sense of being a separate individual, and a plunge into unconditional love. And in that plunge—which is totally beyond anything you have ever imagined—this so-called ordinary life reveals its great Secret. Written with stunning clarity and aliveness, this book is a love letter to the exhausted spiritual seeker who is simply longing to come Home.

Beyond Mindfulness: The Direct Approach to Lasting Peace, Happiness, and Love


Stephan Bodian - 2014
    No regular practice is required, just the willingness to open yourself to a transformative new way of experiencing life.Mindfulness has permeated our modern lives, and with good reason—it’s been proven to boost mood, reduce stress, improve health, and maximize performance. But in our achievement-oriented culture, the practice of mindfulness can feel laborious and mechanical, like one more task on your endless to-do list. What if you could let go of effort and struggle and relax back into the happiness and ease that is your birthright—and is always readily available to you?Beyond Mindfulness offers teachings and practices based on the direct approach to spiritual awakening that take you beyond the mechanics of being mindful and open you to the non-dual dimension of being, where the separation between self and other reveals itself to be a painful but seductive illusion. Once you realize this new way of seeing, you’ll learn how to move beyond mindfulness into awakened awareness and discover that the love, compassion, wholeness, health, and happiness you’ve been seeking were there all along.

I Am


Jean Klein - 1989
    There may be a moment in life when our compensatory activities, the accumulation of money, learning and objects, leaves us feeling deeply apathetic. This can motivate us towards the search for our real nature beyond appearances. We may find ourselves asking, 'Why am I here? What is life? Who am I?' Sooner or later any intelligent person asks these questions.“What you are looking for is what you already are, not what you will become. What you already are is the answer and the source of the question. In this lies its power of transformation. It is a present actual fact. Looking to become something is completely conceptual, merely an idea. The seeker will discover that he is what he seeks and that what he seeks is the source of the inquiry.”

The Open Secret


Tony Parsons - 1998
    One day that possibility became a reality, and it was simple and ordinary, magnificent and revolutionary. It is the open secret that reveals itself in every part of our lives. But realisation does not emerge through our attempts to change our lives, it comes as a direct rediscovery of who it is that lives. "The Open Secret" is a singular and radical work which speaks of the fundamental liberation that is absolutely beyond effort, path, process or belief.

I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj


Nisargadatta Maharaj - 1973
    The sage's sole concern was with human suffering and the ending of suffering. It was his mission to guide the individual to an understanding of his true nature and the timelessness of being. He taught that mind must recognize and penetrate its own state of being, "being this or that, here or that, then or now," but just timeless being.

Perfect Brilliant Stillness


David Carse - 2005
    "It is so rare to see any work that holds that essential and fundamental perception without compromise. Your book is a beacon which can shine through all of the fog and nonsense that is broadcast under the name of 'advaita' or 'non-duality'. Especially as that expression comes out of no-one!" Tony Parsons author of The Open Secret, As It Is and All There Is. "This book is a Gonzo Gita - a Gone-so Song of God; a soaring, rampaging loving outpouring of Unmanifest Source displayed in manifest consciousness, playing a complex spiritual melody through the hollow bamboo flute of a Vermont farmer/carpenter/building contractor who was all but ignorant of the non-dual tradition before a disorienting full enlightenment struck and he realized 'there's nobody home.' Robert Gussner PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont Dept. of Religion

Nothing Personal: Seeing Beyond the Illusion of a Separate Self


Nirmala - 2008
    In the midst of this welcoming is always an invitation to inquire deeply within, to the core of who and what you are. Again and again, Nirmala points the questions back to the questioner and beyond to the very source of existence itself—to the faceless awareness that holds both the question and the questioner in a timeless embrace.” –From the foreword by Adyashanti. To read free excerpts, go to http://www.endless-satsang.comAdvaita and nondual teachings are about finding the Truth. This Truth is not a dogma that you study; it is the Truth about life—the Truth about who you really are. This Truth is discovered, not learned. It is discovered through sincerely inquiring, Who am I? What you discover is that who you are has nothing to do with self-images or roles and everything to do with what you experience when you ask this question. What you discover is that who you think of yourself as is just that—a thought! And beyond that thought is a great Mystery—an experience of nothingness, which is your true nature.Nothing Personal leads you to the experience of your true nature and helps you explore its depth. Through exposition, questions and dialogues, it brings you to a place of realization of the Truth: you are that spacious Awareness in which everything appears, including your thoughts and feelings. Your thoughts and feelings do not define you but merely appear within Consciousness along with everything else. This Consciousness is who you are.Nothing Personal offers a gentle and persistent guide to seeing the underlying truth of your ultimate nature. In this concisely edited collection of satsang talks and dialogues, you are invited to honor the limitless love that is your true nature and to enjoy the sweet richness that is revealed when you give this Truth your undivided attention.From the introduction:Unlike most books, this one is not meant to add to your knowledge or understanding. It is about the Truth that cannot be spoken or written. Although the Truth cannot be contained in this or any other book, each word written here is intended to point you toward that Truth. Many of the words and ideas may seem paradoxical or contradictory because what they point to is larger than our conceptual frameworks. Many questions are asked, which are not answered anywhere in the book. Find out what the experience is like to ask yourself these questions, even if they leave you emptier of knowledge and understanding. In this emptying, you just may discover what you are looking for.The Truth is revealed when we allow ourselves to not know, so I invite you to set aside all that you know for the time being and allow yourself to look with innocent eyes at what the words are attempting to unveil. Take the time to experience the unspoken truth in each section before moving on to the next. Resist the temptation to read these words with your mind, which is likely to rush right past the Truth. Allow the words to sink into your heart and reveal the truth of who you are.

The Diamond in Your Pocket: Discovering Your True Radiance


Gangaji - 2004
    When he heard it had been purchased, he spent three days trying to steal the rare jewel. He failed.Finally, the thief walked right up to the owner and asked, "How did you hide this precious jewel from me?"To which the owner replied, "I placed it where I knew you would never look--in your own pocket!"This insightful tale opens the first major book release from Gangaji--an American-born teacher who has influenced the lives of thousands of people through her public events.In The Diamond in Your Pocket, Gangaji describes our never-ending search as human beings to find fulfillment--which, paradoxically, already exists if only we will stop long enough to experience it. Readers join Gangaji to learn more about:How to let go of your need to control, and activate instead the choice of where you put your mind's attention- Cultivating the courage to be vulnerable, so you can meet--and deeply merge with--the unknown- How to unearth the roots of suffering--learn to stop replaying your life's dramatic stories over and over, and much more"As long as you are searching for it, it cannot be found, " teaches Gangaji. Written as a series of short contemplations, The Diamond in Your Pocket shows you thought-by-thought how to stop the endless activity of your mind, and experience the brilliance and radiance of who you really are.

Oneness: The Destination You Never Left


John Greven - 2005
    The intent of this book is to look afresh at one’s daily experience, to point to something that the mind may have overlooked. It is not pointing to anything new, anything that you can achieve, or anything you can add to yourself. It is not pointing to the good deeds you have done in your life to emphasize what a wonderful person you must be. It is pointing to something so simple, something so obvious, that when it is pointed out and seen, you wonder how it was ever missed. How could the mind have taken something so obvious for granted? How did the mind so easily toss out the valuable jewel in favor of its reflections? You may have been searching for self realization, enlightenment, the Buddha Mind, God, or some other goal implying the same thing. You may have been searching for many years, or you may just be getting started on a search; Whether you’ve been traveling a path for a while or you’re just taking the first step makes no difference. This book invites you to take a look at the space that has been overlooked, to see what is obvious, and to bring that search to an end—right now.

The Impact of Awakening: Excerpts From the Teachings of Adyashanti


Adyashanti - 2002
    These discussions explore the true meaning of enlightenment in a down-to-earth language that reflects Adyashanti's roots in Zen Buddhism and non-dualism. These talks give many spiritual seekers the gift of freedom as a lived human experience.

Consciousness Speaks


Ramesh S. Balsekar - 1992
    An excellent place to start or end your search. It is highly recommended both for the newcomer to Advaita and the more knowledgeable student of the subject.

Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge


Arthur Osborne - 1954
    Introduced to the West by Paul Brunton, Ramana Maharshi's spirituality, simplicity, kindness and shrewdness had a great impact on many Westerners.

The Truth of Suffering and the Path of Liberation


Chögyam Trungpa - 2009
    This concise handful of words is in fact the foundation from which all subsequent Buddhist teachings grow, and upon which all of them rely. Their wisdom is as pertinent to the scholar of Buddhist philosophy as it is to the ordinary practitioner, as it is indeed to anyone, anywhere, who aspires to liberation. Chögyam Trungpa's in-depth exploration of the Four Noble Truths reveals the subtlety and sophistication that lie beneath these deceptively simple teachings. He emphasizes their profound relevance not just as an inspiration when we set out on the path but at every other moment of our lives as well, showing how we can join view (intellectual understanding) of the teaching with practical application in order to interrupt suffering before it arises. His teaching is, as always, refreshingly direct and profoundly inspiring. The Truth of Suffering is an ideal introduction to the Four Noble Truths for the beginner as well as for the experienced practitioner in search of deeper understanding.