Living Nonduality

The condition from which all forms appear is from the timeless and unlimited formless presence. This Absolute condition was existent before your particular form arose and will continue to persist after your material form has dis-integrated. It is the source from which the cosmos arose. Your material form, or organism, is a product of this same source, or Intelligence. Your brain is a product of this source. Hence, your thoughts and actions owe their manifestation to this ultimate actuality. Thus, the teachings instruct, "You are not the Doer." When one recognizes that "all that's being done, is That doing what it does," it becomes clear that (from the ultimate standpoint) all which is unfolding is an unprecedented, spontaneous development of the Omnipresent manifesting as, and through, every immediate occurrence. From the vantage point of the Absolute, it makes no difference what occurs, since there is no confinement to a finite consequence. Regardless how the individual organism may evaluate each occurrence, in the final analysis it makes no difference. This nondual perspective of non-attachment is reminded to us each night, in our deepest sleep. We return to a condition of empty awareness in which the self-perception disappears, all relative interests disappear, the world disappears, the cosmos disappears. In that unperturbed awareness, there is an emptiness which is choiceless and in which nothing really matters. For those who realize the implications of the nondual teachings, the fact that ultimately nothing really matters is carried over into one's waking awareness and daily life. It is also clear that while we are embodied in this material form and continue to function in the relative world, the dualistic perspective (rather than the nondual awareness) is the state of mind which pertains for most persons-who are typically not prepared to hear that their "self" has no meaning in the ultimate sense. It's probably not surprising that such teachings were once kept secret. However, they're not secret anymore, and can lead to a life-changing perspective, or Consciousness. === After my first book, Living Nonduality, was published in 2009, I received dozens of e-mails, in addition to some letters, from people all over the U.S. and abroad. In many instances, particular questions or quandaries concerning the subject of enlightenment were expressed. My publisher set up a blog page on my website (livingnonduality.org) and the more succinct queries were often responded to there. In other instances, I sent my reply by mail. The monographs printed in this volume include such correspondences with people on nonduality and are an expansion on the material published four years ago; a few of the selections are those for which there wasn't room in my previous book; and a few others are akin to journal entries. All of them relate to various aspects of nondual realization. Each, in its own way, is a letter to you.

We try to escape from the play of life and the suffering that being "a person in the world" entails. Our efforts to find spiritual enlightenment have the opposite effect and reinforce an underlying feeling of lack, of separation. In Life Without a Centre, Jeff Foster suggests that there is only ever the present appearance of life, with no individual at its core who could ever escape even if they wanted to. The entire spiritual search is nothing more than a game we play with ourselves, the cosmic entertainment. Jeff cuts through the confusion and frustration surrounding the search for escape through spiritual enlightenment, by pointing to the utterly obvious: This moment, and everything that arises in it, is already the liberation that is sought. Life, just as it is, is already what we've been searching for our entire lives. Jeff Foster graduated in astrophysics from Cambridge University. Soon after graduation, life events propelled him onto an intense two-year spiritual search, culminating in the realisation that there was never anything to find in the first place. He currently writes and talks on what some people have called "non-duality," but which he just refers to as "the utterly, utterly obvious."

This is book is for those who have been genuinely searching and longing for 'awakening' or 'the truth'. Die to Love directly points the reader to the end of the spiritual search once and for all. 'I am not trying to help you. If you read this book I will simply destroy you. And who am I? I am you. I am Life itself.' Die to Love explores the desperate longing for love and surrender that so many people feel. But are we willing to lose everything that is familiar and safe in order to know that love that we long for? Are we willing to die for love? This is the death, not of the body, but of the identity called 'me'. Unmani looks at what it is to fall in love and how in moments of intimacy there is no separation. Two merge and become one. Two separate individuals know that they can never be separate. There are also chapters on relationships and the madness of love as well as unconditional and conditional love, and what compassion really is.

“Goes through the entire gamut of topics covered by the Vedas, making use of yoga, detachment, the ego, karma, dharma, love, meditation and much more.” —East and West Magazine This complete guide to enlightenment presents the wisdom of the ancient science of self-inquiry, a time-tested means for achieving spiritual freedom. The author discusses the purpose of self-inquiry, the quest for lasting happiness, issues of identity and transcendence, the role of wisdom and action, and the subconscious obstacles to freedom. He convincingly refutes the popular view that enlightenment is a unique state of consciousness and debunks a host of other enlightenment myths. In his straightforward style he reveals proven methods for purifying the mind, and includes chapters on love, the science of energy transformation and meditation. He takes the reader from the beginning to the end of the spiritual path, patiently unfolding the logic of self-inquiry. “Vedanta is the original systemized enlightenment teaching, and James does an extraordinary job of extracting the essential nectar of the teachings from its dusty, ancient, Sanskrit origins and elucidating it with utmost clarity. One review cannot do this teaching, with its rich history and depth, even a modicum of justice. James’s book is the best introduction there is to this subject.” —Consciousness Junkie “Explains methods of Vedanta in his survey of spiritual techniques, pairing theory with practice and explaining the myths and realities behind an enlightened state. From reflections on moving to a larger living space and clutter to assimilating experiences, How to Attain Enlightenment is a powerful survey any new age library needs.” —The Bookwatch

Using mindfulness-based techniques and cognitive behavioral tools, a leading expert on the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches readers to transcend the experience of chronic pain by reconnecting with other, more valued aspects of their lives.

In this poignant book, humanist psychologist Richard Sylvester provides readers with unique insights regarding life’s most difficult question: Who are we? The human mind is compelled to search for meaning. But when we let go of our notion of the self, we are often confronted with the emptiness of the world. However, even in that emptiness, love and purpose can be found. In The Book of No One, Richard Sylvester continues to communicate the radical and uncompromising view of non-duality expressed in his first book, I Hope You Die Soon. With clarity, humor, and compassion, Sylvester answers many questions about the harsh truths of reality, especially the nature of non-duality, liberation, and enlightenment.

Robert Wolfe is the author of several best selling books on nonduality, the perception of the undivided nature of life. He came to this perception on retreat in the redwood forests of California after intense study and meditation. This book is also the personal inner memoir of a California original spiritual philosopher during a time of awakening. --Amazon.