Michael Jeffreys

 

 

Other books that I plan on reviewing at some point (I tend to skip around depending on my mood!) include:


                        


                         
 

 

                           



                          



                          



                              

  

               

                                        

 

 

While this list started as a "Top 10" list, it has grown because there are so many beautiful souls awakening who are sharing their stories and experiences. By reading multiple books from different authors, it will help give you a deeper understanding of spirituality and enlightenment. What's more, a reading of one book will often deepen your understanding of another book. 

 

For example, after reading John Greven's book, Oneness, you may find that Eckhart Tolle's material is suddenly more impactful and meaningful. Whereas you may have once read The Power of Now and thought, "Wow!" you now read it and think, "Yes!" What was once a concept in your head has now become your natural way of seeing life. Seeing everything as being connected goes from being a "cool" thought, to "duh!"  

 

As Eckhart talks about in regards to his own writing, the reason the words of these authors seem so fresh and alive is because of where they emanate from. They come not from the head, but from the deep inner-stillness that is the essence of our being. This emanation from eternal truth is why these words have such transformative power when we read them.

 

Please note that the order the books are given in is NOT indicative of their worth, i.e., Book # 2 is not "better" than book #9. It just happens to be the order I took them down from my bookshelf when writing these "mini-reviews." In fact, ALL of these books have been extremely helpful in my own growth and understanding of what it means to awaken, and for that I am eternally grateful to each author.

 

 

   

               (Stillness Speaks photo top of page)

 

Eckhart Tolle is the most popular spiritual teacher of our generation. His gift is in taking the often mysterious world of spirituality, and breaking it down into simple and easy to understand components. Of course, understanding the concepts is one thing, and living them is quite another.

One of the reasons Eckhart is so successful is because his words, whether written or spoken, carry with them the vibration of the very silence he is teaching from. My recommended order for reading the books is to start with A New Earth. I think it is an easier read and goes into more detail about the ego than does TPON. Once you have read ANE, than TPON is much easier to understand.

"Complaining is one of the ego's favorite strategies for strengthening itself. Every complaint is a little story the mind makes up that you completely believe in. Whether you complain aloud or only in thought makes no difference."

-pg. 61, A New Earth (pb)

 

"The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life. The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is."

-pg. 27 The Power of Now (hb) 

 

Stillness Speaks is a small gem of a book and maybe my favorite of Eckhart's. It has a charm all its own. Packed with golden nuggets on every page, it is great for when you only have a few minutes and want a "quick hit" of words that emanate from presence:

 

"When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness. This is the I Am that is deeper than name and form."

 

 

 

I think of Adyashanti as a young Eckhart. He presents his message with humor, ruthlessness, and a twinkle in his eye. He practiced zen meditation for 14 years before "awakening." I often listen to his cds and watch his videos on youtube. 

 

"When we really start to take a look at who we think we are... we start to see that while we may have various thoughts, beliefs, and identities, they do not individually or collectively tell us who we are. [And yet] it is astounding how completely we humans define ourselves by the content of our minds, feelings, and history."

 

 

 

 

Jean taught Advaita (non-dualism) and yoga during the 1960's in Europe:

 

"Liberation does not concern the person, for liberation is freedom from the person. Basically the disciple and teacher are identical. Both are the timeless axis of all action and preception. The only difference is that one 'knows' himself for what he is while the other does not. The idea of being a person, an ego, is nothing other than an image held together by memory." -pg. 7, I Am

 

 

 

 

Jeff Foster is a young man from the UK who has recently emerged as a brilliant teacher who embodies presence and describes it very simply and directly as, "the utterly, utterly, obvious." I have all four of his books: Life Without a Centre, Beyond Awakening, The Revelation of Oneness. and his newest, An Extraordinary Absence.

 

Jeff's basic message is that "this," the currently arising present moment, is all there is. And it is beautiful, and wonderous, and more than enough... unless you attempt to experience it through your mind, which could never be satisfied with just "this." When this happens, this searching for more, we are bound to experience suffering since there is no "more,"... there is just "this."

 

Says Jeff:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This book kills it. I mean really.

 

In just 89 brilliant pages John Greven logically and systematically helps you see the truth of who you really are. He is like a surgeon who carefully cuts away all that is not you. What you are left with is... :).

Here is a quote from the book:

"If there is something that is aware of the body, than that something must not be the body. Isn't it clear that the body appears to something? That the thoughts of the body appear to somethng? The body is objective to what you truly are!"

If you are a huge Eckhart fan as many of us are, I think you will find that after reading this book, Tolle's insights will be even more meaningful to you as they will resonate more deeply. At least that was the case with this being!

** Update 7-17-09: I am re-reading this book for the second time and am simply blown away at what a great job the author has done. This book really says it all and does so while pretty much handling all your questions. His material is so logical and systematic that to continue to hang on to old limiting beliefs and self-delusions becomes almost impossible.

I have orange, green, and yellow highlights on practically every page of my copy.... here are few of my highlighted quotes:

"Everything that is, appears in awareness. Awareness does not pick, choose, or judge what appears upon or within it. It does not matter what happens, awareness contains it as it is." pg. 52

"Presence/awareness is not in the mind and it cannot be contained in the mind. The thought of presence/awareness, as with the rock, is not the actual. You don't have awareness; you are awareness.... The thought of it turns what you actually are into a concept to which the mind can relate." pg. 53

I've underlined the last sentence because Mr. Greven has hit on a key point: anything the mind thinks about something ISN'T the something! On the surface, this appears to create a conundrum: the mind cannot tell you who you are, yet the mind is all you have to think with. What's a spiritual seeker to do!? ;)

 

 

 

 

Who knew a little 100 page book with a jumping goldfish on the cover has the ability to absolutely blow your mind!? If you are serious about ending the search, look no further. While Eckhart has taught us about not identifying with our thoughts, Gary explains WHY: because we have no conscious choice in the thoughts that we experience!

Like our heart beating our thoughts are just something that the conditioned body (our neurology, as Gary calls it) does. To think we have control over our thoughts is an illusion. After all, if we did we would all have great jobs, great relationships, great health, and always make great decisions. Of course, the reality is that it's hit and miss at best.

However, once you see through the illusion, the jig is up and you are able to see your true nature, which is simply the unconditioned awareness that experiences the now moment. Let me tell you, it's a great feeling when the truth is seen and understanding occurs. The book contains several visual examples that really help illustrate the author's points. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

 

(Note: because the book was printed "on demand," it's physical quality is not on the same level as its contents. Hopefully, when a major publisher picks this book up, it will get the binding/professional layout it deserves.) 

 

Here are some of Gary's thoughts from the book:

It certainly does seem as if we make many conscious choices in life, but there is a huge difference between choices we are conscious of and choices that are consciously made.

 

 

 

 

 

I saw Leonard's one man play, Liberating Jesus, as well as attended his satsangs in Santa Monica in 2008 and 2009. He is a gifted teacher who understands many of the blocks to awakening. Watching him work with a woman from the audience who was filled with fear was amazing. Rather than run from her feelings, he encouraged her to verbalize them, let them out, really ham it up! 

 

Leonard: "You say you're mad, but I don't feel it. Let me see you get really mad!" Woman: "I'm afraid to let it out, because my words can kill!" Leonard, "Wow... really? Could you show me how to do that please. I would like to have that kind of power!" And we all laughed.

 

Through humor, love and gentle guidance he was able to break down some of her walls so that she could actually get in touch with these feelings, rather than just be afraid of them. It was quite impressive to watch him work with her for some 15 minutes and see the change in her entire demeanor as she began to become "unstuck" from all of the anger she was holding on to. She appeared lighter, her whole body began to relax, and she began to smile for the very first time. The transformation was really something to witness.

 

From Journey into Now, here is Leonard on the Ego:

 

 

 

 

Enlightenment occurs as you transcend the ego and become fully present. Because the ego cannot be present, it cannot come with you.


**A moment ago [6-5-09] I re-read the above quotes, and they hit me even stronger and ring even "more truer" :) than when I first read them! This is because the deeper you go into the stillness that you are, the easier it is to recognize clear teaching. And clear teaching is teaching that is free from mind generated beliefs and opinions. It has an energetic vibration to it that is drenched in stillness, which you can sense if you are tuned into it and which, obviously, mind produced thoughts do not possess. A mind produced thought has a serious, anxiety filled, "this is me, this is my life," life and death, desperate quality to it that is propelled by fear. Again, the deeper you go and the more time you spend in the stillness that you are, the more obvious all this becomes.-MJ**

---

 

 

 

 

 

In this personal account, Alice Gardner tells about her awakening in 2002 after spending a week at an Eckhart Tolle retreat. What makes this book different is that while many spiritual books imply that our "humanness" is what prevents us from awakening, Gardner believes that it can be our greatest teacher and is an important and even necessary part of the spiritual path:

"A common error that so many of us make is to believe that just because we made our personal stories up, that there is something wrong about the human part of us and with the stories that we have created and lived." pg. 18

"The separate self is seen to be a constructed entity but it will not entirely go away and we don't want it to! It is needed as an important tool for living and a sacred and integral part of the bridge that we become between earth and spirit." pg. 19

"In spite of what we might have thought, our histories are perfect just as they are." pg.19

For me, just reading this felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Resist nothing includes our humanness! Another highlight is when she talks about how she perceives the world now vs. before her awakening. I like that she gets into the details. Somewhat surprisingly, she found awakening to be initially unsettling. (Likewise, I remember Eckhart talking about after his awakening how he didn't really understand what had happened to him.)

This is a must read for those that want to hear from someone who awakened who considers herself to be just an average "Joan," i.e., not special in any way. Again, it's Alice's personal and honest sharing of details that helps you connect with her and makes this book so special. Highly recommended! (I also enjoyed watching Alice's videos on her website.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have a lot of questions about spirituality, this could be your new favorite book. Richard gives very detailed answers to some common and not so common questions regarding awakening. The Mandala in the book's title refers to a small circle (The NOW), surrounded by a larger circle which contain the only four places our mind can ever be when not in the now: PAST, FUTURE, SUBJECT(thinking about ourselves), OBJECT (thinking about somebody else).

 

I think of Richard as a scientist who breaks down awakening very logically and systematically.

 

Says Richard:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just love Embracing the Now! The depth of Gina's understanding of awakening is second to none, yet she is able to share her material with breathtaking clarity.

 

A subtitle for this book could be, "Tolle made easy!" in that she is able to breakdown what can often be confusing or vague concepts into easily understandable material. Yes, Gina has a very special gift for making the seemingly complicated, spectacularly uncomplicated!
 
(The only 'flaw' in the book is its cover: the stock is too thin and thus curls badly. Gina, I say to you with love my dear, your books are fantastic and deserve a thicker cover!)
 
There are so many nuggets on every page that my copy is one big rainbow of highlight marks!
 
Here are some of the passages that I highlighted:
 
"The ego isn't actually an entity. Rather, it is the sense of being a separate individual. We feel like individuals, although we are in actuality manifestations, or expressions, of One Being."
 
"Encased in this human body, we have lost awareness of our true nature and are meant to rediscover the truth."
 
"Anything that comes after "I am," defines us, and we take these definitions as who we are."
 
And this one hit like the proverbial ton of bricks:
 
"This "you" that you think you are is made up of thoughts! What a revelation that is!"
 
"Who you really are is indescribable because it is beyond anything the mind can grasp."
 
And lastly, I will leave you with this gem by Gina:
 
"When we are first learning to separate ourselves from the mind, it's helpful to conceptualize a witness who is observing the mind, but this witness is not Awareness; it's just an idea that represents Awareness. To witness the mind, you need awareness, but making Awareness into a witness is making it into a thing, which it is not."

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like this book's simple "zen like" cover, which is reflective of Stephan's buddhist/zen background. He is a student of one of my favorite spiritual teachers, Adyashanti.  

 

Says Stephan:

 

 

 

 

And here Stephan shares "his" moment of awakening:

 

"...one day, in a moment out of time, the seeker and sought collapsed into one another, and I know who I was once and for all. The one who had been looking so hard for true nature was the very true nature I had been looking for. Truth had been playing hide-and-seek with itself. As long as I continued focusing so much effort on searching, I couldn't possibly stumble backward into the silent presence that was the source of all searching." pg. 43

---

Gina Lake's "Anatomy of Desire" is pure gold! It is filled with spiritual gems and powerful insights that drip with presence.

Her material rings of both authenticity and clarity. You know that favorite author of yours that always "nails it" just as you see it? Or answers questions you've always had? Well for me, Gina Lake does the job. The problem is, I find myself highlighting the whole damn book!:)

Here's a taste (pg. 23):

"You are evolving toward pure Awareness, which is not identified with the body, mind, desires, or feelings but knows itself as All. Until you have acheived this level of dis-identification, you are identified to some extent with your body, mind, desires and feelings.

"Those who are deeply and more completely identifed with these suffer greatly, and those who are less deeply and completely identified with these suffer less."

The focus of this book is on a topic that all of us do, yet few of us think about HOW we do it or even if it is really US doing it!? Most of us are just a slave to our mind's never ending litany of demands and desires which is why there is so much suffering in the world.

Gina Lake has thought alot about this vital subject and clearly explains what the mind is up to and why it has nothing to do with who we really are.

---

 

While I had never heard of Peter Francis Dziubin (pronounced "Jubin"), I was drawn to his book because the reviews on amazon where so favorable. Indeed, some reviewers indicated that this was the book that actually helped them "awaken." And after reading only a few pages, I can see how this could happen. How is this possible? Because Mr. Dziubin brings to your attention the most fundamental principle in the entire universe: that without consciousness, nothing else could exist. That is, nothing is bigger than or outside of consciousness (if something were bigger than or outside of consciousness, how would you know it since you couldn't be conscious of it!?).

Once you see that Consciousness is the infinite and unlimited "container" in which everything else appears in, the next point to understand is that that which you are, which looks out your eyes, feels what you feel, hears what you hear, is aware of everything that "you" are aware of, is in fact pure consciousness. In other words, you are not a false self seeking its true or higher self (which most religions and even many spiritual teachings imply), but rather what you are is oneness, that which is eternal, unlimited, and contains all, so what is there that you could possible add to it!?

From page 4: "The fact that Consciousness or the Self Itself is the only One being conscious here, now, precludes there being another, lesser consciousness that has to become anything. No transformation is necessary--or even possible."

From page 5: "The human way of life appears to be one of starting with imperfection and trying to progress out of it. Looking out from pure Consciousness doesn't start with human experience and try to take it to a higher level. It starts with the perfection of the Devine Self and stays Here."

The "trick" is that since this is what you already are, you simply need to let go of all the mind constructed false beliefs that are obscuring this truth. More from page 5: "That Self being conscious here, now, is the only You there is."

In other words, forget what your mind might be trying to tell you (since thoughts are just an appearance within consciousness, within you!), and just relax in into the truth of your being, which is the only thing that is not conceptual. From page 6: "A concept never is conscious or alive; it doesn't even know it is there. Only Consiousness Itself is conscious to know anything."

Needless to say, on a scale of 1-10, Consciousness is All by Peter Francis Dziubin gets a 10+.

** Since writing this review, I have had the priviledge of interviewing Peter. Here is part 1 of our 3 part video interview: Michael Jeffreys interviews Peter Dziuban, part 1.






Isira is not well known here in the US, but she is an amazing being and eventually the rest of the world will discover this Australian enlightened master. In fact, several months ago I couldn't get this book on Amazon, and had to obtain it directly from her website. (Note: I just checked Amazon, and I see there is a used copy for 30.00 available as I write this. I would strongly recommend grabbing it.)

Even though the book is 600+ pages, Isira's story is so compelling, that it is hard to put down. Her honesty and willingness to share from her heart make this one of the most amazing books I have ever read. This blonde beauty from down under shares things like how she never seem to "fit in" growing up, and how her rebellious nature often landed her in trouble with both her folks as well as her teachers. She uses words like an artist uses colors to paint the reader a vivid picture of her incredible lifestory. For example, pg. 62:

"It was there on the cliff top that I had my first experience of 'shape-shifting.' A young kitehawk was hovering only a few feet from where I sat, hanging in the air with the slightest occasional flicker of its feathers. The great ocean glistened like a stretch of silk encrusted with diamonds and the sky swept out before me, an empty stage in God's set. I sat in stillness, consumed by the power and beauty of the scene.

Quite suddenly I felt a dropping, dissolving sensation followed by an expansion and a sudden pointed awareness. I was no longer the experience of the girl on the cliff watching the hovering hawk. I was the hovering hawk watching the girl on the cliff! And yet there was still the 'I' awareness, the 'I am' watching. And what was so incredible was that it was both amazing and yet not at all amazing - it felt completely ordinary and normal as if I had known this before."

As incredible as this story sounds, it's just one of many. The most intense being the time she was around 16 years old and raped and beaten so badly that she almost died. And throughout the horrific ordeal, she writes about how she was able to see through her attackers anger, fear, and viciousness, and instead see his true essence, love, even if he didn't.

This is not a book that gives you specific steps on "how to awaken." Rather, it sort of teaches you through her stories. Even the chapter titles, which she calls Keys, are unique and captivating:

Key 0. The Fool; Key 1. The Magic Man; Key 2. Silver Star Woman; Key 3. Venus; Key 4. The Elder; Key 5. The Message Man; Key 6. The Lovers; Key 7. The Walking Spirit...

You get the idea. What happens is as you read, you suddenly realize that there is so much more to life than you were aware of. That, you have only been eating from the top two or three layers of a seven layer cake!

The book itself is very attractive, with peacock feathers adorning many of the pages. It also contains several glossy pages with pictures of Isira growing up, as well as her beautiful art work. I could go on and on as each page is filled with amazing stories, poems, and insights, but my advice is to just get the book. I'll leave you with one final quote from Isira pg. 278:

"Like a spinning wheel, life turns, allowing the coming and going, all held in the central, unmoving presence of the Now. All fate changes: what goes up comes down. As life moves in cycles, every season comes to pass. One must rest in the centre, accepting change, to remain balanced through all that turns. To resist the turning nature of life results in suffering. Our Liberation from the wheel of life is not in escaping it, but in understanding it."

Isira's website is: Isira.com

---

John Wheeler has written 5 books on non-duality to date; this was his first. And that was the reason I chose this one on Amazon. I figured, why not see how the "awakening" unfolded for John right from the very beginning. John says that it was his going to Australia in 2003 and meeting 'Sailor' Bob Adamson that all of his questions were answered. What was left was a very profound understanding that we are not who we think we are. Says John:


"Not being clear on our true nature, we believe the concepts  and stories in the mind and they take us for a ride." pg 26

"Once you begin to glimpse your true nature as the awareness in which the mind and all else appears, you are out of the game." pg. 31

"There is absolutely nothing to do or fix - ever. Doing and fixing are outgrowths of imagining a separate person and a 'doer'. Is there really any entity in there doing anything, making anything happen at all? Or are thoughts, feelings and perceptions spontaneously appearing? If so, then all is happening as it is bound to happen, and there is no basis for imagining 'doership'." pg.50

It doesn't get any clearer than this. John's writing is very smooth, lucid and direct. Very few "theories" for the mind to get hold of. Rather, just a constant barrage of pointers saying, "Here, here it is, it's right here. It's been here all the time!"

One thing I like about Wheeler is that he answers a lot of questions that I have not seen answered elsewhere. The book is filled with questions from seekers, fired one after another at Wheeler and he deftly shines an illuminating light on them all. He is able to do this because all his answers come from the same place... the space this presently arising moment is arising in!

To paraphrase John's message: We are not what arises, we are the space in which it arises.

Watch here how he assures a seeker who feels he had "it"(awakening), but lost it somehow:

"The interesting thing is that even while you are doing this and seemingly losing it, nothing has really changed. This is all just a play of thoughts dancing around in front of you and does not really touch you."

A very nice reminder that who you are never changes, even if you forget who you are!

If you like your medicine straight, you will definitely enjoy this book.

---

After tearing open the envelope and holding the brand new autographed paperback in my hands, I did what all true bookoholics do: I cracked it open and took a big whiff: "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" After coming down from my fresh glue, ink and paper high, I looked at the cover which features a jar of orange marmalade (which technically should be grape, but you'll have to read the book to find out why!) carefully perched on top of three smooth stones. While I understood the three stones reflected the Zen flavor of the book, I was curious about the jar of jelly and why, according to the book's title, it needed to be passed.

Even though I had no intention of reading the whole thing, I figured I would just read a little bit to find out about the book's intriguing title. Although I didn't know it at the time, that's like being a crack addict and saying you are just going to take one hit and then put the pipe down: you are only fooling yourself.

You see, once you start reading this book, your brain quickly realizes it has never read anything quite like this. Gary masterfully combines hilarious stories from his own life growing up in an Irish Catholic family of seven, deadly accurate observations about human nature that, for whatever reason, tend to elude 99% of the humans on the planet, and he does it with such zeal, humor and raw honesty, that you find yourself craving more. I am telling you, if crack could be made into a book, this would be the book!!

What's more, it begins to dawn on you as you make your way through the book, that Gary's outlook on life is not only more interesting and fun than your own, but much more importantly, it's more accurate. "People do what they do. That's what they do. And that is it." You see, the mind, bless its little heart, continually asks the wrong question. It wants to know WHY a person behaves a certain way. However, the truth is, as Gary keeps pointing out throughout the book, because it's the only thing they could do! Once the full weight of this insight hits you, it seems so obvious that you wonder how you ever missed it. "People do what they do. That's what they do. And that is it."

Gary is a scientist of human nature, and the world is his lab. And as you read his insights, you realize that being the scientist, rather than the rat, is a lot more fun! Additionally, it dawns on you (at least it did me) that there is nothing keeping you from being a scientist of human nature yourself. There are rats all around you just waiting to be studied! All you have to do is get curious about your fellow human rats! And here's the key: instead of reacting to or judging others behaviors (or your own) as being right or wrong, you simply realize they had no choice; they are simply following their programming (past conditioning/genetics). Really understanding this one key insight has the potential to change your entire outlook on life. And once seen, you realize that the only logical thing to do is sit back and enjoy the show!

Here are a few more (of the many) gems from the book:

"They simply weren't aware that their perception was only a perception and not reality."

"There is only the actuality of what happens in life. The rest is just a story, no matter who's telling it."

"Everything is because of an amazing chain of cause and effect. Each effect becomes the cause for the next effect."


Finally, I want to say that as good as Gary's insights and humor are, it's his high level of writing that brings it all together. His choice of words always seems to paint just the right picture to get maximum value from the lesson being illustrated. Here's a simple example: on page 36 he places two words next to each other that most people, including myself, would never have thought to put together: "Loud Silence." An apparent oxymoron, yet the incongruity, instead of taking away from the words meaning, delightfully enhances them.

This is the reason why the book is so effective--it works on many different levels: hilarious stories, life changing insights, great writing, and Gary's unique eye for seeing humor in situations most of us wouldn't find particularly funny. How does he do it? He does it by showing us how it's all a matter of one's perspective--that it's not the situation itself, but how you choose to look it at that makes all the difference. And for me, the exciting part is the realization that once you pick up on how Gary sees the world, you can do the exact same thing yourself. All it takes is seeing life as it actually IS, and not how your mind "thinks, wishes, or wants" it to be. While many books claim to be "life changing," this is one of the few that actually delivers. So what are you waiting for... PASS THE JELLY!