Articles (PDFs)

Absent – Wolter Keers

This article is taken from ‘Jnana yoga — advaita vedanta’ by Wolter Keers, and is published with permission from uitgeverij de Driehoek {as noted in the PDF itself}.

Actually with Wolter Keers

… a conversation with Wolter Keers in Gent, April 25, 1973.

After Awareness – The End of the Path Book Summary

Almaas: InZicht Interview 2007

A.H. Almaas explains the role of modern-day psychology and his own way of working. He gives comments on the content of his book, Brilliancy, in which human intelligence, as an expression of impersonal consciousness, is described and explored.

Translation of this interview with Hameed Ali, June 2006, is by Han van den Boogaard. Published in the magazine InZicht (Insight), issue 1, 2007

Sourced from the A.H. Almaas Website.

Atma Bodha – Francis Lucille Translation

This is Francis Lucille’s translation of the classic Vedantic text written by Adi Shankara in the Eighth Century. Francis translates the 67 verses without any additional commentary.

Becoming Real: Essays on the Teachings of a Master

“Eleven rare essays on the teachings of German spiritual teacher and transpersonal psychologist, Karlfried Graf Durckheim. These writings are from primary students of Durckheim, all key leaders in their fields.” ~ from the book description at Amazon.

Being Just This Moment: My Awakening Journey

In Being Just this Moment, Joan Tollifson provides a brief autobiography about her life’s journey and transformative spiritual awakening.

“Whenever I tell my story, I like to remind myself and my listeners that it is a mental creation. Memory offers a very selective and often unconsciously altered version of events. In constructing “the story of my life,” the thinking mind is selecting, abstracting, reifying, dividing and making sense out of an endless, ever-changing stream of sensations, relying on memories that are notoriously mutable, protean and incomplete. However relatively true that story is, it’s always an imaginary creation, a mental formation, and that’s important to remember. The main character is a creation of smoke and mirrors. So with that said, here’s my story and the story of waking up from my story.”

This piece was originally published in the Spring 2014 Issue of ONE: The Magazine.

Chapter 1: Non-Dualism, by Philip Renard

The first chapter of Philip Renard‘s book Non-Dualism: Eastern Enlightenment in the World of Western Enlightenment provides an in-depth exploration of non-duality. Renard begins his discussion by framing man’s basic problem as “the tormenting voice.” Then, he describes the essence of non-separateness, discusses the Buddhist notion of two-truths and compares and contrasts non-dualism with mysticism.

Non-duality is what remains when the seeking stops, when there is ‘finding’. This happens when the inner struggle is realized as being not based on reality, and in this realization the whole body-mind relaxes. I am not two.

Philip Renard was born in Amsterdam in 1944. After a period of studying the original teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, he started practicing his spiritual life in Subud (a Java based brotherhood), in which the surrender practice called latihangave him a foundation for all further insight, that is: freedom from concept or method. (See Philip’s website for more details about Philip and his work)

Chapter 5: Hallmarks of Non-Dualism, by Philip Renard

The fifth chapter of Philip Renard‘s book Non-Dualism: Eastern Enlightenment in the World of Western Enlightenment explores in detail the five characteristics of of non-dualism.

According to Renard…

Just as I looked for the most appropriate and unifying term for the different forms of the direct way of liberation, and came to the term ‘non-dualism’, so I have also looked for the hallmarks with which non- dualism is inextricably connected. Marks that apply for all true, radical schools of non-dualism, and which highlight how non-dualism differs from other ways.

The five characteristics are:

1. Awareness (chit)
2. No-mind (& emptiness, shûnyatâ; conceptlessness)
3. Immediacy (pratyaksha)
4. Changelessness (kûtastha)
5. Naturalness (sahaja)

Download the article for Philip Renard’s exploration.

Philip Renard was born in Amsterdam in 1944. After a period of studying the original teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, he started practicing his spiritual life in Subud (a Java based brotherhood), in which the surrender practice called latihangave him a foundation for all further insight, that is: freedom from concept or method. (See Philip’s website for more details about Philip and his work)

Death and the Deathless #1

Joan Tollifson explores death in this powerful article, Death and the Deathless….

“Waking up is like dying. Dying to the past. Dying to the known. Dying to all your thoughts, ideas and beliefs. Dying to who and what you think you are. Dying to all hope and hopelessness. Dying to everything. Letting go of every attempt to hold on, to grasp, to control. Losing everything that can be lost and discovering what remains.”

Read the full essay….

Death and the Deathless #2

“The first light of consciousness, the “I AM” as it is often called, is prior to name and form. It is the impersonal sense of bare presence, of being here now, being aware. Before the thought-story-memory that “I am Joan” arises, there is the knowingness of being present and aware.

Read the second part of Joan Tollifson’s exploration on Death and the Deathless.

Dr. Jean Klein by Andrew Rawlinson

This free excerpt offers a brief biography of Dr. Jean Klein from The Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions, by Andrew Rawlinson. It also provides a glimpse into Dr. Klein’s teachings through his direct comments or answers.

Enjoying the Perfection of Imperfection, Joan Tollifson

This article was witten in 1997 for the book Being Bodies: Buddhist Women on the Paradox of Embodiment, edited by Lenore Friedman and Susan Moon, and published by Shambhala. Joan Tollifson was asked by the editors to write something about her experience as a Buddhist meditator with a disability. She was on staff at Springwater Center when she wrote this, and no longer identified as a Buddhist, but was still am engaged in something that feels entirely congruent with the true heart of Buddhism. Enjoyng the Perfection of Imperfection is what is what she wrote.

Face to Face with Sri Ramana Maharshi

Enchanting and Uplifting Reminiscences of 202 persons. Compiled and Edited by Professor Laxmi Narain, published by Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad, India, 2009.

First edition was published in 2005 with 160 individuals and the Second edition, published in 2009, was augmented with additional 42 persons bringing the total to 202.

This PDF was sourced from The Internet Archive.

Francis Lucille: Love in the Other

Francis Lucille on What is Love?

Free Medicine: Meditations on Nondual Awakening – 3 Chapters

Free Medicine is a collection of forty intimate meditations written by Sufi teacher Pir Elias Amidon. Whether describing a naked dive into a pond in the middle of the night, or a confrontation with soldiers in a Burmese temple, these meditations can serve as companions for those whose deepest desire is to know first-hand “the good news at the heart of reality.” Human, accessible, and tender, Free Medicine has the power to open us up in ways we never expected.

This PDF includes the Author’s opening Note (to “those who open this book”) plus the first three Chapters of Free Medicine:

1. Homage to the One.
2. The Desire to Be at the End of Distances
3. The Everyday Practice.

This content was graciously provided to Stillness Speaks through the generous courtesy of Connie Shaw, the publisher (Sentient Publications). The book contains forty chapters, one for each meditation.

Freedom and Resolve, Gangaji

Author and spiritual sage Gangaji’s book, Freedom and Resolve: The Living Edge of Surrender is available as a free PDF download.  The ebook is sourced from Free Spiritual eBooks.

A brief taste….from the book’s opening section, the choice is yours….

After aeons of choosing to tell a story of separation from God, the story seems choiceless. It seems choiceless but it is not.  You have simply been continuing to choose that story that was passed on to you by your ancestors, by your past lives, by your past mistakes, by your past desires. What is choiceless is the truth of who you are.

Fresh Rain: An Introduction to the Sufi Way

Fresh Rain: An Introduction to the Sufi Way, written by Elias Amidon, gives a complete overview of the lineage, structure, and style of the Sufi Way. It also includes a clear description of the function and meaning of initiation in the Sufi Way today. This article is also available as a small booklet through the Sufi Way website by request.

Getting Down Into The Dirt

“Before awakening can truly flower, {one has to} first get down into the dirt” … Read what Amoda has to say about this practical topic.

Amoda has graciously offered this PDF for FREE download.

God as Essence

“In my experience, as I open myself to seeing the truth of who and what I am, God is a truth that reveals itself on its own. It is independent from anyone’s mind or preferences, and has always existed and always will exist inside each of us.”  Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas)

Read this essay by Almaas that overviews his personal spiritual path — growing up as a Muslim, questioning the orthodoxy which began his journey of inquiry into himself to find essence, presence and God.

“I remember that I could not accept at face value what was taught to me. I felt that I needed to find out for myself what the nature of reality was, whether it was God, and what the true nature of God was.”

This article is sourced from the A.H. Almaas Website.

Guru Vachaka Kovai

Guru Vachaka Kovai (translated as The Series of Guru’s Sayings or less precisely as The Garland of Guru’s Sayings), is a comprehensive collection of the sayings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, as recorded (in Tamil) by Sri Muruganar. The original Tamil was translated by Sadhu Om and Michael James and the well known biographer, David Godman, wrote the introduction.

Happiness and The Art of Being

Happiness and The Art of Being, by Michael James, is a brilliant overview of the true philosophy and spiritual practice which Sri Ramana Maharshi taught, bringing forth the Ultimate Truth that Happiness lies deep within us, not in the gross and subtle objects that we ceaselessly pursue in the hopes of completing ourselves.

Ramana’s great gift was his simple and direct method for discovering and confirming this Truth for ourselves through rational and logical analysis of our own direct experience with reality.This approach, called Atma Vichara in Sanskrit is, thus, science and not a philosophy.

Michael James’s work is unique in that its clarity and authenticity are impeccable. Like this author, James came to believe that many of the people who translated Sri Ramana Maharshi’s teachings into English did not have a clear understanding of their practice which he taught. In fact, Michael classified some of the more popular texts as “confusing and misleading”, particularly in their discussions of Atma Vichara, the method of self inquiry, which he felt had been mercilessly reduced to the over simplified mantra, “Who am I?”

To his great credit, Michael James translated from Tamil and published many works by Ramana ( including what many consider his most important work, “Nan Yar?”, meaning, ‘Who am I?’ available at this website here under The Ramana Maharshi Books Section) and English translations of books of some of his students, including the remarkable Sri Sadhu Om, who studied with Ramana for more than five years and later with Sri Muruganar .

Happiness and The Art of Being will help you begin one of the clearest journey into the remarkable teachings of Ramana Maharshi. You can either download a free e-book by clicking here  OR you can buy your own copy at Amazon. Please visit www.happinessofbeing.com for all of the other books written by Michael James, Sri Sadhu Om, Muruganar, and the elusive Michael Langford.

How God as Trinity Dissolves Racism, Richard Rohr

Richard Rohr talks about current times of division, intolerance, political strife and deep racism.

Like much of our nation, I’ve been doing substantial soul-searching to seek understanding about my own actions, beliefs, and behaviors, as well as the systemic patterns that write collective actions, beliefs, and behaviors in quite large letters across our society.

What I’m coming to understand through this reflection is startling, and might surely seem like a non-sequitur. But here it is:

The widespread Christian failure to understand and experience God as Trinity has provided a breeding ground for both implicit and explicit racism.

I Am Unborn – Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

I Am Unborn – Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj  is compiled by Vijayendra Deshpande and edited by Pradeep Apte. It is the product of the notes, taken by Damodar Lund (a disciple of Maharaj), during the satsangs at Maharaj’s residence.

Indifference Not Acting – Wolter Keers

Wolter Keers on indifference and not taking action.

Introduction to Non-Dualism by Philip Renard

This comprehensive Introduction to Philip Renard‘s book Non-Dualism: Eastern Enlightenment in the World of Western Enlightenment is a sweeping exploration of self-realisation and non-duality.

“Nowadays the notion of Self-realisation is more popular than ever. Many books are devoted to this theme. The time seems ripe to offer a view that is more in-depth than most of the books now available, more informative about sources and intricacies of this issue. Otherwise ‘Self-realisation’ could be discarded by people more thoroughly inclined, as being something trivial or trendy.”

Philip Renard was born in Amsterdam in 1944. After a period of studying the original teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, he started practicing his spiritual life in Subud (a Java based brotherhood), in which the surrender practice called latihangave him a foundation for all further insight, that is: freedom from concept or method. (See Philip’s website for more details about Philip and his work)

This Introduction presents the three primary non-dual traditions,

1. Advaita (in Vedanta as well as in advaitic-tantric Shaivism)
2. Ch’an (& Zen)
3. Dzogchen

“These three traditions distinguish themselves by strongly and explicitly emphasizing, more than other traditions do, the non- conceptual as the ultimate truth, and the necessity of the immediate experience of this truth”

This article explores the nature of non-dual reality and how it relates to awakening. Topics included: Hierarchy, Love, Sexual Relationships, Real Understanding, and Interpretations of Enlightenment.

Light of the World

Amoda’s thoughts on “When you live as presence and openness – in all ways and always – you are the light of the world” …

Amoda has graciously offered this PDF for FREE download.

Living from the Heart

Living from the Heart by Nirmala explores the beauty of living from the innermost self, the Heart. He offers a practical guide about how to connect with being, moving awareness away from your mind and thoughts and into your Heart.

The FREE PDF for Living from the Heart is available courtesy of Free Spiritual Ebooks … and also from Nirmala’s website.

Love: Life’s greatest Gift

First published in Common Ground, February 2017
by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

“All of us want, or need, to be loved. The need for love is one of the most basic human impulses. We may cover this need with patterns of self-protection or images of self-reliance. Or we may openly acknowledge this need to ourself or to others. But it is always present, whether hidden or visible. Usually, we seek for love in human relationships, project our need onto parents, partners, friends, lovers. Our lack or denial of love often causes wounds that we carry with us. This unmet need haunts us, sometimes driving us into addictions or other self-destructive patterns. Conversely, if our need for love is met, we feel nourished in the depths of our being.”

Continue reading….

Money And Spirituality

Amoda Maa addresses the topic of Money and spirituality “… a tricky topic, we shouldn’t be talking about it, complete opposites, uneasy bedfellows, one is pure and the other is dirty, you shouldn’t even be thinking about it, blah blah! …”

Amoda has graciously offered this PDF for FREE download.

Mystical Poems by Susan Kahn

A free sampling Susan Kahn’s mystical poetry: Song of Emptiness,  The Mist of Being, and Undying Self.

Nan Yar? ( Who Am I?)

Nan Yar? (Who am I?) is a publication by one of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s devotee, Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai. It is a compilation of the many Q&A sessions between Sri Ramana and Sri Pillai.

Nondualism in Western Philosophy

Greg Goode offers “… a series of pointers to how the Western approach can assist with one’s self-inquiry. It is less a historical survey, and more a collection of Western views that might serve as tools for inquiry, along with suggestions on how these tools might be used….”

Notes on Spiritual Discourses

These voluminous “Notes” are a collection of spiritual discourses by Shri Atmananda Krishna Menon, a living representative of the tradition of Advaita Vedanta and one of the great sages of the modern world. The discourses were recorded during the period of 1950 to 1959 by Nitya Tripta, a trusted disciple. The “Notes” consist of 1451 questions and answers along with Atmananda’s “spiritual statements.” They are short and masterful talks on realizing the Truth through a recognition that our nature is always pure Consciousness. This free PDF version is available courtesy of Non-Duality Press.

Open Awareness

Stillness Speaks is pleased to offer the Preface and first chapter from Elias Amidon’s book, The Open Path: Recognizing Nondual Awareness as a FREE pdf down load.

From the Preface…

Parmenides’ On Reality

Francis Lucille’s translation of Parmenides’ single poem On Reality  (or On Nature).

Polishing The Crystal Of Your Uniqueness

Amoda Maa addresses questions like: Does awakening erase the personality? Do all personal traits, tendencies, and idiosyncrasies get wiped away in one fell swoop? Does our astrological imprint become obsolete? Do we transcend our conditioning completely? Do we return to some kind of innocent tabula rasa?

Amoda has graciously offered this PDF for FREE download.

Praying for the Earth

“Prayer is the simplest and most natural way to communicate with the Divine. Prayer is the heart speaking.” Read this beautiful piece on prayer by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee.

This article is sourced from the Working with Oneness website and was also published in the Huffington Post.

Continue reading  ….

Prior to Consciousness

Stillness Speaks is pleased to offer Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s perspective on Awareness & Consciousness as part of our continuing exploration of this topic. As a start, we are sharing a book, Prior to Consciousness, based on talks given by Nisargadatta available as a FREE downloadable PDF. The contents of this book are transcribed from tape recordings made during the question and answer periods of 1980 and 1981 which occurred regularly until Sri Maharaj’s death from cancer in September, 1981, at the age of 84.

Richard Sylvester: Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers

Stillness Speaks is excited to offer this excerpt from Richard Sylvester’s latest book, Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers.

Richard Sylvester is a humanistic psychologist, therapist and lecturer. In addition to Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers, he has written four books about non-duality including  I Hope You Die Soon, The Book Of no One, and Drink Tea, Eat Cake.

Richard holds regular meetings in London about non-duality and also gives talks in Munich, Berlin and Paris. He is currently writing a book about his years of spiritual seeking called Confessions Of A Seeker. Publication of this book is planned for late 2017 or early 2018. If you would like to know more you can visit Richard’s website: www.richardsylvester.com.

Enjoy this excerpt, available for download in pdf form and reprinted with permission: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., copyright (c) 2016 Richard Sylvester.

Seven Contemplations on Awakening

Each of these Seven Contemplations on Awakening, written by Elias Amidon, presents a different facet of the jewel that sparkles as the light of awakening in our hearts. While there are many words and thoughts here, they all seek to serve this “light” that cannot be thought about or named. Seven Contemplations has been published as a small book which is available by request through the Sufi Way website.

Silence: Moral Ambiguity and Faith, Richard Rohr

“…faith cannot be understood or lived without hope and love, hope cannot be understood or lived without love and faith, and love cannot be understood or lived without faith and hope. You might need to read that several times because your mind should be spinning, just as it spins while watching scene after scene in Silence.“

Father Richard Rohr talks about morality, ambiguity and faith in Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel and Martin Scorsese’s cinematic adaptation, Silence. Although neither film or book were particularly popular, both “penetrate to the heart of the alchemical mystery of faith.”

Stillness Speaks published a previous post about Shūsaku Endō’s Silence based on Paula Marvelly’s compelling explorative review of the book, Silence.

Explore what Richard Rohr has to say about Endo’s Silence.

Some Teachings from Sri Atmananda (Krishna Menon)

This document was created as a result of a discussion on the Advaitin E-group during Nov 2003 to Jan 2004. The discussion was led by Ananda Wood; and the extraction is largely the work of Dennis Waite. We are able to offer this document for free download courtesy of Dennis Waite.

Spiritual Work and Psychotherapy, A.H. Almaas

This paper is written, by A. H. Almaas, for the benefit of teachers and students of the Diamond Approach. It is not intended to be of general applicability, even though it can be useful for individuals who seek to understand spiritual work and psychotherapy, and their relationship. It is not intended to address civic or legal questions and concerns.

©1995 A.Hameed Ali

From the A.H. Almaas website.

The Art of Cleaning

Written by Llewelyn Vaughan-Lee
Adapted from Spiritual Ecology: 10 Practices to Reawaken the Sacred in Everyday Life

“In the busyness of our contemporary life we are drawn into ceaseless activity that often separates us from the deeper dimension of our self. With our smart phones and computer screens we often remain caught on the surface of our lives, amidst the noise and chatter that continually distract us, that stops us from being rooted in our true nature. Unaware we are drowned deeper and deeper in a culture of soulless materialism.”

Sourced from the Working with Oneness Website.

Continue reading  ….

The Awakening Journey

“In the beginning of our spiritual journey, we imagine that the goal is far away, that it is something mysterious and exotic that we must search for outside of ourselves. We imagine that we must practice diligently and make a great effort in order to (hopefully) arrive at this distant goal some day in the future…”

Continue reading Joan Tollifson’s insightful take on the spiritual journey in her 2017 article, The Awakening Journey.

The Awakening West: Interview with Robert Rabbin

In their book, The Awakening West: Conversations with Today’s New Western Spiritual Leaders, the authors Lynn Marie Lumiere and John-Lumiere Wins suggest  that “… Western Spirituality has come into its own, drawing on the rich philosophies of Zen, Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta, Kashmiri Shaivism, Judaism, and Christianity …” and they explore awakening or enlightenment with many spiritual teachers including : Adyashanti, Gangaji, Francis Lucille, Eckhart Tolle, and Robert Rabbin (it’s a much longer list).

This article (PDF) is the transcript of the interview with Robert – sourced from  the free downloads page on Robert’s website.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview’s opening summary: “Robert has had a lifelong interest in the nature of the human mind and consciousness. He studied with Swami Muktananda in India, and subsequently his spiritual inquiry has been profoundly influenced by Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj.”

The Book of Listening – Excerpt

The Book of Listening is a “compilation of Volumes 1 – 10 of Jean Klein´s journal Listening, published by the Jean Klein Foundation on a limited basis between 1989-1995.” Each volume covers a theme, e.g., “Love and Marriage, The Guru and Disciple, and includes a previously unpublished private discussion or a transcription of a public talk with Jean Klein.”

This free excerpt includes the Introduction, the full Table Of Contents, and the first 3 chapters of Volume 1. The book is available for purchase on Amazon.

The Call of the Earth

Excerpt from the anthology Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth,
published in Parabola Magazine, August 2013
by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

“At this moment in time we are more and more consciously confronted by the reality of climate change, global pollution, acidification of the oceans, massive destruction of forests and wetlands and other natural habitat. All of it is contributing to the first man-made mass extinction of species that the planet has suffered, caused by industrialization and our addiction to a materialistic lifestyle. And we are all responsible—just by traveling in a car or a plane, we are actively participating in an ecologically destructive culture”

Continue reading Vaughan Lee’s call to action and his response ….

The Complete I AM Quotes of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

The complete ‘I am’ quotes of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, is compiled by Pradeep Apte from the following 10 books. These books cover almost all the recorded dialogues of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.

1. I Am That edited by Maurice Frydman
2. Seeds of Consciousness edited by Jean Dunn
3. Prior to Consciousness edited by Jean Dunn
4. Consciousness and the Absolute edited by Jean Dunn
5. The Experience of Nothingness edited by Robert Powell
6. The Nectar of Immortality edited by Robert Powell
7. The Ultimate Medicine edited by Robert Powell
8. Beyond Freedom edited by Maria Jory
9. I am Unborn edited by Pradeep Apte
10. Gleanings from Nisargadatta edited by Mark West

We are able to offer this PDF for free download courtesy of Pradeep Apte.

The Diamond Approach, A. H. Almaas

In this article, Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) provides an overview of his unique Diamond Approach to psychological and spiritual exploration.

“The Diamond Approach is a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of awareness of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychological theories; hence the perspective of this teaching recognizes the inherent synthesis between the spiritual and the psychological domains of experience. The spiritual and the psychological can be separated only in theory, for in experience they are two dimensions of the same human consciousness.”  Hameed Ali

This article is sourced for the A. H. Almaas Website.

The discipline of disappearance

An article compiled by Pradeep Apte about Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s cardinal question in self-inquiry : What were you before you were born?

The heart of the world – Wolter Keers

Wolter shares the story about his odyssey to India including how he heard of Ramana Maharshi.

The Magic of Creation: The Sufi’s Way

First published in Sutra Journal, February 2016.
by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

“Sufism is a mystical path of love in which the wayfarer travels from the illusion of separation to the reality of divine oneness that is experienced within the heart. On this journey our relationship to God, or Truth, is that of lover and Beloved, and the essence of the path is a love affair in which our heart is opened and we are drawn deeper and deeper into the mysteries of divine love.”

Continue reading…

The New Feminine Frequency in Awakening

Amoda Maa’s article in Common Ground Magazine, October 2017 issue.

Amoda has graciously offered this PDF for FREE download.

The Nisargadatta Gita

The Nisargadatta Gita consists of 231 condensed quotes of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj along with a short commentary on each quote. These 231 quotes have been taken from a collection of 572 quotes from “The Complete I AM Quotes of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.”

The Rabbit In The Hat – Wolter Keers

Wolter Keers’ Q&A re enlightenment. … From: Yoga and Vedanta, June 1976.

The Ten Thousand Things: Awakening and Behavior

Robert Saltzman discusses what it’s like to live in an awakened state, while still living an ego-based normal life with a regular sense of self.  To begin his exploration, clarifies his meaning of the word “awake” and responds to the opening query “How does awakening impact personal behavior?”  Saltzman shares his views about religion, spirituality and non-duality, all in the context of living an awakened existence in the here and now.

Awakening and Behavior is the first chapter in Robert’s new book, The Ten Thousand Things.

The Ten Thousand Things: Awakening Never Ends

Robert Saltzman explores the essential nature of self. He looks at the sense of I or me, describing the ways we experience self in any given moment. We live our lives with familiar sense of a flowing stream of awareness: That flow is not happening to me. That flow is me.  Read Awakening Never Ends, it is a journey into the reality of awareness.

Awakening Never Ends is the Third chapter in Robert’s new book, The Ten Thousand Things.

The Ten Thousand Things: Freedom to Be

Robert Saltzman explores the concept of free-will within the context of there being no intrinsic permanent self. He explores who or what makes choices and examines what choices really are.  Robert turns many of our basic assumptions about choice and freedom up-side down. Read Freedom to Be for a penetrating but clear look at our cherished notions of freedom.

Freedom to Be is the sixth chapter in Robert’s new book, The Ten Thousand Things.

The Transparency of Things – Excerpt

This is an excerpt (3 chapters from a total of 44) from Rupert Spira’s book, The Transparency of Things and is offered for free downloads through Rupert’s courtesy.

The Unborn Nisargadatta

Pradeep Apte offers a series of verses regarding, Nisargadatta Maharaj. 

This PDF was generously given to Stillness Speaks by Pradeep Apte.

The Way of Liberation, Adyashanti

The Way of Liberation is Adyashanti’s stripped-down, practical guide to spiritual awakening. With a profound simplicity it outlines the Foundations, Orienting Ideas, and Core Practices that are essential in the process of waking up to the absolute nature of Reality and living it to the fullest extent possible.

The Way of Liberation is available as a free download from Free Spiritual Ebooks.

The Work of Byron Katie

The Work is a simple yet powerful process of inquiry that teaches you to identify and question the thoughts that cause all the suffering in the world. It’s a way to understand what’s hurting you, and to address the cause of your problems with clarity. In its most basic form, The Work consists of four questions and the turnarounds.

The FREE PDF for The Work of Byron Katie is available courtesy of Free Spiritual Ebooks.

Transgression, Richard Rohr

This article by Fr Richard Rohr is about sin, failing, and transgression which are redeemed by mercy, love and forgiveness — the heart of Christianity and all spiritual systems.

From the article….

What is sometimes called the “myth of transgression” has been seen to operate on many levels: social, psychological, legal, and literary. Our interest here is precisely how the Gospel itself reveals this to be the deepest pattern of transformation, because the old must always die for the new to be born, and our first attempts to love God by following rules are eventually revealed to be much more love of self and love of some kind of order (But we can’t know that yet!). It is our failure to live up to our first man-made attempts at love that drives us toward an ever-higher love where we are not in charge. To paraphrase St. Augustine: “Seek God, but once you find him it will send you on a search of never finding him (because God is infinite).”

Utterly One

Rupert Spira’s simple and profound commentary about our “oneness” – about the “Knowing Presence” we are. This article is offered for free download courtesy of Rupert Spira.

Words of Grace

Words of Grace is a short trilogy consisting of three works by Ramana Maharshi: Who am I?, Self-Enquiry and Spiritual Instruction. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi is considered one of the most important spiritual mystics of the 20th century. He spent most of his life on the mountain, Arunachala, in southern India receiving thousands of visitors and pilgrims.

Yoga means connection – Jean Klein