Book Description
The Presence Process is not about changing who or what we are. This is impossible. Instead, it is about releasing our attachment to our manufactured identity so that we may gently return to an awareness of our authentic Presence. It is about moving from pretence to Presence. It is about consciously connecting with that aspect of our Being that always remains constant. It is about honoring that aspect of our Being that is always present. It is not about becoming something or somebody else. It is about remembering and experiencing who and what we really are and have always been.
The Presence Process is not about changing the nature of what the stars have marked on our forehead, hands, and feet. It is about waking into the fullest potential of each moment that is already destined. It is about responding to our life as it is unfolding right now and not reacting to it as if something else was supposed to be happening. The Presence Process intends to reveal to us that our mistaken desire to change what is happening to us in any given moment is usually born out of an inability to show up and fully enjoy the wonder of our life experience as it is right now.
The Presence Process awakens within us the awareness that it is in the nature of our interaction with what is happening to us right now that we sow the seeds for what is to come beyond the borders of this life experience. It assists us to see that the quality of the seeds that we sow in any given moment is very different depending on whether we choose to react or to respond to our experiences. Reacting to our experience means that we are making our decisions based on what we think happened to us yesterday and what we think may happen to us tomorrow. We are only responding to our experience when we make choices based on what is happening to us right here, right now. It is only possible to respond to our experiences when we unlearn the behaviors and belief systems that lead us into reaction. This "unlearning" is what The Presence Process assists us to accomplish.
There are no failures in The Presence Process, as it is an individual journey driven by commitment, curiosity, and intention. It cannot be experienced for someone else or because of someone else. Activating present moment awareness is an individual responsibility. It is therefore an experience that is by nature immune to comparison or judgment.
The Presence Process is not an end to anything; it is the continuation of a lifelong journey that we have already been making into the heart of our own present moment awareness.
Customer Reviews:
Life changing.......2007-09-25
This book is a must for people tired of suffering and willing to embrace the joy that is the birthright of all of us.
This book is excellent.......2007-09-20
This book is excellent. Everyone should buy this book and use it. Ever wonder why the same things seem to keep happening over and over? This book will explain that, as well as provide useful tips to help you understand your current life experience.
The Presence Process.......2007-08-31
The Presence Process is an enlightening spiritual process. Wonderfully written with wisdom and insight, the process allows one to grow from the inside out, combining mindfulness and personal awareness. I recommend this book to anyone on a serious path of personal, spiritual growth.
Do you really want autentic peace and joy?.......2007-08-04
If you truly are willing to answer yes to the above question, I would say this book is for you. Just by reading the book I saw more clearly what Present Moment Awareness is all about. I also more clearly see how my Mind 'unconsciously is addicted to the mental habit of living in time as an attempt to escape the discomfort within my emotional body' as Michael Brown puts it.
Michael Brown is brilliantly describing the difference between a reactive behavior and a responsive behavior. The former is the repetitive unconscious behavior which keeps us stucked in the unbalanced physical, mental and emotional experiences of life. The later is the responsible conscious behavior which clear our blockages and set us free to an autentic physical, mental and emotional experience of life.
I have just finished reading the book for the first time and have started at the very beginning again. This time I will not only read the book through but also participate experientially in the 10 week program the book offers. The experientially approch means I must be willing to let every discomfort in my emotional body show up when it shows up. It is all about going inward to feel to heal, instead of going outward to blame and be lame (as Michael puts it). Do I dare?
Amazing.......2007-07-12
Everyone will have their own experience with this book but its amazing. Take the time, read and follow the instructions - your life will change.
Book Description
"The Art of Being a Healing Presence" shows how a difference can be made in the lives of others by learning to be present in a way that is healing, nurturing, and potentially even transforming. Seven steps to being a healing present are explained, including opening onself, making the intention, preparing a space, honoring the other, offering what you have to give, receiving the gifts that come, and living a life of wholeness and balance. The book includes whole pages of quotations interspersed throughout. It's full of essential information, yet still easy to read.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!.......2007-05-08
Amazing, easy to read, offering instructions on how to become healing presence for others. I was drawn to this book after being given the gift of healing presence by a hospital Chaplain after losing a baby. This is the real macoy!
Book Description
The celebrated guide to the awareness of the devine and transcedental in our daily lives. This modern spiritual classic is one of the three books. Goldsmith felt contained the essence of all his teachings.
Customer Reviews:
The Secret to life.......2007-09-09
I felt the book showed the secret to the spiritual life we all wont to live in this time frame we have. Great Book it will change your life
YAWN.......2007-05-29
I have studied metaphysics for years and I am increasingly careful about becoming too engulfed in theory and not enough practice. This book is not for those new to new thought its way too heavy. Bottom line practicing the Prescene starts with awarness of the Presence right where you are, your conscious mind being the Spirit of God within you. This book just beats around the bush and comes from a standpoint of supplicaton rather than inductive. I would recommend any Ernest Holmes book as an alternative.
An Inspiration beyond time.......2007-03-10
Anyone who has been on the spiritual path and has dedicated there lives to finding the truth about God should read this book. If you are serious and want to accomplish true Self Realization this book should be in your library.
Thy Grace Is My Sufficiency..........2006-10-03
I know a lot of sincere people who are very religious and yet they seem to be so unhappy and so unfulfilled. One even "confessed" to me, "Y'know, John, I believe in God, but I often wish that God was right here to help me go through with what I'm going through..."
I was completely shocked but then I remembered what it was like to believe in God and yet feeling like God was not around when I needed God. It wasn't because God wasn't there, it was because I had this belief that God's Life and my Life were two completely different things. It really blew my mind the first time I walked into a metaphysical church and heard this New Thought practitioner say with complete sincerity and yet with complete humility, "There is One Life and that Life is God and that Life is my life now..."
That simple statement brought tears to my eyes. I had been so brainwashed to think and feel and even act as though I was this completely unworthy, undeserving, sinner; that God the Living Spirit wanted nothing at all to do with my life, but all of the sudden I came face to face (or was it soul to soul?)with the beautiful Truth that my life was/is/and will always be the Life of God. It is what animates me, it is what heals me, restores me, renews me, and blesses me in every moment. To get to this point of knowing and feeling that God is Present as Presence, one must learn to sense this Presence, to feel it within every fiber of their being, and the only way we can learn to know that this presence is Present is to get still and when we get still enough to know and feel that this life is all around us and within us, we can be like the Psalmist and say from the depths of our soul, "Be still and know that I am God..."
Our "I AM" is God Itself. Our "I AM" guides us, directs us, leads us out of the wilderness of being alone and afraid and into the green valley of plenty and abundance. This plenty and abundance is already present within us. we do not ask to become rich, we ask God to see the riches that are already within us. we do not ask God to heal us, we ask God to show us how we are already whole and holy beings living in a Whole and Holy universe. Truly, God's Grace is our sufficiency and that everything we could possibly want, need, or desire is already present and we just have to be willing to let it flow through us, as us.
This book makes you realize that our purpose here is be that place/that space of Love, of Peace, of Goodness. We must not allow our vision to become clouded with thoughts of war, hatred, poverty and lack. We must put our attention and our focus on Heaven rather than hell...on God rather than sin...on Peace rather than war. This book will help you to remember that in each and every moment, God is and it is through this simple yet powerful awareness that God is always present where miracles take place. Miracles are supposed to happen. Miracles are our birthright.
If you are new to this way of thinking, welcome! Welcome to Life! Welcome to a new way of thinking, a new way of feeling, a new way of being in the world but not of the world. And if you have been in New Thought for awhile and haven't yet read this book, do your heart, your mind, your soul a true gift and allow yourself to remember why you are really here -- to Live and to abundantly well.
Peace and Blessings...
The way back to God........2006-07-22
After Years of orthodox Christian teaching, Joel Goldsmith opens up the new teachings of the prophets and Jesus, showing us the way back to God and how we can live it!
John 6 v35 - 41
John 5 v19 - 47
Matthew 11 v25 - 30
For those who wish to start a study along these lines Joel's book 'Practicing the Presence' gives a good insight to his teachings.
See also 'The Journey back to the Fathers House'.... by the same author.
Book Description
Rupert Sheldrake's theory of morphic resonance challenges the fundamental assumptions of modern science. An accomplished biologist, Sheldrake proposes that all natural systems, from crystals to human society, inherit a collective memory that influences their form and behavior. Rather than being ruled by fixed laws, nature is essentially habitual.
The Presence of the Past lays out the evidence for Sheldrake's controversial theory, exploring its implications in the fields of biology, physics, psychology, and sociology. At the same time, Sheldrake delivers a stinging critique of conventional scientific thinking. In place of the mechanistic, neo-Darwinian worldview he offers a new understanding of life, matter, and mind.
Customer Reviews:
Paradigm-shifting work.......2007-03-15
Sheldrake's opus shakes the axioms of causality underlying experimental science. Not many books have done that. Not many books can address metaphysical topics, suggest alternatives to the standard Aristotelian underpinnings of science or "naturalism," and do so plausibly without recourse to superstition.
Sheldrake, a biologist, examines the many anomalous phenomena that seem to cut against some very basic beliefs about "how things work." The book integrates observations from many different fields of endeavor from physics to biology to psychology. The scope of this work as as wide as it is deep.
If you have ever read Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions," this book will resonate along the same lines for you. Well worth your time and money.
A Simple Idea Viewed from a New Perspective .......2005-12-07
Legendary managment guru W. Edwards Deming spoke frequently of "profound knowledge." Basically, this is knowledge that profoundly changes the way you think and releases new creative energies. See his book The New Economics.
Rupert Sheldrake's ideas about "morphogenetic fields" and "morphic resonance" must surely be that kind of knowledge. He begins with a fairly simple scientific concept and brings it into another creative universe. Many of us are familiar with "fields". For example, there are electomagnetic fields, gravitational fields, and quantum matter fields.
We know from Science that we are immersed in a sea of electromagnetic fields of numerous frequencies. Waves of energy pass through each other without interfering with each other. Matter is condensed energy. We can see that form of energy, however there is a lot of energy we cannot see.
Based on mathematical calculations, we also know that an infinite spectrum of energy waves is theoretically possible. Waves in infinite variety might be passing through each other continuously without noticeably interacting. Perhaps, the world we know is just one spectrum connected to many other spectrums we haven't seen yet.
We'd have worlds have within worlds, in other words: "baby universes", ten dimensions in "space time", "superstrings", "universe splits", and so forth and so on.
Author and physcist David Bohn famously explained it this way. "Everything material is also mental, and everything mental is also material. But, there may be more infinitely subtle levels of matter than we are aware of." This is where Sheldrake's morphogentic fields come into the picture, or big picture, it seems to me. The forms and physical properties that we see resonating throughout existence are developed by some kind of know-how or knowledge. Could it be that there are fields in Biology and Chemistry like the fields we recognize in Physics?
If I've got it right, Sheldrake's morphogenetic fields are mental or maybe spiritual fields that spread know-how and knowledge throughout creation. Maybe I've skipped a rung of the inner and outer worlds of existence, but I feel like I'm getting pretty warm here.
Sheldrake doesn't want us to just take his word for this, however. Theories in Science need to be tested. And, Sheldrake's already working on that. He proposes several experiments in the last few chapters of the book. Browsing Amazon, I see there's another book or two in publication about these experiments.
You might want to read this book with Out of Control by Kevin Kelly and/or Living Systems by James Grier Miller, which is what I did. Several reviewers of this book have mentioned "metaphysics". If you'd like to go in that direction as well, you might enjoy What is Process Theology by Robert B. Mellert or Process Theology: A Basic Introduction by Robert Mesle.
UNFORGETTABLE IDEAS.......2004-01-19
I read this book some years ago and find the ideas in it have stayed with me, as they go a long way toward filling some holes in our understanding of reality. Sheldrake's Morphic Fields mean living things communicate even when they are not in physical proximity. This explains some of his other research, such as psychic connections between human and animal. Read Sheldrake's book, Dogs That Know When Their Owners are Coming Home, a fascinating look at the human-animal bond.
But the idea that once a new technique is learned by part of the population, it is more easily learned by the rest is startling. Can it explain the rapid spread of computer literacy? Like the old joke in school, can we actually learn "by osmosis?" Sheldrake's examples of group behavior and generational learning in the animal world points exactly in that direction. What one generation learns can be passed to the next. What I learn can make it easier for you to learn. This is a radical idea!
I've recently read astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell's book, The Way of the Explorer, in which he presents his view of reality, based on years of research into psychic and spiritual pehonomenon. His view incorporates Sheldrake's ideas in that he accounts for knowledge that does not come from standard learning methods. Knowledge received from spiritual insight or received psychically is part of the natural but unseen web underlying our universe, according to Mitchell. All knowledge of past and present is available, but is not sought by most people, since they do not know or practice the techniques for tapping into that source and there are no currently accepted scientific theories to explain how it works. Sheldrake's Morphic Fields are one such explanation.
The Presence of the Past is an influential book that will continue to be consulted and discussed. Since reading it, I've had more reason to think Sheldrake is right and I've read nothing elsewhere that disproves his fascinating conclusions.
Hmm? am i really the first to give 5 stars?.......2002-08-05
I felt compulsed to write a 5-star review after seeing only 3 reviews, all of them giving 3 or 4 stars to this classic masterpiece. Hey, don't get it wrong! this is a superb book you can't put down once you've started. I have read it twice and intend to translate it into Estonian.
Although, yes, only maybe a quarter of orthodox biologists can stand Sheldrake's name, the implications of his theory - if correct - are enormous. It would thoroughly change our present understanding of the concept of memory, which means that we need new fields of science - physical semiotics, for example. It would push the "borders" of semiotics to include the very first particles after the BB. Followers of C.S.Peirce would drink lots of champagne and would celebrate the victory. It would also require a radical revision of the ideas of evolution.
So - yes, yes, this IS a popular half-science-fiction book, easily dismissed by orthodox scientists. However, several of Sheldrake's examples are convincing and his theoretizing makes sense. So, I prefer to keep Sheldrake's ideas in "Interesting unsolved cases" drawer. Sheldrake is very much like Ken Wilber. "Serious" philosophers don't call Wilber a philosopher, but an "interesting individual". I would take it as a compliment.
An excellent place to start.......2002-04-19
Sheldrake's ideas, while controverial are an excellent place to add to anyone's ongoing exploration of Metaphysics. I agree with a previous reviewer in that these ideas can be interpreted using old terminology. Instead I have found it better to synthesize Sheldrake's excellent works with David Bohm, and any other relevant source I can find. Where do these Morphic fields come from? That is the truly interesting question.
Amazon.com
Alien Agenda is the silk thread leading the way through the maze of UFO literature into the heart of the UFO controversy. While he begins with the premise that the existence of UFOs cannot be denied, Jim Marrs (author of Crossfire, the mother of all John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy books) boldly strides into the battle over what UFOs are and why they are here. Marrs's investigative skills are invaluable in this re-examination of questions that have been overlooked, unaddressed, or unsatisfactorily resolved.
Book Description
The truth begins here
Author and award-winning Journalist Jim Marrs has uncovered compelling new evidence regarding extraterrestrials-that alien life forms have not only visited our planet in the past, but are among us right now. Drawing on numerous eyewitness accounts, highly classified CIA reports, and his own meticulous research, Marrs marshals an impressive array of facts to confirm the reality of UFOs--as well as the depth of the government campaign to keep America in the dark. Here is information unavailable in any other single source, including:
- Intriguing insights into the 1947 Roswell crash and the U.S. military's efforts to suppress all public inquiries
- Detailed accounts of UFO landing sites in South America and of abductions in the U.S.
- Vivid descriptions of UFOs by Apollo astronauts-in their own words
- Tantalizing clues to the alien timetable for revealing their plans here
- And much more!
Customer Reviews:
Jin Marrs Alien Agenda.......2007-08-31
This is one of the most interesting books i have ever read. this book is long, about 600 pages, but Jim Marrs does a wonderful job of researching the topic of ET and UFO visitation to this planet. The writing is quite easy to read and it is a hard book to put down. Of all the books on the topic of ET and UFO, I believe this book is the best. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody and for any age group. I look forward to reading more of Mr Marrs' works.
Disturbing.......2007-08-12
If you have read Rule by Secrecy and then Alien Agenda it begins to seem very plausible that there is more than we are being told about the world around us. Alien Agenda is full of UFO events and historical incidents. Some of the information seems unreal but then the mass media doesn't report all the news.
Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.
Very interesting.......2006-08-23
A very interesting book. I'm not sure that I subscribe to the scientific validity of regression hypnosis, as it's the foundation of much of the data presented in the book. Nonetheless, eerie and tantalizing recollections of terrifying experiences are presented. The book is definitely entertaining. Makes you wonder????
Still a Classic.......2006-08-22
I'm reading this book for the third time in as many years.
Marrs is really onto something, and his scholarship and journalistic abilities are impeccable. This book should sit with those of Keel and Vallee when it comes to examining the UFO phenomenon.
HIGHLY recommended.
The UFO Threat is Real!.......2006-08-17
_Alien Agenda: Investigating the Extraterrestrial Presence Among Us_ by conspiracy researcher and journalist Jim Marrs provides an interesting study of many of the claims involving the presence of extraterrestrials and UFOs. Marrs starts with the assumption that UFOs are indeed real and that the government is covering up their presence. I am not sure I am quite ready to jump on that bandwagon yet, but there certainly seems to be something going on, and there certainly appears to be a cover-up by scientists and government officials. As Marrs notes, there are different viewpoints by which the existence of extraterrestrials (ETs) may be examined. Some would regard them as angelic beings, fairies, or other fantastic creatures, while others would regard them as life-forms from another planet visiting earth. Fundamentalists may regard them as tools of Satan, and I believe there is some evidence to indicate that UFO abductions may bear the marks of demonic possession, but I also think there is no reason to rule out the existence of ETs a priori. One interesting interpretation of the UFO abduction phenomenon that I read was that of Charles Upton, a traditionalist Sufi, who in the book _The System of Antichrist_ argued that they were in fact the jinn of Islamic lore. In any event, it need not be the case that ETs are ill disposed to mankind, and if they do make contact (provided they have not made contact with us already) it will be necessary to seek a peaceful understanding with them so as to avoid one of the greatest clashes of civilizations imaginable (and also probably one of the greatest and most violent wars). (To this Christian this would also mean telling the ETs about Christ and possibly baptising them.) However, my knowledge of the history of the conflict between Old World and New World peoples leads me to believe that such a peaceful encounter may be too much to ask for.
Among those great minds who have taken on the UFO question include psychoanalyst Carl Jung and the astronomer and computer scientist Jacques Vallee. Both of their works on the subject are excellent. However, it should be noted that the field of ufology is not respected by scientists and that an active presence exists in the scientific community (including such luminaries as the late Carl Sagan) to debunk them. Another individual who provided a study on the alien abduction phenomenon is the Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, though I personally found his work to be less believable especially given his use of hypnosis. UFOs have been sighted in the skies since ancient times, including in the medieval period, and a spacecraft was believed to have crashed in Aurora, Texas in 1897. Perhaps the most famous alleged UFO crash is the crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 which Marrs thoroughly discusses. This crash is believed by many to have been covered up by the government who may have taken the remains to Area 51 in Nevada. Flying saucers were also repeatedly seen by Air Force pilots throughout much of the post-World War II and Cold War period. Marrs discusses a fascinating theory that has been proposed involving the alleged visitation of alien life-forms to our planet in the remote past. According to this "ancient astronaut hypothesis", ETs may have visited earth in the past and may be depicted in various remains of our ancestors. In addition, it is believed by some that ETs may have built some of the most ancient ruins and structures on earth. While interesting, I think these theories are not very likely and that instead these ancient ruins may represent the remains of a global super-civilization of the past and not an extraterrestrial encounter. Marrs also explains the curious relationship between the Nazis and UFOs. It has been suggested by some that the Nazis may have developed flying saucer technology and may have used this technology to escape capture after the Second World War, to relocate, and to travel into various underground bases. Marrs also discusses the role of the United States government in investigating, covering up, and "debunking" UFO claims. Indeed, the CIA (also known for its experiments in mind control and with LSD and other psychoactive drugs) was frequently involved in UFO cover-ups. Marrs discusses theories that the government leaders were planning to escape an imminent global catastrophe by hiding out underground as well as the idea that government leaders may be seeking an escape on another planet. In addition, Marrs discusses several interesting but very strange individuals who claimed to have encountered ETs. These include Eduard Albert Meier (known as "Billy") who claimed contact with the Pleiadians and George Adamski, a Polish immigrant who allegedly met a man from Venus. Some of these claims may be the result of mental imbalance in certain individuals or as part of government disinformation programs. Indeed, many of those who encountered UFOs had active links to government agencies, often with top secret security clearances. Marrs takes on other issues such as abduction, mentioning such cases as those of Whitley Streiber and Travis Walton, crop circles, and animal mutilations. While the presence of crop circles was originally thought to be a prank after two hoaxers were caught, they continued to crop up all over the world leading to the inevitable conclusion that the vast majority of them were not pranks at all. Animal mutilations were thought to be the work of Satanists or other cultists, but again lack of evidence may point in other directions. Marrs also provides an interesting discussion of the government's dabbling in remote viewing. The military and government have experimented with mind control, drugs, and other strange phenomenon so it only stands to reason that they would attempt to experiment with remote viewers and other psychics. Interestingly, UFOs continue to crop up over and over again in the drawings of remote viewers. It also is interesting to point out that officially the mainstream scientific consensus is that remote viewing is a chimera, so it is odd to find out that those very same government sponsored scientists are investigating this phenomenon behind the scenes. It would appear that so long as ordinary people do not attempt to understand it, it is a legitimate area of inquiry for government regulation! Marrs next turns his attention to the "metaphysical implications" of an ET encounter. These implications are perhaps the most interesting for philosophers and other theorists attempting to get a grip on our reality. Finally, Marrs turns his attention to the whole idea of who really rules in the world. According to science fiction, the first command an alien life-form would give to humanity would be "Take me to your leader!" so a natural question is who really has the power on earth. Marrs mentions such groups as the Bilderbergers and other secret elite societies. In particular, those who control the money are those who wield the real power, and this would mean the international bankers. Marrs shows how the Federal Reserve Banking System poses such a threat to our liberty and represents the machinations of a disinterested elite.
This book offers an excellent introduction to the entire UFO phenomenon. Marrs thoroughly investigates many of the encounters and occurrences surrounding UFOs, the government cover-ups, and poses some of the philosophical questions that would ensue given an encounter. While I am not sure whether ETs exist or not, I do think that something is definitely going on, and that the government is definitely trying to cover it up. Those who bravely dare to challenge established opinion risk much to reveal the truth behind the machinations of the elite manipulators.
Book Description
Invitation to Awaken is a radical call to liberate ourselves from the mistaken belief that we exist as a separate individual. This simple yet profound message, conveyed in a clear and often humorous manner, helps free us from our self-imposed limitations. When we recognize our true nature, we express the freedom that is our natural state and birthright.
These new dialogues with Tony Parsons, recorded from talks in Southern California, deepen the exploration that he began in his best-selling book, As It Is. This refreshingly original and timeless message has the power to demystify our long-held concepts about spiritual awakening and cut through the subtle mental obstacles that obscure our natural state of Presence.
Rather than adopt an approach that perpetuates our sense of separateness, Parsons urges us to drop all effort to become realized and discover the liberating truth that we already are what we seek.
Customer Reviews:
The Antiduality.......2007-08-28
I would wholeheartedly recommend Tony Parsons' books if it were not for his fervor to deny almost all other teachers, whose writings, in his words, "have nothing to do with nonduality." I have the following specific concerns about his credibility:
-The name of his copyrighted "communication" (kind of odd for a guy who rants against practice) --The Open Secret-- is the name of a book written by Wei Wu Wei decades ago. Tony is a former car salesman whose body language reeks of self-restraint, a usual sign of split consciousness. Like most salesmen, his language is NOT original. It may be free from eastern jargon but it is peppered with linguistic constructions borrowed from Alan Watts ("This is oneness tonyparsonsing") and loads of new-agey "nessing" -- if I had a dollar for every time Tony added -ness to a word -!!!- His total denial of methods (oh, except The Open Secret...) has been done before, with more integrity, by UG Krishnamurti. UG never wrote books or charged for meetings! Parsons' insistence that he can take something as free and timeless as nonduality and make it "new and improved" is just a testament to his inability to move beyond the Sales 101 model of oneness. For example, Parsons describes his "Open Secret" as "not only new, but prior to, and at the root of, all esoteric revelation." I can picture it already, Tony whispering in the ear of Siddhartha Gautama...
-Several people have claimed that Parsons is a former Osho sannyasin. If this is true, it puts his premise, that spiritual seeking is useless, in a different light. What else might Tony be holding back from us?
Tony's students include:
-Nathan Gill, a teacher who delivers Advaita in a medium of unintelligibly clear intellectual mumbo-jumbo.
-Jan Kersschot. Kersschot is even more anti-dual than Parsons. He writes a book, This Is It, of interviews with nonduality teachers. Then he claims in an interview that the teachers in the book were mostly NOT nondual and the hidden point of the book was to enable the reader to sort out the REAL nondual teachers from the fakes. He explains in the interview, of course, that the real nondual teachers are himself and Tony Parsons. The fakes: everybody else. We are encouraged by Parsons to discover that the founders of the Advaita tradition are dualistic fakes as well.
-The only teachers that Tony has ever acknowledged as "nondual" are a tiny handful of white European males, half of whom are his personal students! Tony even rejects Ramana Maharshi, the advaitin par excellence, as "speaking from ignorance" (check YouTube). This is tantamount to rejecting the entire Indian understanding of nonduality and, to keep his integrity, Tony should avoid using the word "advaita." He would also have to proclaim himself (oh, sorry, I meant the bodymind called Tony Parsons) the first person in the history of humanity to achieve complete liberation. Judging from the feel of his writing, he certainly wants to do so.
Somehow all this nondual infighting centered around Parsons doesn't feel right. Nevertheless, it does feel very anti-dual, SO antidual that --in Parsons's own words-- it can't have anything to do with nonduality.
Beautiful, for nobody!.......2007-08-16
Tony writes with sweetness and clarity about our natural state of presence and awareness. This is a truly radical and beautiful book that will put an end to the seeking of the mind.
A great intro to realization..........2007-06-08
... and a good preparation for Tony Parsons subsequent jewels of clarity. He is one of the clearest authors I have found to convey Oneness Consciousness. The other I have just discovered is David Carse. Such a joy to find such clarity and knowing. If you would like to understand what "enlightenment" actually is, this book is a great way to start.
Wake up even more!.......2007-02-10
Tony Parsons was seemingly the most unlikely candidate for spontaneous awakening. He tells his story of awakening with great humility. Reading the ever modest Parsons actually takes you into the state of the Self--your actual 'true' identity. Once you awaken to the Self, that is when the mystery REALLY begins to unfold--and it is the ideal place to begin meditation. Although the 'knowing' that you are the Self is not the end of the road, reading Parsons will surely be a catalyst to awakening, and starting you on your final journey towards liberation: the destruction of duality, once and for all!!!!
Direct pointing to IT.......2006-02-25
Some "Advaita" teachers talk about surrender, or, acceptance, but, unwittingly introduce new concepts which binds. For example, total surrender implies there is an object to surrender to.
Tony Parsons speaks directly and clearly. There is no need to rely on concepts. I have read many "Advaita" books and listened to many teachers but Tony Parsons stands out as the most lucid and direct of them all.
Book Description
A celebrated teacher and cofounder of one of the world's cutting-edge meditation centers reveals how to connect more fully to the world around us, and experience contentment, harmony, joy, and love - every minute of our lives.
"Usually people associate a sense of unbound presence with epiphanies in life-being present at a birth, or a death. People lose themselves in sexual union, in nature, or in the presence of a heart-wrenching beauty. In those moments they forget to keep up the story about the one having the experience, and all that is left is the actual experience."
In Passionate Presence, internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher Catherine Ingram shares her insights and wisdom for connecting more intimately to the experience of our daily worlds. Through her popular interactive Dharma Dialogues (dharma meaning truth, or "the way"), she has helped thousands of spiritual seekers everywhere in their quest for awakening by encouraging them to give up the quest. Now she brings nearly thirty years of experience to a book that shows us how to recognize these everyday miracles, and become more cognizant of life's greatest gift: our own passionate presence. Based on "non-dual" teachings that rely on direct experience, with numerous stories illustrating her points, Ingram takes readers on an eye-opening journey that will help them to:
o Know the seven traits of passionate presence: silence, tenderness, discernment, embodiment, genuineness, delight, and wonder
o Relax in simple presence to dissolve barriers between people, foster better communication, and create inner peace and harmony
o Discover why true aloneness can never be lonely
o See how tender mercies can purge intense feelings of anger
and much more.
Filled with illuminating anecdotes and personal reflections, Passionate Presence reveals our true natures and opens the doorway to the divine in all of us. Inspiring and profound, it is certain to gain a wide and devoted readership.
Customer Reviews:
BEAUTIFUL AND PROFOUND.......2007-04-15
I bought this book because of E. Tolle's recommendation and I find it to be very inpirational and well written. It covers much of the same material as Tolle but in a different way that enriches and deepens the ideas. It is a book to read and reread.
A Breath of Fresh Air.......2006-07-22
I am now reading Passionate Presence for the second time, savouring the language, the feeling and the freshness of the author's approach. I strongly recommend this book to all who agree in principle about living in the 'now' but for whom the experience is elusive at best. This is authentic, well crafted and a joy to read.
Eye-Opener.......2005-08-27
After reading Passionate Presence, I realized that living in the past & future was such a waste of energy! Catherine's straight-forward advise is something so obvious, but something most of us miss....live in the present. You can't go back and change the past and you spend needless time worrying about the future and what might or might not be instead of enjoying what is right in front of us. I do know that I will spend less time worrying and more time enjoying what this wonderful world has to offer and not take things for granted. Thank you Catherine for providing such a simple but honest eye-opener.
Food for the soul.......2005-01-02
This lovely book shares the wisdom of a teacher of silent meditation and Dharma Dialogues on awakened awareness. It is truly food for the soul.
Catherine Ingram describes her personal experiences in seeking and finding peace in the Now. While mindfulness meditation was a major path, a spiritual teacher catalyzed major shifts in her consciousness. Ingram now teaches mindfulness, through silence, through shared lessons, and (even through the pages of this book) through her personal centeredness.
Seven topics are highlighted: Silence, Tenderness, Embodiment, Genuineness, Discernment, Delight and Wonder. Each is illustrated with lovely stories of Ingram and other seekers on the Path.
Particularly helpful for healing are suggestions for acknowledging the presence of an inner observer who is detached even in the midst of crisis and suffering; for treasuring each present moment rather than living in the past or future; and for accepting that we need not torture ourselves with guilt and remorse because each of us has a lifetime of lessons to learn - and each experience offers us opportunities to develop deeper compassion for others who have their own lessons and make mistakes that may impact negatively on us. We can fester in negative reactions to life that is past or in our anxieties about our future life - or we might just let go of the negativity and move on to the ever-present Now.
I was surprised to discover this book was immediately helpful in finding a stronger connection with my own center of quiet awareness.
There is also a pleasant current of practical advice.
I warmly recommend this book for a good read and re-read.
A Sigh of Relief.......2004-01-09
When I think about the teachings in Passionate Presence, the word that comes to me is RELIEF: Relief from the burdening belief that one must make a prodigious effort in order to live an awakened life; relief from the burden of ideas of what an "enlightened" person should be like; and relief from the burden of believing one's "I" stories. Once the reader understands the concept of letting go of beliefs, explained so artfully in early chapters, the qualities and experiences that are described in the rest of Passionate Presence are immediately available.
Catherine Ingram's lovely images and stories entice the reader back to the awareness of the moment. She has crafted an artful companion for one who desires to live in the mystery and beauty of an awakened life.
Book Description
While most Christians have an awareness of the third person of the Trinity, they have little experience of this personhood or power.
Experiencing the Holy Spirit shows readers how to welcome the Holy Spirit's presence into their lives and grow in intimate relationship with Him through hearing and obeying His voice; praying and walking in the Spirit; operating in His power, gifts, signs, and wonders; and receiving His anointing. Includes more than 50 interactive exercises.
Customer Reviews:
You must Experience It.......2001-03-08
This book is awesome! It is a great study guide for those who have doubts, questions or want to receive the Holy Spirit. This book brings so many things to the open and allow the reader to reflect on God's grace and Spirit. I would recommend this book to anyone who is earnestly seeking God's direction for their life.
Experience It for your self........2001-03-08
This book is totally awesome. It is a great study guide to opening your heart, mind and spirt to the Holy Spirit. It brings so many things to the open and allows you to experience what Christ gave us; the Holy Spirit. I would recommend this book to anyone who is earnestly seeking Gods direction for their life.
Book Description
Does the Holy Spirit do the same things in New Testament times that He did in Old Testament times? Volume one in the NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY STUDIES IN BIBLE AND THEOLOGY series for pastors, advanced Bible students, and other deeply committed laypersons addresses this challenging subject.
God's Indwelling Presence asks and explores the question: What are the differences and similarities between Old Testament and New Testament believers? Did God dwell in Old Testament believers as He does in New Testament believers? Were Old Testament believers born again (that is, did they experience regeneration)? What do the words indwelling and regeneration mean? How is the Holy Spirit's ministry similar or different during Old Testament and New Testament times?
Users will find this an excellent extension of the long-respected NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY.
Customer Reviews:
Pneumatology At Its Best.......2007-09-22
Hamilton is a young, energized Asst-Professor. His research into the subject is not one of years of experience, but rather clinical research.
This book does not cover the ecclesiology, starting from Pentecost, as most authors of the Holy Spirit usually do. It starts with the Holy Spirit, God's own Spirit, in the OT. It describes how, in the time of the Theocracy, God ruled thru His chosen judges, kings and prophets by anointing them literally. The custom of pouring the oil on the OT person's head is appreciatively delved into.
Yet with the advent of Christ, the Messiah, God's 'Anointed One', the literal anointing no longer exists (and neither does the Theocracy!)and the spirit-aspect of the new life of believers is brought into proper perspective. This process, and its unique godly origin, known as the 'indwelling' is made clear to the reader. Implications regarding the 'Anointing' now dwelling in us, empowering us, as opposed to being sought for as a special second blessing, are discussed in view of the fallacious teaching on the Holy Spirit prevalent in charismatic and pentecostal churches today.
A thematic and scholarly reference work that I will turn to repeatedly for illumination.
Book Description
For ten years author Bobbie Sandoz-Merrill swam with a pod of wild dolphins off the shores of her Hawaiian home as well as with other dolphins and whales throughout the world. In the Presence of High Beings is about her many remarkable healing experiences with these extraordinary beings.
Organized in three parts, the first phase of encounters offers a period of friendship during which she learns from the dolphins by observing how consistently they embody the six characteristics of the higher self.
During the second phase Bobbie suspects that the dolphins are attempting to communicate with her. Among other things, they create "bubble" drawings in the water, which is one of the dolphins' ways of reassuring Bobbie they are truly communicating with her. As a result, Bobbie opens to receiving their telepathic messages and is able to learn the dolphins' for how humans can release the chaotic world they are currently creating and manifest the world of their dreams. In the Presence of High Beings shares the dolphin's unique formula for rapidly attaining a high level of joy.
In the Presence of High Beings also includes a valuable guide on how to swim with dolphins and whales in the wild, new information on the lethal effects of sonar on dolphins and whales, and some unusual material about human healing with dolphin "tapping."
This book is filled with an abundance of useful information that can be applied to becoming a better person and a better humanity.
Customer Reviews:
Deep & Uplifting Teachings from our Cetacean Friends.......2007-07-16
Animal communicator Bobbie Sandoz-Merrill's book, IN THE PRESENCE OF HIGH BEINGS, describes her experiences swimming with dolphins and what she has learned from the playful dolphins she has met. Swimming with dolphins has been compared to "swimming in champagne distilled from joy," as dolphins who come to spend time with humans invariably express some of the very highest spiritual qualities we humans aspire to, such as: kindness, joyfulness, harmony, wisdom, honest telepathy, and grace. These incredibly compassionate and playful ambassadors provide us with an opportunity to see how intelligent beings can live together peacefully in a balanced way.
In addition to these powerful insights, Sandoz-Merrill provides us with the benefit of what she learned from her dolphin friends regarding how to manifest what we most desire. Dolphins send thoughts filled with dreams out to the future, preparing the way for what is desired to come through. Dolphins do what is necessary to show up on the path of their dreams, swimming out to meet them rather than assuming everything will just come through on its own. Dolphins focus only on what they desire with intense, clear intent. Dolphins actively attract their dreams, inviting and enticing them to come to them. Dolphins stay joyful, happy and playful while awaiting their dreams to arrive... living in accordance with their very highest ideals of love, joy, freedom, and grace.
I am eternally grateful to Sandoz-Merrill for sharing these profound insights and stories through this delightful book, which is as fun to read as it is transformative for all who read it with open hearts and minds. I give this book my highest recommendation for everyone interested in dolphins and improving the quality of life.
Truly a wonderful , compelling book.......2005-07-09
From years of personal experience and research, the author
takes us on a journey which is healing, enlightening,
down to earth- a gift to the planet. If you are interested
in dolphins, animal communication, healing, the environment,
and the strong yet delicate interrelationships of all consciousness, this book must be on your reading list.
I could not put it down! and found it a 5 star among books
and stories encompassing all of the above. Written by
a true seeker , for everyone.
Exactly how "high" are we talking about, here . . ........2005-05-29
I hate to be a turd in the punchbowl, but dolphins, while undoubtedly intelligent, have been observed committing murder and gang-rape in the wild. Of course, we judge these behaviors according to what they most resemble among human behaviors, so we may be a bit biased in our interpretation. None the less, that said, I'm not sure we can put the dolphins on the almost mystical pedestal that we often do! Of course, this doesn't mean that there aren't wonderful, caring, unbelievably civilized dolphins out there.
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- The Reproduction of Colour (The Wiley-IS&T Series in Imaging Science and Technology)
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- The Secret
- The Ultimate Verbal and Vocabulary Builder for the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT and LSAT
- The Watercolor Sketchbook Kit: Materials, Techniques, and Projects
- The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You to Know About
- The Winston Effect: The Art & History of Stan Winston Studio
- There's a Word for It in Mexico
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Books Index
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General
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
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| Books
Through the Open Door to the Vastness of Your True Being
True Meditation: Discover the Freedom of Pure Awareness
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
The Diamond in Your Pocket: Discovering Your True Radiance
Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World
