The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on The Nature of Enlightenment

A Buddhist teacher suggested this book to me. We had just met, and she basically said- by the way, I think you might like this book. Wow- was she right.<br /><br />I must have something like two hundred spiritual books on my bookshelves. Admittedly, I haven't read all of them all the way through. I am at the point with these books that if, quite undeservedly, some Shams like character showed up and said "Let's burn up all your books and just drink the wine of experience!" I would be up for it. I might give away most of the books, if not all, at some point. This is to say that the idea of reading another book about enlightenment was not at the top of my list. But I did it anyway. Within a few pages I knew that I was reading something quite special, and beautiful in the sense that I was absolutely sure that it was TRUE.<br /><br />This is a real common sense book about the process of awakening from the dream of everyday life and what comes after that awakening. Adyashanti details the places your ego can trip you up. I also really appreciated that he did not seem to be pushing an agenda. Reading the book, through his words, I felt that I could get some sense of his presence and was calm and kind. It is the same inner presence that is inside you and me as well.<br /><br />This book was like a kind and generous friend. It felt like the way water feels when it slips through your fingers, glistening with light, returning to the river. I found that I read it slowly.

Listened to this one again and I found more insight. Every time I read or listen to it I see more clearly. still 5 stars. 2/22/23<br />_________________________________________________________<br />Re-listen 2023.<br /><br />I et more insight as time goes on. <br /><br /><br />___________________________________________________<br />I have decided after two years to go back and "read".. not "listen" to this book.<br /><br />Reading the book instead of listening to it, made a difference for me. I was able to re-read things as needed and was able to pause and reflect. For some reason, the audio book, as I remember, gave me the feeling that the author was arrogant, and lofty. Perhaps if I had "read" it in the beginning, it would have made a difference, but probably not.<br /><br />He is not arrogant nor lofty. It was ME who was arrogant and lofty. The author was just a mirror to myself. <br /><br />Needless to say, I was not ready for his book at that point in my awakening. It was too soon. I had just woke up and was still trying to make sense of everything. Heck I am still trying to make sense of everything.<br /><br />Lately I had been feeling some unexplained things, and I had a niggling inside me to go back and read this book again. I resisted for about a week, clinging to my old feeling that this author was not for me. But I then realized the niggling to be spirit telling it me to push past my judgement..to just do it! LOL<br /><br />I did.<br /><br />Everything is timing. I was ready. I read this book and everything came into focus. Yes! I said to myself.. and Yes! again!<br /><br />I finally understood.<br /><br />So here I am, humbly changing my review, but keeping my old one so all can see how easily it is to reject what we don't understand, calling it "wrong" or blaming the writer.<br /><br />I forgive myself of my past lack of awareness..and am thankful to spirit for showing me how much progress I have made since then.<br /><br />I still have a tremendous way to go. I am not enlightened by far, but I continue to work on myself, as best as I can and am working to go with the flow of life, to stop resisting life..in order to ease my suffering.<br /><br />Thank you Adya, I hope you will forgive my original harsh review.<br /><br />_______________________________________________________<br /><br /><br />Original review 2 years ago - Audio Book version:<br /><br />Changing my review after much contemplation. I began to realize this author makes no sense. I thought he was "over my head" but he is not..he just talks in circles speaking of lofty ideas and concepts just to contradict himself in the next sentence and by his own actions.<br /><br />Anyway...I have found that I am not alone in my opinion.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.electricalspirituality.com/adyashanti-a-true-guru/">http://www.electricalspirituality.com...</a><br /><br />I love this from the above link..it says how I feel..<br /><br />"Adyashanti is a contradiction-riddled preceptor who speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He informs us, “There is no such thing as a true thought,” then expands upon this theme: “If we allow this idea that no thought is actually real or true to sink into the core of our being, we can complete this shift in consciousness.” First off, if no thoughts are true, then why does he peddle one book and audio after another that are filled with his unreal, untrue thoughts? Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t answer this question, and elsewhere writes, “Words are important.” How can words be important if the thoughts behind them are unreal and untrue? Secondly, the words he uses are usually vague and unspecific, reflective of the fog he lives in and perpetrates. "

I took the webinar with Adya in March of 2012 using his book: The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. This was with many people from around the world. <br /><br />The entire book is a book carrying the energy of pure awareness and deep insights to awakening. It naturally but directly reveals illusive and often hidden mental programing that Adya calls living in the dream state; a state of illusion that most people don't even realize they are in. Instead of our conditioning defining us, the book takes you, or took me to the liberated place of the unknown which is realizing reality each moment, each moment, each moment. There is no fixed place but instead fluidity. There are no words to explain the experience of reality, but if anyone does a good job at explaining truth, reality, awareness, and the process of enlightenment, Adya more than explains it; he invites you to experience it by letting go of fear based beliefs, ideas, agendas and attachments. His message of pure awareness brought me back to accepting living here on the earth plane with no fear based judgment. He talked about radical honesty which I appreciate awakening to where he says...<br />"It is that which divides us inside that needs to be healed. What is required after a glimpse of awakening is radical honesty, a willingness to look at how we unenlighten ourselves back into the gravitational force of the dream state, how we allow ourselves to be divided."<br /><br />Don't get this book unless you're ready to take it all the way as the book is very powerful. If you want to know the truth (not as an opinion or belief) but as the absolute and if you are willing to let go of attachments embedded in egoic consciousness, and you sense that <br />you are called to liberation from illusion, then this book is for you.<br /><br />Blessings, Susan Nancy Wight

Oh. My. God. <br /><br />I read this on the way back to India in 2010. I'd been on a Path since 2000 and FINALLY I see a western Teacher owning up to the crap that happens to you when you even think about getting your feet wet in the spiritual realm.<br /><br />They told us this stuff in India. Good to see it surface here.

This is, in the dimension of awakening, just the most helpful and practical thing I have ever read. I could not get enough of it. He bestows perspective on what it is to flash awake and what people go through after they do...perspective that I have been trying to gather (not too successfully) myself for years. In a very strange way, this was like a deep breath of fresh air. I will read this over and over again.

The turnabout in consciousness known as Enlightenment is often badly misunderstood these days and poorly described in much spiritual literature. Among the ancient and early modern texts that do contain accurate descriptions and valid reports, the linguistic style and cultural overlays make it difficult for most modern readers to gain a true understanding of what is being discussed. Too often, readers come away with a mythologized view (because the old texts used myths as metaphors). So people today are often ill-equipped for understanding what happens in their own case when they engage a spiritual practice that actually brings them -- temporarily or permanently -- into the realm of Enlightenment (more properly termed, Awakening).<br /><br />This book by Adyashanti fills the explanatory gap. Based on his own Awakened understanding, this modern American teacher -- an ordinary "everyman" whose Zen practice reached Realization -- Adyashanti speaks plainly, without jargon, or foreign words, or allusive terminology. <br /><br />He addresses the paradox of living as Being without imagining a separate self hidden deep inside. And, perhaps most important of all, Adyashanti discusses how to face the challenges thrust upon anyone who realizes Enlightenment and then must negotiate the twisting currents of social life in a very obtuse world. <br /><br />If you believe that Enlightenment grants someone a free pass -- a life without problems -- then you need to drop that myth and read this book.

Watered down, ego-driven, derivative material that fails to cite any of its obvious influences. Adyashanti pontificates at great length on what his definition of "enlightenment" is, and whether or not he'd give you that label. He doesn't link his concepts to well-known/accepted terminology for this domain; instead he makes up all his own definitions to ensure the reader is kept in his microcosm. There's a feel-good bent to it that hooks the reader into seeking his approval. Reading this made me google rather or not there've been allegations about Adyashanti being a cult leader, because he sure does sound like one.<br /><br />On top of the weak content, the writing style is rambling. Multiple pages are used to explain straightforward concepts that could easily be treated in a paragraph. Repetition is frequent... the better to program you with, my dears.

This is about what happens after enlightenment.<br />I have way too much thinking to do about what happens before enlightenment to benefit from this now.

I'm not able to rate this book because it is written for people with much more experience in spiritual awakening and Zen teachings than I have. Much of what was written was foreign to me and I'm sure I missed the deeper levels. None-the-less it opened up many new thoughts about how one seeks truth and about common experiences in the process of discarding illusions. On a personal note it gave me an appreciation of facets of of my nephew, who recommended this teacher.

Adyashanti thật sự có khả năng diễn giải rất gần gũi, dễ hiểu. Wow, mình thích sách của bác rồi đó. Quyển này cũng đã phá vỡ nhiều niềm tin sai lệch của mình về giác ngộ, tuy vẫn còn nhiều chỗ khó hiểu. <br />Cách mà bác chia sẻ về tiếp cận tâm linh cũng rất bình thường và mỗi người có thể sử dụng cách phù hợp với mình chứ ko nhất thiết phải ngồi thiền hay thực hành nghi thức. <br />Cứ cái đà này thì việc chọn sách đọc càng khó khăn đây<br />Cảm xúc đến, trải nghiệm nó, ko suy nghĩ đánh giá nó rồi nó sẽ đi. Sự rối loạn cảm xúc cho chúng ta biết mình đang có 1 niềm tin vô thức sai sự thật.<br />Giác ngộ là sự đổ vỡ của cái ko thật, là khi mọi thứ trong ta hoà hợp với dòng chảy cuộc sống.<br />Bản chất của chúng ta là tiềm năng thuần khiết trước khi nó biến thành bất cứ cái gì.<br />Bồ tát sợ nhân, chúng sanh sợ quả<br />Chúng ta có tự do và mọi người cũng thế<br />Tôi có thực sự biết những điều tôi nghĩ là mình biết, hay tôi chỉ đang vay mượn ý kiến của người khác?<br />Cái tôi mong muốn tìm ra ý nghĩa cuộc sống để thay thế cho cái nhận th���c chính là bản thân cuộc sống???