Very clear, precise and useful instruction

books:


	• The Most Rapid and Direct Means to Eternal Bliss (One) Michael Langford The Freedom Religion, Inc., 2006 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews
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highly recommended

Very clear, precise and useful instruction

There's nothing new under the sun. The teachings contained in this book have been given in the past by numerous teachers (Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, the Secret of the Golden Flower, maybe even Meister Eckhart.)

However, what make a whole lot of difference is the way it is presented. I found the author's instructions very clear and illuminating. They helped me understand many things that were previously unclear.

I whole-heartedly recommend it.

Instruction manual for enlightenment!

From the Introduction chapter of the book...

"11.It is possible to be free of all sorrow and suffering
and to experience
absolutely perfect infinite eternal joy
here and now in this lifetime.
12.It is possible for all humans,
not just a few humans.
13.There is a rapid means to
infinite bliss.
14. That rapid means is taught in this book."

This book is unique contribution. It is an 'Instruction manual for enligtenment'. It contains extremely practical step by step instruction to the 'direct experience of reality'. The first three chapters are devoted to understanding the ego and tricks of the ego and how it keeps one from waking up. These chapters are extremely insightful and I personally found it very useful. One of the several ego's tricks which I Identified in myself after reading the book was a preference to engage in endless reading and discussion instead of devoting time for actual practise. Then there is a chapter on the importance of the 'desire for liberation' and how it can dissolve all obstacles to enlightenment. There is a chapter devoted to 'how to awaken the extreme desire for liberation' which is also very insightful. There are two meditation practises offered for daily practise as the 'most rapid and direct means to direct experience of reality'. The first one is the 'Awareness Watching Awareness'(AWA) method, and the second one is the 'Abandon Release Method' (ARM). According to the author AWA is the most rapid and ARM is the second most rapid method. These two methods alone are worth the value of the book. There is an extremely useful chapter on further clarification on 'Awareness watching awareness' method which addresses all possible doubts or questions one might have during the practise. The author gives very practical tips and pointers to address any questions which might cloud the meditator's mind during practise.

E.G. from chapter eight...

"10. Don't expect any type of experience.
11. If you are wondering if you will have some kind of spiritual experience,
then that very wondering means
you have added something to
awareness watching awareness.
12.Never add anything to
awareness watching awareness.
13. The key is to be content just watching your awareness and not to move from that and not to add anything to that.
.
.
165. Don't expect any of the experiences described in this chapter. Expectation will destroy the effectiveness of the practice.
166. If it seems boring
the first few times you try the
awareness watching awareness practice, that is OK. Continue to practice."

Initially when I started practising AWA, I found it to be quite difficult. Then I took the authors suggestion in the book and practised ARM first for a few months and then swith to ARM. It has been a year since I started practising seriously and the results are amazing, I can definitely say that I am on the right track. The following quotes are from chapter 6.

"67. From the very first moment one tries this practice, one is abiding as awareness!
68. There is no waiting!
69. It is so easy.
70. One does not mean to imply
that from the beginning the ego ends.
71. It takes years of continuous practice before the ego meets its final end.
72. However, from the moment one tries this simple, easy to understand practice, one is abiding as awareness!""

There are also several supplementary methods which are not meant for daily pracise but can be pracised once or twise to get a deeper understanding of the primary method. There is also a chapter titled 'reminder' which is meant to be read everyday to motivate one to practise the methods every day.

Well how does one know whether this is infact the 'most rapid and direct means to liberation'? Quoting the author from chapter 6.

"123. The only way to find out if the Awareness Watching Awareness Method works for you is to practice it.
124. If without trying it, you come to the conclusion that it will not work, then you have allowed the imposter (thinking)
to rob you of a great opportunity
125. With thinking you have a conclusion, an opinion, an assumption
that may be correct or may not be correct.
126. However, with practice, you will know for sure if it works for you or not.
127. Therefore, consider giving it
a sincere, fair try."

In my case, the unconditional joy and bliss that is starting to fill my being and is deepening with each practise session is enough confirmation that the AWA method really works.

Very Highly Recommended!

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More direct than usual

This little book tries to bypass poetry and offer a practical, step-by-step program for realizing the identity of subject and object. The author even goes so far as to provide his basic instruction worded 26 different ways, in the hope that one of the wordings will resonate with you.

The author makes some rather bold claims that will challenge many readers. He categorically denies the need for any sort of teacher. He also dismisses thousands of years of spiritual advice in all traditions as either insufficient or useless. Neither of these provocative claims is really relevant to the technique he is presenting. The book would be better without them.

And what is Langford's technique? The Chinese classic "Secret of the Golden Flower" calls it Turning the Light Around. But I've never seen it presented as forcefully or as urgently as this.

Recommended if you find your practice lapsing, and need your hair set on fire.

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It has been said before and better

In my opinion it seems as Michael Langford has something really important to say but not the writing skills or verbal tools (perhaps language itself is too restrictive) to convey what it is to the reader in the way that Nisargadatta or Jean Klein are so skillful at.

The book is highly repetitive as if saying the same thing 150+ times a little differently will help you get it. It looks more like a type of rapid fire self hypnosis. If you want enlightenment through suggestion you can read Arjuna Nick Ardagh.

Langford is referring to awareness without object. What is referred to as contemplation (Brunton's 3rd stage of practice). As for the origin of "Awareness of Awareness" here is an old quote from Paul Brunton in his notebooks:

"In that stillness, far from the physical activities, emotional excitations, and mental changes of everyday life, "the awareness of awareness" becomes possible, the Mind itself is isolated. The real being of a man is at last discovered and exhibited." - Notebooks of Paul Brunton: Advanced Contemplation.

We are all allured by the promise of the short path. Reading Brunton's book will give you a very good reference on the short vs. long path and why the ego wants shortcuts. Why also we must have both paths and realization is only an end result of the short path and how one cannot enter the short path until the long path work has been done.

Brunton's book "Notebooks of Paul Brunton: The Ego, Vol. 6" is an excellent book to accompany "Advanced Contemplation"

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reviews: page 1, 2

For thousands of years human beings have been stuck in the same pool of unsolved problems. This book reveals both the cause and the solution. In this book are detailed practice instructions for seven different methods of meditation including: 1. The Awareness Watching Awareness Method. 2. The Abandon Release Method. 3. The Eternal Method. 4. The Infinite Space Method. 5. The Loving All Method. For human consciousness to be transformed something new must be introduced. This book introduces something new into human consciousness. It is rare that a spiritual book goes into detail revealing the tricks the ego uses to avoid liberation. The Most Rapid and Direct Means to Eternal Bliss is such a rare book. Step-by-step instructions in how to put an end to the ego's tricks are given in this book. This book shows how to be the one in a million who directly experiences infinite-eternal-awareness-love-bliss in this lifetime. This book contains a detailed description of the difference between the True Self and the imposter self. Detailed instructions in how to directly experience the True Self are given in this book. Of the thousands of spiritual books you could purchase, this is the best first choice. This is the book that created a spiritual revolution that is continuing to transform all human life. The direct experience of infinite-eternal-life is available to all humans. There is a fork in the road. One road leads to ideas the other leads to Direct Experience. This book shows the difference between these two roads and how to choose the road that leads to eternal-perfect-love-bliss in this lifetime.

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