 |
|
Simplicity has genius in it:
As a writer and a long time scholar of philosophy, spirituality and religion, I feel compelled to share my thoughts on this particular book. A friend of mine had been begging me to read it for some time. She wanted to be able to discuss her experiences in practicing what Mr. Duncan had prescribed. I'll admit that I was never really interested. The volume is quite slim, and looked like any other pop-spirituality / pop-self help book. She persisted and so I set aside an evening to read it. That evening of reading turned into a full week of reading and rereading and practicing. I've not been so pleasantly surprised by a book in a very, very long time. Initially I took the lack of pages to mean a lack of content. Not so! The genius of this work is Mr. Duncan's ability to take large and often complicated psychological and spiritual concepts, bring them together and then make them succinct and easily digestible. As a non-fiction writer, this is one of the hardest things there is to do. Without a doubt he understands what he is writing about, down to his bones, or he could never put in plain words these teachings as he has. Most other authors would have taken four or five times the number of words to attempt to explain exactly the same concepts and ideas. This is not just a guide for beginners, but for everyone. I see this book as a manual for getting anyone's feet squarely on (or back on) the path of greater self awareness and thus greater present moment awareness. Slipping off of that path is entirely too easy in the midst of all the random teachings and ideas floating around today. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Good, but very basic.:
Good book, but if you've read a lot in this genre, you may be surprised how basic it is. No a-ha's, just practical advice. And there's nothing wrong with that. I just was looking for the same kind of fascinating stuff that I got from Eckhard Tolle's "Power of Now".
Two thumbs up!:
It is very difficult to write a book on how to live in the present moment because the very act of "trying" to live in it prevents us from being in it. Therefore, this book is an excellent book that allows us to experience what Toru Sato refers to as, "complete transcendence" but not "completely complete transcendence." Considering this irreconcilable limitation, this wonderful book provides us with extremely important insights and very practical methods to experience states as close to this as possible. This book is definitely worth the price! If you are interested in understanding these states and what all of this means, I strongly suggest, "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is a terrific book on developmental psychology, human consciousness, spirituality, and evolution! It's the best book I've ever read on this subject!
It's just okay:
I chose this book because "Awareness" is in the title. Although I wasn't expecting a lot of nuggets, I did expect some. Unfortunately, none were to be found. Instead, this book reads like a session with a psychologist - and not a very good one at that. The author begins by writing, "If you have picked up this book, then odds are that in someway you feel dissatisfied with your life." Again, that is not why I chose this book. Warning - this is the theme of the book. The author's own words sometimes weigh down the pages with emotional dissatisfaction. Much of the advice is written in generalities. Often times, emotional issues were lumped together as if a one-off, cure-all by being "aware" will resolve any and all emotional problem. Sure, awareness is the first step and yes, gaining control of your emotions is important. However, if you are looking for sound emotional advice, you should see a licensed professional.
Helpful on the journey...:
Present Moment Awareness is surprisingly simple. What I like most about this book is the practicality and usability factor. This book forces you to look at yourself and do the exercises, which actually worked for me. If you want nebulous concepts and hard to figure out ideas, this book is not for you. But, if you want a book that can start you on the path to growth, I suggest you look in here. By the way, the author hosts a site called www.TruePersonalGrowth.com. Don't tell anyone... but you can actually post your questions on the forum and he might answer them. I've used it myself to overcome some of my issues. Good Luck :)
| Author: | Shannon Duncan | | Binding: | Hardcover | | Dewey Decimal Number: | 158.1 | | EAN: | 9781577314127 | | ISBN: | 1577314123 | | Number Of Pages: | 137 | | Publication Date: | 2003-04 |
|
