Standing as Awareness: The Direct Path

As the author of [...], this is one of a handful of modern non-dual books that I do and will recommend to friends or anyone interested in non-duality. Here are a few striking things about this book. There is no dogma in it. There is no absolutism of ideas or fundamentalism here. It never feels as if its being written from the position of someone with authority or from a center of knowledge. It never makes ontological assertions that can't be proven. It invites the investigation of its own words and pointers. That is simply rare! It never makes truth claims or claims about reality that cannot be discovered through direct investigation or present looking. It never gives you a word--such as awareness, consciousness, being, knowing, Oneness, God, Buddha--and leaves you there, as if the word is the final "word." It doesn't make the assertion that the word is the only and right word. This book is directed towards investigation itself. It's very clear and simple in that regard. This book reveals an awareness of post-modern philosophy. As such, there is an 'awareness in its words' of the slippery nature of views (even views about awareness and non-duality) and of holding tightly to one view as opposed to its opposite. This book never seems like it falls prey to the myth that language mirrors reality. It's more of a discovery into the very question of whether language is delivering truth. This is rare in modern non-dual teachings. There is a sweet interplay between opposites being pointed to in this book as well as a perfect stability as that which is unmovingly aware of both opposites and not separate from them. One field appearing inseparably as "two." This book uses language while deconstructing it. It uses the intellect as a tool. So instead of feeling as though concepts are being treated as something bad, this book uses concepts in a way that assists the reader in directly investigating how concepts create the appearance of duality (or separation). So it uses conceptual frameworks to reveal that the frameworks themselves give the appearance that things exist separately. As each pointer is given, it is not given as a "statement of final truth." It is given very lightly and lovingly, as merely a pointer. You can feel the lightness in the words. And each word allows the mind to take the pointer and then just look. And as the looking takes over, the pointer itself is revealed to be not needed anymore. This reveals that there is never any pointer that is in conflict with some other pointer. No teaching (including Greg's) has ever been truly in conflict with any other teaching. Pointers are just different words or frameworks that are helpful in different "spots" in the investigation. The pointers themselves are seen to be part of the play of duality. And this is exactly why there is no dogma here and no one-ups-manship in Gregg. No inner conflict here. No agenda. No shadow boxing. Just pure humble pointing. In this kind of looking or teaching, concepts are celebrated, instead of vilified. They are celebrated for what they really are--not statements of ultimate truth but rather simply tools of communication. And those tools reveal the limitation of language itself, which appears in a realm of opposites. But one does not feel from reading this book that the author's approach is, in the end, about the denial of form, or appearances, or stories, or worldviews. It does not feel like the author has landed on one side of an opposite including on the notion of existence v. nonexistence, being v. nonbeing, or presence v. absence. This book somehow pulls the "whole thing" off. And that is beautiful and rare. The book does not say that nothing exists. It says that nothing exists independently. This book does something else that is rare. It invites an investigation of what appears as a gross "physical world" and reveals its transparency. It doesn't just talk about the world in terms of concepts. And in that seeing, it is revealed that the boundaries of separation are not in fact real. But the real sweetness here is that once this non-dual realization is seen, there is no one there to even make stories, ideas, language, concepts or apparent boundaries or "things" into the enemy. Greg's humility (his "absence" as a center) is a very sweet and open field that invites this seeing. I could sense that Greg is only ever pointing to space and showing that the space is none other than everything. This book is rare in its ability to reveal this astonishing paradox. This is both a celebration of the nothing and a celebration of the everything--of every story, word, idea, worldview, religion, scientific theory, and philosophy. Some teachings leave you with only the idea that nothing exists or only the idea that everything exists independently or in and of itself. Some leave you with the idea that the teacher is trying to sell you something (usually a pointer) other than what you already are or is trying to destroy some other viewpoint "out there" in order to further its own viewpoint. This book doesn't do any of that. It leaves you right where you are right now, but without the sense that there is something or someone "out there" that is separate from what you are. I highly recommend this book!Scott Kiloby

Non-duality is a difficult experience to grow into. It takes time and reading this book allows one to stop and experience what this is (and then it slips away due to lack of cultivation). A must read along with The Direct Path, another book of his that can help guide us into the non-duality realization. Thanks for the book

Don't be deceived by the simplicity and utter succinctness of this wonderful book. Be ready to set aside long-held beliefs, "common sense", and the desire to acquire additional spiritual knowledge. And become ready to have the entire structure, content, and solidity of your world-view dissolved into the simplest of simple awareness.Added July 24, 2010: Also GET HIS NEW DVD "ILLUMINATION" (from non-duality press). It is enjoyable and effortless to experience this interview-style presentation of the basic principles in the book. It drives points home in a way the written word can't. Even if you have no interest in "spirituality", if you are just a curious observer of life, this DVD will astound you, in its simplicity, and its easily-followed deconstruction of everything most of us take for granted: There is a "me' and the "world" that are solid and independent. "You" are contained in the body. "You" are located somewhere, etc. It is simple and compelling, yet totally unravels the conventional view of reality and the suffering it brings. It will upset your mental apple-cart. The author pulls from Eastern wisdom and from western philosophy, presenting in an easy an entertaining way, clear plain-english insights that would otherwise be inaccessible to most of us.But this is not philosophy. It is the usage of our own direct experience (unadorned by any second-hand knowledge passd down by culture) to see that conventionlly defined "reality" is pure inference. It does not hold up to our own direct looking. Looking at our direct experience is something culture does not teach, but everyone has the ability to look at their direct experience. It's innate in us. There is nothing to learn. Our own direct experience is closer to us and more accessible than any second-hand knowledge. It is so close and familiar to us, it is overlooked by most people. Once you stop relying on what you have been told, and start relying on your own direct experience, life takes a liberating turn.

It's a wonderful book on the direct path. The main content is about 35 odd pages so it is easily finished. Then come some interesting question and answers with the author wherein the author clarifies various aspects related to the direct path. What comes out in these talks is the author's humility which is the hall mark of greatness , required to espouse such a treating. A great read.

Deep and pragmatic......beautiful

Wer sich für Erleuchtung interessiert wird bei diesem Buch fündig. Ein gutes Englisch ist vorraussetzung. Schade, dass es keine Deutsche übersetzung gibt. Sehr inspirierend.

Standing as awareness the direct path by Greg Goode is the best book I have read on non - dualism.It's clear concise and as the title suggests Direct.The subject is written about in such a way that anyone familiar with non dual can have more of an understandingOf the subtle abstract nature of Ourselves as witnessing awareness.The simple experiments exploring perception directly one can do, help to lift the vail of illusion. It is very exciting to finally find a guide that "works"Seeing is awareness and very quickly one is seeing the world very differently indeed.Reading this book has led me on to discover Jean Kline and Francis Lucille (already reading Rupert Spira )I can't recommend this book highly enough. Wonderful.

A thought provoking book, especially for people interested in non-duality