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$16.00
Paperback
Duet of One
Ramesh Balsekar
This is my favorite book by Ramesh Balsekar (a direct disciple of Sri Nisargadatta.) I have read it and re-read it. Balskekar’s commentary on The Ashtravakra Gita (The Bible of Non-Duality) to me, offers wondrous insight into the preordained drama that we call life. The Ashtravakra Gita and Ramesh's commentary bring into sharp view what is real and what separates the real from all else. At first there may be fear created by this reality, but through acceptance it brings much peace, as all happens and unfolds as it should, and all action is predetermined. The main theme is that we are dreamers (in actuality there is only one dreamer), the dream being this life. When the time is opportune we awaken to the one reality. This awakening is inevitable and the time and place already set… all we need do and can only do is just carry on in the drama of every day life until that day when the drama becomes a comedy and the laughter begins to flow. Review by Tony Kainauskas
$16.95
Paperback
Pointers from Nisargadatta Maharaj
Ramesh Balsekar
This is included in this section as well as the section under Ramesh, because Ramesh claims in the preface that the material written in this volume "emerged spontaneously, dictated, in a fine frenzy that surcharged my being, by a compulsive power that could not be denied." Ramesh goes on to explain that not only did the book really spontaneously write itself, but that its publication kind of "just happened", through a series of "coincidences." It is very important to note that the writings and publication both took place while Ramesh was still continuing to attend satsang and before Ramesh himself attained "guruhood status." Nisargadatta authorized the publication saying: "I know that you both are aware that all writing originates in consciousness, that there is writing but no authors." Both Nisargadatta and Ramesh teach that nothing happens and that there is no doer. Therefore, neither of them outlines a path. In fact both teach that enlightenment cannot be achieved, it just happens, as much as a leaf falling off a tree just happens. When I attended satsang with Ramesh in 2004 he made this point rather graphically. He was trying to drive home this point that enlightenment just happens. He said, "It can happen at any time. It could happen while you are seated on the commode. In fact if it should happen at that moment you might get up and even forget to wipe your ass." This attitude, that nothing happens, results in many levels of paradoxical traps for the seeker. If there is nothing you can do to get enlightened, then why bother attending satsang? In fact these great teachers say the choice to attend or not attend satsang is not yours to decide. If you are at satsang it is merely because you were destined to be there. Most seekers have trouble with this concept. If we consider ourselves seekers, then we must feel we are involved in the volitional act of seeking. What I like best about this book, Pointers, is that despite the view that there is nothing you can do, this books gives some practical advice or "pointers" which these masters feel may help one to have enlightenment happen to the seeker. If you can figure this out and explain to me in conceptual terms how this makes sense, I would be eternally grateful. Anyway, I loved this book and think it is clearly a must read for the serious student of Advaita. Review by Len Oppenheim
$24.00
Paperback
Consciousness Speaks
Ramesh Balsekar
Ramesh has written more than a dozen books. Each one is worth reading. In talking to fans of Ramesh, I have found that very often a single book resonates most strongly for a given individual. For some it has been Sin and Guilt, for others A Duet of one, and for other individuals it has been one of the other titles. For me, it was Consciousness Speaks that somehow opened my mind and heart to the full appreciation of this wonderful teacher. The brief introduction by Wayne Liquorman sets the tone for the book. In fact, I believe that reading the eight-page introduction is worth the entire price of the book, and in this seed is contained the wholeness of the teaching. Although Ramesh is a brilliant and skillful writer, I believe he is at his best when teaching and responding to questions from seekers. This book uses the question and answer format and that is why I believe it is his most effective book, and certainly it has been his most popular book at our bookstore. When my sons became interested in Ramesh, it was this book that I provided for them to read first. The book is very comprehensive, covering all subjects, including mind, intellect, emotions, biology, creation, etc. All the answers are straightforward and simple. Ramesh pulls no punches and allows the knowledge to flow through him, as the title of the book suggests. This is a book to be cherished and read over and over again. Review by Len Oppenheim
$16.00
Paperback
Acceptance of What Is: A Book About Nothing
Wayne Liquorman
Liquorman begins chapter one with this caveat: "Buyer Beware: Truth disappears in the telling of it." Liquorman was acknowledged by his guru, Ramesh Balsekar, to have "gotten it", in other words to have realized the Advaita Teaching and to be a gyani. So, this is a book about nothing. At the same time it is a book about everything. The book uses a question and answer format, which I find to be very easy to follow and understand. Liquorman has a great sense of humor and a zest for life, both of which clearly come through. Liquorman has the kind of mischievousness and charm I find irresistible. I find it refreshing to get the story of how a Westerner, a businessman, and former substance abuser, achieves realization and how this grace just happens. This is clearly a must read, and if you like the book as much as I did you will take the next step and go to see and hear Wayne, live and in person. Seeing Wayne is a treat, as is reading this book. Although the book is simple, something about the style and presentation resonated so deeply with me that I consider it to be one of the dozen or so books I have ever read that have profoundly influenced me and changed the direction of my life. Review by Len Oppenheim
$14.95
Paperback
The Wisdom of Balsekar: The Essence of Enlightenment from the World's Leading Teacher of Advaita
Ramesh Balsekar
Edited by Alan Jacobs
Ramesh Balsekar is generally regarded as the leading living exponent of Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of Non–Duality. Born in 1917, educated at The London School of Economics, a householder with children and grandchildren who retired over twenty years ago having risen to President of the Bank of India, Ramesh, now eighty-seven years old, holds satsang seven days a week in his Mumbai apartment. His spiritual quest was inspired many decades ago by his interest in the great saint, Ramana Maharshi. However, his "awakening" occurred after his retirement, as he sat with his guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj, and in "real time" translated Nisargadatta's talks from Marathi into English. Ramesh has written over twenty books and is known and loved by seekers from around the world. He has been teaching Advaita since 1982. I have read more than a dozen of his books, have been uplifted by attending his satsangs in Mumbai, and have thoroughly enjoyed selected videos and DVD's about Ramesh. I would recommend all of his books, going to see him, and viewing the videos. However, suggesting to someone where to start reading Ramesh has always been difficult. This book solves that problem, because it is an anthology. This anthology is organized by subject, or theme. The editor has done an excellent job of selecting both the right themes and best passages from Ramesh. You can't go wrong reading this book, as it will either enliven the best parts of Ramesh's teachings for those of us who are familiar with them, or introduce them to the novice. Ramesh is personable, witty, and knowledgeable, on the mundane or relative level. On the deeper level, he is awakened, a gyani, one who has pierced the illusory veil of duality. Wayne Liquorman, acknowledged by Ramesh as his only awakened American student, very succinctly sums up the value of this book, in his foreword: "Throughout these pages are to be found countless pointers to a profound Truth, a singular Truth… a Truth that is vast and Unknowable and yet as familiar and intimate as our breath." I recommend this book without hesitation to any and all interested in the pursuit of Truth. Reviewed by Len Oppenheim
$17.00
Paperback
Never Mind: A Journey into Non-Duality
Wayne Liquorman
I have read about a dozen books by Ramesh Balsekar, Liquorman's first book, Acceptance of What Is, Nisargadatta's classic, I Am That, and a number of other books written by or about Advaita sages. I have also had satsang with Ramesh and with Wayne Liquorman. Based on my readings and experience I really thought I knew about as much about Advaita as I was ever going to know. Surprise! Surprise! I was totally blown away. There is something about the way Wayne Liquorman is able to explain and characterize things that (to use his word) resonates with me. Maybe it is the fact that he is a Westerner and I share with him many cultural and experiential similarities. Whatever the reason, it does not matter. I experienced so many "aha" experiences reading this book that I was in a constant state of hyperawareness. Reading this book was, to me, like sitting at the dinner table with the greatest dessert I have ever had. I couldn't wait to taste bite after bite, but I did not want to take another bite, because each bite would mean I would be closer to the end. I couldn't put the book down, but at the same time I wanted it to last forever. It has been a long time between books for Wayne, but it was well worth the wait. I could not possibly give a higher rating to any book I have ever read. This is a must read for everyone. Review by Len Oppenheim
$17.95
Paperback
Explorations into the Eternal: Forays from the Teaching of Nisargadatta Maharaj
Ramesh Balsekar
In this volume, Ramesh Balsekar reaches beyond the communication of past knowledge to a creative exploration of the teaching of his guru, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, inspired by the thirst of other seekers for enlightenment. In his contemplations upon the sentience of the human spirit, Balsekar has used Maharaj's wisdom as the touchstone for his own ventures into the realm of conscious and unconscious.
$18.95
Paperback
The Only Way to Live
Ramesh Balsekar
Ramesh Balsekar
has written about 30 books, and he gives daily Satsang in his apartment in Mumbai. His guru was Nisargadatta
. Ramesh Balsekar
is considered one of the leading teachers in the tradition of Advaita
(non-duality). That is a huge amount of teaching and a prodigious amount of intellectual output for a man who has basically taught that becoming a sage or gaining what he calls “The Ultimate Knowledge” is a product of fate or grace rather than something that can be taught or attained through effort or discipline. In essence this paradox is very similar to the paradox of Lao-tzu, who begins the Tao Te Ching
by saying that the “Tao that can spoken is not the true Tao” and then follows that up with verses and pages all about the Tao.
One of Ramesh’s
earliest works, Pointers
, conveyed his approach which is that while no one can be taught and no one can learn to become a sage, it is possible that certain “pointers” may be useful in the process. Over the last 20 years or so, Ramesh’s
teachings have slowly been evolving towards a more pragmatic or practical approach. The Only Way to Live
, his latest book, is, as the title implies, more of a practical manual than a philosophical text.
Ramesh’s
basic teaching, which he claims is the same as that taught by the Buddha, is that while deeds are done and things happen, there is no personal doer. In other words only God, or “Source”, or “Consciousness” is moving this whole happening we call life. Therefore, since we are merely products of our nature (genes) and our nurture we have no reason to be proud or guilty or sinful. He claims that if this “ultimate understanding” is realized on a very deep and fundamental level, beyond the level of a “concept” then one can be a sage and live life in peace, harmony, and fulfillment.
The Only Way to Live
is a book that could be very helpful in attaining this wisdom. Additionally there is very practical and useful insight into love, relationships, religion, values and many more topics of utmost importance. I have read about 20 of his books, attended Satsang in Mumbai, watched numerous videos of him, and listened to countless CD’s. As a thinker, philosopher, and observer of human nature and psychology I think Ramesh Balsekar
is right up there with Kant, Bertram Russell, Freud and all of the best of breed. Since this is definitely one of his best books, and since it incorporates his most current thinking, I very highly recommend this book. Review by Len Oppenheim
$19.00
Paperback
Enlightenment Is Not What You Think
Wayne Liquorman
For those who consider themselves spiritual seekers, I am thrilled and excited to recommend Enlightenment Is Not What You Think, by Wayne Liquorman. Liquorman has been recognized as a sage by his guru, Ramesh Balskar. Balsekar, in turn, was passed the baton by Sri Nisargadatta. These three are considered by many to be the best modern-day exponents of the Advaita Philosophy. Advaita
literally translates as “not two”. Liquorman does a wonderful job of explaining why this translation is so much more descriptive and meaningful then the commonly used “non-dual”.
I have had the privilege of spending time with Ramesh Balskar
in India, and with Wayne here in the good old USA. I have found their writings and their oral teachings to be exceptional, in a class by themselves when it comes to helping me to be pointed in a direction to grasp what they sometimes call “The Ultimate Understanding”. I am super enthusiastic about this book and rank it right up there among the best books I have ever read about the nature of “spiritual seeking” and the myths that have grown up in the seeking community.
Here, in Wayne’s own words is the essence of the unique approach of this book:
“I am very pleased to have my new book, Enlightenment Is Not What You Think, coming out this month. If it is at all successful in dispelling some of the myths about Enlightenment, I will be gratified. In the Living Teaching it is recognized that seeking Truth is infinitely more valuable than finding it. The search is alive and vibrant. Once you think you have found it, the resulting knowledge is dead. Knowledge is acquired. Truth is revealed. The nature of this revelation is an absence rather than a thing that is to be gained. Of course, it is impossible to describe an absence...we can only describe something that has properties. The impossibility of the task of describing Enlightenment, combined with the insatiable thirst on the part of the seeker to know what it is, has produced an incredible array of pointers.
The inevitable fate of such pointers is that people hear them as descriptions and then take them to be Truths in and of themselves.”
This book is so full of wisdom that I find I can only read about 4 or 5 pages at a sitting. I love this book like I love desert. It is powerful, and explodes in my consciousness the way a great desert explodes my taste buds. It is so much fun to read and so stimulating it is almost obscene in its power and effect.
I could really go overboard in recommending this book. I really hope everyone will read it. If each of you enjoys it ½ as much as I did you will be thrilled to have read it. Review by Len Oppenheim
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