Customer Reviews

The Bliss of Freedom : A Contemporary Mystic's Enlightening Journey

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My comparative religion professor included this book on a recommended reading list as an example of profound mystical experience written by a westerner. I have read fairly extensively in this field and consider the level of spiritual mastery expressed by Master Charles in this book to be a least on a par with the more profound examples of mystical realization I am aware of, both Eastern and Western. It is also a fascinating account of his may years in India under the mentorship of the renouwned Eastern master Paramahansa Muktananda.
Since he is a contemporary, living mystic, I took the opportunity to experience Master Charles in person and attended a meditation retreat with him at his Sanctuary in Virginia. There were about one hundred of us in attendance from all around the world. Several of us were first-timers and many of the others were regular attendees. From the start, it was evident that the level of realization he described in his book was authentic and palpable.
His daily dialogues on holistic reality were clear and precise, and while he is thoroughly conversant in empirical scientific knowledge, his own background in comparative religion and philosophy was quite evident. The contemporary form of meditation that he originated, Synchronicity technological meditation, is absolutely brilliant and is likely the most significant breakthrough in the art and science of meditation in thousands of years. Both the man and his work are on the level of genius.

I have met several authentic spiritual teachers, but none whose presence is so intoxicating, elevating and expansive. The peace, bliss and love that emanates from him, validates the depth of his mystical/spiritual realization more than his words. I was blown away and it was the same for everyone in attendance.
If you are interested in authentic spiritual/mystical experience beyond sectarianism, Master Charles Cannon is a magnificent (and available)living example. I definitely recommend reading his book. Also you may want to check out the website on his non-profit organization, Synchronicity Foundation:...and perhaps even attend one of his retreats. If you are a seeker of spiritual unforldment, don't miss out on an opportunity to experience the real thing.

BOOK REVIEW - THE BLISS OF FREEDOM

As the original luster of the New Age fades, this book offers a
refreshing and entirely new perspective on personal spiritual
transformation, or what Master Charles terms "the enlightening
journey." The author is well qualified to speak of such, as evidenced
in these pages, where he recounts his own remarkable personal and
spiritual odyssey to his current status as a renowned contemporary
Western mystic. The book accurately mirrors his unique melding of
Eastern tradition and Western heritage into a new and more holistic
unity.

The Bliss of Freedom artfully interweaves the autobiographical and the thematic. Master Charles shares both his own mystical experiences and his highly original and provocative insights into such universal issues as love, sex, freedom, the mind and the nature of Reality with a capital R. These insights are born not of cerebral inquiry; rather, they emerge out of the experiential mystical dimensions he describes and his own immersion over many decades in the contemplative lifestyle. The many thousands who came in contact with Baba Muktananda will delight in an insider's glimpse into his world and ways, lovingly revealed by one who shared closely in that world.

Far from a lofty tome, The Bliss of Freedom is real and alive. Master Charles communicates with a simplicity that is unassuming and engaging. The mystical worlds are, by nature, beyond the mind, says the author. Yet, his work successfully meets the perennial challenge of transposing the magic and power of such ineffable experiences into the more solid medium of the word. The careful rendering of his many visionary experiences makes them poignant and immediate so that the reader feels present within the experience. There is even the impression of a subtler level of transmission beyond the words, an inner resonance with what he describes. Even the most entrenched of left-brainers may find, as they read of Master Charles' mystical absorption into luminosity, that similar blue lights dance across the page!

The Bliss of Freedom offers us a "how to" guide to meditative experience, couched in narrative form. The book is inspirational, opening us to the possibility of such meditative and visionary experiences in our own lives. Like the best-selling Conversations with God, it reiterates that the Divine is accessible to us through direct experience, without recourse to the medium of an institution or a religious belief system, even exhorting us to recognize our own innate nature as God or "Source."

While primarily a very personal sharing of Master Charles' own journey, The Bliss of Freedom has all the hallmarks of a spiritual classic, making a major contribution to the genre by its elucidation of the meditative and mystical tradition, and the role of the master-disciple relationship within that tradition. These subjects have been little known or understood - and therefore much maligned - within Western culture. In demystifying them, the author underscores their relevance and resurgence in our present times. Master Charles speaks directly and powerfully to those who also aspire to the "mystic's enlightening journey" towards freedom. This is no longer a "journey to the East" (as it was for Herman Hesse so long ago), but a journey that is shown to be possible here and now, within our own contemporary American context.

by Tashi Powers Editor of The Enlightening Times www.enlighteningtimes.com

The Bliss Of Freedom - Reader Review

The Bliss of Freedom by Master Charles, chronicles the real-life story of a contemporary mystic from his earliest spiritual experiences as a child, through his years spent at the side of his teacher, the renowned Eastern master, Paramahansa Muktananda. Whereas other spiritual autobiographical accounts seem somewhat formulaic and sterile, I found this one to be authentically "real" as well as being a fascinating read from start to finish.

In this straightforward story, Master Charles focuses on personal, anecdotal experience and avoids falling into the trap of philosophical preaching or moralizing. We get a real insider's glimpse into day to day life around a very powerful Master and how the Master - disciple relationship transforms and awakens.

Seekers of truth will find much to consider here as the meditator's journey is detailed without sugar-coating or romanticizing. This book should be in every seeker's library.

I am always amazed at the diversity of the awakening process. Here Master Chrales shares with us in his own unique style of expression ( he is very poetic ) the journey of awakening as it unfolded within him, whilst he was in the presence of the Great Master Baba Muktananda. Perhaps the uniqueness of the awakening process reflects the Unlimited potential that is Consciousness. As the Spiritual energy Kundalini Shakti awakens within a human being she takes one on a journey into the very depths of BEING , and the expression and dance of this process is always a creative and free. Here we are invited into the depths of awakened consciousness

I discovered this book by "accident" from an ad in a magazine I found in a waiting room. Master Charles was a student of Muktananda whose name translates to "Bliss of Freedom". Thus the title is no coincidence. ...I find Master Charles experiences very familar. Both from my personal experience and the experiences I've heard or read from others. His is a classic story of the enlightenment adventure from the Hindu or Vedantic perspective.

Aside from experiencing the wonderfulness of Master Charles'adventure readers can gain spiritual/historical perspective by reading Muktananda's book about his own awakening adventure: "Play of Consciousness". Additionally, Franklin Jones (Da Free John) wrote about his experiences with Muktananda in his book "The Knee of Listening".

In summary, this book is a prototypic example of the adventure of awakening to our spiritual reality and an excellent read and addition to many seekers' spiritual libraries...

Using strings of the keywords that seem to charm the seeker, "Master" Charles (recently promoted from his former name "Brother Charles" - how far can he go?) fills his book with vague claims and more vague promises.

The fact the so many of these books are for sale "used" (and no doubt unread) may be a warning.

Watch the parking meeters

My sister sent me this book after hearing that I was going to my local church. She said that Charles had the "secret" of life - listening to clicks and clacks on a tape created by Charles to harmonize my brain. I find that MC got "it" and now lives in the hills with disciples, and teaches his reformated gnosticism to those tired of Shirley MacLaine, but not yet ready for Father O'Brien. I see the problem, but found this book very hazy and unfocused. Perhaps those better schooled in the new-age, the undefined words will make sense: unity of all things, the potential that lies inside of you, and so on. It reads like that Saturday Night Live guy wrote it. Enough incense-like words, and some undergraduates at odds with their parents will buy into it.

I see danger.