Customer Reviews

Diamond Heart, Book One: Elements of the Real in Man (Bk.1)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Diamond Heart Book 1 is the first in a series that comprises a certain body of knowledge of the teachings of the school created by A.H. Almaas (a pen name). There are two complementary "lines" in the series: Diamond Heart and Diamond Mind. The Diamond Heart series, currently 4 volumes, is a selection of essays and transcripts from the teaching, and is non-clinical in it's language. I found the relatively conversational style to be excellent as a companion to the Diamond Mind series books which are rather technical and clinical in their use of pschoanalytic and psychodynamic language. The books in each line roughly parallel one another in content: the material in Diamond Heart vol 1. deals with much of the same material in Diamond Mind vol 1., The Void (and another Almaas title "Essence"). Reading them together gives one a much deeper understanding of the material. Imagine reading the clinical text and then going to hear the speaker at a seminar workshop or vice versa.

What is unique about this overall body of material is that it is truly integral in its approach. In that regard, it is similar to Ken Wilber's multi-volume uberwork of Integral Psychology drawing from both Eastern spiritual disciplines and Western psychological theories and practices. Almaas' material is very specific and uses examples from his students work in psychological and spiritual development to give you something to relate to in your own life and growth work which I found extremely helpful for anchoring understanding.

If the following ideas are appealing then this material is for you: When we are born we are our true selves as Essence and Being. Over time and through exerience in relation to our parents, family members, peers, and the world at large we develop a protective structure called the Ego. In the developmental process, we not only lose contact with our Essence, but begin to identify with our Ego structure as our real self. This state of affairs contributes to much of our suffering in life. In the East, enlightenment is seen as coming through the dissolution of the Ego, while in the West the integration of the Ego is seen as the final development of the adult individual. Almaas shows that both are right but incomplete in that each has something to contribute to the other. The work is about disidentifying from the Ego through techniques of psychodynamic work in order to dismantle it, while at the same time reconnecting with and developing those aspects of our original Essence in order to become a fully realized adult human being. Wonderful work.

Almaas provides us with an integration of much traditional spiritual thinking with a more modern psychological understanding accessible to readers who have grown up in a western culture. This accessible and practical book reflects Almaas' understanding about the path towards enlightenment based on his personal experiences, not just theory. I can hardly imagine a reader who won't want to go on to read additional material by Almaas once they've finished this book.

Years ago, my then Zen teacher, Joko Beck, was recommending that her students read A. H. Almaas's "Diamond Heart" series. She said that his work helped her articulate the connection between the ego and the absolute. Whether or not someone wishes to pursue this particular path, this is an amazing book. Teachers often say that "we are love (or compassion, peace. . .)." Almaas helps us understand what that actually means.

This is the first book in A. H. Almaas's four-part Diamond Heart series of teachings, and as such, it offers a good introduction to his integration of Sufism, Zen, and Vajrayana Buddhism with Gurdjieff and modern psychology into what he calls "the Diamond Approach" to realizing our full potential. "We live in a world of mystery, wonder, and beauty," Almaas observes in the book's Preface, "but most of us seldom participate in this real world, being aware rather of a world that is mostly strife, suffering, or meaningless" (p. i). According to Almaas, this is because we are not realizing and living our full potential. The collection of teachings compiled here (based on talks Almaas delivered in both Colorado and California), thematically linked by the "essence" of what is real in each of us, have the power to change the way you live your life.

G. Merritt

This book was a fascinating look into the world of the heart. It was an in-depth approach to reclaiming the essence of you, going beyond the ego and it's many forms. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to go beyond their mind chatter and who want to get to the heart of the matter.

Loved it.
This book cuts straight to the truth and really dives into some of the most important components of the spiritual path. This is the second book I've read from Almaas; the other was from his Diamond Mind series. The Diamond Heart is definitely much less mental and more hearty (as one might imagine). As such, it's not really organized with a clear thesis, but more like a bunch of different insights into different topics all collected together.
Anyway, I highly recommend it, and I'll definitely be reading more Almaas

I got the four books on the Diamond Heart series.
Almaas is a great writer , great details and great literature for those on the path of self realization and understanding.
Totally recommended, that is if you are willing to have your old views challenged!!

This book can be a challenge to digest because it provides practical, meaningful direction about the process of, and challenges with, understanding and releasing the ego.

The author understands this so well, that sometimes when a question came into my mind it would be answered in the very next paragraphs.

The reading can sometimes be a little bit content-heavy, but I found it to be incredibly helpful in learning to accept and understand my thoughts, my ego, and ultimately be a happier and more peaceful individual.

This book was so helpful to me, that it inspired me to check out The Diamond Approach... which is the spiritual school that A.H. Almaas founded and has groups that meet worldwide.

After you have spent time grappling with your 'demons', ego and your 'shadow' there comes a time to move on and this is the book to help with that next step.
Although a little difficult to get into at times it is well worth persevering with it. There are many different aspects which are discussed that seemingly don't have any link between them until you get half way through the book and then it all starts to come together. At least that is how it was for me.
The chapters are scripts of talks given and that is exactly how they read which means that this is not a reference book but a tool to allow you to soak up all the information that you could possibly need on each separate subject.
It is this process of presenting you with the thoughts of Almaas and then stepping back to allow the reader to integrate the information in their own unique way that makes this book special.

I first became aware of the author while reading Maitri's book on the Ennegram. I could see the relationship between Almaas' work and Gurdjieff to some extent, most significantly perhaps is his use of the term, "the work" which is connected to Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. I enjoyed the book and can appreciate the work he and Maitri and others are doing to bring both the Ennegram and Almaas' work referred to in this book as the Diamond Heart. I especially like his conversational style and clarification of words that have certain popular meanings such as compoassion and truth and the sometimes painful process of getting to the heart of those meanings when one seriously engages in "the work".