Customer Reviews

Enlightenment for Beginners: Discovering the Dance of the Divine

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

The sample pages don't provide an accurate measure of the greatness of this book. These pages lead up to an amazing conclusion, that can't be provided without spoiling the wonderful surprise.

A much more accurate measure of the value of this book is provided by author Deepak Chopra's review (see the reviews of his many books to know the value of his opinion).

"There are brilliant insights in Chuck Hillig's book. Even one of them could dramatically change your life.
"Deepak Chopra, M.D. (Quantum Healing) (and many others)

Of all of life's experiences, this little book has the greatest beneficial influence on me. If you have been searching for enlightenment, then this book is required reading. No other book explains the underlying truth of enlightenment as clearly or concisely. Many people spend their whole life striving to attain the insights that this book provides in a few minutes of reading.

Enlightenment for Beginners uses very simple language and graphics -- basically a few words and a cartoon per page -- to teach about the nondual nature of reality. Since it's original publication in 1977 under the title 'What Are You Doing in My Universe?', it has been praised by "everyone." Timothy Leary said, "Alan Watts would have roared with amused approval." Ken Wilber, Stanislov Grof, Jean Klein, Huston Smith, Francis Lucille and others have enthusiastically expressed their enjoyment of this book.

I'll let the author, Chuck Hillig, describe the book. The following is from an email sent by Hillig to the Nonduality Salon email forum in July, 1999:

"Enlightenment for Beginners tells the entrancing story of how (and why) you've been cleverly imagining yourself to be only a separate and limited Being. Using the simple parable of 'Black Dot #1', the Reader is shown how Life is only a wonderful Game of Pretending to NOT be 'the Other'...(better known as 'Black Dot #2'.)

"Using easily-understood words and drawings, the author invites the Readers to discover that they already are 'who' they've been looking for. The book is short, direct and avoids any esoteric 'buzz' words so often associated with eastern philosophy. After an Introduction of 1600 words, (which the Author suggests the younger Readers should skip entirely), the main text uses only an additional 2000 words to tell its entire story.

"Enlightenment for Beginners is a book for the entire family...adults and young kids alike. It's suitable for those very familiar with advaitic/non-dualism and, of course, it's absolutely perfect for those just beginning on their inner journey of SELF discovery."

To demonstrate the simplicity of the writing and the challenge of that simplicity, here is an excerpt (it lacks the dramatic font effects, since they cannot be inserted into these reviews):

Let's see, now:
"I am only my #1 dot.
I am NOT my #2.
"I am only my #1 dot.
I am NOT my #2.
OK, I think I've got it straight now.
Hmmmmm.
But suppose I accidentally
"remember" that I'm only just
p*r*e*t*e*n*d*i*n*g
Well, that might really
spoil my fun.
I know!
Just to make really SURE that
I can keep my game going
I also better arrange
that I keep
FORGETTING
that I'm just pretending
that I'm only my #1 black dot.

In this careful, direct and almost childlike way, the book penetrates the fundamental nature of duality and finds its expression as an atom consisting of two particles: black dot #1 and black dot #2. Hillig accelerates these particles, revealing an ultimate particle which could be called the nondual nature of reality.

This particular physics is done on the reader's perception. First the reader will come to understand the atom of duality. Then it is possible the reader will be nudged toward understanding the ultimate particle, the nondual nature of reality. Finally it could be understood that all this talk about atoms and black dots and nonduality is more black dots, more atoms of duality. This could lead to an awakening to reality, to who one is, abidance in nondual awareness. Such is the potential of Enlightenment for Beginners.

Toward understanding this work, Hillig makes a suggestion in the introduction: "Above all, let go of your ego's desire to want to logically 'figure-it-all-out.' Your rational mind will never be able to become enlightened. Instead, simply trust in the willingness of your heart to being reminded again about something that it has known all along."

The CD-ROM version of Chuck Hillig's classic work is faithful to the print version word for word and graphic for graphic. Because it incorporates spoken word, text, music, and flash animation, it enhances the book and could make it easier to comprehend this deceptively simple work. If one is reading the hard copy edition while listening to it being read, and pausing to view the flash animation, the learning experience should be further enhanced.

Anyone who values their intuition of the nondual nature of reality and trusts in the willingness of their heart, will find Enlightenment for Beginners -- the book and the CD-ROM -- an experience in deepening understanding. Reading it could shape intuitions into a knowing to which one may resort moment to moment.

Jerry Katz

This is a concise attempt to point to our wrong personal identification with this body-mind as a limited 'I', though infact this 'I' is 'infinite'.

This book is only apparently simple. Though it is titled "Enlightenment for Beginners", I do not know if a real beginner will get its message. Probably, one who is already into this 'enlightenment' stuff, will find this a refresher course about the core principles of this 'enlightenment' game.

The following three sentences in the one and only one essay in the book, on 'Reality' summarise the findings and approach to realization.

"In order to be able to interact dramatically with these so-called "others", you have to first experience yourself as a disconnected ego. In short, you have to pretend to be playing out a role in this drama as a separate individual. In other words ... you have to be a "Person"!

However, just like in the movie, the actial reality that underlies your "role-in-the-world" might also be like a kind of unbroken and seamless "screen", too. In truth, this very "Screen" that is supporting the dramatization of your individual "movie role" may actually be, deep down, WHO you really are! It may infact, be your very own true nature !

. . . . .

Infact, the oldest eastern religions have long recognized this Great Illusion as "lila" . . . the "divine dance". By completely giving up his attachment to the role that he is playing in his life, the Seeker becomes awakened to the pure consciousness that he really always was all along. In a sense, he "becomes" the Screen itself by discovering that he alreadu is who he has been looking for ! "

A few other important ideas are suggested to tell that the view of individuality is imagined.

Well, this carton style presentation in the book and its message should make an interesting reading/browsing. While it might make a helpful reading, I am sure , it is not a serious companion for the entire journey of 'quest for knowledge' of one's own self.

The book is over priced for what it can deliver. One should save money by borrowing the book than to buy it.

A lot of readers today are confused about enlightenment. Liberation has nothing to do with a person, and even less with perfection or holiness (as is suggested in a lot of books from the East). Chuck is one of those authors who is clear about it. Highly recommanded.

Jan Kersschot, author of "Nobody Home"

Unlike most titles on spirituality, this isn't meant to instruct or provide new insights: Enlightenment for Beginners: Discovering the Dance of the Divine is instead meant to steer in the right direction - and to remind readers about what they might have forgotten. As such, chapters offer very simple one-line reflections to encourage self-examination and understanding.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book would much more aptly be named The Fundamental Essence of Enlightenment, but Chuck did not want to sound pretentious so he gave it a much more humble name than it really deserves.

For all those seeking Buddhist Enlightenment, Zen Buddhist Satori, or Hindu Moksha, no other book or sutra is nearly as succinct or clear.

If you want a book that is straightforward and uncomplicated, here it is. Chuck's words and drawings point us to Home. Home being, that which we are, always were and always will be - whether we realize that or not. Timeless presence, as Tony Parsons calls it. Home, that place of no separation, no "me" and no "others". It is only a game of pretending to be a person, a black dot on a white screen, as Chuck says. The One pretending to play the game of two.

Jan Kersschot, author of "Nobody Home"

I ordered this book because of the title but boy was I disappointed. There are few words on a page and silly cartoon pictures. This book is a total waste of money. I could not read it. I could not understand the point of it. I am not a beginner at the enlightenment game. I actually am no longer searching to become enlightened but eager to help students on the path. As one who took the enlightenment game very seriously and bought many books from Amazon in the process, I highly recommend you start with a book by Adyashanti (#1) or Gangaji (#2) and don't waste your money on this book.

I hate to say it but this is a rather silly book, I can't believe anyone actually takes it seriously.

this could have been reduced to a single page with no loss.
You are God "forgetting" Itself.
end of story.
Just saved you $11.95