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Invitation to Awaken: Embracing Our Natural State of Presence

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I would wholeheartedly recommend Tony Parsons' books if it were not for his fervor to deny almost all other teachers, whose writings, in his words, "have nothing to do with nonduality." I have the following specific concerns about his credibility:

-The name of his copyrighted "communication" (kind of odd for a guy who rants against practice) --The Open Secret-- is the name of a book written by Wei Wu Wei decades ago. Tony is a former car salesman whose body language reeks of self-restraint, a usual sign of split consciousness. Like most salesmen, his language is NOT original. It may be free from eastern jargon but it is peppered with linguistic constructions borrowed from Alan Watts ("This is oneness tonyparsonsing") and loads of new-agey "nessing" -- if I had a dollar for every time Tony added -ness to a word -!!!- His total denial of methods (oh, except The Open Secret...) has been done before, with more integrity, by UG Krishnamurti. UG never wrote books or charged for meetings! Parsons' insistence that he can take something as free and timeless as nonduality and make it "new and improved" is just a testament to his inability to move beyond the Sales 101 model of oneness. For example, Parsons describes his "Open Secret" as "not only new, but prior to, and at the root of, all esoteric revelation." I can picture it already, Tony whispering in the ear of Siddhartha Gautama...

-Several people have claimed that Parsons is a former Osho sannyasin. If this is true, it puts his premise, that spiritual seeking is useless, in a different light. What else might Tony be holding back from us?

Tony's students include:

-Nathan Gill, a teacher who delivers Advaita in a medium of unintelligibly clear intellectual mumbo-jumbo.
-Jan Kersschot. Kersschot is even more anti-dual than Parsons. He writes a book, This Is It, of interviews with nonduality teachers. Then he claims in an interview that the teachers in the book were mostly NOT nondual and the hidden point of the book was to enable the reader to sort out the REAL nondual teachers from the fakes. He explains in the interview, of course, that the real nondual teachers are himself and Tony Parsons. The fakes: everybody else. We are encouraged by Parsons to discover that the founders of the Advaita tradition are dualistic fakes as well.

-The only teachers that Tony has ever acknowledged as "nondual" are a tiny handful of white European males, half of whom are his personal students! Tony even rejects Ramana Maharshi, the advaitin par excellence, as "speaking from ignorance" (check YouTube). This is tantamount to rejecting the entire Indian understanding of nonduality and, to keep his integrity, Tony should avoid using the word "advaita." He would also have to proclaim himself (oh, sorry, I meant the bodymind called Tony Parsons) the first person in the history of humanity to achieve complete liberation. Judging from the feel of his writing, he certainly wants to do so.

Somehow all this nondual infighting centered around Parsons doesn't feel right. Nevertheless, it does feel very anti-dual, SO antidual that --in Parsons's own words-- it can't have anything to do with nonduality.

Tony Parson's "Invitation to Awaken: Embracing Our Natural State of Presence" is a collection of dialogues at four of his talks. In the interest of full disclosure, I attended several of his talks, met Tony in person (who stormed away after a question on his practices), and the foreword to his earlier "As It Is" was written by a good friend and fellow advaita teacher and author.

If you want a spiritual teacher who is an atheist and a theist, who jokes about how sexy he is, how much money he's making compared to his previous job as a used car salesman and who considers his understanding superior to Ramana Maharshi's, Tony's your (non)person.

Beyond that, the first talk (which I attended) is about as good as it gets for a summary of what non-dual awakening is in the later stages. A lot of confusion and anxiety can be avoided by understanding this chapter.

One of Tony's, and many other contemporary teachers', key selling points, which is tremendously popular, is that "No effort, path..., process or teaching ... can take us there...". Tony, however, did not take a "no effort" path to his own awakening.

As detailed in his earlier book, Tony did years of practices, including surrendering to his guru, deep meditations, "the latest therapies", an intensive one year residential course on therapies and "Eastern meditation", all the "most recent books", etc. (No effort?)

Tony draws the surprising conclusion that his awakening had nothing to do with those practices, presumably because awakening happened while simply walking across a park in London. (Awakening often occurs in completely random unrelated situations.)

Extensive research in the best neurophysiology labs demonstrates that practicing reshapes the brain and its processes, whether for "spiritual" work, music, sports, arts, etc.; more practice, more change.

Tony's assertion is like an Olympic high-diver saying "it's easy, just jump, twist three times, bend, and straighten." The high-diver wouldn't claim that years of conditioning, low board work, coaching, video watching, etc. were unnecessary because that isn't what she does when she dives and is in "flow".

Ultimately, one does need to drop the "practicer", (as Tony did when he finally surrendered), as that can also be a great trap, but concluding that somehow makes practice unnecessary or a problem is incorrect.

The "no practice" story has sold in many versions over the 35 years I have been around spiritual work. It sells because we want to believe it. Whether it's flatter abs, improved memory, or "enlightenment"; we want it effortless, painless and quick. Dig into the bios; it isn't what happens. It also, surprisingly, makes you dependent on the teacher as you have nothing you can do to awaken yourself except listen to them (and their products).

If it were that easy, wouldn't there be millions of enlightened folk by now?

If the topic of spiritual enlightment is attractive to you, it probably means you are looking for it at some level. There are many teachers whose writings are similar to Tony's, but unlike many, Tony Parsons stresses that there are no exercises or practices that will bring you to an enlightened state. "Who is doing the practicing?" he would ask. If you don't 'get' this idea, keep looking. Look at what is before you, right now. Really look, without judgement, without categorizing, without thinking; just look as you did as a child. I learned something recently that changed my life forever. Tony Parsons' writings helped lead me to it.

This is an incredible book that helps us see ourselves more clearly and live our lives with a heightened sense of awareness. Many times, we think and do things without thinking about why we are thinking this way or why we are doing such things. Many times we are not even aware that we are doing certain things. This book helps us reach a higher state of awareness and allows us to recognize our thought and behavior patterns and understand why we think and do these things. Once we consciously understand these things, our world completely changes. It is an amazing thing. If you are ready to move out of the rut of life, I'd highly recommend this book. There is also another book that has helped me immensely on this. I might as well share it with you. It is called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is also a fabulous book on personal-development that explains how and why all of this happens. Absolutely stunning!

Even though, I fully understand I am "no one" as Mr. Parsons points out repeatedly...as a reading "no one", I experienced this book. I think the basis of it is sound, but I can't help feeling as I read it (and read it again) that there is something more that Mr. Parsons is overlooking here in his moment of pure awareness. I agree with the "Humble Guy" review...

Read this, but allow yourself your own experience of it! Your results may vary.

I bought this book on the previous reviews making 5 stars! I have read many books and I found this one particulaly frustrating. Tony spoke of "no one" is here so "no one" can do this or that. I found it to be in riddles and very difficult for pratical application.
For instance, Tony tells us there is no God on page 36, he says there is no God, there is no will....
But low an behold, on page 76 he says God is expressing himself as the table and the coffe cup, basically that God is expressing himself through everything! So which is it?
I am sorry, maybe I am "not ready" as he put it and I am thinking too much..which wont get you near to an awakening..
Apprantly all you have to do is nothing, but wait there is 'no me" that has to "do anything", therefore there is "no thing" the "no me" can do....Simply awaken, sit there be quiet, realize you are one with everything and nothing, which has no meaning, except as awareness....Sorry...I didn't get it Tony.

If you understood my last paragraph then the book is for you! um excuse the "no you" that is an illusion...good look!

This is a fantastic book, but if you're new to pure Advaita, this is the wrong place to "start". Tony's book will assume you've already done some homework. I would highly suggest you start with
with Nisargadatta Maharaj and even better Ramesh Balsekar. Tony's is the purest, most uncompromising, presentation of Advaita you can probably dig up. It WILL confuse you if you're a beginner and it WILL appear contradictory, however, for those in the know about one's "true" nature then all becomes radically clear and you will rapidly discover Tony's message is absolute non-dualism philosophy at its best!

I have to admit that I have attended several of Tony Parson's Residentials in Europe and I feel he expresses better than anyone the essentials of nondualism in a very clear way with humanness, lots of humor and great caring. I have read this book and also the English version which is expanded and all I can say is that I recommend it completely and fully. Tony and his wife, Claire, are very caring, delightful and warm, non-pretentious and direct. Tony may frustrate your mind but delight your soul. Although he is very serious in his humor, he is gentle in his deep penetration. (Maybe you will laugh until you cry.) Read this book and if there is any way you can go to one of his residentials in Wales or Europe, do it. Don't think too much. And if you do that is fine too.

The first thing I (this body) did when this book arrived was read the back cover. Tony Parsons is quoted on the back cover and there is a sentence in the middle of the quote that begins with "While we enjoy this game of seeking,...". When I read those first seven words in that sentence I stopped reading as if a sensor inside me was triggered. I thought hmmmmm...if that statement is true, then life is just a game and all of the seeking that I do, like the striving to improve myself and always trying to make more money because I think it will complete me, is actually an illusion. Imagine, I didn't even open the book yet.

Anyways, it was the beginning of a complete shift in the way I see the world. It's as if my perception had completely flipped upside down.

Before this book, I had read several books by Eckhart Tolle. This book is more direct.

Btw I decided to buy the book based on the 1 star review submitted on 3/5/04 entitled "I didn't get it". The reason is that I was intrigued by the "there is no thing the no me can do" type of statements that the reviewer included. You should refer to if you want to get an idea of what the book is like.

Some "Advaita" teachers talk about surrender, or, acceptance, but, unwittingly introduce new concepts which binds. For example, total surrender implies there is an object to surrender to.

Tony Parsons speaks directly and clearly. There is no need to rely on concepts. I have read many "Advaita" books and listened to many teachers but Tony Parsons stands out as the most lucid and direct of them all.