Customer Reviews

Life Without a Centre: Awakening from the Dream of Separation

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There are no words to do justice to the sheer beauty of this book, and its power of awakening resonance. I have only written two Amazon reviews to date, but cannot allow myself to pass on the chance to say a few words about this one. Over the past six years I have read many wonderful books on Advaita and non-dualism, but have never encountered the unavoidable sense of ever-present aliveness reflected in such a clear, direct and uncontrived way as in Life Without A Centre. Mr. Foster displays a unique style of writing which seems to effortlessly draw the apparent reader into a confrontation with his/her absence, that which is beyond the ability of the mind to grasp. This is a lively, spontaneous, lyrical, and often humorous, celebration in words of the simplicity of presence beyond the need of understanding. If you have read all the rest on this subject, then you deserve to read Life Without A Centre. Thank you, Jeff, for this gift that I know you will say "just wrote itself."

In this short, brilliant book, Jeff Foster clearly shows that spiritual seeking is futile and pointless, since what we are seeking - awakening, liberation, the Ultimate Reality, etc. - is fully present now, yet we fail to see this because our minds are always searching for some better, happier state. By noticing that the mind is always searching for something better, we may find that the search relaxes, and that 'Liberation is just this, now.' Or to put it more bluntly, 'Liberation is staring you in the face.'

Jeff Foster expresses this message in such a clear, direct, light-hearted way that it seems obvious and impossible to ignore or refute. Many books about non-dualism and awakening leave one with the feeling that 'I haven't got it yet' and so encourage one to continue searching, but this book does the opposite. I strongly recommend it to anyone who does not want to continue seeking for the rest of their life.

When reading Life without a centre this story arrived and seem to insist on being heard.
I don't know if I'd call it a book review, but it's what appeared.

This story occurred from reading
'Life without a centre' by Jeff Foster.

In the story I am a window cleaner ;)

The window has scratches and marks on it, and I'm polishing it to get rid of these, to make the window transparent. I'm so intent on getting rid of these marks I stare intently at the glass and work on it with great effort. Through the window is an office full of people working away at their business, a couple of them notice me at the window and the intense gaze I have. They look at the point in the room at where they think I am looking. They look back and laugh at me. I wake from my intense gaze to see the window is now clear and transparent and it is all happening Now in this present moment, no future or past exist.
I step back to admire the window and drop away to the nothingness below . . .

What's left is nothing, not even a ME.

The thoughts of Happiness, Sadness, and Good,Evil have no meaning, everything Is as it Is.

Jeff's book gives YOU Nothing in bucket loads!
Stop seeking and read this book.

As you can see from the window cleaning story, the mind story continues but there is no-thing left to seek.

A Beautiful Simple Nothing.

A No-thing that creeps slyly past all the words to reveal THIS Present Aware Nowness of life.

An excellent book to stop a seeker DEAD in their tracks!

This is spirituality breaking free from its chains. I absolutely loved it. Yes, it's something different. I haven't read anything like it before, and some of the material in it was quite challenging to my beliefs, at first anyway, but about halfway through reading it, what Jeff Foster was getting at through his words suddenly dawned on me: why in the world am I seeking for something more when everything I ever wanted is right here?

Foster talks a lot about the present moment (or presence, or "this" as he sometimes calls it), and at first these can seem like just words, but when one really gets what the words are pointing to, when you really connect and stop using the thinking mind/ego, it's such a relief. You cannot deny this presence-awareness, the awakeness that you are in your essence, and when that is really seen or recognized, the shift that Foster is pointing to can happen. I couldn't say whether or not I am awakened but it's almost like it doesn't matter anymore.

Having been interested in Spirituality for many years, recently I have been reading what you might call the "non-duality" books (by authors such as Gangaji, Tony Parsons, Adyashanti, Alan Watts, Byron Katie) but never have I come across someone with such a direct and to-the-point way of expressing the ideas. Foster quite clearly is speaking from direct experience, without the words being filtered through a system of belief, and I suppose that is why a lot of people don't like this sort of stuff. I guess people like to pigeonhole an author, whereas Foster doesn't really seem to fit anywhere. Perhaps that annoys some of the more traditional people out there.

If you, like me, have been seeking for so so long, and are getting tired from all that searching, and there is a longing to relax into PRESENCE (which makes some of Foster's message similar to Eckhart Tolle who I see is doing the rounds now), then as the author says some of the words might resonate.

I DON'T agree with my fellow reviewers who complain that Foster's books encourage us to do nothing, or to give up, or to fall into solipsism or become nihilists or anarchists. Foster never says or encourages this, and he points out very clearly in the introduction that if you do believe that his message is all about doing nothing or giving up on life, or not getting out of bed because everything is meaningless, then "LOOK AGAIN", because you have missed the point.

The core of Foster's teaching is that once the seeking falls away, there is a certain relaxation into the present moment ("THIS") which is already complete and therefore, in this moment, no seeking is required. That is very different from telling someone to give up I think. Rather than being depressing I find his message completely freeing, and after so many books telling me how to live (be in the now, give up your ego and so on), and so many spiritual teachers shouting at me for being ignorant or lost in my mind, finally I can see what those words have actually been pointing to all along, and it's done in such a loving way that you don't realize the teaching is happening!

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I love the fact that Foster is so young (not even 30 yet!), and from what I can gather has never had a teacher, and he doesn't cling to any one viewpoint (Buddhism, Advaita, Christianity or so on) but honors them at the same time. I love the way he speaks from his own seeing and clarity with great humility, and always brings the reader back to present experience. I love the fact that this book is not self-helpy or new-agey and Foster doesn't shy away from the dark stuff in the world, but at the same time reminds us that it's all One. I love the fact that it isn't written as a narrative and has no real structure (it swings between autobiography, reflections, prose, poetry, dialogues...). I love the fact that it's so different from all the other stuff out there.

And I love the down to earth style, and the way Foster keeps on mentioning the "ordinary" stuff of life, including gas bills! This is a spirituality that is grounded in the everyday. It's the Oneness that is right here, not out there in some fairy tale world. It certainly challenged a lot of my ideas about what's "spiritual" and what isn't.

I can understand why there have been negative reviews of this book. If you're particularly attached to your concepts of what non-duality should be about, this book is going to be VERY challenging. If you want nice, neat answers, this book is going to be VERY challenging.
Some of the reviews accuse Foster's writing of having no feeling or not recognizing the absolute Love that comes upon awakening. Have they been reading the same book as me???!!! This book is drenched in Love!! My favorite chapter is "On Love And Aloneness". It gives me goosebumps every time I read it. I even read it to my daughter the other night before she went to bed. The ending is so beautiful:

"And so the great search ends here, now, in this moment. There is only love, and you are that, you are love itself, you are what I feel now, you are the thoughts bubbling up from nowhere and dissolving into nothingness, you are that robin over there, and the fresh dew on the morning grass, and the sun in all its radiance, and we are eternally, timelessly bound in this way, you and me, together with all things, although really there is no "me", no "you", and no things. And we will never be apart, no, we cannot be apart, not now, not ever.

So, this morning, I am alone in the garden, and you are here with me to see it all."

He even reminds me of Krishnamurti sometimes. Anyway, let me say again that I loved this book and will order his next book as soon as I have the money! What an absolute relief to see that everything I need is right here, and that I am not separate from anything. Thank you Jeff Foster for reminding me of what I have always known. The ego could never understand this, but deep down, in the essence of what I am, it is recognized.

This is spirituality that isn't burdened and bogged down with teachings, teachers, gurus, lineages, systems of thought, theories. It's spirituality grounded in presence, communicated by a young man with a unique voice and with no ax to grind.

I love this book- it's taken up permanent residence on my bedside table! The book is a crystal clear expression of That which cannot be expressed. The writing is playful and honest, but also deeply beautiful and shining with clarity and presence, and the author shows a solid grasp of the nondual way without any sort of superiority or arrogance whatsoever, as another reviewer commented. There's a human quality to it which I love; it leaves me with such peace and balance when I read it.

I can't believe those reviewers who say this is badly written. Its style is playful and fun, and the author is really trying to use words to point beyond words. I can see how this frustrates some readers who WANT something from the book. This book gives you NOTHING! But as the author says, it's in that no-thing that absolute freedom is found. I guess a lot of readers come to these books with the idea that the book will ADD something to their lives, and certainly this book is to be avoided for those people who dislike paradox and uncertainty! Yes- this book is truly nondual - Jeff Foster never attempts to give you anything - because it's in the ''seeing-through'' of ''you'' where the freedom lies, as he demonstrates so clearly.

This is a clear, accessible book on nonduality, devoid of pretence or the ''I'm enlightened and you're not!'' attitude (found in many so called spiritual books) which is so hypocritical. A beautiful, beautiful book, but not for anyone whose ego is hungry for more content!!

This book is not for beginners or those unfamiliar with non-duality. This book will be highly appreciated by those who have read the works of Ramana and Nisargadatta to name a few well known masters on non-duality.
In Part Three of the book, "A cup of tea", coincidentally, I have been practicing it before using the chinese tea set and the writings of Jeff Foster has actually reinforced my practice. It actually expedited the 'disappearance' of 'my' ego.
Quoted from the book,"I do not drink the tea, for there is no tea and no 'I' who can drink. And I, if I am anything, am the silent observer behind all of this, the space in which it all happens".

Obviously still a popular but controversial book even a year after it was published (just look at the 5 star versus the 1 star ratings!) but definitely a brilliant one.I'm still argueing with my friends about this one, months after reading it.This book is obviously hated by the spiritual "traditionalists", loved by those who are ready for something deeper, something far more radical than any traditional teaching could ever give.If I am correct, what Jeff Foster is suggesting blows every other spiritual teaching out of the water, because the message is that there is nowhere to go! This leaves the mind with nowhere to go, with no hope, with no future.Like a modern Zen koan. No wonder some people hate it!It is desperately frustrating to a mind that wants a future to hear that it has no future.But personally, at this point in my journey, that is exactly what I needed to hear.

Jeff articulates the message in plain, everyday language. It's so very refreshing to hear non-duality articulated in a style that is free of pretence. I expect the controversy surrounding Life Without A Center will go on - is he really fully awake? is it bad writing or a clear outburst of joy? I suppose we all have to come to our own perspective. Anyway, that said, I couldn't get enough of it. But there are many paths to the One, all are perfectly equal.Love to you all.

This is almost five stars in my opinion and I usually give two or less. It is by far the best of the non duality books without a doubt for me and indeed best in all the strictly spiritual/philosophy books too. I have read most too. I agree with the other reviewers. It is completely thought stopping regularly throughout as the author challenges long held beliefs over and over again.It can be hard to turn a page as the profoundity of what is written hits home. This is not a book to be read then cast aside. Amazing is the only word to give it true credit. One of its kind. I think I need look at no more books after this one.

Free of arrogance and of taking offense; free of the attitude, "I'm enlightened and you're not;" free of an air of superiority or celebrity; ordinary, pleasant, Jeff Foster is the nondualist next door.

Jeff talks directly and without compromise about `this'. `This' is form. It is not only a special form such as a statue of Buddha, or the world's largest diamond. It is also a crumb on the floor. The values you place on a crumb, a diamond, and a sacred object, are `this'. This is `this'.

But that's not all. `This' is not separate from the "Nothingness that contains all things," as Jeff says. Jeff does a brilliant job of reminding us of what `this' is and of its non-separation from Nothingness. In this regard, Jeff writes:

"Truly, everything is a manifestation of unconditional love. It is all One Mind, it's all God, it is Nirvana, it is Consciousness, Oneness, The Kingdom of Heaven (call it what you will) - ALL of it. The sacred and the profane, the living and the dying, the fear, the guilt, the pain, the compassion, beheadings in Iraq, mass starvation, bodies being ravaged by cancer, the search for enlightenment, the frustration at `not getting it', paying bills, feeding the cat, stroking the cat, being bitten by the cat, EVERYTHING! (Okay, so I could do without being bitten by the cat....)"

Although Jeff says in the beginning of the book that "no methods are laid out," instruction is given. Jeff writes, "Perhaps it's a question of noticing - right here, right now, and in every moment - how the mind wants something more, something else, something more than just this." ... "Simply notice the movement of thought, pulling you into a future moment where you will be `enlightened.' Come back to the present moment. Who is the one that wants enlightenment?"

The above sounds like instruction in inquiry, which is a method or practice. The instruction is repeated elsewhere. In fact, the book is a call to the reader to notice the ever-happening slightest movement elsewhere, so that the absoluteness of the instant is recognized with open eyes.

At another place in the book, Jeff confesses, "There is no self to realize; there are no enlightened individuals."

This is how every sage talks. They tell you there is no self to realize and at the same time give instruction on how to realize. Whether it's Jeff Foster, Tony Parsons, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, or whoever, they all do it. But as Jeff says, "...even the search for oneness .... is simply an expression of oneness... ."

As we read the descriptions and declarations of `this', as we take Jeff's instructions on how to pay attention, we start to see ourselves as `this', as an immediacy. That's the effect the book has. The floor we stand upon, the floor that we call `me', starts to give way. In the opening cracks we see the Nothingness out of which `this', out of which `me' arises. This is a quietly powerful book that leads you to the plunge into Nothingness.

Jerry Katz

Over the last seven years I have read many, many books on non-duality. My favorite authors and friends include: Tony Parsons, Leo Hartong, Nathan Gill, Unmani Hyde and Guy Smith. I have just finished reading Jeff's book 'Beyond Awakening' and found it to be as clear, if not clearer than all the other books. To say any more would not do this book justice. Reading it has revealed a simplicity to it all, hither to, seemingly obscured. Thank You Jeff!