Customer Reviews

Living Reality: My Extraordinary Summer With "Sailor" Bob Adamson

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is unique. Bob, after coming to the USA on James' and Kerry's nickel, wasn't about to return to Australia without these guys knowing their pure non-dual nature. James, in turn, in writing this book, wasn't about to allow the reader to remain in duality. I can't believe it, but after twenty years of reading books on this subject, I have grasped the knowing. There is no individual. All there is is the play of consciousness in and as the appearance. I'm free! Thanks, Bob and James for your persistence and clarity.

One of the best books on Advaita (non-duality) and one of the better spiritual books written in the past decade. Too often Advaita books are without heart. They are written on the ultimate level of reality - the level where there is one integrated whole and we as individuals don't really exist. Within the illusion of appearances, such books have little practical advice as they are reduced to saying over and over - "you don't really exist." In doing so they miss the opportunity for learning that our belief in our separated self provides.

In this book James Braha provides transcripts of his solo talks with Advaita teacher "Sailor Bob" Adamson as well as transcripts of talks with Bob, James and other spiritual friends. The talks are honest and humane. They address "real" world questions and leave room at the same time for us to investigate and find our own answers. The talks are held together nicely with James's well-written, insightful and warm commentaries. Highly recommended!

What an insightful book that James Braha has written on Advaita and his six week visit with Sailor Bob Adamson.In his introduction he writes"...there is actually proof that within our experience of life....there is an integrating element that is almost always ignored." I am grateful for the repetative pointing out of what that integrating element is and alway has been.

I have read many books on Advaita including most of Ramesh's work as well as Tony Parsons, Gangaji, Ramana, Nisargadatta, Wayne Liquorman and others . This book is the clearest and most direct book I have read. It changed the way I see life.

The purpose of this book, the author says, is "to share nonduality with you. ... to expose the personal reference point - the `me' - for what it is: a phantom created by the mind. My hope is to do for readers what Nisargadatta Maharaj, the great Indian sage, did for my teacher, Sailor Bob Adamson, and what Sailor Bob did for me. And that is `to take the seeker beyond the need for help.' If, after reading this text, you are able to see clearly that the `me' you have live with your entire life is a false creation of the mind, you will never need help again. You will know your true nature and the real meaning of understanding."

There may be other books that share nonduality as satisfyingly as Braha's does, but probably none surpass it. And perhaps no other book in the nonduality genre brings a living sage, in this case Sailor Bob Adamson, so close to you, in a physical and "real" sense, in the way this book does.

The dialogues are realistic talks with a group of nice people with Bob Adamson at the center of attention and including Bob's wife Barb, who contributes sagely to the dialogue as well. The tone of the dialogues varies from serious, to wildly free, to nearly silly, but is always kept genuine by the presence of Bob. Of course the author has to be commended for selecting the most lively and meaningful portions of discourse, and for revealing what it was like to be in the company of Bob Adamson.

Numerous topics are covered in the dialogues: Buddha, good stories about Nisargadatta Maharaj, the Now, Muktananda, infinity, the mind, thoughts of torture, reality, karma, religions, desire, reincarnation, and of course nonduality, and others. But there's really only one topic: "Life is awareness constantly seeing awareness," says Bob. Other quotations could be given basically saying that no matter what topic is addressed it comes down to awareness or present existence (or nonexistence), or getting the mind to stop.

A very important part of the book is the writing by James Braha himself. His writings make up about one third of the entire book. Braha's writings consist of introductory chapters to the book as well as a conclusion. James's commentary precedes each of the dialogues with Bob and prepares the reader for them.

In James's chapters he talks about his own experiences with nonduality, his developing spiritual life, until near the end when it becomes obvious that there's no point to speak of such things as a spiritual life or stages of understanding. They are imaginings. Also in Braha's chapters he talks about Bob's visit, how it came about, how it progresses, Bob's arrrival. James brings the reader into the events as they unfold, so we feel we are with Bob and the rest of the gang when the dialogues are taking place. James also talks about nonduality itself in the chapters he writes.

Braha's writings are as significant as Bob's utterances. Thus this book transcends Bob and Braha and becomes about waking up itself. As well, this book includes all the elements readers want: a sage, a seeker or two, the sage's wife, story of a physical journey, story of a spiritual journey (or two), dialogues with a sage, a collection of friends and others, color photographs, a sense of warmth, family, humanity, solid and identifiable beginning, middle, and end. The writing and editing are professional. Thus this is a great book. This book must be recommended along with the very best books on the teaching of nonduality.

I like the dozen or so clear, color photographs very much, showing the main people in the book. They make for a special inclusion, unheard of in other nonduality books. With all the names, subjects, concepts, themes, this book could use an index. I wanted to find all the places in the book where Barb, Bob's wife, was mentioned, because I thought she was so cool, but I couldn't. On the other hand, I can understand where indexes enforce searching and encourage avoidance of the message of nonduality which is found on every page of a book such as this, and needs no looking up.

Jerry Katz

I love this book. I am currently on my third reading. It is about someone who was a seeker, the same confused schmuck like rest of us with all the same false expectations and dumb questions, who becomes a finder through the kind help of Sailor Bob. Happily he recorded most of the conversations so we could come along with him during this process. It runs the gambit of all questions and concerns leaving no loose ends to have reservations about. I also liked that it was a account of his time with Bob and contains personal observations and history. It makes the material more real and interesting than anonymous dialogues. I feel this is a must read for anyone interested in the subject of enlightenment or nonduality.

This book is as inspirational as Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. It is very simply and clearly written and is extraordinarily helpful as a guide to know oneself. Sailor Bob helps one see that you are consciousness itself, right here and right now. Your spiritual searching ends with this book and rather than being a spiritual seeker--you now are a spiritual finder. You find yourself. Understanding is all. This book helps you to understand who you really are and you discover that you were always here--free and whole--but you simply didn't see that. Truth is so simple that we overlook it. Braha has written a spiritual classic.

As I delve into this marvelous assortment of "Duets of Oneness" what knocks "me" over is the simplicty of the message (and the "messengers") ... there is a palpable sweetness and what some would call a Heart-Resonance that seeps into the reader from the space behind the words and the spaces on the page ... DO NOT miss this one ... for me this is the best book a seeker could read ... IF the interest is in seeing through all the myths and expectations about the "Bliss of Enlightment" or some other such nonsense. This is a book for the Ripe and Ready ... If he or she is TRULY interested in and "willling to go through the death of the apparent individuality!"

This is a text in the tradition of the great dialogues of Adi Shankara, Jnaneshwar, Nisargadatta and Ramana ... and as such is much MORE than "A story of liberation, friendship, humor, and love, as Sailor Bob takes spiritual aspirants beyond the need for help, just as Nisargadatta Maharaj did for him thirty years ago..." It's that, AND more.

charlie hayes
[...]

Dear, dear James,

I could not thank you enough - I am totally at a loss of words. Your book was beyond excellent...and know I got "It."

It all happened "last night" when reading the last chapter where you were giving the extra nugde for those who have a bunch of conditioning from the past approaches. What was pointed at by the book became so clear to me that I simply was not able to find anyone anywhere no matter how hard I tried. What a wonderful feeling. Then, upon finishing the book, a short wave of tearful yet most grateful emotions came up. As I was lifting my hands up towards the sky to thank God for this gift and amazing grace, I suddenly became very tangibly aware that there was no one to thank and I put my hands down. It was just incredible.

Ever since, I have been just flat out amazed how incredibly impersonal everything is and how that fact makes everything on the level of appearance not only easier but also moot. When no energy is going towards keeping the drama up alive, it just ceases to make an impression and dies. So it's like living fresh at every moment.

So, now I'm as free as I've ever been - and yet it makes all the difference.

Which brings me to another point: I would be happy to promote your book on my website (and upcoming blog) if you have created an affiliate system with links and such. So, if you are interested, let me know.

My heartfelt thanks to you, Bob, and everyone else involved in creating the book.

With heartfelt blessings,

Timo Kiviö

We all know there are 100s upon 100s of books out there on this subject. AND you also know if you are the typical new age seeker (jumping from one book to the next, one chapter to the next with the thought .. 'this next chapter will spark the fireworks')...that no words can ever bring you there..they may be wonderful pointers..but they are never it..Because there would suggest somewhere else other than what is here now..

James Braha's book stands out in its empathy first of all with the seeker. He appears to demonstrate a real remembrance of the frustration and pointlessness of the search having ticked every seach box known for years. He remembers what you are going through yet he does not try to give you anything or sell you anything or convince you of anything.
Because of course there is NO YOU to get anything or not get anything. So who could get it? Who could understand this message ? Second he does not give you big beautiful stories of abundant bliss so that you will have something to strive for or attain. This keeps us all seeking. The belief that there is something to get/ something to attain. And even when we hear this 100s of times that there is nothing to get...we still think..'yeh but whats the point if there isn't fireworks and something to get...there must be if you are writing a book about it'...

What you get is an honest account of his time with Sailor Bob.. What is clear is his attempt as much as words will allow, to slash through the beliefs that we all have surrounding enlightenment, liberation etc.And even more so his passion at keeping the message simple.. His writing style is very normal, very natural and very chatty.. And within that there is a clarity that cuts through the pages which is so refreshing amongst all of the clutter, the crap, the videos, the downloads, the first book, the all important follow up book, the dialogues, the silence, the techniques, the no techniques, the talks, the intensive satsang, the not so intensive satsang, the words, the gap between the words, the you, the no me, the bliss, the no bliss, the begining the end, the you are that, the i am that, the this is it, the this is not it, the paradox, the simplicity, the alpha & the omega and the blah and blah....