Customer Reviews

Nothing Personal: Seeing Beyond The Illusion Of A Separate Self

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow. This book is PACKED with one amazing paragraph after another. I cannot even express with words the level to which this book is opening me to the Heaven I find myself in. Nirmala blows my mind... Literally! Some paragraphs have impacted me so greatly that my experience will never be the same. I can sit for hours with just a page out of this book.

When I first started having the experience of Awareness that I was not my Mind and not my Body, and not even an "I", it was shocking and strange - I almost didn't know quite how to relate here anymore. This book is helping me to remember what I have always known, and it is like having a mentor with me all the time - Nirmala's "dialogues" with others in this book are really special, as the questions are MY questions, and it is like sitting with Nirmala (as I would "imagine" it, as I have never met him), and being guided back home to US... These words fall short of what this book is to me - language is limiting - but priceless would be a great word!

He writes with a great sense of humor, is a remarkable writer and this book flows like a river... I gave another copy away today and am ordering more. Give the gift of this book to you... If you even think for a minute it might be for you... it is!

This is one of the best books on spirituality I've ever read.
Nirmala words are feeling as if being at home.
This book is excellent and inspiring.
It is very accessible for everybody who wants to know more about the ego, consciousness and awakening.
He has a beautiful way of writing.

I love this book. Meeting us wherever we may be, Nirmala playfully engages us in an inward investigation to discover the true source of happiness. His message is spiritually profound but practical, incredibly wise but simple. In a down to earth, humble manner, Nimala reveals our false ideas with great understanding, humor and compassion. He invites us beyond the clutter of conditioned thoughts, emotions and habits, and points us to the boundless source of peace and love within.

"Please don't let the title of this book fool you. Nothing Personal takes nothing away from you. Rather, it opens a clearly lit portal to your whole Truth; which is ever-present fulfillment, resting joy and a devoted love and wonder for every moment of your being. Nirmala's guidance is gentle, compassionate and wise beyond reason. It is clear that he has taken every life experience into the very heart of Awareness. I love this teaching. It is profoundly organized, practical, heart-full, humble and most of all True! Who could ask for more?" -Sundance Burke, author of Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being

It is my favorite book now and it has been my favorite book since the last three years.
I like spiritual books. But I don't read so much. Now I've found one book that keeps inspiring me an on ongoing basis. If I take a book somewhere, it is this one. I could say it's changed my life and initiated a shift.
I really recommend this book, for you and your friends.

Nothing Personal by Nirmala includes talks on awakening that are followed by insightful dialogues that clearly point the reader to spiritual awakening. In an intelligent and compassionate manner, Nirmala leads us beyond the limitations of dual thought and all of its conditioning to discover the wisdom of the Truth. The book encourages a shift in attention from the 'experiences' of living to realize the Life that is living.

I enjoy the honesty and humility of these teachings as Nirmala pragmatically encourages us to surrender to the challenges of living consciously. He then skillfully points beyond these challenges to help us live authentically with greater clarity and more perceptive seeing.

Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

I consider this outstanding work one of the classics, along with Power of Now and I Am That. For anyone studying Advaita or just spirituality in general this book is a must-read. Nirmala draws the reader into a gentle form of self inquiry with rare skill. Put away your blasting caps, you are not going to war with the ego in this one (as if that ever worked for anyone.) Instead Nirmala advises us to "notice and allow", with the caveat that who we are is already doing just that every moment. Great discussions on the nature of desire and suffering. Also includes one-on-one conversations with spiritual seekers. Nirmala's wit, warmth, and wisdom will touch you deeply on every page.

I'm now into my second reading of Nothing Personal, and I find every paragraph resonating more and more. Nirmala's humble yet constant redirection back to the nature of one's present experience is so skillfully woven into the fabric of this book that it never becomes boring or repetitive. What makes each chapter stand out is the lack of that overwhelmingly popular non-dual language, and instead practical invitations to really look into who and what we are, with a playful, exploratory, and relentless questioning.
Nirmala's simple and unassuming approach is delightful, and the book is nicely sectioned into both narrative explorations and dialogue, which really helps the reader to connect with the material.
I've read more Advaita and non-duality books than I care to admit- so many in fact that I have considered burning them all as a ritualistic expression of how they have simply become another aspect of the imaginative ME. There is no danger here, as Nirmala fully embodies Nisargadatta's famous adage, "Love says "I am everything". Wisdom says "I am nothing". Between the two, my life flows". What is refreshing about Nirmala is he is fully conscious of the limits of absolutes and relatives, and instead continues to invite us to see the nature of our self illusion, while at the same time, celebrating it with an encompassing joy.
Michael Rossi (Phoenix, Arizona)

I've been sitting with nondual teachers, immersed in nondual reading and the practice of noticing for three years. Nirmala's book "Nothing Personal" has touched me more deeply than any other, from Longchenpa to Tony Parsons. I'm immersed in the book for the fourth time. I own both the hard copy and e-version, and on breaks at work I am nourished by reading a few pages and allowing it to sink in. He speaks the truth--boldly and kindly. A must-own book.

Exceptional reading for anyone, but especially those with any degree of apprehension of non-duality teachings or those who have read similar books on the subject and are not quite sure "what now." Nirmala's simple down to earth approach to everything he publishes is just what many of us need to cut through the brush of material available, most of which is either too complicated, too abstract, or too self (author)-centered to glean any real insight into the power of presence available to everyone all the time.

I have come to embrace Nirmala and Gina Lakes' work as the most clear and true guidance towards total awareness of what is.

Aside from this book, I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to all the other resources Nirmala and Gina freely provide on their web sites and other sources. Truly selfless, kind, and helpful.