Customer Reviews

Self Unfoldment By Disciplines of Realization

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is not a technical approach to self realisation. It more describes the psychological and mental approach that is needed. Today is the day of the 'Self Help' books, where hundreds of techniques are dished out in great detail. However, these techniques rarely meet their promises. This book shows why such 'Self Help' books do not usually work. If you read this book carefully, you will be better able to discriminate on what is likely to work.
Manly Hall writes very clearly and in some passages very beautifully. There are some lovely parables, which illustrate the various facets of mysticism.
Some of the ideas are dated: the book was written in the '40s.
e.g criticism of hatha yoga is valid, but very few teachers actually teach the kundalini yoga that he warns against.

I was impressed by the book. I felt that Mr. Hall was writing from actual experience of the mystical state, rather than just re-hashing old information. It's usually pretty easy to tell if an author has actually "been there", and I'd say Hall has. This is a self-help book for people who really are trying to help themselves. Those who hope to avoid the work and let the guru take over will not be pleased with this volume.

In this book Mr. Hall favors a psychological approach, discussing what actually happens inside a person who is experiencing awakening. I found it to be accurate and insightful. He (happily) eschews all the endless details that we've come to expect in western occultism: planetary this and that, magical incantations, vibratory colors, etc.

Could someone actually experience enlightenment from reading this book? OK, maybe not. Then again, no one really knows how and when awakening comes; no one can predict who is "ripe" for this experience and who is not.


For those who are expecting a list of things to do and things not to do, this book will be a disappointment. But, hey, let's be honest. If you're looking for these lists in lieu of walking your own path, you're not a serious candidate for awakening in any case.

The book purports to be a practical guide for students seeking self-realization... not so! Manly Hall is an interesting writer and some of his work is a valuable resource of historical information on the occult, but my impression is that he sorely lacks the practical experience needed to write a "practical guide". He loved to wax on and on about philosophers and their ideas, and likes to tie together diverse and obscure tidbits of information, which makes him a decent historian. My impression is that this book was Manly P. Hall's effort at recognizing a link between Western and Eastern spiritual disciplines, which apparently was very popular around the time this was published (the work of Gurdjieff and Blavatsky come to mind in particular, while Tibetan, Egyptian and Indian culture was apparently being introduced to the West through many translations of religious texts). This book pales in comparison to others that forge this link, and to top it off... in our day and age various cultures have been assimilated so much more heavily than in the early-mid 1900's, that readers probably won't benefit much from this books very loose attempt at identifying the relationship between Eastern and Western mysticism.

The book screams "outdated", and "emotionless". The authour seems to have been a great scholar and academic, which unfortunately seems to hamper his efforts at teaching practical methods towards self-development. I would highly recommend people to avoid this book. Not only was it particularly boring, but any minute detail of minute value can be found from countless other sources (if you are willing to go through a dense read that is absolutely worth the effort, I would recommend "The Fourth Way" by Ouspesnky... also amazing is "Kundalini Yoga" by Swami Rhada, which is much more practical).

I sold the book immediately after reading it. The bookseller, who is very familiar with Manly Hall, said he had never even heard of it before. He then turned to another guy in the store who is even more familiar with the authour, and he had also never heard of it before (note- I'm not so surprised to be the first person to review this item, and I'm doing so to save people's time and money). My guess is the book is not highly regarded, and not in high demand... perhaps because Manly Hall's efforts at teaching practical methods failed. I would, however, recommend the books "Man: Occult Anatomy" (excellent illustrations!) and "Secret Teachings of All Ages", which both put the authours scholarly approach better use.

Anyone interested in philosophy, spiritual development and inner peace should read this book and follow the recommendations. It provides a good amount of background while also providing useful tools for self development.

This book is recommended for those students of mysticism who are willing to explore themselves widely and deeply through an approach of gradual development. Not for the literal minded or those on a spiritual fast track. Hall's material does not appear in conflict with any of the established spiritual traditions.

This is one of the 'Great' works of all time. Manly P Hall is one of the rarest of the wisdom teachers. He tells it like it is and not 'wishful' thinking. If you are serious about Self-Realization then read this book every 3 months!! Each time it will add a little more to your growing Awareness. It will warn you of the pitfalls as well as what/why certain things are felt/experienced along the way. It is a book of simple "Doing" and paying attention(observation). This is one of the first westernised "Mindfulness" books, it works. It worked on me but it wasn't until I heard "Eckhart Tolle in Realizing The Power Of Now" that I realized it worked! Manly P Hall, Vernon Howard, Guy Finley, Edgar Cayce, Gerald jampolsky, A Course In Miracles, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Elisabeth Haich, Micheal Tamura, Deepak Chopra, Paulo Coelho, Francis Melville, Eckhart Tolle; all these authors point the way but you still have to make the choice to "Do or Do not". Growth comes in the Doing......that so few will stick too.