This Is Always Enough is an invitation, an invitation to abandon, even for one instant, all teachers and teachings, to let go of all spiritual injunctions and practices and simply meet what appears in each moment with no guidance, no maps, no reference points to tell us what is true or how we must live. In this book, John invites the reader to inquire, "What is this moment, this life like when I cease to locate myself in or identify with any conceptual framework, philosophy or religion - not Buddha's, not Jesus', not anyone's? What is it like to live with no fixed conclusions or ideas, to cease to refer to any notion in the mind about who I am or how this moment is to be lived?" In this beautiful book of simple, Zen-like poems, essays, and aphorisms, John relentlessly points the reader back to the reality that while we seek God, there is really no escaping God for there is only God, only Truth, only Life, appearing as everything that is seen, everything that is touched, everything that is heard. While we search for "something else," some other moment or experience that will make us happy, this book reminds us that there can be no other moment, that this is all there is, all there can ever be. And when we stop looking elsewhere for the miracle, the miracle will be revealed to be everything. It will be seen, right now, that the happiness and freedom that was sought was never somewhere else but always right here, as this - this experience, this state of mind, this very moment. Every breath, every sensation, the clarity, the confusion, the seeking, and the end of seeking, all of them God, all of them the Truth, all of them enough...
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About the Author
This is John's second collection of poetic and prose reflections on the non-dual nature of reality, his first being Too Intimate for Words, released in 2005. Along with his writing, John is also a singer, songwriter and recording artist who since 1987 has produced six CDs of original spiritual/contemplative music including his most recent release, Already Shining. In addition to his music, writing, and teaching work, John holds a PhD in psychology and is an internationally known researcher in the field of mind-body medicine, where his research focuses on the applications of meditation and contemplative practices in psychology and health care.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear and Still,
This review is from: This is Always Enough (Paperback)
Silent Retreat
The nametag says it all: "I am observing silence" How true. This is indeed what I am - the observing silence, and everything that is observed. by John Astin To see fish at the bottom of a pond, the water needs to be both clear and still. So does the observer. John Astin renders his precise observations with the artistry of a Zen master's ink drawing. Simplicity and naturalness characterize both his poems and prose. This book is a work of art that will stop you in your tracks. Will you see the vision of reality pointed to by the words? It would be hard to miss, presented in a way that goes so directly to the heart of the matter. Indeed, why complicate it? Few writers can paint a picture of essential truths so succinctly and with such loving grace. Like a hologram, each poem somehow contains the whole. There is also a familiarity with the ways life can slip by us, how the moment may elude us. Reading the section "Our Argument with What Is" provides invaluable insights that question our habitual ways of thinking and our unexamined assumptions. The way "All Strategies Eventually Fail" is actually good news! So what if we are going from one unknown to the next unknown? Hasn't it ever been thus, whether we realized it or not? "There is no escaping the truth of this impermanence, is there? But who would ever want to?"
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Radiates Wisdom and Clarity,
This review is from: This is Always Enough (Paperback)
This beautiful collection of Zen-like poetry by John Astin radiates wisdom and the clarity of the Heart. John's expression could be a trusted resource of daily inspiration that guides you to the simplicity of this moment when "This Is Always Enough." I love this book. Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended,
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This review is from: This is Always Enough (Paperback)
This book expresses the inexpressible in very few words. It is packed with poetry that speaks directly to the mystery of a love that goes by many names: enlightenment, nonduality, liberation, God, Brahman, the Tao.
This book is about life living itself, and how that unfolds in the body/mind known as "you." The book isn't stuck in any of the conceptual loops one sometimes sees in books of this subject matter. It isn't pushing a lineage or way of pointing. This is what makes it free and fresh. The book is constantly calling the reader to let go of philosophical conclusions about Oneness or nonduality and to stand where only love is. It isn't trying to get the reader to believe a thing. It is simply pointing very clearly to your timeless, formless beingness which then embraces time and form. "Always being, always becoming." This book is pointing to a full enlightenment. It points to the embrace of emptiness and form. This is where unconditional love is revealed. Highly recommended Scott Kiloby
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