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The Way of Selflessness: A Practical Guide to Enlightenment Based on the Teachings of the World's Great Mystics

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This is a great book. If you had only one spiritual how-to-do-it (become wiser, more compassionate, happier, and--if you persist--Enlightened) book you could take to a desert island, you could do no better than to take "The Way of Selflessness."

Not only does it contain detailed instructions on how to walk a spiritual path with grace and style, it shows the reader that at the core of all of the world's major religious traditions (and even many of the smaller ones--Native American, e.g.) there exists one core capital T Truth. There's simply no other book I know of that demonstrates this fact so comprehensively.

Written with warmth and personality, this book is imminently accessible and entertaining as well. I can't recommend it enough.

As a child has no idea the value of a good teacher until years down the road so am I, in regards to this book. There is just an inkling of its value, and words to describe that suspicion are difficult.
Joel points in this book to the well worn path the mystics of all great traditions have traveled and sets our feet firmly on it. Because of the purity and conciseness of their voices with his it is difficult for the ego to find comfort in its old ways of approaching the world. He quotes the great saints, sages and enlightened ones then applies their teachings in modern terms so that their secrets are revealed. He shows us clearly what is mysterious on the path and what is not, this alone cuts through years of unnecessary confusion. We marvel with him at the fact that cross culturally and across the centuries these teachers are saying the same thing. Then as any good teacher he implores us to find out for our-selves if what these great masters have said is true. In our time I would say of this book "where the rubber meets the road" on the spiritual path.

I have searched high and low for a book of this stature, that clearly sets out the universal understandings of all spiritual, mystical, and religious traditions in a way that is eminently useful for both understanding one's own way as well as how others approach Truth.

That there is such a Truth is the point of Part I of this book. Again, the points are clear and succinctly given with just enough words to make them understandable, but no more, and adequately illustrated by quotations from writers without regard to what traditions they are associated with. The effect of this is two-fold: they reinforce what the author is stating and they break down the hard divisions that we are so ingrained to expect. That latter is a subtle way of reconfirming that first point that there is an absolute Truth.

But please don't misunderstand me. Nowhere in this book will you find the absolute Truth, nor does the author imply that you will. What you will find in this book is an expression of an understanding of that Truth with clear and comprehensive explanations of the different paths to understanding (gnosis/realization) regardless of how you must approach your own path, whether through an intellectual exploration of your own illusory beliefs, or as devotional practice. Even here though the author does us all a great service by pointing out that these two ways that understanding unfolds are not exclusive. They are, rather, a continuum within which we all find ourselves, thus we are more or less attracted to one pole or another of that continuum, but never are we exclusively served by the one or the other pole. This is not very frequently the case with other books as they all tend to focus on one path or another.

This book is very practical and Parts II, III, and IV serve to guide you in the practical aspects of entering upon a path, and giving a clear explanation of what they are, with explanatory quotes taken from far and wide. You will learn what the point of meditational practices are as well as what the point of prayer is, for instance.

Parts V, VI, VII provide focus on the three major steps in all practices of all traditions, Cultivating Love and Compassion, Dismantling the Delusion of Self, and Contemplating Reality.

Finally, Part VIII is a discussion of the End of the Way. While never purporting to be a depiction of what this would be, this part of the book again clearly indicates the general 'gist' of the fruit of all paths. The benefit of this is that it undercuts any false impressions that may be picked up along the way that could serve to stymie us by holding us to some expected point of arrival. This would be an attachment that would forever hold us down.

This book is also highly recommended for scholars. It is not oriented as a scholarly book and that is not what I mean by the recommendation. Instead, I recommend it to scholars because of the clarity and comprehensiveness of the text, from which they would benefit by developing an understanding of the point of spiritual, mystical, and religious traditions, that is often lost within the idiosyncratic expressions found in the specialized languages used by each tradition. This book is very effective in stripping these down to the 'bare particulars' without the kind of reductionism that would also strip them of meaning.

I applaud the author and the Center for Sacred Sciences. Together they have performed a great service for us all. Please excuse me now, because I have to buy this book for everyone I know :)

James Corrigan
An Introduction to Awareness

Are you an American seeker who: a) rebelled against the exoteric nonsense your parents tried to jam down your throat, but have retained faith there is esoteric Truth to be revealed; b) got burned by a charismatic figure or charlatan cult leader who preyed on your credulity, took your cash, or even exploited you sexually; c) realizes you can't fully adapt to a spirituality or religion which is infused with cultural traditions and practices which simply do not fit your upbringing? All of the above?

Or are you any seeker anywhere who seeks Truth from a true Teacher?

This book is a gift from a gnostic who has synthesized the most profound mystical teachings and practices from all world religions into a practical guide to gnostic awakening.

And who will tell your right off the bat: do not beleive what I say because I say it. Do it, experience it, find it for yourself.

Is a spiritual teacher who can mix plain speak with comprehensive scholarship. Joel Morwood has said this is the book he wished he had on his search, a search that culminated in a seemingly spontaneous, joyful awakening sometime in 1983 in northwest Washington state, as far as imaginable from his native NYC.

Since then, Joel has been teaching and practicing, sometimes in California and most recently in Oregon. His focus is on the mystics of all the great traditions and their unified field concept of what it is to awaken, to be awakened, to become Buddha mind, to lose the delusion that seems to separate us from our true home.

In his title, The Way of Selflessness, if I understand him, he refers not only to what we might call unselfishness but also to the ultimate fact that there is no self at all and what we've done by making a reality of our local consciousness is to lose our belonging with the absolute reality, that only conscousness itself exists, that only conscousness is real and all forms are part of the dream of seeming.

The book begins at the beginning and takes a comprehensive tour of the awakening process, traveling along in plain speak with quotes from every tradition's mystics, quotations that are triggering of various key and liberating realizations.

I highly recommend the book. Joel vetted his manuscript with practitioners at the Center for Sacred Sciences in Eugene, Oregon for more than a year before letting his manuscript be printed. Those members worked through the manuscript chapter by chapter and after that year, gave suggestions and feedback to their teacher. In turn, he applied their feedback and the book became available to the public.

It's a unique work and a treasure -- even if you don't want to use the practices --because the teachers he quotes are many of history's beloved saints and sages.

He includes mystics and spiritual teachers even from shamanic traditions, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism along with the ecstatic poets such as Rumi and Kabir.

In this manual for seekers, you will find lessons on meditation and precepts that may be seen as ethical practices as well as techniques for mindfulness to help us gain an objective perception of what it is we think our self is or we are. You will find an understanding of the various approaches to the sacred.

The book is comprehensive and it's beautiful.

If you are looking for a quick fix, New Age spiritual book to end your suffering in life, then this is definitely not the book for you. If, however, you are looking for a serious approach to spiritual development that recognises what is really involved in turning our lives from the shallowness of a self centered life to true spiritual wisdom, then you may have just come to the right place in this book.

The Way of Selflessness is a comprehensive overview of the spiritual journey designed as a practical handbook rather than a theoretical discourse that magnificently links the wisdom of all the great spiritual traditions to show how they all point to the same truth, but through different windows. That is not to say the book is not a valuable resource for an intellectual study, but it is far more. An extraordinary level of research has been done to tie all these traditions together and carefully craft them into a narrative that leads the spiritual aspirant on a step by step journey through the perilous journey of the soul.

All the areas of spiritual development are covered from meditation, the path of devotion, dream work, working with archetypes, mindfulness, prayer, gratitude and much more. We learn how and why each of these is important and how to use them in our lives. It is particularly good at pointing out the traps and diversions that that get in the way of true spiritual development.

There book outlines many useful exercises that can help the reader move beyond the theory. Of course, just owning the book and following the exercises is no guarantee of finding enlightenment; we must put it into action and find our own particular way to the truth that dwells within us. What Joel Morwood does is to give us a series of road signs that help us on our way.

Joel Morwood is a generous author. The Way of Selflessness is more than the advertised "practical guide to enlightenment," much more than a map along spiritual paths. Morwood masters those elements while adding a third. He frequently quotes the opinions of mystics and saints. They flood in from every faith and spiritual way to support the author's evolving text, encouraging readers to discover that, "while the paths are many, the Way of Truth is single." If it is true that practical spirituality leads to the mystical enlightenment at the heart of all religions, then it is Morwood who shows the way to the possibility that enlightenment can be attained.

Robert Fripp,
Author of "Spirit in Health: Spiritual roots in modern healing"
(How the healing sciences are enlisting ancient mind-body healing techniques)

If you are looking for a spiritual self-help book to make you feel warm and fuzzy, this isn't the one. This book wasn't written with the intention of making the author rich and famous. There are no smoke and mirrors, no hand waving and incantations; just a step by step description of the path from here to enlightenment. If enlightenment is what you're after, this is your road map.

This book is exactly equivalent to Jesus' answer in Mark when the young rich man asked him what he needed to do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to return to his town and give away everything he owned and tell his family and friends goodbye forever, then to come follow him. He, like most of us would be, was not able to do it. The Way of Selflessness is the same path that Jesus and the Buddha were on and they doubtless would agree with Joel Morwood's words, but it is still not for the faint hearted.

Having said that and knowing myself as faint hearted as any, I still keep pecking at it, and this book is the tool I peck with.

Written with equal parts Love, compassion, knowledge and direct experience, the author sits the reader down and breaks it down for us in language we all can understand. This is easily one of the best and best-written books on the subject of accessing Our True Nature. Highly recommended

I approached the reading of this book from the perspective of a student of the Perennial Philosophy, a friend of the Oriental Orthodox Order of the West, a disciple of Christ, and an avid `collator' of the wisdom traditions of the Abrahamic faiths, mystical Sufism, and the Buddhist and Hindu meditation methodologies. I enjoy reading and assimilating the wisdom of the sages of all traditions. These all inform my own growing faith and practice.

Joel Morwood of the Center for Sacred Sciences has compiled, edited, and gently formed this useful compendium in such a way that enables the uninitiated to grasp the complexity and diversity of the wisdom traditions of humankind. This serves to enlighten the reader, on "the subject of wisdom/enlightenment".

Moreover, the author gives specific and direct instruction on how to enter into specific practice of what he describes as two directions of pursuit of selflessness. Morwood has obviously soaked his mind and heart in the study of all the ancient wisdom traditions. This book is certainly the fruit of many years of compilation, study and resonance.

An interesting approach used by the author are the descriptive terms used to define the different types or paths toward this goal of selfless living: the path of devotion, and the path of knowledge. These are explained through usage of ancient sanskrit terminology, "jnani"--a form of ancient yoga with an emphasis on knowledge--jnani=knowledge in ancient Sanskrit, and "bhakti" or in Sanskrit, bhakti=devotion. Both have a long history in the spiritual tradition of ancient Asia/India. Using these two Sanskrit terms to describe the paths of a disciple of Truth/Wisdom/Enlightenment is most creative and has great depth when applied through the rich language of ancient Sanskrit and the traditions of ancient India.
Morwood describes in general, the varied traditions within our beliefs about God, in his Overview of the Way; then leads the seeker into varied and specific time honored directives about making preparations to become a practitioner of wisdom or truth, then gives specific direction in the remainder of the book, to assist the reader in the development of his or her own path.
The author shines light on all the different choices or pathways toward selfless living--which all traditions point to as the "way" to begin to know God, or to "experience one's life changing because of a filling of new spiritual insight"(my words not the authors).
Morwood's style is refreshing in that he never creates a preferred belief system or worldview.

I will keep this book around and will read it again...and again. It is quite practical.