Essence With the Elixir of Enlightenment: The Diamond Approach to Inner Realization (Paperback)

~ (Author) "IN GENERAL, PEOPLE RARELY have, and never recognized as such, the experience of essence..." (more)
Key Phrases: merging essence, diamond perspective, merging love, Diamond Approach, New York, Idries Shah (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Essence has been combined with The Elixir of Enlightenment, a short introductory text directed toward students on the path who are frustrated by either the spiritual or psychological barriers that Western life can present. Discusses the values and shortcomings of spiritual training, and explores why an impasse may occur. Reveals how a precise understanding of your own personality can free your inner resources so that your essential being can lead you toward enlightenment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578630444
• ISBN-13: 978-1578630448
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,523 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A psychological approach to "enlightenment", October 28, 1998

By	Steeplejack 52 (Falls Church, VA) - See all my reviews

Almaas begins (in "The Elixir of Enlightenment") with the question: If so many people have been trying so hard for so many centuries to achieve "realization" (for lack of a better word), why do so few succeed? In this small work he outlines the problem and proposes an answer. Then, in "Essence: The Diamond Approach to Inner Realization," he outlines an approach to personal development that uses elements from the accumulated wisdom of older traditions as well as from the twentieth century's development of psychology as a Western science. This is one of the few books for the seeker that not only doesn't avoid the difficult questions but actually anticipates them, brings them squarely into the open and addresses them directly. This volume is excellent in itself and also as a springboard for further study. Almaas's thesis is that any teaching, no matter how valid it is in itself, will be ineffective unless it is relevant to the seeker's current situation. So Almaas outlines an approach whereby the seeker can work toward realization while dealing with the messy content of everyday life. One quibble: This reader found it more sensible to read "The Elixir of Enlightenment" before "Essence," though they are included in the opposite order in this combined edition.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personality must be embraced, not rejected, September 20, 2000

By	patrick moore (Anthem, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

The essence approach seems to be the same goal that many other spiritual paths strive for. The difference is the way to get there. The essence approach is to use the personality to understand itself, [how it was developed from the percieved abandonment in the first year of life]. If the personality is not respected, but seen as an enemy, as many spiritual traditions see it, then it will find ways to sabotage our spritual practice, or bend the practice to its own self important purposes. However, when the personality is shown, step by step, what it was created for, and how wonderful the change will be, it will gladly erase itself to allow essence to emerge.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "essential" read, August 11, 2000

By	David Nelson (Chico, CA) - See all my reviews

Truly fascinating book. Extremely useful and practical. This book had me repeatedly going "wow, wow, wow"!! due to the sheer intensity of the truths explained.

A merging of many spiritual and mental traditions, in a culmination that explains how anybody can achieve enlightenment if they choose to.

If you buy a book this year - buy this.