10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Harder then the Others, May 13, 2007
The Silent Pulse was a good book. It added a scientific perspective to theories I previously could only describe as being metaphysical or mystical and added some very interesting ideas to the perspective of life. I enjoyed the read. I do have to say that the book was much harder to read then Leonard's other offerings.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe more relevant today, January 5, 2012
When this book was originally written, it was way ahead of its time. The concepts, approach and integration of subject matter are even more relevant today. I like the distinction between ego and identity, and the difference in their pulse. Why are we here, what is our purpose as humans? This book has helped me understand better the connection with my pulse to the pulses which surround me as well as the "one" pulse which connects everything. This is not a book about matter, about our Newtonian existence. This book is about the space in between matter, the intelligent information that exists in a timeless state which carries hope and guidance. And thank you for giving words and guidance to my search for transcending ego without withdrawing and wilting away from our human side. I have never like the idea of transcending ego by withdrawing from all desires and everything that makes us human. The ego is a mask bred in fear and control, that controls our perceptions and beliefs until we learn to move inside and hence, beyond the ego into our identity. As we start to live our identity we begin to feel the silent pulse that transmit the energy of the 10,000 things (or all that is). We become that which is that. This book may or may not speak to you. I had no set goals when I was given this book to read. At first it seems a little esoteric. As I read more, the esoteric nature was replaced with music and rhythm, and an understanding of what I have heard for most of my life.
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10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
More Air Than A Carvel Sundae, June 13, 2009
The original edition of The Silent Pulse appeared around the time of Capra's "The Tao of Physics", Zukav's "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" and a host of similar groovy titles under the "Bantam New Age" moniker. As a music major at the time with a lifelong interest in science, books such as these made quantum physics accessible and interesting for me - someone who had never set foot in a calculus or college-level physics class.
Years later, the connection between musical rhythm, pitch frequency and other vibrating systems remains an interest of mine and I picked up a used copy of The Silent Pulse on a recommendation hoping for some fresh insights.
Unfortunately, the book has very little to do with music, except for Leonard's allusions to being a composer of show tunes and a jazz pianist. Nothing wrong with either, mind you, but he's so focused on making universal, cosmological connections that he fails to adequately illustrate or enforce his positions in practical ways the reader can latch onto. Towards the end it all begins to blur into some 70's Marin County mush about being one, holographically, with the universe.
Leonard's "Tao angle" is his advanced experience with marital arts that provides some interesting context on human potential and overcoming perceived limits. The most captivating parts of the book for me occurred early on where Leonard describes research on the micro-movements that occur during human interaction and then wanders into paranormal studies of remote sensing, telekinesis, and the ability to predict future events.
Depending on your personal view of such phenomenon and Leonard's attempts at explanation, you'll either keep reading or press the bus buzzer to let yourself off at the next stop.
Leonard's biggest sin, utimately, is his writing style which, surprisingly for a former Look magazine editor (as he describes in a far too long afterword chapter), is anything but crisp and attention-grabbing. The prose is airy, filled with colorless phrasing and, I have to say it, just plain boring.
The most interesting part of the book however, has very little to
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