Awakening Bibliography
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Many of the books that have been used in writing this course are written with great spiritual potency and as such, can transmit energy to the reader. If you or someone else you know would like to read books on the subject of the true Self, this section of the course can help you to better select any books from those that have been used in writing this course.
One book that provided information for this course is called Start Where You Are: A Guide To Compassionate Living (1994). The author, Pema Chodron, is an American Buddhist nun and a meditation master. This book is intended to help people awaken a compassionate heart and develop fearlessness. Pema Chodron encourages readers to embrace the painful parts of their lives instead of denying them. She presents several Buddhist meditation techniques with great clarity and compassion for those beginning a meditation practice. Pema Chodron furthermore uses fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist slogans as a framework for her wisdom on how to awaken a compassionate heart.
The book Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations For Spiritual Life And The Awakening Of Kundalini (2005) is written by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. The content of this book includes the scientific, spiritual, and metaphysical aspects of awakening to the true Self, nutrition, and Kundalini. It gives us knowledge of how to awaken the spiritual energy in our bodies through the foods that we eat. Gabriel Cousens also gives us a clear understanding of the continuum of ways that energies manifest. In the words of Viktoras Kulvinskas, who wrote the preface to Cousens’ book, “Reading Spiritual Nutrition feels like having a conversation with God over a glass of wheatgrass juice.” (xii)
An Easy Guide To Ayurveda: The Natural Way To Wholeness (1996) had sections that were used for this course. Written by Roy Eugene Davis, this is a highly spiritual book on the ancient healing methods of ayurveda. It also offers much practical wisdom, inspiration, and exercises for awakening to the true Self. Roy Eugene Davis is a spiritual teacher in the Kriya Yoga tradition and a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda.
Roy Eugene Davis’s book The Eternal Way: The Inner Meaning Of The Bhagavad Gita (1996) offers a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, a yoga scripture written centuries ago in India. In Roy Eugene Davis’ own words, “the Bhagavad Gita is a guidebook to understanding the reality of God, the processes of universal manifestation, and how every aspiring soul can have awareness restored to higher knowledge and spiritual wholeness.” Davis’ commentary on the Bhagavad Gita offers clarity to this ancient yoga scripture.
Another book by Roy Eugene Davis that was used in writing this course is Seven Lessons In Conscious Living (2000). In this book, Roy Eugene Davis explains several meditation practices for discovering your true Self. Davis also discusses yoga philosophy and gives lifestyle guidelines for creating a balanced spiritual path. Seven Lessons In Conscious Living is a workbook, making it an interactive journey. A personal application section for each lesson is given, which includes questions to ask yourself and affirmations you can use.
You Are That! Satsang With Gangaji, Volume II (1996) is a compilation of excerpts from various satsangs, which are public gatherings in which everyone is welcome to ask Gangaji questions. This is a wonderful compilation of Gangaji’s teachings. They center around the message that what people are really looking for is the true Self. The format of this book allows readers get to see the process that Gangaji uses with people to help them move into understanding what is at the core of their life stories and who they truly are. This unique view of the processes that others go through as they apply Gangaji’s message can be very helpful for readers when bringing Gangaji’s message to their own lives.
In Freedom From The Known (1969), Krishnamurti encourages us to step away from other peoples’ paths and really come into knowing ourselves. Krishnamurti points to the benefits of watching our minds without judgment. It is between the noise of thoughts that Krishnamurti says we can experience Freedom From The Known and thus experience our true Self.
Coming Back To Life: Practices To Reconnect Our Lives, Our World (1998) looks at the roots of suffering and how to move from this state into wholeness. This book is written by Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown, who offer information on healing at the individual and world levels. This book contains many exercises that are helpful for gaining meaning in one’s life. In the words of Joanna Macy, this book “maps ways into the vitality and determination we each possess to take part in the healing of our world.” (5)
The book A Single Blade Of Grass: Finding The Sacred In Everyday Life (2002) is a beautiful book of spiritual wisdom written by Ellen Grace O’Brian. This book begins with an inspiring discussion of the elements of a spiritual path and reasons why cultivating such a path can be desirable. The rest of the book contains short and meaningful pieces of wisdom about attention, inner guidance, true Self, nonattachment, purity, abundance, devotion, grace, surrender, and other spiritual topics as well. This part of the book can be used daily by reading one page of wisdom and using it as a focus of contemplation for the day. Reverend Ellen Grace O’Brian is a spiritual teacher in the Kriya Yoga tradition and is a disciple of Roy Eugene Davis. She is the Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment and inter-faith ministry in San Jose, CA. The focus of her ministry is on the essential truth at the heart of the world’s religions.
Another book by Ellen Grace O’Brian that was used for this course is Living The Eternal Way: Spiritual Meaning And Practice For Daily Life (1998). The Eternal Way refers to teachings from the Vedas, which is the sacred literature of India that describes the revelations of illumined seers from thousands of years ago. The Eternal Way is the inner journey of Self realization. Ellen Grace O’Brian’s book is intended for those interested in this journey. She dedicated this book “to the holy fire of the divine Self burning in every heart...” Living The Eternal Way: Spiritual Meaning And Practice For Daily Life describes the paths of awakening within the yogic tradition and the ways that we live them, including contemplation, meditation, cultivating virtues, surrender, and service.
Loving-Kindness: The Revolutionary Art Of Happiness (1995) was written by Sharon Salzberg and offers us wisdom from the Buddhist tradition. Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. There are several meditation practices that are shared in this book, including meta. Meta, meaning loving-kindness, involves repeating certain phrases to yourself when you are in a meditative place. These phrases include, “May I be free of danger” and “may I have ease of well-being.”
Swami Muktananda’s book Where Are You Going? A Guide To The Spiritual Journey (1981) was also used for this course. Swami Muktananda was born in India, where, at the age of fifteen, he left his home in search of experiencing God. Swami Muktananda journeyed across India three times and learned from more than sixty spiritual teachers. It was during his time learning from Bhagawan Nityananda, the Siddha Master, that Swami Muktananda attained enlightenment. This book is written in a very clear way and is a great aide to one’s spiritual journey.
One of The Dalai Lama’s books entitled An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion In Everyday Life (2001) is a great resource for practices that can help us to connect with our true Self. The Dalai Lama writes in a very sincere and clear way, and in this book, he touches upon many of the challenges that people face in creating happiness in their lives. The spiritual practices that The Dalai Lama offers are intended to help people gain awareness of their minds. These practices serve to help us cultivate wanted mental states and tame those that are unwanted.
The book The Power Of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment (1999) is another helpful resource in the journey to awakening to the true Self. Eckhart Tolle explains why the mind has control over people and how to gain awareness of not being the mind. Eckhart Tolle focuses on why it is important to surrender to the present moment. In doing so, one can access the doorways to enlightenment which exist in everyone’s lives. Such doorways, according to Tolle, include our relationships and bodies.
No Boundary: Eastern And Western Approaches To Personal Growth (1979) is a wonderful book about the wide variety of psychologies and therapies from the East and West. The author, Ken Wilber, provides a map of consciousness that is defined by what types of boundaries people use when they define the self. Ken Wilber suggests that the variety of psychologies and therapies do not contradict each other, but instead compliment each other by being effective for different levels of human consciousness. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Eastern and Western approaches to consciousness.
Many who have experienced powerful spiritual growth speak of a great awakening. This awakening is a very pivotal part of the spiritual healing process. Eckhart Tolle in The Power Of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment (1999), suggests that the power found in the now, in the moment, inspires consciousness creativity, healing, growth, and enlightenment.