Invitation to Awaken: Embracing Our Natural State of Presence

Lots of humour in this book. It points to nothing and nothingness. Something appearing as everything. This is it , but we fail to see that this is it. The message is empty and radical.

Some "Advaita" teachers talk about surrender, or, acceptance, but, unwittingly introduce new concepts which binds. For example, total surrender implies there is an object to surrender to. Tony Parsons speaks directly and clearly. There is no need to rely on concepts. I have read many "Advaita" books and listened to many teachers but Tony Parsons stands out as the most lucid and direct of them all.

If the topic of spiritual enlightment is attractive to you, it probably means you are looking for it at some level. There are many teachers whose writings are similar to Tony's, but unlike many, Tony Parsons stresses that there are no exercises or practices that will bring you to an enlightened state. "Who is doing the practicing?" he would ask. If you don't 'get' this idea, keep looking. Look at what is before you, right now. Really look, without judgement, without categorizing, without thinking; just look as you did as a child. I learned something recently that changed my life forever. Tony Parsons' writings helped lead me to it.

I have to admit that I have attended several of Tony Parson's Residentials in Europe and I feel he expresses better than anyone the essentials of nondualism in a very clear way with humanness, lots of humor and great caring. I have read this book and also the English version which is expanded and all I can say is that I recommend it completely and fully. Tony and his wife, Claire, are very caring, delightful and warm, non-pretentious and direct. Tony may frustrate your mind but delight your soul. Although he is very serious in his humor, he is gentle in his deep penetration. (Maybe you will laugh until you cry.) Read this book and if there is any way you can go to one of his residentials in Wales or Europe, do it. Don't think too much. And if you do that is fine too.

The first thing I (this body) did when this book arrived was read the back cover. Tony Parsons is quoted on the back cover and there is a sentence in the middle of the quote that begins with "While we enjoy this game of seeking,...". When I read those first seven words in that sentence I stopped reading as if a sensor inside me was triggered. I thought hmmmmm...if that statement is true, then life is just a game and all of the seeking that I do, like the striving to improve myself and always trying to make more money because I think it will complete me, is actually an illusion. Imagine, I didn't even open the book yet. Anyways, it was the beginning of a complete shift in the way I see the world. It's as if my perception had completely flipped upside down. Before this book, I had read several books by Eckhart Tolle. This book is more direct. Btw I decided to buy the book based on the 1 star review submitted on 3/5/04 entitled "I didn't get it". The reason is that I was intrigued by the "there is no thing the no me can do" type of statements that the reviewer included. You should refer to if you want to get an idea of what the book is like.

This is an incredible book that helps us see ourselves more clearly and live our lives with a heightened sense of awareness. Many times, we think and do things without thinking about why we are thinking this way or why we are doing such things. Many times we are not even aware that we are doing certain things. This book helps us reach a higher state of awareness and allows us to recognize our thought and behavior patterns and understand why we think and do these things. Once we consciously understand these things, our world completely changes. It is an amazing thing. If you are ready to move out of the rut of life, I'd highly recommend this book. There is also another book that has helped me immensely on this. I might as well share it with you. It is called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is also a fabulous book on personal-development that explains how and why all of this happens. Absolutely stunning!