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Awakening the Other Way: Nonduality and Existential Reason
A down-to-earth guide to nondual recognition.
Unacademic but strictly rational, this friendly philosophical guide shows the way to the present. Discover why truly understanding nondualistic metaphysics brings spiritual awakening. Nondualism connects the dots between the subjective and the sensible. It is an antidote to secular dualism, which leaves the Western mind guilty and anxious.
The dualistic illusion of mind independence fools the most intelligent minds. Without reality or religion, where should the secular West turn for guidance? Here’s a philosophical solution: decoding Eastern philosophy with the four classical principles of rational thought. The resulting East-West amalgam is existential reason, rooted in nondual recognition.
• It is a reliable path to inner peace.
• It helps spot false spiritual promises.
• It justifies a new brand of Western assertiveness, currently so sorely missing in the public arena.
Find out why nonduality is logically inevitable even though our minds tend to reject it instinctively. Moving from the personal to the universal, Awakening the Other Way is lightness with substance for thinkers and seekers ready to explore our nondual existence in plain terms and with common sense.
Unacademic but strictly rational, this friendly philosophical guide shows the way to the present. Discover why truly understanding nondualistic metaphysics brings spiritual awakening. Nondualism connects the dots between the subjective and the sensible. It is an antidote to secular dualism, which leaves the Western mind guilty and anxious.
The dualistic illusion of mind independence fools the most intelligent minds. Without reality or religion, where should the secular West turn for guidance? Here’s a philosophical solution: decoding Eastern philosophy with the four classical principles of rational thought. The resulting East-West amalgam is existential reason, rooted in nondual recognition.
• It is a reliable path to inner peace.
• It helps spot false spiritual promises.
• It justifies a new brand of Western assertiveness, currently so sorely missing in the public arena.
Find out why nonduality is logically inevitable even though our minds tend to reject it instinctively. Moving from the personal to the universal, Awakening the Other Way is lightness with substance for thinkers and seekers ready to explore our nondual existence in plain terms and with common sense.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 8, 2023
25 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Marcel Eschauzier
6 books12 followersAs a playful “zengineer,” Marcel builds bridges where Zen and reason get along surprisingly well. That’s how he translates nonduality’s boundless marvel into simple, compelling guidance. Join https://simplynondual.substack.com for his latest, and discover much more at https://simplynondual.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 2, 2023
Reading this book feels like I am sitting opposite a relative I haven’t met for a long time and trapped in a circle of conversation that I try so hard to understand. At some point, I nod my head in agreement. At others, I can’t really digest the concept and keep throwing my glance at the door, looking for an escape.
I am a mood reader; I need to be in a reading mood/situation to get started, but once I’m in, it depends on the book to keep me there. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it takes me so long and so many tries to finish this book.
Personally, it feels like I am given a long preach, complicated mixtures of words and their meanings that I didn’t realize I needed because it doesn’t really impact how I live my life or my own philosophy.
The author is undoubtedly knowledgeable, but there are many bold claims that I’m not sure how he gets the conclusion, and there are many doubts about things that I didn’t know needed to be doubted. We are talking about the physical world that doesn’t cause our existence, the color of blue, whether the trees make sounds, which comes first, physical brain or consciousness, or how we cannot know reality─at all! And more. Who determines these claims, and which concepts are wrong or right?
The way the book flows is also a bit all over the place for me. The author mentioned it near the end of the book about similar feedback, and yes, I feel the same. I also find the fictional dialogues with real people cringe and questionable.
To sum it all up, the book is not for me. I struggled but finished it, but I can’t say I learned much from it. However, I respect the author for putting something he believes in with so much effort. Maybe I am not enlightened, and perhaps this is just not my cup of tea, so don’t take my word for it. I would take some good reasoning out of it, just like how I adapt to other philosophies, beliefs, or theories, and leave the rest.
I am a mood reader; I need to be in a reading mood/situation to get started, but once I’m in, it depends on the book to keep me there. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it takes me so long and so many tries to finish this book.
Personally, it feels like I am given a long preach, complicated mixtures of words and their meanings that I didn’t realize I needed because it doesn’t really impact how I live my life or my own philosophy.
The author is undoubtedly knowledgeable, but there are many bold claims that I’m not sure how he gets the conclusion, and there are many doubts about things that I didn’t know needed to be doubted. We are talking about the physical world that doesn’t cause our existence, the color of blue, whether the trees make sounds, which comes first, physical brain or consciousness, or how we cannot know reality─at all! And more. Who determines these claims, and which concepts are wrong or right?
The way the book flows is also a bit all over the place for me. The author mentioned it near the end of the book about similar feedback, and yes, I feel the same. I also find the fictional dialogues with real people cringe and questionable.
To sum it all up, the book is not for me. I struggled but finished it, but I can’t say I learned much from it. However, I respect the author for putting something he believes in with so much effort. Maybe I am not enlightened, and perhaps this is just not my cup of tea, so don’t take my word for it. I would take some good reasoning out of it, just like how I adapt to other philosophies, beliefs, or theories, and leave the rest.
August 13, 2023
At a certain stage of life, many (perhaps most) of us find ourselves struggling to understand our place in the modern-day world, fighting with stress and anxiety, and searching for peace of mind. A plethora of books have been written and a plethora of gurus have appeared to teach us how to achieve this; or how to become enlightened. Most, if not all, approach the solution from a spiritual path (for example, through meditation), and describe this enlightenment as a state of constant contentment and serenity, no matter what.
Steering away from all the Eastern spirituality and mystique, “Awakening the Other Way” guides towards a refreshingly rational Western approach to reaching enlightenment through a metaphysical insight (which is to the best of my knowledge unique). While the author acknowledges that enlightenment is a subjective, once-in-a-lifetime insight that cannot be taught, he makes an excellent case about how to prepare the mind for it.
If you enjoy reading philosophy as much as I do, then you will enjoy reading this splendid book, especially on a laid-back afternoon. Be aware though: you may need to have an encyclopedia or your search engine of choice handy because some concepts are not explained, I guess under the presumption that the reader is familiar with them. And I implore you to read the book twice for a better understanding because it does offer valuable and powerful insight!
Steering away from all the Eastern spirituality and mystique, “Awakening the Other Way” guides towards a refreshingly rational Western approach to reaching enlightenment through a metaphysical insight (which is to the best of my knowledge unique). While the author acknowledges that enlightenment is a subjective, once-in-a-lifetime insight that cannot be taught, he makes an excellent case about how to prepare the mind for it.
If you enjoy reading philosophy as much as I do, then you will enjoy reading this splendid book, especially on a laid-back afternoon. Be aware though: you may need to have an encyclopedia or your search engine of choice handy because some concepts are not explained, I guess under the presumption that the reader is familiar with them. And I implore you to read the book twice for a better understanding because it does offer valuable and powerful insight!
September 24, 2023
‘Awakening the Other Way: Nonduality and Existential Reason’ by Marcel Eschauzier is a book on philosophy addressed to non-specialists in a comprehensible way. It is the fourth book of this author I read and I insist on my impression that these books are ideal for readers with no specialized knowledge of philosophy, but who want to discover more about it. Moreover, these books are ideal for Westerners who have some knowledge of Western philosophy but do not know how to approach Eastern philosophy and, above all, would like to discover the advantages of finding the meeting point of these two worlds. Eastern philosophy is completely unknown to most people in the West. This is a pity because it could help them enormously in dealing with their personal problems related to modern life in this world. This life leads to the loss of balance that becomes more and more intense in the West and is responsible for stress and so many problems related to it. The subjects treated in this book can be of great help to everyone who feels negatively influenced by the Western lifestyle and yearns for inner peace. Moreover, it can open new perspectives and lead to spiritual awakening, world awareness, and more open-mindedness, goals that are still to be reached in our world.
July 31, 2023
The world around us is changing at an alarming rate. How can our heart and soul keep up with the roller coaster of life? Read; Awakening the Other Way: Nonduality and Existential Reason by Marcel Eschauzier. Full of easy-to-understand information about complex ideas to help a lay-person’s journey of spiritual awakening and world awareness and our place in it. Without disrespecting individual beliefs, this valuable guide will help you discover your nondual existence and a path to inner peace. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews