Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

True Meditation: Discover the Freedom of Pure Awareness

Rate this book
What would happen if you were to allow everything to be exactly as it is? If you gave up the need for control, and instead embraced the whole of your experience in each moment that arose? In the 14 years that he studied Zen, Adyashanti found that most seasoned meditators had used the practice as "an end instead of a means to an end." What he ultimately realized was that only when you let go of all techniques―even the concept of yourself as a meditator―will you open to the art of True Meditation, dwelling in the natural state. True Meditation invites you to join the growing number of seekers who have been touched by the wisdom of Adyashanti to learn:

How to make the "effortless effort" that will vivify the present moment
• Meditative self-inquiry and "The Way of Subtraction": how to ask a spiritually powerful question―and determine the real answer
• Two guided meditations on CD intended to reveal what Adyashanti calls "your home as awareness itself"
"We've been taught that awakening is difficult," explains Adyashanti, "that to wake up from the illusion of separation takes years. But all it really takes is a willingness to look into the depths of your experience here and now." True Meditation gives you the opportunity to reclaim the original purpose of meditation―as a gateway to "the objectless freedom of being."

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

117 people are currently reading
717 people want to read

About the author

Adyashanti

133 books572 followers
Adyashanti is an American spiritual teacher from the San Francisco Bay Area who gives regular satsangs in the United States and also teaches abroad. He is the author of several books, CDs and DVDs and is the founder of Open Gate Sangha, Inc. a nonprofit organization that supports, and makes available, his teachings.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
527 (59%)
4 stars
253 (28%)
3 stars
77 (8%)
2 stars
18 (2%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for Vani Kaushal.
Author 4 books276 followers
December 6, 2018
Adya is one of my fav authors. In this book, he answers questions on meditation. I meditate for an hour every day and I have so many questions in my mind. Like, so many things happen to you when you are in that state. Adyashanti answers most of those questions. But my fav book of his will always be Falling Into Grace. I simply loved that book and can read it a hundred times. I would strongly encourage my GR family to read Adya's books. I have another one of his lined up on my reading shelf: The End of Your World.
Profile Image for Morgan Blackledge.
828 reviews2,704 followers
December 18, 2024
Superb.

Great introduction to non-dual meditation.

Very relatable.

Very clear.

Simple.

Immediate.

Good.

NOTE: definitely make time to do the practices.

5/5 ⭐️

Profile Image for Annette.
956 reviews611 followers
June 17, 2025
True Meditation by Adyashanti presents the author’s journey of understanding how to approach meditation.

It’s a struggle for most of us to quiet the mind, and when we try to do it we manipulate the mind to be quiet and that doesn’t work. The author explains why it doesn’t work and how we need to approach it in order to get to that effortless place of meditating.

Some of the techniques of controlling mind that are taught: focusing on the breath or various parts of the body, saying mantra, or doing visualization.

Those are good techniques in order to get us through the first step, bringing the mind to the present, but once we find our groove of that present state, then we need to let go of focusing on those techniques because they obscure our natural state of consciousness.

Many meditators end up with what is simply a discipline because they focus for example on their breath-work for years, never getting to that natural state. Thus, creating separateness from unity, and that’s exactly opposite of what the goal of mediation is. That’s why it’s so important to let go of the techniques as soon as possible, and getting into that state when we wonder what happens when we allow everything to be as it is. And that’s when we start to transition from control of mind into True Meditation.

The second part goes into meditative self-inquiry where we allow everything to be as it is. In the self-inquiry we ask questions to receive answers which lead us to the state of awareness. Spiritual questions point us back to ourselves in which process we discover oneness. We’re one with the source. It’s about looking inward, not outward. It goes also into ego-personality, coming into harmony and peace, going into awareness to recognize who we are. So we can see that existence is simply a manifestation of spirit. And that’s when you’re true spiritual journey begins.

The True Meditation is in a form of a booklet or a small book. For those who are into meditation, this is a very valuable lesson, and worth reading to understand what meditation truly is about. For those who are already familiar with meditation this should be fairly graspable.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Guy.
360 reviews60 followers
February 9, 2020
This is a clear, concise and beautifully written description of what Adyashanti calls 'true meditation'. And of course that made me smile, because, really, what does that mean. And then my smile deepened as I read the book, not in any ironical way, but in the way of seeing meditation with more awareness and knowledge. My smile deepened with the truth of what he described. At least, his idea 'truth' and mine about the purpose and result of meditation overlapped to a significant degree. And so I have put his approach into practice, as it aligns with what I've been intuitively, or perhaps unconsciously, moving towards anyway with the help of the teachings of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, whose unstated approach corresponds with Adyanshti's, and with of the teachings of the self proclaimed awakened Dave Oshana.

As a quick summary, Adyashanti claims that most meditators become focused (fixated/obsessed/locked) into doing whatever method of meditation that they have been taught that feels right to them. With right aligning with some mindful aspect of ourselves. Our minds and egos like clear directions and stated goals. But with that purpose, the end goal is lost, and so 20 or 30 years of meditation will have certainly helped to keep us calm and centred and better able to live. All great things, but.... Who are we, really? Or, in Adyanshanti's twist on that What are we, really? That gets lost in the method and its superficial benefits.

And Adyashanti makes a bold statement regarding the extreme difficulty and rarity of becoming awakened or enlightened. It isn't as rare as we think it is, and it isn't reserved for some special few.
If you have the unconscious or conscious belief that awakening if only for very extraordinary people, that totally contradicts our sense of ourselves. This idea may be the most powerful impediment to awakening. Our examples of awakening feed this. We have images of the awake being, and they are halo-enshrouded, with long hair, flowing gowns, and if they're doing anything in life they are always teaching, they always have disciples, they always have people following at their feet. These images are out there, and yet it's simply not so. It's very hard for our minds to get that enlightenment can look like your grandmother or your grocer. It doesn't need to look in any way extraordinary. Some enlightened beings are very charismatic. But you know what? Some unenlightened beings are very charismatic. But these images really get in the way. Awakening isn't about becoming extraordinary. If anything, it's about becoming ordinary. It's about becoming who we really, really are (p84-5).
I recommend this book for anyone who has been meditating and for those seriously thinking about it.
Profile Image for Kris Madaus.
33 reviews5 followers
February 14, 2013
This is a short book, but it might be one of the best "meditation" books I have ever read. I could be wrong, but I also feel that it might not be as valuable to a reader if they have not spent time learning or practicing present-moment awareness. Some of the subjects are simple on the surface, but deep and nuanced in the actual practice. Adyashanti does not explain everything for you. Instead, he points you in the right direction with the understanding that you can only know what he is referring to by following that path. I really like the way he explains how to deal with passing thoughts and allowing your mind to be as it is without getting caught up in thought.

This is not a religious book. It does not seem to be a spiritual book. It is a book about awareness. Maybe the best thing I learned from this book is to stop looking for the easy answers in all of these books. Put down the books and simply be aware. You don't have to sit for hours on end to gain some insight. Sit for 10 minutes a day, if that's all you can do. It will be more valuable than reading any book.
Profile Image for Sir Readalot.
79 reviews8 followers
February 14, 2020


Unlike other books on meditation, Adayshanti focuses on the core Philosophy of meditation. In this short book he discusses the correct attitude of a meditator, what our "goals" (later on you'd read how there are no true "goals" as a meditator) as meditator should be and what we can expect out of it.

What really stuck with me was the attitude part where he advices the reader to let go of the control of our brain in order to make it an ally, because forcing our brain to stop entertaining thoughts is equivalent to ordering someone to shut up, it's just a temporary fix.

For it's criticism, Adayshanti believes that the posture doesn't really matter and we should focus on the attitude. But my experience says that posture is a crucial part of the process, mainly because good posture allows our diaphragm to expand and contract easily.

In conclusion, anyone who's considering to explore meditation, this book is perfect for you.
Profile Image for Craig Bergland.
354 reviews9 followers
August 11, 2016
This is a fantastic book. While I find the author profoundly arrogant in person, his written work is excellent and manages to assume a more balanced tone than his speech. In my own practice, I have found moving beyond concentration to an open awareness and acceptance of whatever arises to be not just helpful but essential. His reasoning and explanations ring very true.
Profile Image for Elyse Walters.
4,010 reviews11.9k followers
April 14, 2016
Not sure why I never rated or reviewed this book ... I own it....and not only have read it many times over the years, I've taken workshops, retreats, and silent weekends with Adyashanti.

All is books are good!!!!

Profile Image for Brett.
36 reviews
January 1, 2025
An interesting, thought provoking, short read. Offers an original perspective and ideas to play with while meditating… and living.
Profile Image for Aviva Shore.
39 reviews2 followers
December 14, 2018
This book as almost as pretentious as it's title, but for good reason- it's well written and the guided meditations are good (set the audio to normal speed for those).
Profile Image for Suhaib.
294 reviews109 followers
November 11, 2014
After listening to the audio version so many times, and putting the 'non-practice' approach into practice, that is to say, letting go of all preconceived techniques, ideas, states of meditation, and what it should be all about, I have come to find that this is probably the best approach or attitude towards meditation.

The idea of this book is equivalent to 'surrender' which other, if not all spiritual teachers emphasize and reiterate; to name a few: Eckhart Tolle and Osho...

The meditative inquiry part is similar to what Tolle describes as inhabiting the inner body, or feeling the inner body from within and then noticing the gaps in the stream of thinking...

However, we can compare and criticize all we want about the teaching and non of that would really matter -since it's all mind made- unless we experience the practice in our own being.
Profile Image for Machteld.
43 reviews2 followers
September 8, 2021
Dit boekje las ik in het kader van de Yin Teacher Training van De Nieuwe Yogaschool (= verplichte literatuur). Ik begrijp de lovende recensies niet zo, want meer dan een korte introductie op ware meditatie is dit boekje niet. Wie zich echt in ware meditatie/het padloze pad/non-dualiteit wil verdiepen, kan beter Zie, je bent al vrij van Hans Knibbe oppakken.
Profile Image for Adam.
64 reviews
November 4, 2025
It's not that this book doesn't have a lot to offer, it's just that I've read many books with more or less the same message, so most of it wasn't as eye-opening for me as I would have hoped.
One thing that I really do like about this book, though, is that it's a really "simple" and straightforward guide to becoming truly present :)
Profile Image for Quinn da Matta.
514 reviews10 followers
August 15, 2013
This really did help give me a greater insight into the art of meditation, while also giving me the confidence to just be; it's not just about technique. The most important lesson I learned is that it is about giving up control and just being in the bliss.
Profile Image for Bhakta Kishor.
286 reviews46 followers
Read
July 26, 2020
Witnessing is almost the finest fire you can find. Witness anything and that thing soon disappears. And don’t be afraid that beautiful spaces will disappear. You don’t know yet what is really waiting ahead of you – when beautiful spaces and depressive moments both have gone, when that duality is no longer there. You are not aware of what is going to happen to you. It is so profound and so deep that those who have found it have remained silent. They will not say a single word about it. There is no word in any language to express it. All these words – “beautiful,” “blissful” – fall too short. And the greatest thing is that there is no duality, that you have come to a point which remains with you always; there is no opposite to it.

This is something to be remembered, that whenever you experience something of which there is no opposite, you have come home. While the opposite exists you will be torn apart continuously. Between those two experiences you will be just a football – sometimes feeling happy, sometimes feeling miserable; but never knowing yourself, that there is something beyond both the beautiful and the depressive. That’s why it cannot be brought into words, because all words are dualistic; otherwise they won’t have any meaning. This is the nature of language: you cannot have a word without having its opposite. If you don’t have the opposite, then the word won’t have any meaning. If somebody asks you, “What is light?,” you can say, “That which is not darkness.” How do you define light? – by its opposite; otherwise you don’t have any definition. How do you define health? – just by saying that it is opposite to sickness. How do you define life? – by saying it is opposite to death. Without the opposite you cannot even have meaning for any word.

So, just try to reach into a wordless space. Begin from the beautiful space, because in those moments you are more full of energy, and it is possible to get out of it. When you are depressed, all your energy is so dull, so sad, that you cannot get out of it. So use those beautiful moments just for a jumping board into the wordless, non-dual experience of your own being. Once you have succeeded in doing it from the beautiful space, you will be able to succeed in the depressive part also, because now you know the way, now you understand that those were not anything significant. You were simply getting identified with fictions. Now you have touched reality – and reality is strength, power. And then slowly the other spaces will disappear and you will remain in this wordless experience without falling out of it. You can call it true meditation, the authentic experience of life. It only looks difficult if you have not tried. Once you have tried, it is a very simple experience.

☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄
Profile Image for Karma.
243 reviews
July 15, 2025
This was my first time reading Adyashanti, though I’ve been curious about his work for quite a while. Despite having read about him extensively, I hadn’t picked up one of his actual books until now.

At first glance, the book felt too brief to offer any real depth on meditation. But I was proven wrong very quickly once I started reading. Adyashanti’s writing is simple, direct, and incredibly intentional - each word carries weight and meaning, with nothing wasted.

I found his approach deeply resonant, especially his emphasis on allowing things to unfold naturally during meditation rather than trying to force an experience. It’s a perspective I want to incorporate into my own practice.

My only critique is the absence of a guided meditation script, which would have made the book feel more complete.

I have received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. This doesn't impact my opinion in any way.
32 reviews
Read
January 2, 2023
I think reviewing a book about self-help or anything which tells us that if you practice these things you will benefit should be done after actually practicing those things long enough to be able to test the effects. In True meditation Adyashanti gives us a method to meditate in which all emotions and thoughts etc are left to their own we don't use focus ,mindfullness or any other method ,we don't try to alter our mind and just let it be ,according to him this no manipulation method (which he calls True meditation ) reveals the truth . I have read about this in Swami Ramsukhdasji's books also (those aren't listed on goodreads) ,Swamiji used the word chup sadhan for this method .
I might be able to update my review after practicing this more,it does feels good .I will know more with more experience.
Profile Image for Sharondblk.
1,063 reviews17 followers
May 31, 2025
I initially sat down to read this like a text book, but soon realised most of the short chapters are actually perfect meditation prompts. While I didn't see Adya's methods as very radical I found them very useful, both for reminding me of things I already know, and taking my meditation and awareness journey into a deeper level. It's also a very inclusive and heartfelt way to meditate.
I'm not sure about the edition of this book. i received a free PDF copy from NetGalley, which appears to be the original edition, from 2006 and references a CD. Obviously the PDF I received didn't have a CD, but I can't imagine that a paper book would either, or than many people still have a way to play CDs. Minor point. I would love a paper copy of this book to browse through and sit with the ideas presented.
2 reviews
May 22, 2022
Prince of Peace

Why are we?

Get one with the universe.

Calming your mind.

Releasing problems concerns and stress

Realizing your personal power.

Get at one.

The concepts in the written language book will provide intellectual foundation.

The direct transmission from Aduashanti in his guided self-spoken audio books of the same name, True Meditation.

Learn to allow peace

Perfecting every moment

In doing and none doing

In being and feeling.

Self-realization and liberation

Awakening of core consciousness

Enlightenment is continuous

Beyond time and before and after space

Christopher Mesenburg

Ohio

224.252.0270

Equality is the heart of religion.

Where life overflows with happiness and love.

Helping equal people

Christopher Mesenburg

224.252.0270
Profile Image for Theodore.
47 reviews3 followers
September 12, 2022

I always think about what the ideal book would be to introduce non-meditating friends & family to the subject in a clear, gentle, straightforward way.

This may be the book. Very simple, introductory.

2 main sections of this short book describe a basic sitting practice ("do nothing" meditation, author has Zen background), paired with self-inquiry along the lines of Ramana Maharshi.

First I've read of Adyashanti, I bought two other books of his that were recommended, Resurrecting Jesus, and The End of Your World. We will see.
1,210 reviews
August 13, 2025
I’ve been meditating for a couple of years and this book has helped me reshape my relationship with it - life happens, I get stressed, I stop meditating (exactly when I should keep at it, basically). I found True Meditation excellent, with so much helpful information; reading, then putting into practice what I learned has been helping me reach a better place with my meditating.

This is a title I’ll be getting for myself and will definitely read more books by the author.



Thank you to Sounds True and NetGalley for the DRC

6 reviews
December 17, 2017
Different-Extraordinary-Leads one to OM

This is the best book on meditation that I have ever read and I’ve skimmed many. Adyashanti help me to “see” the mighty degree my mind has dominated my understandings of spirit and to relax into OM.
He discusses all one’s objections to his approach. I enthusiastically recommend this book. In my mind it’s classic. Beware you will be changed.
Profile Image for Tomasino.
7 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2022
Adyanshanti provides a radically new method to meditation. In fact, it can be used regularly whether you meditate or not. Allow everything to be, exactly as it is, without any manipulation. By manipulation, I mean no judgement of thoughts, emotions, trying to change thoughts or emotions; even thinking of shoulds and shouldn'ts. Just allow everything to naturally arise and pass. See for yourself as an experiment, and feel the shift in energy within yourself.
Profile Image for T. Laane.
757 reviews93 followers
July 11, 2021
THIS is what I have been calling meditation for years. Actually, I have been telling people "I don't meditate, I just let my mind be free". And this current book tells that this IS the true meditation - letting the mind be. Not controlling, not manipulating, not teaching and training Your mind. Just be.
433 reviews3 followers
January 14, 2018
Not a beginning book but very helpful in some areas that I seemed to hang up on. It was also very much the ‘go do it’ book. It is not an entertaining story but is insightful, educating and motivated me to be more steady in my practice. I very rarely give a book more than 3 stars.

Profile Image for Daniel.
Author 4 books6 followers
January 26, 2018
First, thanks to my friend Elaine who recommended this book. I've had so much more success with meditation in general when I deviate from some fixated path of posture and concentration which so many other methods teach. This book talks about looking past all that; looking deeper
23 reviews21 followers
April 28, 2019
falls into the trap so many teachers do of preaching the practice the teacher happened to be doing at the time of their awakening as the 'real deal' ignoring both that their history with other techniques contributed and that others reach the top of the mountain using other techniques.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
17 reviews5 followers
January 24, 2021
This book really hit me in the heart ~ poignantly shifting some if my own ideas and understandings around meditation. Definitely recommend the audio version, so you can listen to Adyashanti’s voice during the guided meditation portion in part two. I will certainly be listening to this again!
Profile Image for Niklas Angmyr.
289 reviews5 followers
January 17, 2023
Har läst den svenska utgåvan. Boken ger en befrielse från tvång i meditationen. Det är ok att pröva sig fram och känna sig fram. Ska skaffa boken för att ha den i mitt referensbibliotek, kommer att återvända till boken när jag undrar något om min meditation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

Join the discussion

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.