The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness

by Richard Moss

Many people obstruct their innate potential through repeated patterns of emotional struggle and suffering. This practical, hands-on guide explains why and how people habitually fall into this trap and provides a program, easily incorporated into everyday life, that frees them from this destructive behavior. Using a simple mandala, the book illustrates the four places humans go when they feel threatened, uncomfortable, or aren’t fully centered or grounded in the present moment. Like a trail of pebbles left behind on a hike, it helps trace the path back to the authentic self. Drawing on his three decades of teaching consciousness, Richard Moss plays the role of wise shepherd, accompanying and encouraging the reader on a journey toward the genius within and away from fear and other limitations. Most importantly, he offers an always-available compass that directs readers back to the true self, and into the magic of the present moment.

Genres: Spirituality, Self Help, Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2007

Reviews

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it is not without its flaws, it is one of the best books I’ve read in explaining and giving tools to implement living in the moment and bringing clarity to the ways in which we are very much, most often not in the moment and the myriad ways this causes us suffering and dysfunction in our relationship with ourself and others. Life changing stuff for me and a book I’ve recommended to family members who have an interest in meditation and learning to live in the present moment.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard's Mosses' mandala encompasses you, me, past and future and the stories we make up in our heads about it all. The goal is to let go of those stories, live in the present, and do what he calls "start from the beginning of yourself".

"We can awaken gradually through hundreds and even thousands of moments of grace. Moment by moment, we can learn to draw from the richness of our beginning in the midst of all that life demands from us. To support this potential, which is actually a process of returning to the Now in the midst of daily life, I have created an inquiry process called the Mandala of Being."


Learning to interrupt thinking is the first step in this process. This also helps you to live in the now. After just finishing "The Art of Presence" by Eckhart Tolle, many of the concepts are the same. Living in the now is not easy for any of us, but it can transform our lives.

"We hold the key to our freedom all along without realizing it. It lies in the quality of our attention, moment by moment."

One exercise he suggests is to do stream-of-consciousness writing and then relax or sit quietly to bring yourself until the present and help you become aware sooner wen you collapse into and identify with either your thinking or emotions.

Richard says we express anger and fear because we are resisting the "untamed emotions". These emotions are very intense, but he says if we allow them to emerge and accept them, they will resolve on their own and we won't have to waste so much energy resisting them. Through this process of acceptance, we will learn to be less defensive, reactive and aggressive.

"The untamed emotions are like guardians at the gateway, the ultimate fears that we must face in order to begin to develop a strong sense of self".

He concludes with this wonderful quote:

"There may always remain the unsettling taste of the unknown and our lives will inevitably invite us to greater humility, but this begins to fill us with wonder instead of fear. A sense of how loving the universe is begins to grow until, eventually, we trust that we are flowing in harmony with life and are always supported, buoyed by a great and gracious current."

Great read. I highly recommend it.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than Eckhart Tolle's for awareness work as this gives practical applications - more how-to and hands-on. And I could relate more to his language than Tolle's pain-body. It is a bit repetitive and that gets old. Since I'm a very visual person, the diagrams help focus the attention and allow the mind a place to settle while trying to move into the physical and stay in the NOW.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spend just a single day being completely aware of where your thoughts lead you. How often does your mind wander? How much time do you find yourself recalling or analyzing things that happened in your past? How much time do you spend worrying about what might happen in the future? What stories do you make up about yourself in your wanderings? Are you self-sacrificing, underappreciated, and undervalued? Are you hardworking and eagerly climbing the ladder of success? Are you bitter that everyone else seems to catch a break but you get nothing?

Anyone who has ever tried this exercise knows that the majority of our time is spent anywhere but at the present moment. We fixate on the past, we fantasize about the future, we create self serving stories in our minds, and we judge others. Very little of our time is actually fully focused on what we are doing and feeling in this exact moment. So in essense, we rarely focus on the here and now, on the moment.

The Mandala of Being guides the reader to a better understanding of this very human process explaining that these seemingly harmless distractions actually color the way we see ourselves. Basically, all of these stories do two things. They either feed our ego so that we feel that we are somebody special (hiding the underlying feeling that we are not enough as we are) or we opening berate ourselves. The end result in both cases is the same, it reinforces the notion that somehow we have to be, act, or have something specific in order to be valuable human beings.

The simple solution is to have our thoughts stay in the here and now, to see events for what they really are, and to get in touch with our true selves. This may be easy to say but it is extremely hard to do. The Mandala of Being teaches us how to make a start in this attempt and how to counteract some of the major obstacles on this path.

[John Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the belongings of a friend who died recently. She’d left it to me, and so when I began reading half my interest lay in wondering why she’d wanted me to read this book.

Richard Moss explores the concept that ultimate reality is experienced in a concept called “now”. It is not the same as the present. Using a two dimensional axis, one made of past and future, the other of you and me, he shows how now is where these axes intersect. Dwelling in the now is not so much about being in the present moment as it is about being nondual regarding subject (one’s view of oneself as oneself) and object (that which one regards as external or separate from oneself). It is a very fascinating concept and one I found very relatable.

I liked that Moss also avoids falling into a particular religious or spiritual tradition. His language is grounded in psychology and where he does draw on religion, it is done by analogy. This book also doesn’t get overly philosophical, and I get the sense Moss is aware other texts already do that and he trusts the reader to consult them. He is focused mostly on consolidating results he has been putting together from his work with numerous people at retreats and workshops about his Mandala of Being concept.

A large takeaway for me is how difficult it is to stay in the now. And Moss doesn’t make this idea defeating, but rather, shows how in fact, being aware of the Mandala of Being with its axes, we can become aware of where we are at any particular point in time, and how we tend to shift around on it. We can direct ourselves toward the centre, a bit like a dancer following skillful, intuitive steps.

The chapters and sections of the book explore these many unique points on the mandala and what they mean practically. Becoming overly off in the “you” “past” section, for instance, might be a moment where I realize I’m angry at what someone did to me last week. Stepping back toward the centre is about unpacking this anger with the intent of both developing compassion and empathy for the person I’m angry with, and focusing on new opportunities to improve my relationship with them. Following each example and how to get back to the centre let me appreciate that almost always the movement in a practical sense is about reversing our tendency to dwell or get stuck in emotional states that freeze us in intense emotions, and instead convert them into liberating ones — forgiveness, empathy, freedom, spontaneity, openness, surprise, wonder, mystery. We dissolve into a depth of being open, to trust and presence, both in our personal life and in our relationship life.

I definitely started this book in mystery as I wondered in what way my departed friend might still be experiencing, in whatever mystery lies beyond death. This book has left me with a new comfort in the richness of the now, and seeing the possibility that perhaps in death we draw even closer to it, closer than others in this world of human experience can see, but perhaps to those who draw closely, we are gifted with brief moments of comfort where it feels the world beyond — the world within — is rich and fuller than can be imagined. There was one such moment a few years ago, where I was watering my garden on a sunny day, and as I watered my mind calmed and I felt like I was part of the water, and in the light the spray was misting and I saw a rainbow in the mist. At once I thought of my grandma, who had died 16 years ago, and almost had a sense I felt her there, present in that moment, only because I’d retreated so deeply into that particular now and become aware of this depth. Perhaps it was just my
imagination, but regardless, it is one moment etched on me that this book’s main concept has made me appreciate, and given further incentive for me to explore this wonder and mystery, without trying to put a label on it or confine it with static beliefs.

Perhaps one other good takeaway was also that moving to the centre also means to sit with uncomfortable emotions. It is not all about becoming a wish-washy love is all kind of person. It is about sitting with hurt, anger, anxiety, discomfort, and not escaping to some future-me fantasy of hope or some me-focused escape. If someone is suffering and you become aware of this, becoming now-centred is about really sitting with that suffering and then letting new, centre-sourced motivations arise from it. I recently had a good example of this with my neighbour. He was a gardener all his life but has had to stop due to arthritis. As I got into gardening this year, he would often talk to me over the fence, often going on about how he can’t do this anymore, and can’t even mow his grass. This was the kind of thing where I could have remained in my static commiseration, which is me-centred because I want to be polite but ultimately don’t want to sit with the discomfort of really thinking about his suffering. However, I did dwell with his suffering and one day instead of deflecting his comments about arthritis, I asked him more what it’s like living with it. This led to just listening and sitting with the discomfort as I really weighed how privileged I was in my walk of life — the balance shifted from me to a me-you that was slightly off in the past direction, not quite at centre yet. But then what happened, quite interestingly, was that as we were talking when he mentioned his grass and how he couldn’t mow it, I realized there’s no reason I can’t help. What were my excuses? That I don’t have time? That I shouldn’t take on more than my already demanding gardening? Of course they were! That’s the me tendency to make pity seem like empathy, but instead, compassion challenges us not just to be less selfish, but to deconstruct the duality between me and you and dwell instead in relationship. So, I mowed the grass, and in the doing came more garden talk, and before I knew it he offered to let me use half his garden, and I helped remove trees even, and by fall we were planning the next year’s garden. And all this began in spring with him telling me there would be no more garden for him next year. I had 529lbs of harvest, and because of this am now getting requests to sell produce; this is far more than would have come about if I’d simply deflected that uncomfortable emotion and stayed focused on my own thing.

The point here is that the now invites us to dwell with uncomfortable emotions not just for the sake of torturing ourselves, but for the sake of the new arising of far more liberating insights and opportunities that come from this rich, central wellspring. What begins with discomfort springs us into motion, free and empowered motion. In the case of my neighbour, it was wonderful to feel how at many points this person who was a stranger to me instead was a participator around a common passion — one he’d thought lost, and one I was discovering, brought to life through actions derived from this now-centre. There were many moments through the summer where I felt less like one person going through the day and instead like the more abstract present awareness dwelling between us in an eternal now that was distinctly clear and a reminder that ultimate reality can be sensed and will reveal itself to us if we are willing to depart from our off-centre attachments, many of which are sourced in being overly concerned with ourselves and our own fixation on the future or past.

I’m sure my departed friend is glad I followed the adventure of this book. I may have said before may she rest in peace, but now that I’ve followed the trail of this mystery, instead I see that, like my grandma who from time to time dwells in misty summer rainbows, I am sure she is more active than I am, and freer, and I will only be inspired all the more to touch this now centre, and whatever that may bring to the life that surrounds me on my continued part in its journey.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am unexpectedly thrilled to be done with this book. Moss is a wise teacher and makes a strong case for his accessible and useful techniques. The problem is his tendency to repeat himself. I thought for awhile that he was repeating his ideas in order to emphasize them, but I think if he realized he was doing this he would say so. On his behalf, I told myself I was probably too thick to learn and apply his principles unless he repeated them multiple times. I wanted to like this book so much that I held him on a pedestal. This would be a damning conclusion but for the fact that Moss helped me to reach it. He'd probably approve of me realizing my inauthentic attachment to a negative "me story", even if it involved criticizing his book.

I'm ready to test what I've read here against William James. And possibly this is what (cue inspiring music) reading is supposed to be all about, progressive inquiry leading to increasingly rich discoveries and a personal philiosophy which becomes increasingly distinct and refined. ...Time for a beer.

=====

previous thoughts on mandala:

I find myself wanting to brag here about becoming more enlightened having read this. Really, I feel very alone in my study of Moss's ideas. I've felt discomfort at his pointing out that I have no place to turn for spiritual comfort other than to the now. Why should this be a threatening idea, where have I been going instead? It's an interesting question, but a scary one, and Moss doesn't pretend to offer a more soothing alternative.

Practicing the mandala, staying at the center of consciousness, seems confining. Like a dog might be considered obedient for not straying ahead or behind its master, so does Moss insist that consciousness be kept in check lest it wander into past, future, me, or you stories. I remain skeptical of this. The alertness required to recognize self-avoidance would seem jeopardized by a monolithic idea such as the mandala. I'm reminded of Costanza's Dad shouting "serenity now!"

[Lakshmi Narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the ideas expressed in this book very similar to the ones that Eckhart Tolle did in his two books so I stopped some time after a third of the book.
However, Richard Moss does a very good job of representing the essence of his book in the three circular diagrams that he uses in his workshops as well.
I would recommend the book to anyone looking for yet another way to center one's self.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books I have ever read. Not for everyone because if you're not into self discovery and new thought it won't make much sense. But for seekers it is spectacular. Moss explains things in a way that made difficult concepts simple, and the Mandala as a tool is terrific. An easy five stars.

[Chris Armer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very few books get a five star rating from me. The ones that do contain what I feel are life transforming ideas that are communicated clearly and creatively. However, the book can be quite redundant at times. Nevertheless, I felt that every chapter of the book contained much thought provoking material. Now the hard part is in practicing. I will most likely read it again in the near future.

[daniel smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mindset he teaches in the book is very similar to the concepts of improv, being in the moment and such. He pretty much disses all religions which is fine with me but could be hard to digest it your "faithful" to some God. All religions but Buddhism that is, he has a lot of parallels.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone doing awareness work. I bit dense at times and in need of some additional editing. Important none-the-less.

[Stephlkalldaygmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books that I still sometimes look back on. Opened me to new ways of thinking; I think anyone could find something beneficial from this book.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was a collection of psychobabble and new-age catch phrases. After reading the entire book, I'm still unclear of the message the author was trying to convey.

[Eddie Chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the timing that I picked it up was on cue as I was going through thoughts of fears and uncertainty. There are many great passages as written by author, many I recorded for reference especially the programming behavior of man and ego. In his simple explain exercise, it help me to witness the voices that speaks in my head and allowed me re-evaluate myself of who I am. Asking the subject, object, past and present question, to bring self back to center, to this moment, realizing that it's the stories in which I narrate to myself that holds me still.

Who "I AM" in the traditional and programming sense, is of my physical being. In this process of discovering, to see that I have strong attachment to my name, titles, belongings, people and environment, as I had allowed them to define me. The journey is learning to let go and become "nonbeing", in this case, more than my physical self. "who am I without all my possessions"? I need not be tied down with any clear answer for now, however the doubt that appears with this question is linked to scarcity and fear. I trust the doubts in my life more than the possibility in my life, why is that? Because fear in me is all too familiar and actually "comfortable", as I let triggers became an indication that I am alive.

Until and unless I truly move past my sense of insufficiency, the new seeds I sow would still contain the energy of fear in them, simply disguise. And that includes sharper awareness to my tendency to fall into my "neurotic suffering", of victimization and denial. Change to self indeed comes from willingness, readiness and courage; as well as commitment, persistence and perseverance.

Indeed to know what are the assumptions and beliefs that I create and describe myself. I am not here in this lifetime to fix myself, I am sufficient and great in my own way. Now is to be consistent and expand on that greatness that is of my values.

[Crystal Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Some parts of it felt like it was a more in depth look at Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, and A New Earth. Those parts I adored. I wanted as much of that as I could get.

But then a lot of the book got bogged down by his extreme wordiness. There were times I was questioning, "Did the Architect from the Matrix write this? Speak English, dammit!" It felt like he was too busy trying to impress us with his rather extensive vocabulary. If he'd cut out some of the big words and put it in layman's terms so we could understand the book much better, it probably would have been half the length.

Due to this fact, some of it really dragged, and I had to force myself to keep going because I knew there were some gems hidden in it. But wow, did I have to really dig to get to them and unearth them past his brainy lingo.

I'm all for have a large vocabulary and write to the best of your ability, but when it starts to read more like a dry text book that's larger than the Bible, you kind of lose my interest and my respect. It's a self help, spiritual book--so help me be more spiritual, rather than try to grow my vocabulary. If I want to increase the words in my repertoire, I'll read a dictionary, thank you very much.

Did I like this book? Yes.

Would I read it again? Not unless you pay me a lot of money to do it. Besides, I took notes so I won't ever have to trudge through all that again.

Was it worth reading once? Yes. But only if you have a lot of patience and some time to kill.

Are there better self-help, spiritual books out there? Hell yes. But you might enjoy this as one of your books to check out.

Will I read anymore of this author's books? Ummm, no. Not unless someone tells me it's an abridged version or the layman's translation, because, "Ergo, vis-a-vis, apropos, concordantly"--Matrix Architect speak is not my jam.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It definitely feels like an achievement to read this. I did receive some great information that I plan to use, & other info I found not so helpful. He wrote like a teacher would teach, looping back to important points. This sometimes made me lose focus & want to rush through. Overall a worthy read due to - if nothing else - my favorite quote, “I am already that for which I have been seeking.”

[Kermit Goodman]

Good book introduction to consciousness & healing. I especially loved the explanation of how ego, whose job it is to protect the physical organism, attaches itself to our invented personalities, so it feels like dying, when it comes time to let them go.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound, deep, and inspiring.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely incredible read! Wise and practical. Thank you for this brilliant book.

[Asa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful, I feel like this book changed my life. It's not by any means an easy or magic solution to enlightenment, the work is very hard and painful, but so worth it.

[Tomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandisimo libro. Ofrece un guia practica sobre estar presente e identificar cuando nos vamos hacia nuestras historias fantasticas mentales.

[Olivia Hume · Rating 5 out of 5]

This changed my brain positively

[Miguel Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of us need answers to the What? and Why? questions as part of our life's journey. When the student is ready, the teacher shows up. Each of us has the responsibility to learn how to wake up and get beyond our own destructive thought patterns and conditioning.
The mandala is a large drawn circle with me at its focal point, concentrating on the stillness, the love, and the presence of my own me/Now. From this axis, I can step to different sections of the circle's circumference to question negative stories and feelings from the past I rely on to berate my being. I question, but I always return to the mandala's center to affirm myself. Reassured, I reach out around the circle touching others with newfound dignity, compassion, and empathy.
The Mandala Of Being is the condensation of Dr Richard Moss's life's work and teaching. It gives a good taste of the foundation of his work helping people transform their lives. By itself, it is illuminating and it will help a motivated seeker to begin their own work.

[Shannon]

Currently on page 75 and, while I really like the message... I find myself saying over and over, "the horse is dead, get on to the next point". More than once I looked at how thick the book is and wondered if the rest of the book follows suit and how thinner it would it.

There are good passages, however. I am sticking it out.

[Shashi]

this is the text for a non-violent communication class I'm taking

[Liz Baker]

amazing so far!

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really read. I just may not be in the right mood for this, but I could not get interested enough. Moss repeats himself quite a bit and I moved on to another book instead.

[Carrie LeAnne]

Recommended reading for YogaFit Level 5.