Waking Up: Over 30 Perspectives on Spiritual Awakening - What Does It Really Mean?

by Jack Kornfield, Eckhart Tolle, Sally Kempton

A radical shift in identity. The direct experience of unity with all things. Unexplainable joy and a blissful ease of being. These are just some of the ways in which a growing number of people have described the experience of spiritual awakening. But is it the same for everyone? What if we've only had glimpses of "waking up"? How does the process unfold - and does it end?
Waking Up brings you the insights of 34 of today's leading authors and teachers who have deeply explored the implications of spiritual awakening. Sounds True publisher Tami Simon will speak with the teachers about their personal understandings of awakening - how it happened, what changed (and what didn't), and how their experiences can inspire and inform our own realizations.
1. A Radical Shift in Identity - Adyashanti
2. The Mandala of Awakening - Jack Kornfield, PhD
3. The Death of the Little Me - Eckhart Tolle
4. "Awake, Yes, But Keep Practicing" - Sally Kempton
5. A Freedom That Leaves Nothing Out - Reggie Ray
6. There Is No End to How We Explore True Nature - AH Almaas
7. Directness with Life - Thomas Hübl
8. Being a Light in the World - Sandra Ingerman
9. Saying Yes to Being Found - Richard Rohr
10. Loving Ourselves into Freedom - Tara Brach
11. Recognizing Your Original Face - Ken Wilber
12. Whatever Arises, Love That - Matt Kahn
13. Shifting to the Infinite Lifestyle - Robert Thurman
14. The Call of Aliveness - Mark Nepo
15. Dropping the Mind Into the Heart - Cynthia Bourgeault
16. Discovering Happiness Independent of Conditions - Shinzen Young
17. Life Is Here: Awakening Is Not a Destination - Jeff Foster
18. Divinized and Humanized - David Frenette
19. Remembering Our True Nature as the Ground of Being - Tsultrim Allione
20. Nothing Special - Thomas Moore
21. Small Glimpses, Many Times - Loch Kelly
And more.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He began his training after graduating from Dartmouth College in Asian Studies in 1967. Then he joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to the Public Health Service in northeast Thailand, which is home to several of the world’s oldest Buddhist forest monasteries. He met and studied under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. After returning to the United States, Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein. He is also a founding teacher of the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California, where he currently lives and teaches. Over the years, Jack has taught in centers and universities worldwide, led International Buddhist Teacher meetings with the Dalai Lama and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a husband, father and an activist.

His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies. They include, A Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology, A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; Teachings of the Buddha; Seeking the Heart of Wisdom; Living Dharma; A Still Forest Pool; Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart; Buddha’s Little Instruction Book; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness and Peace, Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are, and his most recent book, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are.

Reviews

[Bradley McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fucking fantastic!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the interviews were wonderful - others very obscure and not relevant - hard to understand.. Tami is a great interviewer.

[Teo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2018.03.31–2018.04.11

Contents

Simon T (interviewer) & guests (2015) (23:07) Waking Up - Over 30 Perspectives on Spiritual Awakening - What Does It Really Mean?

01. Adyashanti - A Radical Shift in Identity
02. Jack Kornfield - The Mandala of Awakening
03. Eckhart Tolle - The Death of the Little Me
04. Sally Kempton - Awake, Yes, But Keep Practicing
05. Reggie Ray - A Freedom that Leaves Nothing Out
06. Hameed Ali (aka AH Almaas) - There Is No End to How We Explore True Nature
07. Thomas Hübl - Directness with Life
08. Sandra Ingerman - Being a Light in the World
09. Richard Rohr - Saying Yes To Being Found
10. Tara Brach - Loving Ourselves into Freedom
11. Ken Wilber - Recognizing Your Original Face
12. Matt Kahn - Whatever Arises, Love That
13. Robert Thurman - Shifting to the Infinite Lifestyle
14. Mark Nepo - The Call of Aliveness
15. Cynthia Bourgeault - Dropping the Mind into the Heart
16. Shinzen Young - Discovering Happiness Independent of Conditions
17. Jeff Foster - Life is Here Awakening Is Not a Destination
18. David Frenette - Divinized and Humanized
19. Tsultrim Allione - Remembering Our True Nature as the Ground of Being
20. Thomas Moore - Nothing Special
21. Loch Kelly - Small Glipses, Many Times; Unhooking Awareness from Thought
22. Rami Shapiro - Polymorphus Aliveness
23. Andrew Harvey - Dying into the Light
24. Rick Hanson - The Neuroscience of Awakening From State to Trait
25. Sera Beak - Remembering
26. Peter Fenner - Aware of Awareness
27. Mukti - What is Stillness
28. Chris Grosso - Removing the Armor of the Heart
29. Judith Blackstone - Opening Our Whole Being to Fundamental Consciousness
30. John Prendergast - Waking Up, Waking Down and Waking Out
31. Richard Freeman - The Process of Continual Awakening
32. Bentinho - Enlightenment Is Nothing but the Development of a New Habit
33. Rev. Michael Beckwith - One with the Infinite
34. Gangaji - Stopping in Our Tracks - The Turning Point of a Lifetime

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this compendium of perspectives on the subject of spiritual awakening.

I was most interested in hearing how Christian contemplative related their experiences to the concept of enlightenment and was not disappointed. Richard Rohr's encouragement to become ready to be found resonated with my understanding of grace in contemplation. Cynthia Borgeault's insightful distinction between eastern ideas of awakening relating to states of consciousness and Jesus' middle eastern focus on expanding one's heart. As B states, an openness of heart toward others and to life.

Of interest to me also was Reggie Ray's beautifully articulated assertion that awakening "down" to all of our human experience is what is called for. Ray challenges the idea that awakening is about living a one dimensional calm that walls us off from our other experiences.

All in all a tour de force!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books that debunks a lot of misconceptions regarding what is actually encountered along the path to greater spiritual understanding.

[Gary Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of deep interviews with spiritual thinkers including Eckhart Tolle, Reggie Ray and Jack Kornfield. Some parts profound, the interviewer is good in terms of not being at the centre. This is a good book which might make some people think.

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to hear all the different perspectives on 'awakening' according to various spiritual traditions. Gives a very broad view.