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ENLIGHTENMENT: It's Not What You Think
It's Not What You Think reveals how you can replace the perspective of the ego the habit of identifying with the body, emotions, and thoughts with a new the Witness, that of your soul ... pure consciousness. With compelling logic, practices for everyday life, and guided meditations, the book explains how you can free yourself from suffering, enjoy inner peace, and find intuitive guidance.
Enlightenment is the goal of many spiritual traditions. Today, a large and growing number of people identify themselves as spiritual but not religious. What does that mean? Is it more than the rejection of adherence to organized religion? Can science confirm the existence of higher states of consciousness associated with spiritual enlightenment?
From the
Those who identify themselves as spiritual are seeking to be present in this world in a higher, lasting state of consciousness.... Spiritual seekers strive to be in the Eternal Now; they emphasize the power of being present in this very moment. But they are not seeking merely passing spiritual experiences. They are searching for a lasting state of higher consciousness, variously described as enlightenment, the awakening, satori, illumination, samadhi, Self-realization, and Christ Consciousness. Although these expressions vary among spiritual and cultural traditions, they refer to the permanent attainment of a higher state of consciousness in which the seeker realizes Oneness with all.
The essays in this book explore the descriptions of enlightenment in various spiritual and wisdom traditions, the process of becoming enlightened, and how to overcome the inner obstacles to the achievement of that goal.
What others are saying about this
Immensely enjoyable reading! This eminently practical guide to spiritual life draws deeply from many wells of wisdom, including the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Kriya Yoga of Babaji, the writings of the Tamil Siddhas, the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, and the insights of contemporary studies of the brain. Written in an accessible style, this book will help its readers understand the quest for higher meaning, and provides a toolbox to inspire wayfarers on this most important of journeys.
- Christopher Key Chapple, Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and Director, Master of Arts in Yoga Studies, Loyola Marymount University
True enlightenment is not simply an elevated state of mind but a complete change of consciousness from the limited ego to the supreme Self-realization in which we are one with all existence extending to all time and space and beyond.
Marshall Govindan reveals the secrets of the Yoga Siddhas and their transformative practices to help you approach that supreme enlightenment as the ultimate goal of all that you do. ...reveals the secrets of the Yoga Siddhas and their transformative practices to help you approach that supreme enlightenment as the ultimate goal of all that you do.
Dr. David Frawley D. Litt. Director, American Institute of Vedic Studies, Yoga, Ayurveda and Jyotish Teacher, Padma Bhushan awardee from President of India, author, Shiva, the Lord of Yoga and over thirty books
With this work, Its Not What You Think, Marshall Govindan delivers the gifts of Siddha masters to our doorsteps.
Here, he delineates succinctly and clearly the time-tested techniques of these masters for eliminating obstacles our deepest afflictions of fear, doubt, and all forms of grief and sorrow which obstruct the incessant flow of our intrinsic luminosity and happiness. Its Not What You Think is a must-read, for it is practical, simple, and meaningful... It is a decisive tool we can use for finding life s purpose.
- Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph D, Spiritual Head, Himalayan Institute
Enlightenment is the goal of many spiritual traditions. Today, a large and growing number of people identify themselves as spiritual but not religious. What does that mean? Is it more than the rejection of adherence to organized religion? Can science confirm the existence of higher states of consciousness associated with spiritual enlightenment?
From the
Those who identify themselves as spiritual are seeking to be present in this world in a higher, lasting state of consciousness.... Spiritual seekers strive to be in the Eternal Now; they emphasize the power of being present in this very moment. But they are not seeking merely passing spiritual experiences. They are searching for a lasting state of higher consciousness, variously described as enlightenment, the awakening, satori, illumination, samadhi, Self-realization, and Christ Consciousness. Although these expressions vary among spiritual and cultural traditions, they refer to the permanent attainment of a higher state of consciousness in which the seeker realizes Oneness with all.
The essays in this book explore the descriptions of enlightenment in various spiritual and wisdom traditions, the process of becoming enlightened, and how to overcome the inner obstacles to the achievement of that goal.
What others are saying about this
Immensely enjoyable reading! This eminently practical guide to spiritual life draws deeply from many wells of wisdom, including the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Kriya Yoga of Babaji, the writings of the Tamil Siddhas, the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, and the insights of contemporary studies of the brain. Written in an accessible style, this book will help its readers understand the quest for higher meaning, and provides a toolbox to inspire wayfarers on this most important of journeys.
- Christopher Key Chapple, Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and Director, Master of Arts in Yoga Studies, Loyola Marymount University
True enlightenment is not simply an elevated state of mind but a complete change of consciousness from the limited ego to the supreme Self-realization in which we are one with all existence extending to all time and space and beyond.
Marshall Govindan reveals the secrets of the Yoga Siddhas and their transformative practices to help you approach that supreme enlightenment as the ultimate goal of all that you do. ...reveals the secrets of the Yoga Siddhas and their transformative practices to help you approach that supreme enlightenment as the ultimate goal of all that you do.
Dr. David Frawley D. Litt. Director, American Institute of Vedic Studies, Yoga, Ayurveda and Jyotish Teacher, Padma Bhushan awardee from President of India, author, Shiva, the Lord of Yoga and over thirty books
With this work, Its Not What You Think, Marshall Govindan delivers the gifts of Siddha masters to our doorsteps.
Here, he delineates succinctly and clearly the time-tested techniques of these masters for eliminating obstacles our deepest afflictions of fear, doubt, and all forms of grief and sorrow which obstruct the incessant flow of our intrinsic luminosity and happiness. Its Not What You Think is a must-read, for it is practical, simple, and meaningful... It is a decisive tool we can use for finding life s purpose.
- Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph D, Spiritual Head, Himalayan Institute
192 pages, Paperback
Published May 25, 2016
5 people want to read
About the author
Marshall Govindan
18 books8 followersCo-author with his wife Jan Ahland of works on yoga.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 18, 2025
I am totally speechless by the content of this book. I have long wanted to know the truth of life and this book opened so many doorways to that end!
This is an awesome book which I feel every earnest seeker of truth will benefit from. If you are ready to do anything just to understand what it is life really is about, if the pain of living in ignorance has cut you too much deeply, this is a book you will benefit you immensely. Moreover the teachings in the book also help me in understanding my journey with spiritual sadhana and spiritual expeirences that come up with regular practicing. The book has helped me understand very deeply the true nature of life, why it is transitory, why worldly desires don’t satisfy, what exactly is this earthly experience all about, that there is such a thing as consciousness which is the underlying reality of everything, and also that this dream world of duality, of pleasure and of pain, was created by the divine to serve a divine purpose. It is so deep one can pick any useful point from the book and in pondering over it ( or practising it) all day one can lose oneself wholly to it.
I must add this too—> The book’s teachings strike an ever-deepening cord when it is read and re-read along with regular spiritual practices ( sadhana) alongside. Happened with me.
🙂🙏🏻
This is an awesome book which I feel every earnest seeker of truth will benefit from. If you are ready to do anything just to understand what it is life really is about, if the pain of living in ignorance has cut you too much deeply, this is a book you will benefit you immensely. Moreover the teachings in the book also help me in understanding my journey with spiritual sadhana and spiritual expeirences that come up with regular practicing. The book has helped me understand very deeply the true nature of life, why it is transitory, why worldly desires don’t satisfy, what exactly is this earthly experience all about, that there is such a thing as consciousness which is the underlying reality of everything, and also that this dream world of duality, of pleasure and of pain, was created by the divine to serve a divine purpose. It is so deep one can pick any useful point from the book and in pondering over it ( or practising it) all day one can lose oneself wholly to it.
I must add this too—> The book’s teachings strike an ever-deepening cord when it is read and re-read along with regular spiritual practices ( sadhana) alongside. Happened with me.
🙂🙏🏻
Displaying 1 of 1 review