What do you think?
Rate this book
On Having No Head
'Reason and imagination and all mental chatter died down... I forgot my name, my humanness, my thingness, all that could be called me or mine. Past and future dropped away... Lighter than air, clearer than glass, altogether released from myself, I was nowhere around.' Thus Douglas Harding describes his first experience of headlessness, or no self. First published in 1961, this is a classic work which conveys the experience that mystics of all times have tried to put words to.
124 pages, Hardcover
Published July 8, 2013
29 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 20, 2022
The star rating is for the book itself, rather than the concept. I love the concept of being headless and I'm finding it making a positive difference in my life. However, the book I found quite hard to read. There were some particular pages that really stood out to me as profound, but a lot of it was written in a way I'm not used to and found it hard to understand. Perhaps that's just me though.
If I were to give myself in the past some advice, I'd suggest listening to some podcasts with Richard Lang to get a clearer idea.
If I were to give myself in the past some advice, I'd suggest listening to some podcasts with Richard Lang to get a clearer idea.
December 18, 2024
Behead yourself!... Dissolve your whole body into Vision: become seeing, seeing, seeing!
—Rumi
Throughout human history, contemplatives and mystics have spoken of the illusion of the self, describing it as identifying with everything and nothing simultaneously—a concept often associated with liberation.
It's understandable if this idea seems elusive. Often, it's an experiential rather than a conceptual phenomenon. Achieving such a state typically requires hundreds or thousands of hours of contemplative practices like meditation.
Douglas Harding's work offers a unique approach. His method of experiencing "headlessness" is a shortcut to directly disengaging from the self and perceiving the world from a void or emptiness, even if only momentarily. It's a simple yet profound exercise that, once recognized, is undeniably true and the view/vision it offers is quite spectacular regardless what is being seen, heard, sensed etc.
I first encountered Douglas Harding through Sam Harris and then delved deeper through Richard Lang's lectures. Lang's clear explanations enabled me to quickly experience the Headless Way. I recommend starting with his lectures and exercises, as I found the book less straightforward in its presentation.
From my perspective, the benefits of experiencing "headlessness" include:
Pure perception: Viewing the world without the filter of others' perspectives, leading to purer seeing, hearing, and sensing.
Understanding contemplative claims: Gaining a deeper understanding of concepts like the illusion of the self and non-dualistic living, as exemplified in traditions like Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta.
On-demand freedom: Escaping the grip of constant thoughts and experiencing a sense of liberation.
Increased compassion: Recognizing the inherent capacity for this experience in all beings fosters a sense of shared humanity and compassion.
Important Note:
"Headlessness" does not imply physical decapitation. It refers to a shift in perspective where the usual sense of self as a localized entity within the head is temporarily absent.
I believe experiencing "headlessness" at least once in life is a valuable spiritual adventure. I strongly believe we have nothing to lose if we experience it.
Seeing into Nothingness - this is the true seeing, the eternal seeing.
—Shen-Hui
—Rumi
Throughout human history, contemplatives and mystics have spoken of the illusion of the self, describing it as identifying with everything and nothing simultaneously—a concept often associated with liberation.
It's understandable if this idea seems elusive. Often, it's an experiential rather than a conceptual phenomenon. Achieving such a state typically requires hundreds or thousands of hours of contemplative practices like meditation.
Douglas Harding's work offers a unique approach. His method of experiencing "headlessness" is a shortcut to directly disengaging from the self and perceiving the world from a void or emptiness, even if only momentarily. It's a simple yet profound exercise that, once recognized, is undeniably true and the view/vision it offers is quite spectacular regardless what is being seen, heard, sensed etc.
I first encountered Douglas Harding through Sam Harris and then delved deeper through Richard Lang's lectures. Lang's clear explanations enabled me to quickly experience the Headless Way. I recommend starting with his lectures and exercises, as I found the book less straightforward in its presentation.
From my perspective, the benefits of experiencing "headlessness" include:
Pure perception: Viewing the world without the filter of others' perspectives, leading to purer seeing, hearing, and sensing.
Understanding contemplative claims: Gaining a deeper understanding of concepts like the illusion of the self and non-dualistic living, as exemplified in traditions like Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta.
On-demand freedom: Escaping the grip of constant thoughts and experiencing a sense of liberation.
Increased compassion: Recognizing the inherent capacity for this experience in all beings fosters a sense of shared humanity and compassion.
Important Note:
"Headlessness" does not imply physical decapitation. It refers to a shift in perspective where the usual sense of self as a localized entity within the head is temporarily absent.
I believe experiencing "headlessness" at least once in life is a valuable spiritual adventure. I strongly believe we have nothing to lose if we experience it.
Seeing into Nothingness - this is the true seeing, the eternal seeing.
—Shen-Hui
March 2, 2024
Memorable messages:
God and the beginning are mysteries we aren’t meant to probe – mysteries to us of course, but not to him.
If you abandon all restraint, carry your wishes to their fullest limits, open your heart boundlessly, there is not a single moment when you will not find all you could possibly desire. The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams. (Jean-Pierre de Caussade)
What a long way we travel to find the treasure of treasures we carry with us all the time.
Where do we go now? Nowhere. Let us resolutely stay right here, seeing and being This which is Obviousness itself, and take the consequences. They will be all right.
God and the beginning are mysteries we aren’t meant to probe – mysteries to us of course, but not to him.
If you abandon all restraint, carry your wishes to their fullest limits, open your heart boundlessly, there is not a single moment when you will not find all you could possibly desire. The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams. (Jean-Pierre de Caussade)
What a long way we travel to find the treasure of treasures we carry with us all the time.
Where do we go now? Nowhere. Let us resolutely stay right here, seeing and being This which is Obviousness itself, and take the consequences. They will be all right.
January 28, 2025
I'm a big fan of the work being done on the Waking Up app. It offers a gentle, grounded, secular, & rational introduction to meditation as a practice for living an examined life, & it has been a staple in my routine for many years. Early in the Introductory Course, Sam Harris prompts us to closely examine the feeling of self, & then — little by little — he argues for its illusory nature. This concept of the illusory self expands into the closely-related realization of having no head.
When I first encountered this idea, it felt like an inscrutable position to maintain, especially given the seemingly paradoxical & almost-silly observations made to arrive at it, something along the lines of "as you look out into the world, notice that you don't see your head."
Harris is quick to reference On Having No Head by Douglas Harding, a short book that popularized this no-headness concept for Western spiritual audiences. Harding begins by describing an experience walking in the Himalayas & "[finding he] had no head...it was the revelation, at long last, of the perfectly obvious." In the next chapter, he attempts to make sense of this insight, though much of it feels like a prolonged exercise in asserting things matter-of-factly rather than sufficiently justifying them to someone not already "headless."
It is only in chapter three, Discovering Zen, that Harding strikes me as a charismatic author. Here, he humbly acknowledges the lineage of Buddhist thinkers who had already extensively described this insight — though perhaps not in terms such as "headless." The remainder of the book details Harding's steps along "the Headless Way", outlining stages such as "the Headless Infant", "the Headed Grown-up", "the Headless Seer", & so on. Again, I think he goes back to losing credibility by speaking so matter-of-factly & in a way to alienate skeptical readers.
If I were a more cynical or less interested reader, I would have put the book down after the first ten pages. But as a regular meditator who is increasingly interested in Dzogchen & other Buddhist traditions, I'm personally invested in having this headless perspective click beyond an intellectual understanding. As described by the likes of Sam Harris (Having No Head, The Illusory Self, Waking Up) & Richard Lang (The Headless Way series, Waking Up), it seems like a worthwhile pursuit.
I think I'll revisit this book in a few years, once I've had more practice under my belt. Its brevity (~100 pages) makes an easy reread. I only wish its prose didn't lend itself so easily to being dismissed as new age mysticism with no grounding in the real world, especially because the insights feel significant for navigating life as it is.
5/10 → 3 ⭐
When I first encountered this idea, it felt like an inscrutable position to maintain, especially given the seemingly paradoxical & almost-silly observations made to arrive at it, something along the lines of "as you look out into the world, notice that you don't see your head."
Harris is quick to reference On Having No Head by Douglas Harding, a short book that popularized this no-headness concept for Western spiritual audiences. Harding begins by describing an experience walking in the Himalayas & "[finding he] had no head...it was the revelation, at long last, of the perfectly obvious." In the next chapter, he attempts to make sense of this insight, though much of it feels like a prolonged exercise in asserting things matter-of-factly rather than sufficiently justifying them to someone not already "headless."
It is only in chapter three, Discovering Zen, that Harding strikes me as a charismatic author. Here, he humbly acknowledges the lineage of Buddhist thinkers who had already extensively described this insight — though perhaps not in terms such as "headless." The remainder of the book details Harding's steps along "the Headless Way", outlining stages such as "the Headless Infant", "the Headed Grown-up", "the Headless Seer", & so on. Again, I think he goes back to losing credibility by speaking so matter-of-factly & in a way to alienate skeptical readers.
If I were a more cynical or less interested reader, I would have put the book down after the first ten pages. But as a regular meditator who is increasingly interested in Dzogchen & other Buddhist traditions, I'm personally invested in having this headless perspective click beyond an intellectual understanding. As described by the likes of Sam Harris (Having No Head, The Illusory Self, Waking Up) & Richard Lang (The Headless Way series, Waking Up), it seems like a worthwhile pursuit.
I think I'll revisit this book in a few years, once I've had more practice under my belt. Its brevity (~100 pages) makes an easy reread. I only wish its prose didn't lend itself so easily to being dismissed as new age mysticism with no grounding in the real world, especially because the insights feel significant for navigating life as it is.
5/10 → 3 ⭐
March 25, 2025
En "On Having No Head", Harding plantea que, si observas tu propia experiencia en primera persona, te darás cuenta de que "no tienes cabeza". En su lugar, lo que experimentas es un espacio abierto en el que aparece el mundo ya que en su idea general, nuestra identidad no es lo que pensamos (una persona separada con una cabeza), sino una conciencia abierta e ilimitada.
Esto es una forma de hablar de la no-dualidad, la idea de que el yo y el mundo no están separados, pero el lenguaje que usa Harding es innecesariamente abstracto y "filosófico" donde además se apoya en una experiencia directa que no es fácil de conceptualizar y a mi gusto acaba siendo solo un galimatías sin sentido.
Es un buen concepto pero recomendaría explorarlo en otro lado donde no se le sume complejidad al concepto por simple hecho de hacerlo para manufacturar complejidad innecesaria.
Esto es una forma de hablar de la no-dualidad, la idea de que el yo y el mundo no están separados, pero el lenguaje que usa Harding es innecesariamente abstracto y "filosófico" donde además se apoya en una experiencia directa que no es fácil de conceptualizar y a mi gusto acaba siendo solo un galimatías sin sentido.
Es un buen concepto pero recomendaría explorarlo en otro lado donde no se le sume complejidad al concepto por simple hecho de hacerlo para manufacturar complejidad innecesaria.
February 18, 2023
I read the book after viewing a short documentary on Harding. Disappointingly, the hype didn't match the content of the book. He may have had a revelation, he may have even helped people "see" his way but he had no talent putting it in written form. The text reads like a word salad of new age babble and a spin the bottle selection of quotes from disparate monks and gurus (connected only in the author's imagination).
February 13, 2023
The first half was insightful and where the good bits were. After that it got rambly and sort of incoherent. I read this after doing Richard Lang’s guided practice on The Headless Way in Walking Up. I don’t feel I got much more out of this than I did just from the guided meditations, although I did feel like the practice was very insightful.
December 30, 2024
Entirely descriptive to the point that it feels like an incomplete experience. You will learn about the headless experience and the path of practice but nothing about the how. It’s like reading about what it means to drive and what it feels like but not about how to do it. Good to know, sure, ok, but impractical.
April 29, 2023
Man, I did not understand this book. We started pretty well and suddenly I have no idea what he was saying. Sad, but maybe temporary. I’ll resume my meditation training and hopefully find more approachable literature about it.
February 16, 2024
Got curious about the book after hearing Sam Harris speak about it.
I love the concept, but the book was quite hard to read. I had a few big ‘Aha’ moments, but overall had difficulties getting through the content.
I love the concept, but the book was quite hard to read. I had a few big ‘Aha’ moments, but overall had difficulties getting through the content.
July 10, 2022
Extastintially amazing book.
October 23, 2022
Great book for those interested in Zen
November 15, 2022
Important concept, explained in a bit of an annoying way. It is what it is.
December 26, 2022
Not a review of the headless way, but of the book. Personally, the writing style didn’t mesh well with me. You may find different.
Love the headless way and very much find it valuable.
Love the headless way and very much find it valuable.
May 4, 2023
The title is too provocative. He’s talking about something much simpler than the title proclaims.
Read
July 6, 2023Having no head is a lot of work. Or none at all. Still considering, in my head. Or not.
September 7, 2023
Love the concept, didn’t like the book.
September 24, 2023
Totally true. But overreaching and half-unhinged intellectually. Would recommend Rob Burbea to arrive much more directly and less derangedly to these epistemic highs.
July 28, 2025
The book was really hard for me to read, but the concepts itself I enjoyed!
August 13, 2025
I think you’d get more out of this book the more practiced in mediation you are. Might read again
October 21, 2025
Didn’t enjoy reading this. But i gave three stars because I can see how this might be revolutionary in its time. Reading today, it feels overwritten.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews