Status Updates From The Ascent of Mount Carmel

Genuinely such an amazing book. I need to re-read. I feel so humbled, knowing that John was capable of this sort of moral goodness, despite having endured such an incredibly harsh life. Reading AoMC inevitably made me reflect on attachment to items I never even considered and the types of evil this inflicts over time on my character. He's a great teacher.

If I had not studied Advaita Vedanta beforehand, I would likely think, when John starts talking about detachment from memory, he was crazy — but he's not. He's describing what Vedantin sadhakas who followed jñana yoga have taught almost 1:1. What John called "a state of perfection" Vedantins call "jivanmukta". This type of sadhana is... really, really advanced.