Methods of Contemplation

Hey everyone, I just wanted to take an opportunity to tell you directly about my new book, "Becoming All Light: the non-dual heart of christianity" - available on May 1st 2024. Get the kindle version here: Kindle on Amazon The paperback here: Barnes and Noble Or the audiobook here: Audible Or anywhere books are sold.

The Kunjed Gyalpo is considered a fundamental tantra of Dzogchen, a teaching that according to tradition has been transmitted for over two thousand years from teacher to disciple. Its aim is to awaken each individual to his or her true nature: the primordial state of enlightenment, which can be compared to a mirror on whose surface the multiplicity of the phenomena of existence is reflected. Introducing this knowledge is the teacher's task, while understanding it deeply and integrating it into one's existence is the disciple's task. Only when this has been accomplished do the traditional texts becoming living words, precious pointers along the timeless journey towards that which you have not left even for a moment. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

Guru Ramana Vachana Mala is a concise but powerful text that accurately summarizes the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. It further clarifies areas of the teaching that may be a bit hazy for the seeker of wisdom by summarizing the essential Vedanta teachings. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

Along with Vicharasangraham (Self-Enquiry), Nan Yar (Who am I?) constitutes the first set of instructions in the Master Ramana Maharshi's own words. These two are the only prose pieces among Bhagavan’s Works. They clearly set forth the central teaching that the direct path to liberation is Self-enquiry. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

This text by Adi Śankara makes vividly clear the idea of the distinction between oneself and one's body, mind, etc., which, when rightly comprehended under the benevolent guidance of a Teacher, a person of Knowledge, will perfectly convince one that one is not other than the Unlimited Bliss untouched by hunger and thirst, grief and delusion, old age, and death, the only real Existence, the Goal of all human beings to be realized in life. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

The Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka contains 46 verses performing an inquiry into the distinction between the "seer" (Dṛg) and the "seen" (Dṛśya), an overview of samadhi, centering on savikalpa and nirvikalpa, and the identity of Self and the Absolute. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

The Vijñānabhairava Tantra is a compendium of spiritual prompts to enter a state of complete absorption in the Absolute, while yet remaining with the power of creativity and fecundity. If any text could be synonymous with Methods of Contemplation, it's this one. In the text, the primordial Goddess Bhairavi asks Bhairava, who is none other than her very Self - how to untangle the myriad of paths and admonitions of the tantras. He responds by giving pointed instructions to winnow away the extroversion of the mind: complex ones, simple ones, ones you might already do. The point being - Reality itself is the door to Reality. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

In the spiritual process of recognition, because what we recognize is none other than our very Self, we re-cognize what we already have always known. We remember that we remember. A cosmic amnesia lifts, an obscuration is lifted, an ethereal fog drifts away, and there takes place a penetrating shift in our perception of ourselves and of the cosmos. This shift, which radically restructures our self-experience, is more than just memory, however. It is the immanent flowering of consciousness which blooms a fresh and liberating bouquet of fullness in which reality is seen as it truly is, and always has been. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

The Flight of the Garuda explores the essence of the Buddhist path of Dzogchen or the Great Perfection, revealing insights into the nature of mind, the illusory nature of existence, and the methods for transcending suffering. The teachings are imbued with profound compassion and offer practical guidance for cultivating awareness, developing wisdom, and transforming one's perception of the world. The text weaves together a rich tapestry of allegorical stories, metaphors, and teachings, all centered around the metaphor of the Garuda—a mythological bird known for its ability to soar fearlessly through the sky. Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction

The Song of the Goddess is a text dear to my heart. Combining the piercing lucidity of Advaita Vedanta, with the Goddess centered devotion of the Śakta tantra traditions, the Devī Gita expounds on the nature of Brahman in a style reminiscent of the greater known Bhagavad Gita. "The knot of the heart is itself untied when that Self is seen." Connect with me on instagram @methodsofcontemplation Work with me one-on-one: https://calendly.com/methodsofcontemplation/spiritual-direction