About the Book
This book reveals how you can replace the perspective of the ego -- the habit of identifying with the body, emotions, and thoughts -- with a new perspective: 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 organised religion? Can science confirm the existence of higher states of consciousness associated with spiritual enlightenment? 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 emphasise 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-realisation, 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 realises 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.
Review :
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, Enlightenment: 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 obstaclesour deepest afflictions of fear, doubt, and all forms of grief and sorrow which obstruct the incessant flow of our intrinsic luminosity and happiness. En-lightenment: 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 lifes purpose. - Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph D, Spiritual Head, Himalayan Institute Marshall Govindans latest book, Enlightenment: It's not what you think, speaks of it as maintaining continuous (seamless, gapless) awareness of the underlying Reality, a state of being, rather than a state of thinking, a state of silence, which can be achieved by practising Kriya yoga, as experienced and taught by Kriya Babaji Nagaraj. A MUST BOOK for every yoga practitioner. Dr. T.N. Ganapathy, Ph D. Director, Tamil Yoga Siddha Research Centre, Ashoknagar, Chennai 600 083, Tamil Nadu, INDIA We all have within ourselves an innate and underlying quality of joy thats always present, unchanging and available, no matter our inner or outer circumstance. So how is it, then, that we dont experience unchanging joy in every moment? This is the critical and life-changing question that Marshall Govindan explores and implores us to understand, as well as realize in his book: Enlightenment: Its Not What You Think. Marshall offers us a potent guide of exquisite teachings that offer us both simple and straightforward answers on how we can recognize, while revealing the obstacles that otherwise distract us from realizing our birthright of unchanging joy. This is truly a guidebook for all who wish to awaken beyond ego centeredness to open-hearted and everlasting peace.--Dr. Richard Miller, PhD., Author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga and iRest Meditation: Restorative Practices for Health, Resiliency and Well-Being
