The Diamond Approach to inner realization was developed by Sufi mystic,
scholar, and teacher A.H. Almaas over the last few decades. Using concepts
gleaned from object relations psychology, the student descends through
encrusted layers of ego to salvage the unique "essence of being." Although
these four books should perhaps be read in order for greatest understanding,
each is a separate work and stands well alone.
Diamond
Heart, Book 1: Elements of the Real in Man
by A.H. Almaas
First in the four-book Diamond Heart series, this collection of essays
- taken from transcripts of seminars A.H. Almaas delivered over a several-year
period - is an effective introduction to the Diamond Approach of inner
realization. Lamenting that human suffering is due to not living up to
one's human potential, Almaas proceeds to lay out in detail a uniquely
modern and strictly logical path to enlightenment - its purpose to regain
one's palpable human essence. Carefully leading the reader through stages
of increasing depth and subtlety, he reveals hidden self-knowledge. Chapters
with simple titles such as "Value," "Truth," and "Trust" open doors to
realizations that result in relief from existential angst. If you have
ever felt you were missing something you couldn't quite name, chapter 2
"The Theory of Holes" is worth the price of admission. --Randall Cohan
- Amazon.com
Paperback: 247 pages
Shambhala Publications; ISBN: 0936713011; (September
26, )
The
Pearl Beyond Price: Integration of Personality into Being - An Object Relations
Approach
by A.H. Almaas
The centerpiece of Almaas's transformational object relations psychology,
in "The Pearl Beyond Price" Almaas explains how an infant identifies with
its primary caregivers and ends up losing its "essence" by replacing it
with an ego-based personality. Dismantling this imprisoning edifice requires
recognizing it in the first place, but once exposed for the false though
necessary stage of reality it is, ego tends to dissolve of its own accord.
Under the gentle guidance of Almaas, the various aspects of essence begin
to emerge, one of them being the centrifugal "personal essence" ("the pearl
beyond price"). Through integration of concepts from all the world's religions,
though most specifically Sufism, with the latest concepts of depth psychology,
Almaas provides the scientifically inclined a point of departure into metaphysical
realms. While the presentation is somewhat technical - and therefore of
use to psychologists, counselors, teachers, parents, and other serious-minded
sorts - it is completely accessible to the generally educated reader. --Randall
Cohan - Amazon.com
Paperback: 506 pages
Shambhala Publications; ISBN: 093671302X; (September
26, )
The
Point of Existence: Transformations of Narcissism in Self-Realization
by A.H. Almaas
The third book in Almaas's Diamond Mind series, this 602-page tome
reformulates the traditionally accepted definition of narcissism, positing
it as the major barrier to self-realization--we are staring at reflections
of ourselves thinking we are looking at the real self until we fall through
the surface of the pond. Dissecting the nature of self to expose ego's
mimicry, Almaas illuminates the relationship between the different approaches
of various psychological and religious traditions, leaving no stone unturned
in his search for "essence." Since the process involves transformation
of the experience of identity, it exerts pressure on all levels of self-image,
bringing up classically narcissistic issues. While the work appears therapeutic
and, in fact, may have therapeutic value, its primary purpose is to open
to deeper levels of self-knowledge, which eventually becomes a participation
in the dynamic unfolding of being human. A pivotal distinction expounded
upon in "The Point" is that Almaas is not directing the reader toward some
realization of immaterial spirit or psychological state but is engendering
the emergence of a material soul, a palpable essence of being. --Randall
Cohan - Amazon.com
Paperback: 610 pages
Shambhala Publications; ISBN: 0936713097; 1st shambh
edition (September 26, )
Facets
of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas
by A.H. Almaas
A.H. Almaas presents the holy ideas that are the spiritual realities
of the nine personality types that the Enneagram reflects. For those unfamiliar
with the Enneagram, Almaas includes an introduction to the structure of
psychological typecasting rediscovered by Oscar Ichazo, founder of the
Arica School, who gives this book its high credentials by having written
the foreword. While other books on the subject explain the different characteristics
and behaviors of each of the nine fixations or types, Almaas expounds here
on how the disconnection from each holy idea leads to the development of
its corresponding fixation. Then he provides keys to unlock them. For example,
the seven type's holy idea is holy wisdom, which Ichazo defines as "The
awareness that reality exists as a succession of moments, each experienced
as the present, and that it is only by existing in the present that the
constant unfolding of the Cosmos can be experienced ... can real work be
done, and results achieved." --Randall Cohan - Amazon.com
Paperback: 350 pages
Diamond Books; ISBN: 0936713143; (September 26, )
The
Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual
Growth for the Nine Personality Types
by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
Recommended by two highly credible authorities, consciousness explorer
Ken Wilber and spiritual-growth guru Harville Hendrix, this compendium
of Enneagram information was assembled by the cofounders of the Enneagram
Institute as an introduction to the subject. Designed with a plenitude
of charts, boxes, and quotes (by such noted illuminaries as A.H. Almaas,
Maya Angelou, and G.I. Gurjieff), this exceptionally easy-to-use, manual-size
paperback teaches readers how to figure out which of the nine types they
are, identifies red flags to self-illusion, and provides practical suggestions
for spiritual growth. Advice on how to observe your type's fixations and
let go of the need to act out automatic and dysfunctional behavioral responses
are down-to-earth and attainable. A distinctly accessible approach to cultivating
daily happiness by understanding the complexity of fixations that weave
together human personality types. --Randall Cohan - Amazon.com
Paperback: 389 pages
Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub (Trd Pap); ISBN: 0553378201;
(June 15, )
|
| |
Soul
Without Shame: A Guide to Liberating Yourself from the Judge Within
by Byron Brown
With foreword, introductory quote, and chapter-end quotes by noted
spiritual teacher A.H. Almaas, the reader is alerted to the fact that the
author is a student of the Diamond Approach, yet the work stands perfectly
well alone without any previous introduction to the Ridhwan School. Focusing
on the development and structure of the superego, Brown explains how its
supposed moral guidance is more than suspect, exposing it as the harsh,
purely mental, often untruthful critic it is. Assisting the reader with
steps designed to encourage recognition of the endless tirade of blame,
criticism, and comparison heaped upon the self by the superego, he provides
30 simple practices to increase self-awareness, decrease incessant self-judgment,
and release this overrated mental projection's stranglehold on heart and
soul. --Randall Cohan - Amazon.com
Paperback: 320 pages
Shambhala Publications; ISBN: 157062383X;
