Jeff Foster (spiritual teacher)
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Jeff Foster (born 30 July 1980) is an English writer and public speaker.
Biography[edit]
Foster was born in 1980 in London, England.[1] He studied Astrophysics at Cambridge University.[1] At the time he was overwhelmed by feelings of despair and loneliness,[citation needed] which eventually led to physical illness and a personal breakdown soon after graduation. He was convinced he was going to die.[1] Foster returned to live with his parents, reading and studying for a year on spirituality, searching for relief from his depression.[1] This ended in 2006 with the dissolution of the sense of separation, which he understood to be a spiritual awakening.
He wrote a book, Life Without a Centre (Non-Duality Press), and was invited to hold small gatherings.[1] Eventually, after having written several more books, the gatherings were supplemented with retreats and one-to-one sessions.[1]
In 2011, Foster wrote an article explaining why he no longer considered himself to be an "Advaita teacher" or "nonduality teacher," pointing out problems with the one-sidedness of contemporary "radical Advaita" teachings.[2] Instead of a strict impersonal philosophy, he started to embrace and emphasise the relative, human, personal existence in his writings and gatherings, a relativity which he felt was not in conflict with the impersonal Absolute.[2]
Works[edit]
- Life Without a Centre. Non-Duality Press. 2006. ISBN 978-0955399909.
- Beyond Awakening: The End of the Spiritual Search. Non-Duality Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0955399978.
- The Revelation of Oneness. Non-Duality Press. 2008. ISBN 978-0955829048.
- An Extraordinary Absence: Liberation in the Midst of a Very Ordinary Life. Non-Duality Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0956309105.
- The Wonder of Being: Awakening to an Intimacy Beyond Words. Non-Duality Books. 2010. ISBN 978-0956309181.
- The Deepest Acceptance: Radical Awakening in Ordinary Life. Sounds True. 2012. ISBN 978-1604078558.
- Falling In Love With Where You Are: A Year of Prose And Poetry on Radically Opening Up To the Pain and Joy of Life. New Harbinger Press. 2013. ISBN 978-1626257344.
- The Way of Rest: Finding The Courage to Hold Everything in Love. Sounds True. 2016. ISBN 978-1622037919.
- The Joy of True Meditation: Words of Encouragement for Tired Minds and Wild Hearts. New Sarum Press. 2019. ISBN 978-1999353537.
- You Were Never Broken: Poems to Save Your Life. Sounds True. 2020. ISBN 978-1683645597.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Van den Boogaard, Han. "Alles is al volledig ontwaakt. Interview met Jeff Foster". Hanvandenboogaard.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ a b Foster, Jeff (2019). "The birth and death of fundamentalism in nonduality and Advaita teachings". Life Without a Centre. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
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The Way of Rest: Finding The Courage to Hold Everything in Love Paperback – October 1, 2016
by Jeff Foster (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 270 ratings
The Way of Rest gathers nearly 200 of Jeff Foster’s most inspiring essays, poems, and reflections on restoring and reviving ourselves when we feel exhausted or defeated. Drawing from his personal journey―including his own struggles with illness and depression―Jeff invites us to contemplate "the Way of Rest" and its potential to transform our experience of:
• Imperfection―how we are "gloriously flawed" yet complete exactly as we are
• Not knowing―how we come to trust in the greater intelligence of life
• Melancholy and loneliness―how we learn to release the healing energies of "exquisite sensitivity"
• Ordinary moments―recognizing and receiving "the closest thing of all"
• Discomfort and discontent―how our frustrations become an opening to deep peace
• Love―rediscovering who we are beyond our carefully constructed facades
• Silence―discovering the vibrancy of living by letting go of thoughts and concepts
"I hope the words in this book inspire, challenge, and encourage you. But most of all, I hope they help you remember that you are life, inseparable from the power that grows the flowers and gives birth to galaxies," writes Jeff Foster. The Way of Rest brings you his companionship and support whenever you need it most.
Review
“Foster describes himself as someone who once wanted to die, but who later fell in love with his imperfect life and set out to offer hope to others...Though not every entry will fit the tastes of all readers, there is plenty of insight here, and Foster succeeds in showing his audience his many ways for pushing through life’s greatest challenges.” ―Publishers Weekly
“He (Jeff Foster) teaches readers to cultivate, rather than fear, their vulnerability, and to find peace with it.” ―Publishers Weekly
“The Way of Rest reads like a long poem to waking up in life as it is. For free spirits and those interested in ‘the pathless path,’ this book will be a great companion and friendly guide.” ―Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness
“Beautifully written and deeply insightful, The Way of Rest is a series of songs from the deep Heart, inviting us to be intimate with our experience―no matter how difficult.” ―John J. Prendergast, PhD, author of In Touch
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Aeolit
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for small bitesReviewed in the United States on January 15, 2023
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I got this book during a difficult time and didn’t have much energy for reading. This was perfect as I could randomly open to any page and just read a little at a time, every single time discovering something valuable or helpful. It’s already got tons of underlining and marked pages. Contains beautiful wisdom.
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Ms. Jyoti Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Soul soothing readingReviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018
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This is one of the most beautiful books I've read...its like a soothing balm to the soul. Jeffs writing washes over me like cool water on a hot day. His writing is so relatable to everyday life, how to really embrace all of our feelings in a loving way and ease the war within. His words have a hint of a modern day Rumi and are authentic and rich with his own beautiful style. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone.
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Ed cantor
5.0 out of 5 stars Coming to one's sacred terms.Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2023
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Set aside what you think you know and open your heart for a splendid perception of the struggle we endure as a living entity.
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Greta
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an amazing book. It taught me to allow life to ...Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2017
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This is an amazing book.
It taught me to allow life to happen more and what life really is!
His writing is so wonderful! He's a poet at heart and the words just flow!
SO grateful for this book and the author for writing it.
If you are searching for who you really are and you honestly want truth this is a huge step in the right direction!! ☺️
3 people found this helpful
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Michael in Alameda
4.0 out of 5 stars Soft and tender comfortsReviewed in the United States on June 29, 2018
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Gentle reminders of how to live deeply - open to Love, Acceptance, and Curiosity. The kind of read that finds you wherever you happen To Be.
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Kate
5.0 out of 5 stars Especially good for tough timesReviewed in the United States on September 15, 2017
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I would recommend this for everyone who is trying to make their way through challenges, esp. people who struggle with depression and "self-worth" issues. It addresses a lot of these feelings. It's inspiring but not trite. I find this very supportive of my spiritual practice (primarily Bon Buddhism) in a Western kind of way. It's the kind of book where you can get a lot by reading just a few pages at a time and skipping around to what resonates at that point in time. I find I don't like reading too much at a time or it kind of all runs together. I found out about this book from hearing the Sounds True interview and was intrigued enough to give it a try, even though I have more than enough "spiritual books."
14 people found this helpful
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Informed Consumer
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet medicine for the soulReviewed in the United States on September 24, 2021
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If I can only carry a couple books when I travel... this will be one of them. It's never too far out of reach! This book is simply extraordinary, I've recommended it dozens of friends. Thank you, Jeff Foster, for the profound influence you've had on my life!
4 people found this helpful
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Stacey Andon
5.0 out of 5 stars Jeff Foster Doesn't DisappointReviewed in the United States on March 11, 2019
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Are you tired of living life on the superhighway of stress and exhaustion? Then this book may just offer you exactly what you need to snuggle up to your life and rest in the power of being a human and spiritual creature on this planet. I love all that Jeff Foster presents in his work--- it speaks to my soul and offers the most tender, vulnerable way to be who we really are-- his authenticity, his bravery-- his words are balm to a tired heart. I highly recommend!!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Befriending YourselfReviewed in Canada on May 22, 2023
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I love Jeff Foster and Matt Licata, the two of them together had a program called Befriending Yourself. I have been getting into more of their stuff and they are both so wise and lovely. This is a bit like Osho - read it at your own pace. Choose the page at random and it can be a divination. Recommend.
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Sauerkraut1
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional bookReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2024
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This book by Jeff Foster is the best spiritual book I’ve ever read, and I have read many. I don’t feel that I have to buy another by any other author. This book is my bible and I read a piece first thing in the morning and at night again. Soothing words and pointers which guide me in my life. Each piece on a certain topic is beautifully written and affirms our humanity but also our sacredness. This is the only book I have bought quite a few times for others and hope they nurture them the way it does me.
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lolette
5.0 out of 5 stars Ouvrage parfait pour les vacances mais pas ...ma bible pour passer une année sereine ;-)Reviewed in France on July 28, 2019
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Ouvrage parfait pour les vacances mais pas ...ma bible pour passer une année sereine ;-)
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Rut Wagner
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Meister der Worte!Reviewed in Germany on August 3, 2018
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Ich schätze Jeff und sein geschriebenes Wort sehr. Er ist der geborene Autor und was immer er zu Papier bringt, schlägt voll ein. Ich schätze und empfehle alle seine bisher erschienenen Werke.
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Liz Hearingwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime Poetic Writer of non dual experience.Reviewed in Australia on June 26, 2021
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Sublime book , I buy it as gifts . Jeff Foster is one of the most magical on point non dual awareness writers around … picks you up and dusts you off with every reading
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The Deepest Acceptance: Radical Awakening in Ordinary Life Kindle Edition
by Jeff Foster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 413 ratings
So much of our lives are spent running—from pain, from vulnerability, and from everyday struggle. Jeff Foster understands that sense of pursuit. After years of depression and illness, he came to realize that what he had been seeking had been available to him all along—he needed only to shed his resistance and step into the limitless ocean of the present moment. In Jeff’s words, “The armor we wear to protect ourselves from the full experience of life does not really protect us—it just keeps us comfortably numb.”
In The Deepest Acceptance, Jeff provides readers with a series of insights intended to help strip away that armor and embrace life now, as it is and as you are. This warm, humorous, and candid offering invites us to stop trying to “do” acceptance and start falling in love with “what has already been allowed.”
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"Wise, spacious, and loving. Teachings that can free the heart."
-Jack Kornfield, author of A Lamp in the Darkness and A Path With Heart
"Written with warmth, humility and a gentle but penetrating honesty, Jeff invites the reader to explore those places in themselves that they would most want to avoid and to find there, at their heart, the very thing they were seeking. However, long after the words have faded from memory, the intelligence and love with which they are written remain behind and that is the true gift of this beautiful book.
-Rupert Spira
"Jeff has achieved something wonderful with this honest and insightful book - something that benefits all of us and sheds much-needed light on the mystery we call life."
-Stephen Gawtry, Managing Editor, Watkins Mind Body Spirit magazine
"This book is a constant invitation to not leave spiritual awakening where it is often left, as a search for experiences, a way to avoid the messiness of life or some sort of head trip. It invites you into every nook and cranny of life's experience, leaving no stone unturned."
-Scott Kiloby
"Throughout The Deepest Acceptance, Jeff Foster offers sentence after sentence that penetrate the mind and heart in a fresh, thrilling,life-changing way."
-Raphael Cushnir, author of The One Thing Holding You Back and Surfing Your Inner Sea
"Jeff Foster is an honest seeker who has unraveled the many trappings of seeking through his faithfulness to the humble ground of being here, now."
-Mark Nepo, author of Staying Awake and Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
"The Deepest Acceptance is the story of a merciful awareness, which offers us the heart's inborn destination we were born to discover. Love is the highest form of acceptance. Judgment is the mechanics of non-acceptance."
-Stephen Levine, author of A Year to Live
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Creig
5.0 out of 5 stars Nonduality Really Is Just This Simple to GetReviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013
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How many books about nonduality, advaita vedanta, or "neo-advaita" are on the market right now? Remember to add in all those books about how to "be in the now," "release," and all the other things we could be "doing" to awaken spiritually. If it's fun for you to read about the metaphysical or philosophical underpinnings of nonduality, by all means get these books and read them. (Some are quite good.) They almost invariably include the promise, or at least suggestion, that this is the book that will part the clouds, still the overactive mind, and bring true peace and clarity. And that almost never happens. (Unless you were poised and ready for that to happen in any event.)
Finally, a book on nonduality that transmits the simple truth of it with a stunningly simple and direct declaration: It is ALL already "accepted" - there is nothing for *you* to "accept" since the REAL you already has, and whether your mind realizes it or not makes no difference - it HAS been accepted. It would never have appeared in your experience if it weren't already accepted.. Yes, there is discussion about the "real you" to provide the foundation for this utterly simple truth. Yes, there is discussion about how our "individualized" selves don't generally see it that way, and judge or resist the present experience, and suffer. (Many "ocean and its waves" analogies.) And yes, you've heard and read all this before. Many times. But did you know (REALLY know) that the sense of individual separateness, the judgments and resistance and the suffering, are ALSO "already accepted"? You may have even encountered this idea before (although the books that take it to this level are much fewer and farther between), but if you did, it probably just served to add another level of intellectual complexity to the discussion.
Not so here. Jeff Foster uses this simple concept (and really, what could be simpler?) to move the reader toward a lighter, more stark understanding that "this is it," WHATEVER "this" is. It is already accepted. And Foster pulls off an amazing little hat trick here: this is not more of the "there's no doer and nothing to do" that's so initially interesting and ultimately confusing or complicating, as the mind tries to work over that like some deep zen koan. This is more like, "If you still feel there's something to do, fine, that's part of it too, that too has already been accepted." (And by the way, it's fine, go ahead and do something!)
I know I am not conveying it correctly here, but Foster does, and the result is a genuine "lightening up" rather than the usual complexities and riddles. If you want one book that will actually give you the "feel" for nonduality, and that it really is just that simple, this is the book you have been looking or waiting for.
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B. Mathern
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book.Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2016
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This one of the best spiritually oriented books I have read (and I've read a number of them). Jeff breaks it down to the deep vulnerability of being in the moment and allow everything to be as it is. When we allow everything to be accepted and not repressed, denied or pushed away we remove our suffering. We may still have pain, issues, triggers, and many other things coming up but they can all be what they are in the space of intimate presence. I highly recommend this book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommendedReviewed in the United States on March 1, 2013
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Even though I've given this book 5 stars, I'd like to start with the book's drawbacks. First, if you've already read plenty of books on oneness, non-duality, dharma, or whatever you want to call this genre, be prepared to cover a lot of familiar ground. This is to be expected, of course, as all such writings ultimately point to the same truths. Besides re-hashing some well-worn themes, this book also contains a LOT of repetition of its central metaphor - the inseparability of waves from the ocean. This metaphor is a helpful one, but at numerous points in the book I found myself thinking "I get it already with the ocean thing, please get to your point." With some good editing this book could have been about half as long, in which case it would have packed a wallop, word-for-word.
This brings me to why I give the book 5 stars. Foster's discussion of the "seeking mechanism" is both new and powerful. Many readers will recognize themselves in the many forms of seeking Foster describes, and they may experience a flash if insight (as I did) into how seeking itself is an obstacle to the realizing the very truth one is seeking. Foster's discussions of relationships and honest communication are nothing short of fantastic. His descriptions of how we carry our search for completeness into our relationships, and how that search corrupts those relationships, should be required reading for every couple in a committed relationship. His treatment of addiction is also extremely good. In my view, these plusses more then make up for the drawbacks discussed above and make this a 5 star book. Highly recommended.
53 people found this helpful
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LJE
4.0 out of 5 stars An essential step to freedom, explained.Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016
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Jeff Foster has one message, and it's a biggie: Accept everything. This message is an essential step to awakening, and it's worth every moment spent until the thing is seen. This book spells truth clearly and will bring you closer to freedom.
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Anne Laurens
5.0 out of 5 stars Warmth and ClarityReviewed in the United States on July 22, 2017
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Jeff Foster always points out that there is no one who can reach, let go or do anything. This is pure insight combined with warmth and poetry, and I love his style. And if you need something in addition, in a different form and with simple and helpful exercises, I highly recommend "Awaken to Life" by Dirk Hessel. Very well structured he begins with problems in our childhood, goes on to adulthood and finally ends up in our timeless true self. If you like Jeff Foster, you should also read Hessel. This German spiritual teacher is still unknown here, maybe because he shows an honesty and clarity that is not popular in the spiritual »scene«. But obviously he doesn't care. I discovered him by chance and he seems to be the »new German Nisargadatta«. As a matter of fact his intention is to radically end and dissolve the spiritual search instead of prolonging it (and it worked for "me"!). Once again it's a matter of taste, by whom or what we are attracted for a while. The main thing is that clear and awakened consciousness speaks and that it constantly points to our true nature. Because it's a very good combination it is probably best to read Foster and Hessel. If you dare.
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Arun Jain
5.0 out of 5 stars Great bookReviewed in India on June 1, 2022
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Awsome.. Eye opening
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P C
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in Canada on November 23, 2017
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Must read!
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Colin Hammerton
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant exposé of the origins of human sufferingReviewed in Germany on March 17, 2018
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In this book Jeff Foster explains in understandable language the false images we uphold about ourselves, and how the discrepancy between this picture and what we really are causes us so much self-doubt and insecurity, sadness and pain. He shows a doable way to approach one's self-images, which, if you embrace the concept, can release one from the pain of suffering we subject ourselves to.
Recommended to anyone looking to help themself to come to terms with life's apparent challenges.
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Maria Dolhai
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything is made of ConsciousnessReviewed in Australia on September 11, 2017
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Jeff Foster skilfully unwrap the miracle of experience, which is "everything is made of what you are".
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J. Zobda
5.0 out of 5 stars Acceptance better than a practice, a realizationReviewed in France on October 14, 2014
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Now here is a very good book on non-duality and the way to live it in everyday Life. The insights about the seeking mechanism and the seeker is eye opening, and sooo true that all that is left is laughing. Non seeking has become such an evidence that all seeking thoughts are enjoyed and not anymore driving anyone. Surprise, is there still someone?
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An Extraordinary Absence: Liberation in the Midst of a Very Ordinary Life
Audible Audiobook – UnabridgedJeff Foster (Author), & 2 more
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 123 ratings
Jeff Foster invites you to forget everything you know, everything you've been taught, and everything you've ever heard about spiritual awakening, oneness, enlightenment, non-duality, and Advaita, and to consider a new possibility: the possibility of absolute freedom, right now, right here, in the midst of this very ordinary life.
Using everyday language and drawing on both personal experience and age-old wisdom, Foster shares the possibility that all the seeking and longing of the mind can come to an absolute end with the falling away of the sense of being a separate individual, and a plunge into unconditional love. And in that plunge - which is totally beyond anything you have ever imagined - this so-called ordinary life reveals its great Secret. Written with stunning clarity and aliveness, this book is a love letter to the exhausted spiritual seeker who is simply longing to come home.
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4 hours and 18 minutes
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Jeff Foster
Listening Length 4 hours and 18 minutes
Author Jeff Foster
Narrator Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr.
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 15, 2016
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No Seeker
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Words!Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2011
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If you are a spiritual seeker, especially a frustrated one, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
I received, "An Extraordinary Absence" yesterday and finished it today. I had been a seeker (mostly as a Zen Buddhist) since about 1988. I have read many books on Buddhism and spirituality and while they all had some value, none of them came so close to putting Truth into words. The other books were also like band-aids; temporary things to make you feel better, but nothing that so drastically changed your core beliefs and permanently affected how you live life.
It's been only a month since I first heard Jeff talk on the internet and I just finished his book today, but he has already changed me in a fundamental and wonderful way. I cannot imagine how many more years of useless seeking he has saved me.
*** These are the words I needed to hear since I began my search ***
and they are words that no one else has said. If this had been my first book on spirituality, maybe I could have saved two decades of futility. Then again, maybe I needed to really understand how futile my search was in order to be ready to hear these new words.
Jeff does not give any practices, things to believe, or recipes for success. This isn't a self-help or feel-good book. His message is clear and his simple words hit you like a sledgehammer; they are powerful and my life has already changed for the better because of them.
One message is that this moment never seems to be enough. This causes us to suffer. Often we create a new identity as a "spiritual seeker" who will one day attain enlightenment - THEN that will be enough. In truth, life, as it is, is more than enough already. We just cannot see it because we're too busy looking for something else, something special, anything but this!
We've been believing our *ideas* about what life should be. When these beliefs are dropped and we fully accept that the present moment IS all there is, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
I believe this book is ideal for those who are fed up with seeking! If you are new to spirituality, there may be some ideas that seem too far-fetched or give you the idea that "he doesn't mean this literally." But if you are courageous enough to be open-minded and consider that some of your most basic assumptions about who you are are false, this book could save you years of frustration and falling into traps!
For me, the last 23 years of meditation and studying under Zen Masters have gotten me nowhere, except thrown into an abyss of despair. Luckily, it's not too late to begin anew, to throw out my own silly ideas of enlightenment and spirituality, and live right here in gratitude!
Life is no longer frustrating. I am no longer seeking, just getting better at SEEING what already is. The rest will take care of itself. :)
22 people found this helpful
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D. Duarte
5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary AbsenceReviewed in the United States on January 12, 2011
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I found this book exceptional. It gives a clear visceral feeling of what it must be like to perceive this world from an "enlightened" perspective. Jeff is very clear and eloquent about what it means to perceive Reality and shoots right through the myths of just what so-called liberation, self realization really is. I had no idea, after studying "spirituality" for nearly 35 years ! Highly recommended for true "seekers" who really would like to know the TRUTH .
4 people found this helpful
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She Sparkled
5.0 out of 5 stars Must buyReviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
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Another amazing book by Jeff foster. I own all of them! But this one is exceptional! It will bring you peace.
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San Francisco guy
4.0 out of 5 stars Tough review to writeReviewed in the United States on February 19, 2012
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"The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao." So it goes with non-dualistic writings. The question then becomes, "how well does it point?" It's been my limited experience (Parsons, Wheeler, Foster) that non-dualistic writers pretty much say the same stuff over and over. I'm not sure there's any other way to approach the subject. An Extraordinary Absence goes from "ho-hum" to "very, very good." The questions and answers at least provide slightly different perspectives. Parsons' approach can be more humorous, but he can also get very annoying. (However, the first section in As It Is is outstanding.) Wheeler is too rah-rah for my taste. So over all I'd put Foster on top of these three, anyway.
9 people found this helpful
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Book Lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Cuts right to the coreReviewed in the United States on October 18, 2009
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I got it around a week ago and it is one of my favorites of the growing list of advaita books. Cuts right to the core, simple, readable, and enjoyable! the end of seeking, just be
He uses examples from his own life and tells of his "awakening" and how he saw things differently, like seeing his father for the first time not as "his" but as just another character in the play.
Enjoy!!
14 people found this helpful
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f hampton bumgarner
5.0 out of 5 stars YOU ALREADYReviewed in the United States on September 7, 2016
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JEFF FOSTER is on to something that is here already: YOU, a perfect and, perfectly loving being ensconced in something real and better, and down to earth all along. Thanks for this, and the thread it is connected to: Mr. Foster's work, heartfelt foolery and humor, astute awareness, a genuine humility, a full range of emotions, and writings which merit your attention and remembrance. .......And a cup of tea on occasion. Thanks, Jeff; it was good. very, Very, VERY GOOD..
5 people found this helpful
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mmorrill29
3.0 out of 5 stars mehReviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019
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just average
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Forrest
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing and clear story of awakeningReviewed in the United States on September 5, 2010
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Awakening is not even an accurate phrase. I read the book like a novel, scarcely wanting to lay it down. It is the clearest and most moving story of the disappearance of the illusory "me" and the opening to the full presence of life I have ever read. I highly recommend to anyone on the spiritual search who is ready to lay the burden down.
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Seeker
4.0 out of 5 stars NiceReviewed in Spain on September 6, 2023
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My favorite book, together with Rupert Spira's The Nature of Consciousness and Alessandro Sanna's The Direct Experience.
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Manish G.
5.0 out of 5 stars Eternal presenceReviewed in India on June 6, 2021
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Wonderful book. Must read. Really awakening.
Gives an insight of the true self. Eternal presence in the absence. Read it to experience
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Scott T. Swinimer
5.0 out of 5 stars MASTER OF THE CRAFT GREAT BOOK!Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2014
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CANT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT JEFF'S WRITING AND IMAGERY !MASTER OF THE CRAFT GREAT BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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ImSein
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!Reviewed in Germany on August 14, 2010
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I have read all books from Jeff and I like them all. But I must say, that I like this book the most.
The easiness of life, which you can't feel as a person, shines from nearly every page. I know Jeff personally and so I'm really amazed how much wisdom comes from (or better comes through) such young and playful person.
The book contains several chapters with questions and answers from his meetings alternated with short stories and sometimes only some short sentences full of wisdom. I found me reading several pages again and again.
Jeff destroys every concept you have. For me this was a big relief!
But the real beauty of this book is the depth and the wisdom.
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Stephen Luff
5.0 out of 5 stars A journey and journal of an awakened being.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2010
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This is a specialised subject.
This is book that lets you be an observer sitting inside the mind of one who has had an awakening.
What I was hoping to get from this book was the journaling of the journey afterwards. Awakening can happen to anyone. Its what happens next that determines the full experience and embracing of the moment.
The book refers to non-duality, ie not separate beings. Non duality goes further to suggest that there isn't actually a someone inside us. We live in a dreamworld that hints strongly that this life is totally real, but through observation and to a degree logic, non-duality refers to the absence of someone.
Jeff Foster explains that non-duality teachings are just pointers. One should not get hung up on the exact code of the language. Once awakening has been achieved, perhaps use the teaching to find the correct mind-setting and then let it go.
Jeff's mind-setting is that he expresses that there really is no real Jeff. Jeff is part of the dream, the play. Jeff responds to calls, to conversations, pain, joy but is certainly not separate from the connection of everything.
He walks us through his life. He reveals his torture as a human being and the extreme unhappiness he experienced. He then gets the 'spiritual search for the meaning of life' flame. He devours many books, shuts himself off completely, physically and mentally. Eventually he arrives at a point of complete void. He feels nothing.
He then passes through this phase and 'matures' into connecting with everything as an observer. He feels everything. Nothing is excluded from the love that passes through him.
I guess I found a resonance with Jeff's observations. I could see the logic to let go and stop pushing out. Trying to fire up thoughts that perhaps aren't ripe yet. To let life run through you. Its an old cliche but really it can be like this. I think one evolves into this state. Awakening is the first step. Ego could very well be the next step and then you'll be bringing the veil back over your eyes once again. So having a bit of background information like Zen, Non-duality you can perhaps try a few different settings. What helps greatly is no huge attachment to who you think you are and your own importance in the world.
But its up to each awakener to have their own experience. There's no right or wrong. Each personality plays a different tune. Personality doesn't mean that there is someone, its just the personality of the instrument.
This is the first book on this subject I've managed to finish. Perhaps I was 'ripe'. Or perhaps its not trying too hard to give all these steps to becoming awakened. It lacks this big ego in it. I think thats what I realise. Some of the others I sense the ego and it feels a bit evangelical, in that we are all fools until we really get 'this'.
Jeff is not hiding in solitude to protect his ego from those who will condemn his book. He lays it out. He had a surge of energy that wished to write the book, it felt right to do so.
I'm glad he did. I really think I will be able to move closer now to having some guidelines of letting go. Just dissolving.
The book is written in a style that breaks up the communication with the reader. He walks us zen-diary style through a day. He has a section on an interview. He takes us into the past. He expresses what he sees now and how he relates to that. He tackles the paradox of non-duality language. He invites the reader not to think too hard.
I guess if the reader surrenders to the writing it will connect directly to the silent experiencer within.
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