Source Text
Almaas describes how his participation in the unfolding manifestation of Being ushers him into realms that expose and transform increasingly deep ego structures and attachments. Luminous Night’s Journey clarifies how the unveiling of Being and the exposure of ego structures constitute one process, leading to the soul’s integrated realization of absolute nature and the manifestation of the human being as a personal embodiment of that nature.
Dedicated with love and gratitude to my father, my mother and my grandmother who raised me with such caring that I learnt easily to trust reality, and to be open to its mysteries.
Most serious spiritual writings focus on the process of realization of true nature, the absolute or divine essence. This is the ultimate nature and source of ourselves and of everything. The thread I follow in this book sheds light on the obscure process of how the soul, the individual consciousness, becomes integrated into this absolute nature, as and after the source of all experience is realized. I want to relate my experience and understanding of the fact that individual consciousness does not merely die away or get discarded, and to describe how it becomes clarified and integrated. This integration turns out to be the process through which the absolute manifests as an individual human being who embodies this ultimate truth in a personal life in the world.
did not know whether such public discussion of personal experience would have much value for the listeners. The response was so consistently positive, with feedback about its usefulness for many individuals, that I finally thought of publishing these writings as a book.
began with some experiential workshops focused on inner growth and openness, in the late sixties. This led me to undergoing a few years of bioenergetic analysis, with Michael Conant in Berkeley, which contributed a great deal to my opening up emotionally and physically. At the same time I began to study Sufi and Zen thought, reading mainly Idries Shah and D. T. Suzuki.
The work I did with Naranjo extended the emotional openness I had experienced with Conant to the spiritual dimension, bringing about my first experiences of Essence, chakra openings and some development of the three centers as taught by Gurdjieff. Dr. Naranjo used the Gurdjieffian concept of the contrast of Essence with personality. This notion had a great impact on the direction of my journey.
had experienced with Conant to the spiritual dimension, bringing about my first experiences of Essence, chakra openings and some development of the three centers as taught by Gurdjieff.
experiences of openness, spaciousness, emptiness and clarity. At about that time I also had a brief contact with the enigmatic fourth-way teacher E. J. Gold. From Gold I learned about presence, simply by being in his presence. But the main thing I learned from him was about surrender. Around that time I also did a few years of work and training with a Reichian therapist, Dr. Philip Curcuruto, from whom I learned about Wilhelm Reich’s work, and who helped me extend my physical and emotional openness to deeper and more refined levels of experience.
Around that time I also did a few years of work and training with a Reichian therapist, Dr. Philip Curcuruto, from whom I learned about Wilhelm Reich’s work, and who helped me extend my physical and emotional openness to deeper and more refined levels of experience.
The transformation began with my discovery of Essence as presence, and my learning to stay anchored in this presence. This personal discovery of who and what I really am was a surprise, for it did not exactly correspond, as far as I knew, with the teachings I was familiar with. This recognition and realization of my essential nature as an ontological presence had volcanic effect on my life and my process. It became the center and meaning of my life from then on. This living presence began gradually to expand and deepen, revealing many aspects of Essence—qualities of presence like love, will, truth and so on—and various dimensions of Being. This process was a spontaneous unfoldment, what felt like a magical unveiling, a self-revelation of Being’s mysteries.
AI Summary
Luminous Night’s Journey by A. H. Almaas presents key insights from the Diamond Approach tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
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Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
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