Tuesday 14 April 2009

Have You Discovered 'The Way In' Yet?


A Book Review

Way in: A Book of Self-discovery - Plain Statements of Essential Truth

The Way In: A Book of Self-discovery - Plain Statements of Essential Truth
By Barry Long

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
An inspiring and challenging guide to self-discovery
PUBLISHER'S STATEMENT AND REVIEW

An inspiring and challenging guide to self-discovery from an acknowledged spiritual master.

The truth of life is discovered within ourselves, but how to find the way in? In ninety-nine concise chapters Barry Long guides us through the undiscovered country of ourselves. It takes a spiritual master to show the way. It's a rare to meet a master in the flesh. Here is a book that puts the master before us. His voice on the page addresses every reader directly. He challenges or entices us to recognise the truth or the spirit in our own experience. As we read and re-read the book we actively participate in our own self-discovery and begin to realise the part we play in the mystery of life.

READER'S COMMENT: "This is an all-in-one book that ingeniously presents the big picture but also acts as a primer for self-discovery. It shows us our place in the grand scheme of things and what we have to do to make the inexplicable mysteries of life more real in our own experience. It has certainly taught me to see life in a new way."

Barry Long gives us various ways to the Way - the ways of truth, love, stillness, and prayer - and then charts the blind alleys and false trails of the spiritual path. He invites us to look for the truth in our own direct experience of life and not in hand-me-down systems of belief. There is advice on how to meditate, how to pray, what to look for in relationships and how to discriminate between true and false teachings. There is instructive comment on other spiritual traditions, psychic practices and the 'New Age'. Towards the end of the book Barry Long focuses on the goal of all spiritual self-discovery - freedom from suffering and conscious participation in the purpose of life on earth. Readers will learn to recognise which are the reliable signposts on the spiritual path as Barry Long guides us finally to The Way Out, where the ultimate or highest truth is found.

CONTENTS: The Way of Truth, The Way of Stillness, The Way of Love, The Way of Prayer, The Path and The Way, The Way Now, The Way I Am, The Way Out.

The book deals with questions such as: What is truth? What is the spirit? Does God exist? What is the spiritual value of sexual love? Why should we meditate? How can we stop our minds from getting in on the act? How can I stop worrying? Why am I distant from the one I love? How can I bring the love back? Should we pray? What for? What distinguishes psychic teachings from spiritual ones? Where do channeled teachings come from? Can therapy really help? Is visualisation a help or a hindrance? What's the difference between Eastern and Western teachings? What can a Western Master add? What's the essential legacy of Jesus and the Buddha? Does the 'New Age' have any real meaning? Is enlightenment just an abstract concept? What can I do about it?

It also includes the contents of Barry Long's popular audio cassette 'Start

Meditating Now' and puts its spiritual exercises into print for the first time.

MAGAZINE REVIEW : "This simple to read, yet spiritually advanced book offers immense insight into the truth within us. . . . Chapter by chapter, page by page, word by word we are taken into the uncharted depths of spiritual being. . . .Any person who reads this book will come to see that Masters do exist among us." - Golden Age, Australia.

BARRY LONG'S 'WAY IN' TO SPIRITUAL SELF-KNOWLEDGE

Barry Long's response to the perennial questions of life and death is original, compelling and up-to-the-minute. Over many years as a spiritual teacher in Europe and Australia he has confronted his audiences with 'The Simple Truth' and shunned traditional and intellectual paths to God. Now we have a collection of his writings that gives a thorough overview of his way in to the mysteries of the spirit. 'The Way In' is essentially a practical manual for spiritual life in the contemporary world, written in short and pithy chapters. It has much to say about meditation, prayer and the many means of bringing truthfulness and love into daily life. Barry Long's world is the one we live in and share everyday with our husbands, wives, lovers, children and colleagues. So it's easy to relate to what he says, even though the truth of it may not always be comfortable. The underlying message is the one at the heart of all Barry Long's work - the proposition that we cannot truly trust or believe in anything outside our individual and immediate experience of life now. Least of all can we believe in a 'teaching'. By continually inviting his readers to test the truth of what he says in their own experience, Barry Long actually teaches us to discover the truth for ourselves. As with all true teachers, his primary concern is to disabuse us of what hinders or impedes our own self-discovery. For Barry Long this is not just the incessant chatter in our heads, but every false, ignorant or less than fully-conscious act. And this includes any teaching that is itself less than the highest truth. A large part of the book is a systematic reappraisal of 'spiritual paths', both traditional and New Age. The central message of the book becomes clear towards the end. What we are really being shown is the way out of the labyrinth of 'spirituality' to a true and free state of being. Those well-read in spiritual literature may find this new book both refreshing and unsettling, instructive and inspiring,. It is well worth accepting Barry Long's implied challenge that there is always more to discover about ourselves. And newcomers to this field could hardly come across a more stimulating 'way in'.


I highly recommend this outstanding book to all of you who are looking to discover a greater 'Truth-Reality-Integrity' than you are presently experiencing. You can take a deeper look at, and obtain a copy of, this book at THIS LINK.


Blogged with the Flock Browser

2 comments:

Diana Daffner - author - Tantric Sex for Busy Couples said...

Barry Long's teachings were indeed profound. I heard some of his tapes and wish I had had a chance to meet him.

I acknowledge Barry Long as contributing to my own teachings.

The trials and tribulations of QPR said...

Thank you for your comment Diana . . . . I did get to meet the man and see him at work first hand and yes, his teaching was profound. He was without doubt the most enlightening teacher I've ever met. I thank him for removing the ignorance of conditioned unhappiness from my mind & brain.