The Seven Steps to Awakening [Paperback]

From the introduction chapter in the book:
"I really love you and want the best for you. I don't want you to continue to suffer needlessly. Here in these quotes I am showing you the way to bring the illusion to an end and to awaken into the Reality of Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss. Here in these quotes I am showing you what most aspirants cannot see, even if they have read some of these quotes before. Here I have collected the quotes that are most essential and most helpful for those who really wish to awaken in this lifetime. Here I have collected the quotes that have no detours or distractions. Here I have collected the quotes that reveal the most direct means that brings the impostor self to its final end."

"The seven steps to awakening" is a masterpiece and a valuable gift from your true Self to sincere seekers of liberation. The ego [which the author likes to call the 'impostor self'] in all humans is very deceptive and cunning. Almost no human has the desire for the impostor self [or ego-illusion] to come to an end. The desire to preserve the ego-illusion is always greater than the desire for liberation. However, since the impostor self is responsible for all suffering, until it ends, there can be no true liberation. But since the impostor self never wants to end; even when one approaches teachers and teachings of liberation, the layers of deception within distort the teaching in order to prevent the ego-illusion from ending, and thus prolong endless cycles of suffering. It is a vicious cycle of the thief pretenting to play a Cop. Many teachings of the past have thus been distorted by the ego [imposter self], and the essence of the teachings have been buried under layers of distractions and detours, thus making it almost impossible to find a direct way to end this ego-illusion and the suffering caused by this ego-illusion.

What makes this book truly special is that not only does it contain quotes by seven different truly liberated sages, but also that the quotes have been selected and arranged by a fully liberated sage himself! This makes this work truly valuable, as it saves true seekers of liberation a LOT of time and effort. All the distractions have been taken out and the seven steps to awakening have been revealed. Just reading a few quotes slowly and repeatedly takes me to a deep and spontaneous meditation. The first chapter lays the foundation for how the quotes are to be used [as practise instructions for liberation, not for intellectual entertainment or for gathering knowledge]. The rest of the chapters in a step by step manner uravel the a)nature of impostor self and the enormous suffering caused by identifying with it b) provides an understanding that without a strong desire for liberation [from the imposter self and the suffering caused by it], all efforts to be liberated will fail c) provides motivation, inpiration and encouragement for practise leading to liberation d) provides the direct practise instructions to bringing the impostor self and the suffering to a final end.

The titles of the seven chapters and the first quote from each chapter are provided below for reference.

Step one:
Use the quotes as practise instructions.
Know that a conceptual journey
is not a journey to Awakening.

Step two:
Know that the world is a dreamlike illusion.

Step three:
See how the impostor self
perpetuates its imaginary self
and all illusion and suffering

Step four:
Increase your desire for liberation.

Step five:
Be inspired, encouraged and motivated.

Step six:
Turn your attention inward.

Step seven:
Practise the most rapid, effective
and direct method
that brings the impostor self
to its final end.

Step 1 (first quote)
"1. Why do people call me learned? What is the mark of real learning? Learning that all garnered knowledge of things is empty ignorance and that true knowledge is the search for the Knower."

Step 2 (first quote)
"214. From your true being as Awareness alienated and deluded do not pursue appearances, deeming them as real. They are false, since disappear they must. But your own being as Awareness is real and cannot cease to be."

Step 3 (first quote)
"525. So long as one retains a trace of individuality, one is a seeker still, and not a true seer effort free, even though one's penance and one's powers may be wonderful indeed."

Step 4 (two quotes)
"786. The desire for enlightenment is necessary because without it you will never take the necessary steps to realize the Self. A desire to walk to a particular place is necessary before you take any steps. If that desire is not present, you will never take the first step. When you realize the Self, the desire will go."

"812. Q. How does one reach the supreme state?
Maharaj: By renouncing all lesser desires. As long as you are pleased with the lesser, you cannot have the highest."

step 5 (two quotes)
"853. What does one gain, you may well ask, by giving up the wealth immense of worldly pleasure and seeking only mere Awareness? The benefit of true Awareness is the unbroken prevalence of peace within the heart, the bliss of one's own natural being."

"861. Do not dwell in the desert hot of the non-self, eating arid sand. Come into the Heart, the mansion cool, shady, vast, serene and feast on the bliss of Self."

Step 6 (first quote)
"1284. With mind turned inward, drown the world in the great void, dispel illusion. Beholding then the void as void, destroy the void by drowing it in the deep ocean of Self-Awareness."

Step 7 (first and last quote)
"1439. If you observe awareness steadily, this awareness itself as Guru will reveal the Truth."

"1574. The universal Self is witness of itself."

This is an exhaustive and comprehensive work containing everything: 1)the Supreme goal, 2)the inspiration to reach the Supreme goal and 3)the method to reach the Supreme goal are all given here. All other books can now be given away or discarded. The only other book I would keep is "The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss" authored by the Editor/ Creator of this present book. I found that book to be amazingly inspiring and englightening and started practising the meditation "techniques" instructed in that book for 2-3 hours everyday. There are times where amazing grace is flowing through, but there are also times when the impostor self presents challenges which lead me to being distracted away from practise into futile worldy pursuits. It is during those challenging times that I need inspiration to stay in the path without getting distracted into meaningless pursuits which always end in suffering. I find that this book offers amazing inspiration for that exact purpose. I have full convictions in the words of these books and through the bliss experienced by reading and practising the teachings in the book, I am convinced that I am on the right track.

Very highly recommended!!

This book is fantastic compilation of quotes from awakened masters in the non-duality school, put together by Michael Langford. There is an unbelievably good flow of the materials, and the teachings they put forth are timeless---as relevant today as they were 100 years ago or more. Our technology has given us a multitude of avenues by which to distract and entertain, unfortunately all of these pull our attention outside of ourselves, and they are making us stressed and sick.

The keys to the kingdom, the secret to eternal joy, peace, bliss, and healing, lie within us. This book gives a motivating and supporting blueprint of how to go inside our minds and ourselves with a simple form of meditation. This form of meditation, known as "Awareness Watching Awareness" is fully explained in Langford's first book, The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss, which I also highly recommend. As a physician and expert in mind/body healing, I submit to you that the major keys to healing all involve lessening our attachments and identifications to our thoughts and emotions. When we can do this, the body goes into healing mode, stress melts away, our nervous system gets revitalized. We start to notice limiting beliefs that have created (dysfunctional) patterns of behaviors our whole lives; and then we are free to change them. We take back our own power and our health.

I encourage you to read this book, strive to understand what it is teaching, and further, put the meditation principles into practice. Your life will never be the same.

It's easy to go overboard when one is blessed with a divine gift like The Seven Steps To Awakening.

That's why I'm glad "TF" reviewed this marvelous masterwork first here on Amazon. He did a real reviewer's hard labor -- all the "wise restraint" and understated maximal praise, leaving the rest of us to dance in digital streets like bliss-crazed sadhus.

For that's what this inconceivably rare samsaric spell smashing volume called The Seven Steps To Awakening inspires within one: a vast and ongoing joy.

Does the review title seem a tad over the top? Well, dear friends, it isn't: not by a hair. I feel no qualms in making what on the face of it seems to be an immature and absurd statement. I'll state it again directly: no putative 'spiritual' book published in any language anywhere can get near what this amazing text has to offer. Within The Seven Steps To Awakening you find no silly blather from neo-Advaitic hustlers on perennial global tour, nor ramblings from self deluded poseurs presenting themselves as "above and beyond" sincere spiritual practice.

Instead one is gifted with super de-hypnotizing inductions of truly Realized Vedantic Masters assembled in progressively explosive sequence.

They read like metaphysical nuclear bombs from the Armory of Freedom.

They blast away your ignorance.

They purify your intent.

They fortify your ceaseless exertion.

Within this clear 238 page volume is everything you need to investigate, zealously practice, and complete the Path to Final Enlightenment from start to finish.

These words will guide and awaken you all along the journey to Liberation.

Whomever you are.

Wherever you are.

And these guiding words are -- for all but the most sincere and experienced spiritual practitioners -- almost impossible to both find and recognize for their true worth. Even discovering bejeweled yogis like Sadhu Om (The Path of Sri Ramana Parts 1 and 2) as well as Muruganar (The Garland of Guru's Sayings) takes a lot of digging over the course of perhaps several lifetimes.

Michael Langford, the sage author, has done it all for us.

He deserves a collective "Thank you, Michael!" from our heart of hearts.

The sage also truncates his practice instructions for each of the Seven Stages to the minimum. Stage Seven, for instance, reads: Spend as much time as you can every day practicing the most rapid, effective and direct method that brings the impostor self to its final end. That method is described in the following quotes: (1439-1574).

The quotations then follow, as they do in each prior chapter. And each of these quotes, without exception, is liberating beyond measure.

The method the author encourages is, of course, Awareness Watching Awareness. And it is to this almost unknown sage that we owe the broadening regeneration and global spread of this simple yet ever deepening Way.

My suggestion is to buy multiple copies of The Most Direct Means To Eternal Bliss simultaneously with multiple copies of The Seven Steps To Awakening.

Rubber band two-book sets of each wonderful volume.

Carry a set everywhere you go.

Read from both books avidly.

Always have your "spiritual book power pack" within arm's reach.

After following the author's practice instructions, flip open a volume at random and inhale the ever clear, vivifying air of Eternal Freedom the words convey.

Thank you, Michael, for The Seven Steps To Awakening, one of the most important gifts to sentient beings in our timeless time.

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