A. H. Almaas

Liebe ist eine universelle Energie - und eine prim re Kraft, die unsere Bewegung hin zur spirituellen Erleuchtung antreibt. Jedes unserer Bed rfnisse nach Liebe ist einfach eine Widerspiegelung unseres Bed rfnisses nach spirituellem Wachstum. A. H. Almaas erforscht drei Dimensionen der Liebe: die wertsch tzende Liebe - die wahrhaftige Liebe f r jemanden oder etwas; die verschmelzende oder verbindende Liebe - die Kraft, die das Getrenntsein wegschmilzt; und die leidenschaftliche, ekstatische Liebe - die in der Lage ist, uns von innen heraus zu verzehren. Jede von ihnen offenbart auf ihre Weise die Sch nheit und Erlesenheit unseres spirituellen Herzens, das das Herz des G ttlichen ist. Er untersucht auch, was uns daran hindert, uns mit der Liebe zu verbinden. Praktiken, die sich durch das ganze Buch ziehen, helfen den Leserinnen und Lesern, die Gegenwart der Liebe zu erfahren und die Hindernisse und Missverst ndnisse zu berwinden, die ihrer Verwirklichung im Wege stehen.

From beloved author and teacher A. H. Almaas, an exploration of love beyond the boundaries of the individual self, revealing that nondual love is the nature of everything, including ourselves. Love is a transformative aspect of the spiritual path--and, in fact, it is our very nature. A. H. Almaas takes us on a journey beyond a narrow, individual understanding of love to an exploration of what he calls the boundless dimension of Divine Love. This is not the kind of love that we feel toward somebody else; it is nondual, a love without boundaries. Or put another way, it is universal true nature experienced as love. By shifting our focus beyond our individual human experience to the experience of the whole of existence, we are able to see the true richness of the universe. All of reality takes on a quality of inner light, of softness and ease, of sweetness and holding. When we are open to the dimension of nondual love, we can relax and trust our inner ground that is also the ground of everything: our true nature, free from limitations--a sense of complete release, freedom, and delight, that is free of conflict, fear, insecurity, and worry. Almaas discusses the obstacles that make it difficult to awaken to true nature in this form, such as our belief in a separate self and our past conditioning. Each chapter includes an inquiry or practice, such as explorations of attachments and worldly desires as well as inquiries into union, surrender, and grace.

More than just a tool to diagnose your personality type, the Enneagram was originally developed to help people find the ultimate freedom of consciousness and achieve spiritual liberation. A. H. Almaas brings us back to this original mission as he shares the essential keys that will help readers break free from the limitations and distortions of each type's fixation--and to express their true spiritual nature in everyday life.

Unlock your hidden potential with this practical and approachable introduction to self-directed inquiry--the main meditative practice of the Diamond Approach. Much like the ocean, each of us has inner depths: an entire world beneath the surface of everyday living pulsing with beauty, life, and mystery. The secret depths of our inner worlds are the very things that we spend our lives searching for: love, support, belonging, meaning, joy, and freedom. Through a contemplative practice known as diamond inquiry, you can begin to directly explore your conscious experience just like a diver exploring a reef. You'll discover wondrous treasures and terrifying sights alike, as well as infinite expanses, and limitless potential and freedom. Diamond inquiry combines the depth of meditation with the power of understanding and psychological insight. Guided by your own curiosity, you use a variety of questions to explore your present-moment experience as it unfolds, deepens, and transforms. This method was developed by A. H. Almaas, founder of the Diamond Approach, though the practice is ideal for anyone who wants to explore their inner world. Dominic Liber introduces this powerful tool along with step-by-step exercises to develop your understanding. Through this simple yet profound practice, in time every situation will become a doorway to realizing and actualizing deep insight and transformation.

A revised and expanded edition of the definitive guide to the Diamond Approach, the modern contemplative practice that integrates psychology and spirituality and emphasizes the importance of self-inquiry. The Diamond Approach has been developed and taught over the last forty-five years by Hameed Ali, who is known chiefly by his pen name, A. H. Almaas. This book, the first to offer a full overview of the Diamond Approach, is now revised and expanded with a new foreword by Almaas, a new preface by the author, and a new chapter that explores the most recent developments in Almaas's teaching and practice methods. Author John Davis offers a rich, compelling introduction to the unique spiritual tradition that philosopher Ken Wilber recommends as the most balanced of the widely available spiritual psychologies/therapies. Influenced by ancient traditions such as Sufism and Buddhism as well as by modern psychology, the Diamond Approach is particularly well-suited to twenty-first century seekers who embrace both spirituality and science. Beginning with an account of his own work with the Diamond Approach, Davis proceeds to outline the tradition's central practice of Inquiry, a form of open-ended exploration of present-moment experience akin to mindfulness practice. From there, he launches readers into an exploration of metaphysical concepts such as soul, space, Essence, self-realization, and the dimensions of Being. Complex yet concise, profound yet accessible, The Diamond Approach offers readers bold new perspectives on reality and human potential.

A passionate and deep exploration of how love is essential to our spiritual growth and development, from beloved author and teacher A. H. Almaas. Love is a universal energy--and a primary force that powers our movement toward spiritual illumination. All the ways we need love are simply reflections of our need for spiritual growth. In The Power of Spiritual Love, A. H. Almaas explores three dimensions of love: appreciative love--the true liking of somebody or something; merging or connecting love--a force that melts away separateness; and passionate, ecstatic love--capable of consuming us from inside. In their own way, each reveals the beauty and exquisiteness of our spiritual heart, which is the heart of the divine. However, the path of spiritual love is not without challenges. Almaas explores the barriers that tend to block our experience of loving awakening and provides experiential exercises throughout the book to help readers along their path. The exercises focus on the obstacles or misunderstandings that commonly arise for each quality or dimension of love. Presented in the form of writing or monologuing prompts, readers can work independently or in small groups to confront the emotional obstacles on their spiritual path. Regardless of where you are on your path, The Power of Spiritual Love will help you explore love in three essential dimensions and gain a deeper connection to yourself.

Well-known spiritual teacher A. H. Almaas uses the metaphor of the mysterious philosopher's stone to discuss a tremendous liberating power that leads to endless enlightenment. For millennia alchemists sought the philosophers' stone, the miracle substance believed to be the key to all the secrets of existence. The quest was fueled by some of the prime questions of human existence: What am I? Why am I here? How has this world come to be? A. H. Almaas shows that the tremendous liberating power of the mysterious philosophers' stone is closer to us than we realize. In fact, it is the true nature of all reality--in all times and all places, without being limited to being anything in particular. Through the philosophers' stone, real transformation can happen, our consciousness can become free, and we can open to all the possibilities of reality. Almaas discusses the factors that are involved in igniting the catalytic property of the philosophers' stone and then begins to unpack the properties of true nature when it is free of constraints. Finally, we are left with the revelation that true nature is endlessly knowable, and yet nothing we can know or say about it exhausts its mystery and power. The result is a new understanding of what liberation and practice are--and a view of what it's like when seeking ceases and life becomes a process of continual discovery. We begin to appreciate that the freedom of reality expressed in the complete and fulfilled life all human beings seek--and few find--is actually the simplicity of the ordinary.

Eine anspruchsvolle, spirituell in die Tiefe gehende Untersuchung der neun verschiedenen Prozesse, durch die der Kontakt zum Sein/Essenz verloren geht. Durch das Verstehen dieser Prozesse wird der Weg zurück in die Einheit ermöglicht. Unter allen Büchern über das Enneagramm nimmt dieses eine Sonderstellung ein. Es behandelt das Enneagramm nicht - wie die meisten Bücher - als psychologisches Instrument zum besseren Verständnis der eigenen Persönlichkeit, sondern als spirituellen Wegweiser zu dem, was jenseits der Persönlichkeit liegt. Jedem der neun Persönlichkeitstypen des Enneagramms liegt eine spezifische Heilige Idee - eine Facette der Einheit - zugrunde. Wo in den meisten Enneagrammbüchern die neun Persönlichkeitstypen besprochen werden, behandelt dieses Buch die ihnen zugrunde liegenden Heiligen Ideen. A. H. Almaas untersucht die neun verschiedenen Prozesse, durch die wir den Kontakt zum Sein - und damit die Perspektive unserer Heiligen Idee - verlieren. Er zeigt auf, welche falsche Realitätssicht für jeden der neun Typen daraus resultiert, und wie sich die jeweilige Egopersönlichkeit auf der Basis dieser falschen Sicht entwickelt. Wer diese Prozesse versteht und die Heiligen Ideen in der eigenen Tiefe wiedererkennt, findet den Weg zurück in die ursprüngliche Einheit. Wie alle Werke von A. H. Almaas (Diamond Approach) besticht auch dieses durch seine Tiefe, seine spirituelle Aufrichtigkeit, seine Unbestechlichkeit, seine Intelligenz. Ein Muss für jeden Ennegramm-Interessierten, eine Offenbarung für alle Suchenden, egal, welcher Tradition sie folgen.

For the first time in print, well-known spiritual teacher A. H. Almaas presents the highest level and most profound teachings of the Diamond Approach on the true nature of reality and the path to enlightenment. The teaching in this book is off the map--because reality itself cannot be captured in a map. In fact, reality is far more alive, far more mysterious than anything we can conceive of. It is always revealing itself by knowing itself; and knowing reality and living it becomes the fulfillment of our life. A. H. Almaas, the originator of the Diamond Approach, here presents a new paradigm for understanding reality: the view of totality. He reveals that our life can become an endless revelation of reality, an adventure with neither beginning nor end. A. H. Almaas has been developing and teaching the Diamond Approach, a spiritual path of self-realization and maturity based on an original synthesis of modern discoveries in the field of psychology and a new paradigm about spiritual nature, for more than thirty years. If we can say the Diamond Approach has a goal it is to realize the truth at progressively deeper levels until one reaches the ultimate Truth, the Absolute, and to become integrated into that truth so that we are a living presence and embodiment of that truth. The teachings of this path have been unfolding over time, and Runaway Realization presents--for the first time in print--the highest level of teachings in the Diamond Approach in the most profound work by Almaas so far. In this book, Almaas offers a detailed look at the true nature of reality and the nature of enlightenment. He also talks about practice--what it is and what it isn't, and how practice relates to the process of realization. He looks at what it is to be a human being and what our role is in the totality of the universe. The material includes a discussion of the nature of space and time, as well as a view of more and more subtle levels of realization.

An innovative spiritual teacher shows how to use desire and passion as a gateway to realizing our full potential. What do desire and passion have to do with the spiritual life? They are an essential component of it, according to A. H. Almaas and Karen Johnson. Most spiritual teachings take the position that desire, wanting, and passion are opposed to the spiritual path. The concern is that engaging in desire will take you more into the world, into the mundane, into the physical, and into egoic life. And for most people, that is exactly what happens. We naturally tend to experience wanting in a self-centered way. The Power of Passion explores how to be passionate and to feel a strong wanting without that desire being in conflict with selfless love. It also shows how relationships with others are an important part of the human journey--an opportunity to express oneself authentically and be present with someone else. Through understanding the energy of eros, each of us can learn to be fully real and alive in all our interactions. In the words of the authors, "Any spiritual work involves the element of love, whether explicitly or implicitly. What we want to explore is how the energy and quality of love explicitly open the door to reality and to our deeper nature. The portal is there for every human being to open; each of us can be fully real and alive in all our interactions. And the erotic, as it is felt and experienced in the body, is a part of that openness, whether it becomes sexual or not. For many reasons, eros has become separated from the pure and the holy, and as a result, it is usually relegated to the domain of the gross and unrefined. But eros is the energy of the divine. As such, it is always divine and pure." Through guided exercises, the authors invite the reader to connect to the pure energy behind their desire. When we allow ourselves to fully experience our wanting, the authors suggest, and we trust that the wanting itself has the intelligence to reveal the pure energy of desire that underlies it, we get a taste of what it's like to feel love and desire as a unified force. Being in the world in a way that does not separate us from spirit, while also feeling the pleasure of our energy, our erotic nature, our aliveness and love, makes life complete. We want to experience our humanness, the authors say, but we don't want to divide ourselves to do it. We want to know more about both the spiritual and the worldly reality and how the two interrelate, because they are naturally a part of what it means to be human.

The final book in the five-part Diamond Heart series, "Inexhaustible Mystery" explores the five dimensions of our true nature, and reveals the paradoxical nature of our spiritual purity.

The keys to self-knowledge and deep contentment are right here before us in this very moment--if we can simply learn to live with open awareness. In The Unfolding Now, A. H. Almaas presents a marvelously effective practice for developing the transformative quality of presence. Through a particular method of self-observation and contemplative exploration that he calls inquiry, we learn to live in the relaxed condition of simply "being ourselves," without interference from feelings of inadequacy, drivenness toward goals, struggling to figure things out, and rejecting experiences we don't want. Almaas explores the many obstacles that keep us from being present--including defensiveness, ignorance, desire, aggression, and self-hatred--and shows us how to welcome with curiosity and compassion whatever we are experiencing.

In dieser faszinierenden Analyse macht A.H. Almaas deutlich, welche Art der inneren Arbeit der heutigen Zeit angemessen ist. A.H. Almaas ist eine der bedeutendsten Stimmen für eine neue und bemerkenswert integrierte spirituelle Vision. Seine Arbeit verbindet das Persönliche, das Universelle, das Psychologische und das Spirituelle nicht als zusammengesetzte Teile, sondern als das untrennbare heilige Mandala , das wir sind. Ich respektiere seine Arbeit in höchstem Maße und empfehle sie jedem, der an der Verwirklichung eines wahrhaft spirituellen Lebens interessiert ist. Jack Kornfield Die Arbeit von A.H. Almaas ist meiner Meinung nach eine herausragende therapeutisch-transformative Disziplin. Sein Verständnis ist präzise, weitreichend und akurat - und sein Gebrauch dieses Verständnisses, um Zugang zum transpersonalen Bereich zu erlangen, ist superb und in vielerlei Hinsicht neu und richtungsweisend. Ken Wilber Um Schwierigkeiten auf dem Weg besser zu erkennen und zu überwinden bietet A.H. Almaas eine erstaunlich integrierte Sichtweise, die zahlreichen Suchenden eine wertvolle Hilfe sein kann. Westliche Psychologie und östliche Weisheit verbinden sich zu einem Ganzen, daß es uns erlaubt unsere wahre Natur auch im heutigen Alltag zu entdecken und zu verwirklichen.

Die wahre Kraft dieses Buches liegt in seiner Fähigkeit, einen wesentlichen Teil unseres Geistes zu berühren - jenseits des Sagbaren, immer wieder neu sich offenbarend in den unterschiedlichsten Gestalten unseres Lebens. In Forschungsreise ins innere Universum legt A.H. Almaas den Fokus erstmals auf die zentrale Praxis des Diamond Approach, die Inquiry. Inquiry ist die Erforschung der Unmittelbarkeit unserer persönlichen Erfahrung - ein Weg, unsere momentanen Gefühle, Gedanken und Verhaltensmuster durch einen Prozess offener Selbstbefragung zu untersuchen. Durch Freude am Entdecken, Mut und Abenteuer, Durchhaltevermögen und eingestimmte Führung kann es uns so gelingen, zu Diamentener Klarheit zu gelangen. Seit mehr als zwanzig Jahren gilt der von A. H. Almaas entwickelte Diamond Approach weltweit als eine der wesentlichen Ansätze in der Intergration von Spiritualität und Psychologie. Der Diamond Approach ist ein spiritueller Pfad, der Einsichten aus Sufismus, Buddhismus und anderer Weisheitstraditionen mit den Wissenssystemen zeitgenössischer Psychologie integriert.

A detailed inquiry into the nature of the soul and its journey of liberation, according to the popular Diamond Approach teaching.