The Direct Way: Thirty Practices to Evoke Awakening

Spiritual teacher Gray (Emptiness Dancing) provides advice on seeking spiritual awakening in this succinct, accessible guide. In four sections, readers are introduced to Gray’s “The Way of Liberation” teachings, which are based on awareness, the “body and unity of all phenomena,” discovering one’s “divine ground of being,” and “enlightened relativity.” The first section explores concepts of awareness (“resting in experience,” noticing one’s thoughts, and developing “conscious context”) and suggests ways to cultivate self-identity through guided meditations. Readers are then given guidance on how to separate from themselves (“we come to a flowering of new identity by emptying ourselves of our old identity”) in an effort to more deeply appreciate identity and the interconnected nature of reality. Finally, Gray offers meditations directed toward elucidating personal truths, courage, and forgiveness. While Zen newcomers may struggle with some of the terminology (“awakened awareness,” “rooted in presence”) and the varying levels of self, readers with some knowledge of the tradition will feel at home. Gray’s patient tone and simple meditations will help readers feeling lost to think deeply about their spiritual connectedness. (Apr.)