I am reading Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas by A.H. Almaas. He makes an interesting differentiation between the perspectives of various traditions.

Some traditions view Ultimate Reality (or God, if you prefer) as, “that which is left when everything that can be removed is removed”. Almaas calls this the Absolute. Other traditions view Ultimate Reality as a state of total completeness which is “all-inclusive, with the manifest and unmanifest existing in nonduality. Everything is present, including the Absolute, which is seen as its inner nature.”

Almaas categorizes the traditions as follows:

The Sufi and Kabbalistic traditions take the view that the Absolute is the ultimate reality. The Indian traditions are divided, with the Vedantists taking the Absolute to be the ultimate, while some of the yogic paths take the state of total completeness to be ultimate. The Buddhists disagree: The Theraveda tradition believes the Absolute is ultimate, while the Tibetan Buddhists are divided.

Almaas does not mention Taoism, but I believe it would fall into the “total completeness” category. We have discussed the difference in Buddhist and Taoist orientation before. I always gravitate towards Taoism, Tantra and yoga, while Laura leans toward Buddhism. Almaas’ explanation of Absolute vs total completeness helped me understand why I felt a fundamental difference between my set of traditions and Laura’s. It is really the difference of understanding oneness as a fullness or an emptiness, everything vs. nothing. Of course, either route leads to the other side of the coin, through fullness you find emptiness, through emptiness you find fullness.

Both orientations lead to nonduality or as Almaas puts it:

In either case, the perception of the unity of all existence - Holy Truth - remains the same. It is the perception that there are no divisions and no duality between things, that everything is one Beingness, one existence. This is the reality beyond egoic reality, true existence independent of the personal mind. It includes everything without any separations, and it does not matter whether you call it God, the One Mind, the state of the Buddha, the Tao, or the Divine Being.

In case you were unaware, we adore A.H. Almaas. We highly recommend his books to anyone interested in understanding themselves and reality.

I just finished Book One of A. H. Almaas’ Diamond Heart series. Doesn’t he look nice?

Almaas’ Diamond Approach is a method of self-realization that we briefly introduced on CtU back in January. It draws on Sufism and Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way, although the Diamond Approach is not aligned with a particular tradition.

Central to the Diamond Approach is the theory of holes. Each of us has certain holes inside of us that we are constantly trying to fill. Maybe we feel unlovable or lonely and fill that hole with extravagant possessions or a steady stream of romantic intrigue. No matter what we try to put into the hole, it never feels full. The Diamond Approach aims to clear out all the junk we put into the hole so that our true essence can come through and fill it.

Essence is the personal manifestation of the Universal, the Tao. It is the expression of the One in the Many, in each individual. This is basically the idea of letting the Tao flow through you so all of your actions arise effortlessly and correctly. It is beyond knowing how to act according to the Tao, or feeling you are in accordance with the Tao, it is literally being the Tao, realizing you are the Tao, allowing yourself to be the Tao. Very cool stuff. Check out the Wikipedia article.

The Diamond Approach has been recommended by two of our favorites, Ken Wilber and Jack Kornfield. Here’s what they said:

“I myself can recommend the Diamond Approach as probably the most balanced of the widely available spiritual psychologies/therapies.”—Ken Wilber

“The work of A. H. Almaas places him among the greatest psychologists alive today. His brilliant vision of the human psyche embraces our Being from early development to the highest realms of spirit. From this he then offers a new language and direct approach for awakening to this manifold nature.”—Jack Kornfield

As I was reading Book One, I got such a positive feeling about it, like it is a path a need to pursue. One thing that’s great about San Francisco is that no matter how far-out a method is, you can find it nearby. The Ridhwan School promotes Almaas’ teachings worldwide and we happen to have a branch here in Berkeley. I will be attending their introductory series beginning in May. (If you are interested in the program, email me and I’ll get you more information.)

I’ve decided commit to the series although it totally conflicts with my job and will require a major rearrangement of my schedule. So why am I doing it? I realized that if I didn’t, I would be forever kicking myself and wondering what it would have been like. I watched Riding Giants last night and it inspired me to live life to the fullest and follow my path. I feel fantastic since making the decision, a good indication it’s right.

I’m starting Book Two today and will be sure to keep you updated on the Diamond Approach as I learn more.