Macrobiotic Life

This is outrageous free online downloadable book about the Great Work of Enlightenment. I have read many and this one speaks to me more intimately – it portraits the consciousness & meditation territory in a language my Soul is vibrating on. It’s really not a usual meditation book, it talks very differently about many well-known esoteric topics and that’s why I like it. The more time I have invested into the practice and reading of Enlightenment Game, the more I am sure, that the general conclusion is widely lost.
I like how Daniel Ingram describes it interestingly in his 400 pages book. And the practice techniques are awesome!

You can download the book for free at his website – Interactive Buddha.

Or you can buy print copy at Amazon:

Here are few reviews from Amazone, that tell you more:

I can say with extreme confidence that if you read this book, put its principles and techniques into practice and have a clear aim at making progress in your meditation practice, you will be amazed at how quickly you can make real and lasting progress. This book excels at the specifics regarding insight meditation practice (with enlightenment as its goal) and the states and stages related to concentration practice (with unusual and profound states of consciousness as its goal). It also excels at deconstructing the various confused models and misperceptions that spiritual practitioners often have regarding enlightenment.

So, if you’re interested in down-to-earth, practical dharma, and want a clear guide on how to master the core teachings of the Buddha this is the book for you. If you’re looking for coffee table dharma or feel good, new-age fluff, then I would suggest something a little less hardcore.

Of the countless reasons that you should read this book, I offer the following three:

1.) Many books about meditation leave out important information about the sequential stages one will likely (dare I say “inevitably”) encounter in their practice. The ups and downs in one’s practice can be severe, which causes many people to get stuck, and maybe leave the practice all together. Daniel breaks down what one may experience on their journey, and gives very practical advice on how to navigate the territory.

2.) This book clears up a lot of confusion around the goals of meditation practice, particularly what it means to be enlightened (or “awakened”, etc.). By supplying an extensive list of the various models of enlightenment that are used by various contemplative traditions, one may comparatively examine them and get a good idea of what is true and what is false in regards to the process and goal of awakening.

3.) Daniel is brutally honest. He is fully aware that calling himself an Arahat is likely ruffle many feathers. But, it is my impression that he wouldn’t make the claim if he didn’t believe with his entire being that it is beneficial to others to do so. By explicitly detailing his particular attainments and how he was able to gain mastery of very specific techniques, he provides hope to those who also believe that it can be done.

I can say with complete honesty that after reading and applying the basic practices in this book, my meditation practice deepend beyond what I knew was even possible (and still is). I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have read it, and how hopeful I am that it will continue to benefit others.

If you want to learn meditation with the goal of attaining earth shattering insight in to the nature of your identity and the universal characteristics of the whole of reality, than this book is for you.

You like thought provoking books, don’t you? Drinking from another cup of someone’s illusionary perspective. Here’s a tip for a good drink

Years ago de Ropp wrote a useful and clarifying book on the subject of life paths called The Master Game. This is a very good book for youths who wish to examine their motivations and the deep desires and goals that influence their creation of lives that conform to (hopefully) their greatest ideals. Power, fame, wealth, family life, wisdom, experiences and freedom (jivanmukti) are all legitimate aims. If we make our choices from the handbook we are given by society, and usually our families, we have very limited choices. We do what has already been done, what is always done. This is what makes the world go round, perhaps. The salt of the earth, the propagators of life, the growers of food and new software, inventors, lovers and soldiers make this planet function as it must. These are the salt and the pillars, the men and women of the world.

We all ask, at one time or another, “What do I want to do with my life?”

On the one hand, we all want to do something that matters in some way, that makes a difference, that is meaningful, that is fulfilling. Something that’s worthwhile, something real.

On the other hand, when we phrase the question “what do I want to do with my life?” – and sit with it – it often seems like such a huge, vague, looming, slippery, cloud of fog, like trying to catch a cloud in a milk carton – a frustrating experience.

But one chap, Robert S De Ropp, has offered a few pointers, which might help us get a more sturdy handle on the matter. What follows is a brief sketch of a portion of his message.

The Master Game – Review by LiveReal

De Ropp was involved with the early years of the Gurdjieff-Ouspensky teachings.

What life game do you want to play ? This book suggests that there are deeper and more fulfilling options available than the default ones based on money, power or hedonism that education and social conditioning can sometimes provide us with. The master game is a life course involving a systematic attempt to develop self knowledge. Its hazards are not wisely ignored but its rewards are beyond the ordinary also…

I have found De Ropp’s idea of “Inner Theatre” a great help. Our minds seem to set up miniature virtual ego-work laboratories – one imagines oneself in situations and plays out scenes. To him this is an aid to knowing oneself. I still remember the feeling of grand adventure through seeking deeper awareness this book wafted my way.

The Master Game – Amazon shop

It’s interesting for me to read Ropp’s connection to Grudjieff, who’s personality I presented few days ago. Synchronicities are such a fun

1. An increased tendency to let things happen rather than
make them happen.

2. Frequent attacks of smiling.

3. Feelings of being connected with others and nature.

4. Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

5. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than
from fears based on past experience.

6. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

7. A loss of ability to worry.

8. A loss of interest in conflict.

9. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

10. A loss of interest in judging others.

11. A loss of interest in judging self.

12. Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return.