I Am That I Am: Discovering the Love, Peace, Joy and Stability of the True Self

by Francis Dale Bennett

“Do read this book if you are seeking. It keeps it simple, yet utterly profound.”—Scott Kiloby, author of Love’s Quiet Revolution I Am That I Am began as a journal, written at the suggestion of author Francis Bennett’s spiritual director. It was intended to help Francis clarify and explore the shift in perception that had occurred to him—not only for his own sake, but for those who might seek his spiritual guidance in the future. This deceptively simple book brings a unique freshness and humanity to the meeting of Christianity with Eastern investigation of the nature of the self. As Francis says, “Who I am is happiness and bliss ... don’t take my word for any of this. You can experiment with this on your own and discover for yourself whether or not these claims are true. This little book may be able to assist you in conducting just such an experiment in your own life. That is certainly my hope in writing it.”

Genres: Spirituality

152 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2013

Reviews

[Serena Long ﺕ]

Love at first read; another good author, Francis Bennett. Spiritual practices are a kind of practice for real life. The best spiritual practices are simply pointing to who you are already. The idea behind a spiritual practice is to help you discover the truth about who you are, who God is, and that in fact these two are not separate realities. Perhaps this very simple prayer form may assist you in living more consciously in the eternal here and now in your normal, everyday life and so help you to uncover the innate happiness and peace of your own true nature as God’s beloved child.

[Eileen]

This author is a Catholic monk and a practitioner of Buddhism. He lists his teachers as Thomas Merton, Soen Sa Nim, Eric Kolvig, Henepola Gunaratana and Ramana Maharshi. Bennett suggests ways to become aware of the Christian God, which he equates with Buddhism's emptiness or awareness or existence itself. The “I Am” that Moses' God is in Exodus 3:14, Bennett says is the same “I am” that all of us are.

[Derek Ost]

Good spiritual guide

Amazing book, would recommend to all religious or none. Bennett shares pearls of wisdom to encourage us to look within and uncover our true destiny and identity.

[Rob Haynes]

Excellent book

I loved this book. I have been reading material on nonduality for awhile and could see how effectively it could bring the teachings of Christ into light. For this reason it was a real joy to experience the words contained in this book.

[Celine]

Another great teacher and pointer to find the Self and embrace silence. Wake up to our true nature and remember the importance of awareness, the value (or lack therof) of thought and the interconnectedness with feelings/emotions.

[Jaspr Cragg]

BEST instructional manual ever. One to read and re-read at multiple points in your life.

[Deborah Maxey]

wonderful read

In easy to grasp writing, lots of metaphors and similes to make the points. I am very glad I had the opportunity to read this.

[Julie]

Eastern Enlightenment or Non-duality from a Western perspective. Written by a former Trappist monk, it posits that ultimate Self-awareness is not different than the presence of God. He makes an appealing and well supported case, though I'm not sure practitioners from the east would necessarily agree.

[Sheryl Valentine]

I enjoyed this book! I resonated with so much of what is spoken about here... as I am being guided in the past year or so to truly *see* much of what he writes about. If you are on FaceBook, be sure to friend Francis Bennett, because his wisdom and humility certainly doesn't stop with his book!