The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment

by Adyashanti

For those serious about enlightenment, author and teacher Adyashanti has some advice: better know what you're getting into. Because with spiritual awakening, you find that the strongly held beliefs and perceptions you've taken to be 'you' and 'your world' vanish into the unmanifest nature of all that is. The End of Your World presents a landmark six-CD course on the reality of enlightenment and the total re-wiring of your being that accompanies it what Adyashanti calls our journey into the infinite, our true nature as pure consciousness itself.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Buddhism, Meditation, Self Help, Psychology

Audio CD

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

Adyashanti is an American spiritual teacher from the San Francisco Bay Area who gives regular satsangs in the United States and also teaches abroad. He is the author of several books, CDs and DVDs and is the founder of Open Gate Sangha, Inc. a nonprofit organization that supports, and makes available, his teachings.

Reviews

[Reneesarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Buddhist teacher suggested this book to me. We had just met, and she basically said- by the way, I think you might like this book. Wow- was she right.

I must have something like two hundred spiritual books on my bookshelves. Admittedly, I haven't read all of them all the way through. I am at the point with these books that if, quite undeservedly, some Shams like character showed up and said "Let's burn up all your books and just drink the wine of experience!" I would be up for it. I might give away most of the books, if not all, at some point. This is to say that the idea of reading another book about enlightenment was not at the top of my list. But I did it anyway. Within a few pages I knew that I was reading something quite special, and beautiful in the sense that I was absolutely sure that it was TRUE.

This is a real common sense book about the process of awakening from the dream of everyday life and what comes after that awakening. Adyashanti details the places your ego can trip you up. I also really appreciated that he did not seem to be pushing an agenda. Reading the book, through his words, I felt that I could get some sense of his presence and was calm and kind. It is the same inner presence that is inside you and me as well.

This book was like a kind and generous friend. It felt like the way water feels when it slips through your fingers, glistening with light, returning to the river. I found that I read it slowly.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this one again and I found more insight. Every time I read or listen to it I see more clearly. still 5 stars. 2/22/23
_________________________________________________________
Re-listen 2023.

I et more insight as time goes on.


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I have decided after two years to go back and "read".. not "listen" to this book.

Reading the book instead of listening to it, made a difference for me. I was able to re-read things as needed and was able to pause and reflect. For some reason, the audio book, as I remember, gave me the feeling that the author was arrogant, and lofty. Perhaps if I had "read" it in the beginning, it would have made a difference, but probably not.

He is not arrogant nor lofty. It was ME who was arrogant and lofty. The author was just a mirror to myself.

Needless to say, I was not ready for his book at that point in my awakening. It was too soon. I had just woke up and was still trying to make sense of everything. Heck I am still trying to make sense of everything.

Lately I had been feeling some unexplained things, and I had a niggling inside me to go back and read this book again. I resisted for about a week, clinging to my old feeling that this author was not for me. But I then realized the niggling to be spirit telling it me to push past my judgement..to just do it! LOL

I did.

Everything is timing. I was ready. I read this book and everything came into focus. Yes! I said to myself.. and Yes! again!

I finally understood.

So here I am, humbly changing my review, but keeping my old one so all can see how easily it is to reject what we don't understand, calling it "wrong" or blaming the writer.

I forgive myself of my past lack of awareness..and am thankful to spirit for showing me how much progress I have made since then.

I still have a tremendous way to go. I am not enlightened by far, but I continue to work on myself, as best as I can and am working to go with the flow of life, to stop resisting life..in order to ease my suffering.

Thank you Adya, I hope you will forgive my original harsh review.

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Original review 2 years ago - Audio Book version:

Changing my review after much contemplation. I began to realize this author makes no sense. I thought he was "over my head" but he is not..he just talks in circles speaking of lofty ideas and concepts just to contradict himself in the next sentence and by his own actions.

Anyway...I have found that I am not alone in my opinion.

http://www.electricalspirituality.com...

I love this from the above link..it says how I feel..

"Adyashanti is a contradiction-riddled preceptor who speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He informs us, “There is no such thing as a true thought,” then expands upon this theme: “If we allow this idea that no thought is actually real or true to sink into the core of our being, we can complete this shift in consciousness.” First off, if no thoughts are true, then why does he peddle one book and audio after another that are filled with his unreal, untrue thoughts? Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t answer this question, and elsewhere writes, “Words are important.” How can words be important if the thoughts behind them are unreal and untrue? Secondly, the words he uses are usually vague and unspecific, reflective of the fog he lives in and perpetrates. "

[Susan Wight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took the webinar with Adya in March of 2012 using his book: The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. This was with many people from around the world.

The entire book is a book carrying the energy of pure awareness and deep insights to awakening. It naturally but directly reveals illusive and often hidden mental programing that Adya calls living in the dream state; a state of illusion that most people don't even realize they are in. Instead of our conditioning defining us, the book takes you, or took me to the liberated place of the unknown which is realizing reality each moment, each moment, each moment. There is no fixed place but instead fluidity. There are no words to explain the experience of reality, but if anyone does a good job at explaining truth, reality, awareness, and the process of enlightenment, Adya more than explains it; he invites you to experience it by letting go of fear based beliefs, ideas, agendas and attachments. His message of pure awareness brought me back to accepting living here on the earth plane with no fear based judgment. He talked about radical honesty which I appreciate awakening to where he says...
"It is that which divides us inside that needs to be healed. What is required after a glimpse of awakening is radical honesty, a willingness to look at how we unenlighten ourselves back into the gravitational force of the dream state, how we allow ourselves to be divided."

Don't get this book unless you're ready to take it all the way as the book is very powerful. If you want to know the truth (not as an opinion or belief) but as the absolute and if you are willing to let go of attachments embedded in egoic consciousness, and you sense that
you are called to liberation from illusion, then this book is for you.

Blessings, Susan Nancy Wight

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, in the dimension of awakening, just the most helpful and practical thing I have ever read. I could not get enough of it. He bestows perspective on what it is to flash awake and what people go through after they do...perspective that I have been trying to gather (not too successfully) myself for years. In a very strange way, this was like a deep breath of fresh air. I will read this over and over again.

[Carolina Montague · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God.

I read this on the way back to India in 2010. I'd been on a Path since 2000 and FINALLY I see a western Teacher owning up to the crap that happens to you when you even think about getting your feet wet in the spiritual realm.

They told us this stuff in India. Good to see it surface here.

[Malum · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoo boy, I've been striking out with spirituality books lately.

So, first of all, Adyashanti immediately lost credibility with me because I instantly become suspicious of anyone who claims to be an "enlightened being". He goes on to cement this suspicion by constantly reminding us of this.

In fact, this entire book is really not much more than Adyashanti tooting his own horn. I'll give you the condensed version of the book: "being enlightened is hard to explain, it's not what you think it is, and I'm definitely an enlightened being". In fact, Adyashanti doesn't even seem to know how to become enlightened, even though he for reals is you guys! I read a bio of him elsewhere and he says he became an enlightened being from...and I shit you not...keeping a journal. So I guess all the teenage girls in the world with diaries are all going to ascend to a higher plane of existence soon.

To top it all off, there is a q&a at the end and he does what most "enlightened beings" do: he dances around almost every question and doesn't really answer anything. Pro tip: he's not being wise or enigmatic, he simply has no clue.

There are some nice ideas here and there, but overall this obviously wasn't for me.

[scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watered down, ego-driven, derivative material that fails to cite any of its obvious influences. Adyashanti pontificates at great length on what his definition of "enlightenment" is, and whether or not he'd give you that label. He doesn't link his concepts to well-known/accepted terminology for this domain; instead he makes up all his own definitions to ensure the reader is kept in his microcosm. There's a feel-good bent to it that hooks the reader into seeking his approval. Reading this made me google rather or not there've been allegations about Adyashanti being a cult leader, because he sure does sound like one.

On top of the weak content, the writing style is rambling. Multiple pages are used to explain straightforward concepts that could easily be treated in a paragraph. Repetition is frequent... the better to program you with, my dears.

[Justin]

This is about what happens after enlightenment.
I have way too much thinking to do about what happens before enlightenment to benefit from this now.

[Trans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The turnabout in consciousness known as Enlightenment is often badly misunderstood these days and poorly described in much spiritual literature. Among the ancient and early modern texts that do contain accurate descriptions and valid reports, the linguistic style and cultural overlays make it difficult for most modern readers to gain a true understanding of what is being discussed. Too often, readers come away with a mythologized view (because the old texts used myths as metaphors). So people today are often ill-equipped for understanding what happens in their own case when they engage a spiritual practice that actually brings them -- temporarily or permanently -- into the realm of Enlightenment (more properly termed, Awakening).

This book by Adyashanti fills the explanatory gap. Based on his own Awakened understanding, this modern American teacher -- an ordinary "everyman" whose Zen practice reached Realization -- Adyashanti speaks plainly, without jargon, or foreign words, or allusive terminology.

He addresses the paradox of living as Being without imagining a separate self hidden deep inside. And, perhaps most important of all, Adyashanti discusses how to face the challenges thrust upon anyone who realizes Enlightenment and then must negotiate the twisting currents of social life in a very obtuse world.

If you believe that Enlightenment grants someone a free pass -- a life without problems -- then you need to drop that myth and read this book.

[Joan Machlis-crasemann]

I'm not able to rate this book because it is written for people with much more experience in spiritual awakening and Zen teachings than I have. Much of what was written was foreign to me and I'm sure I missed the deeper levels. None-the-less it opened up many new thoughts about how one seeks truth and about common experiences in the process of discarding illusions. On a personal note it gave me an appreciation of facets of of my nephew, who recommended this teacher.

[Góc của Tròn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adyashanti thật sự có khả năng diễn giải rất gần gũi, dễ hiểu. Wow, mình thích sách của bác rồi đó. Quyển này cũng đã phá vỡ nhiều niềm tin sai lệch của mình về giác ngộ, tuy vẫn còn nhiều chỗ khó hiểu.
Cách mà bác chia sẻ về tiếp cận tâm linh cũng rất bình thường và mỗi người có thể sử dụng cách phù hợp với mình chứ ko nhất thiết phải ngồi thiền hay thực hành nghi thức.
Cứ cái đà này thì việc chọn sách đọc càng khó khăn đây
Cảm xúc đến, trải nghiệm nó, ko suy nghĩ đánh giá nó rồi nó sẽ đi. Sự rối loạn cảm xúc cho chúng ta biết mình đang có 1 niềm tin vô thức sai sự thật.
Giác ngộ là sự đổ vỡ của cái ko thật, là khi mọi thứ trong ta hoà hợp với dòng chảy cuộc sống.
Bản chất của chúng ta là tiềm năng thuần khiết trước khi nó biến thành bất cứ cái gì.
Bồ tát sợ nhân, chúng sanh sợ quả
Chúng ta có tự do và mọi người cũng thế
Tôi có thực sự biết những điều tôi nghĩ là mình biết, hay tôi chỉ đang vay mượn ý kiến của người khác?
Cái tôi mong muốn tìm ra ý nghĩa cuộc sống để thay thế cho cái nhận thức chính là bản thân cuộc sống???

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great program.

I love Adyashanti.

He’s an amazing teacher.

Very relaxed, natural, lucid and unpretentious.

Very important to me and to my personal journey.

This is not my favorite of his work.

It has been about 20 years since I listened to (a) True Meditation; and (b) Spontaneous Awakening.

Start with those (if you haven’t heard them yet).

Then come back to this one once you get enlightened 😜

5/5 stars ⭐️

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most excellent teacher. His words are very clear, down to earth and to the point, its not hard to hear what he is saying and the Zen Buddhist concepts are presented in a very understandable ordinary way, which makes it extraordinary. His insight is penetrating and sharp. It was easy to read and yet I found had to read it twice. Like all of my dharma books, it is one that I will return to again.

The main insight that I came away with was a new awareness of enlightenment, or 'waking up' and that is that it a very ordinary experience. Its an ordinary event in an ordinary life, and yet once it happens, life becomes extraordinary, everything is seen for the wonder that it is. It doesn't lead you to believe that if you have (or need to have) some sort of spiritual breakthrough you will start to fly, or see a procession of lights or any other special power, but he allows for the inclusion of every possibility as everyone is different.

In one part he talks about true freedom as a gift to everybody and everything. Part of awakening he says, is a gift of freedom to the world. You and everybody else awake or not awake deluded or not, has the freedom to be who they are without any judgement.

I picked this book up on display at my local library here in the north of England, and it was my first introduction to this Californian Zen teacher.

[Vui Lên · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuốn sách này nên được các đội nhóm, cá nhân đang nói về giác ngộ, thức tỉnh ở VN mình đọc thiệt là nhiều lần, đọc đi đọc lại để... bớt chia sẻ về giác ngộ.

Nếu bạn đang bắt đầu đi trên con đường tâm linh, bắt đầu có nhận thức, có trải nghiệm nhất định thì nên đọc ngay cuốn này, bản dịch tiếng Việt là "Sự thật về giác ngộ". Mình đọc bằng ebook trên waka cũng rất tiện.

Mình rất thích phần tác giả nói về việc giải thích giác ngộ là một sự thất bại. Nhưng qua sự thất bại liên tục của mình, tác giả mong là học trò/ độc giả có thể thấy rõ hơn về con đường của trạng thái giác ngộ.

[David Klingenberger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe this book suffers in comparison to my recent reading of Ram Dass, but this guy is so flat footed, so obvious, so repetitive, so earthbound, and traffics in what seems like little more than self-help truisms that it’s utterly painful to read.

[Chris Beal · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first came to Adya (as his students call him), many of the people in his sangha had already awoken to their true nature but didn't know where to go from there. “Now what?” was the implicit refrain coming from his students. This book specifically addresses students who are at this point: they already have experienced the dropping away of the sense of self generated by the stream of thoughts, they know they are everything and nothing at the same time, but when they go back into the world they left, it is all so confusing.

One of the virtues of a book of this type is that one can see that his or her experiences post-awakening are common, so the sense that something is wrong with one when one feels only half-awake – belonging, it seems, to neither the enlightened nor the unenlightened world – can be laid down. I highly recommend this book to these people.

For myself, although I am past that stage, I enjoyed Adya's sharing many of his own personal experiences post-awakening. Even though I have heard him talk probably hundreds of times, I had not heard many of these stories before, and others not in this detail. There is also an interview with Adya in the back by the publisher. The questions are very probing and Adya's answers clarify many questions people may have about his teachings.

I am a long time (since 2000) student of Adyashanti, but I prefer him in person, so I don't usually read his books. I like to experience his energy when he's speaking in person. Also, his books seem over-edited to me. Since nearly all his writings are based on oral presentations, I realize that it's necessary to edit the spoken, colloquial language into grammatical written form. But at the same time, it seems that his voice – the particular personality through which the teaching comes – is edited out. I always think when I read his books, “But where is Adya in this?” Of course, people who haven't seen him in person at all, or only a couple of times, won't notice this, but it bothers me.

Another issue with the editing is that the content of this book is very redundant – not so much the topics but the sentences. Instead of trusting a pronoun to serve as a transition from the previous sentence, the whole idea presented just one sentence before is repeated before the additional thought is tacked on. This happens sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph. In fact, it feels like padding: without it, the book could have been half as long.

But these are really quibbles. All said, while this isn't really an introduction to Adyashanti's teachings it is an informative follow-up for those already on their way.

[Felix Delong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight up one of my favorite books of all time. Humble, honest, pure, down to earth approach with not much religious overhang.
But more than anything, it helped me to make sense of my almost traumatic experience of awakening. If you are not interested in my personal blog post, you can stop reading here. More than this - the experience is impossible to describe in words and I'm not really good with words to boot.
But a year ago, I have an experience that I now understand to be non-abiding awakening. And it was terrifying. It was no blissful meditation and beatific smiles. It was death and destruction. My death and destruction of my entire world and all meaning in it.
I have realized/experience first hand, as I experience sunrise or color red - That all is one, the one is empty and alone, lonely and preordained and that one is a process and I am that one. It was a realization that I'm nothing and that I am all and at the same time there never was any I.
Then came like a great surrender. There was no need to fight anything anymore. A give up to the inevitable. There is no right or wrong or any meaning at all - just a flow of life.
And you know, even though I kinda knew what happen, I didn't really believed it. I'm not a kind of person you would expect to experience a spiritual awakening. Everyone I tried to tell about it kinda laughed at me and/or thought that I was crazy. So I tried to explain it away and tried to suppressed it and forget about it...
And then along came Adyashanti and it was like a helping hand for a drowning person. In a calm and gentle manner, he explained me my experience in the book, showed me that it was real and true and explained what it mean and what should I do now. It was affirming and acknowledging my experience and it felt so good I almost shed a tear.
From the bottom of my heart, I'm grateful and I have to say that this book is a true gem.
Thanks for listening to my TED talk.

[Suba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honesty, simplicity and openness radiate from Adyashanti's words. One thing that distinguishes Adyashanti's book from others that talk about Enlightenment is his blatant honesty regarding Awaking. Rather than paint some heavenly vision of Enlightenment, he gives us the dirty, hurtful, painful, infuriating, desperate aspects of it.

He introduces us to Enlightenment via the ego's perspective. The pain, the loss, uncertainty, struggle, and so forth. Instead of all the heavenly promises, we find ourselves knee deep in the mud. From there, it's hard to show another the beauty of life when their heads are stuck in the clouds.

Having read and watched quite a few books and videos on Enlightenment, it is refreshing to receive Adyashanti's realistic perspective. With all the promises, acclaimed experiences, and supposive rewards, most writings on Enlightenment lead us to believe we'll be shooting rainbows out our butts. While Enlightenment is worth pursuing, it is a mistake to believe that life will all of a sudden be perfect when we Awaken.

I guess, if there was one thing to take away from The End of Your World it is this: life still goes on and crap still happens even after Awakening. The difference is, we see more clearly and we no longer get caught up. or, as Adyashanti likes to say, we no longer get stuck by "Velcro" emotions and thoughts.

[Giorgi Bazerashvili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adya gives this lectures for advanced practitioners. But his insights are hugely beneficial for those of us who don't practice much but are willing to follow the path sooner or later.

He differentiates two types of awakening, abiding and non-abiding ones. The main difference between them is that if someone awakes for just a brief period of time, he calls it non-abiding awakening. If ego structure doesn't reassemble itself, which usually does, the awakening is abiding.

But, he also tells us that it's not that simple either. We can't conceptualize awakening by any means. The most important thing is to stay sincere in this work and generally to be vigilant and honest in our lives.

He also talks about the difficulties that come after the first couple of non-abiding awakenings and how to deal with them.

In short, reading Adya's book gave me a better conceptual understanding of what all this is about. I don't know, maybe having a solid conceptual framework isn't helpful in this work at all, but nevertheless, Adya does a great job of communicating the difficulties and interesting facets of life during and after awakening experiences.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, eastern philosophy and meditation brings all kinds of epiphanies and all kinds of weird paradoxes. In general it's an amazing rabbit hole.

But, a lot of books on it seem very contaminated by new age trends, and crystally new age culture with no foundation at all. At its worst it is co-opted by anti-vaccine, homeopathy, conspiracy theory people who can't handle not having answers to things that are not yet answerable ("if you tell me my cancer is terminal, I'll spend my life savings going to an alternative cancer center for vitamin infusions because Western Medicine is in the business of killing me so you must be lying" kind of thing).

This is an interesting book if you've been down the rabbit hole of this stuff and are unemotional about (can ignore) some guru-esque new age language and very loose writing, in order to hear whether enlightenment equals nihilism (it doesn't... there you're done). Interview at the end is most interesting part.

If one doesn't know wtf I am talking about, probably a good one to skip. :)
No idea why I just wrote so much about this book on Goodreads. No going back now.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though exponentially more accessible than "How to See Yourself as You Really Are" by the Dalai Lama, this book both grounded and illuminated where I am in my journey of congruence and truth. As books like this tend to do for those inclined to read them, I feel that it "found" me as I listened to Zenju Earthlyn's "Waking Up" talk on the meditative/spiritual app focused on BIPOC, Liberate. What Earthlyn described was her own awakening, but she mentioned how this book captured it in a way nothing did at the time. Same. There are a LOT of Christian and biblical references which I wasn't looking for, but due to my upbringing helped further solidify understanding. It also brought to mind several other works, including the first Rule of Life (Face reality.) in Gonzales's "Deep Survival" and delving into thought work, primarily as described in the podcast, "Unf$ck Your Brain." Anywho, it clarified and affirmed a lot and of course is a work I'll return to. The timing of this read couldn't have been better.

[Vesela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the good fortune of living in the San Francisco Bay Area where Adya also resides and often holds public gatherings. I've just reread this book as part of a course I'm taking with him that focuses on this work. I find that when he "points to the moon," it shines ever more brightly before me. With clear, unadorned prose, he goes to the core of the spiritual journey, honestly reporting from his experience. It can be a demanding journey; these are not fluffy promises. I value Adya's wisdom and appreciate his humility and humor (though his humor is something to be experienced in one of his talks); most importantly he always directs us back to our own experience for the truth our own lives are teaching us. To paraphrase him, Don't take my word for it, look into your own life.
Thank you, Adya.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some very good stuff here (including a quote from Anthony de Mello: "enlightenment is absolute cooperation with the inevitable") but it's unfortunately the type of Buddhism that I don't want: "I don't know anything" passivism.

A quote from near the end of the book: "Our greatest contribution to humanity is our awakening."

Awakening is awesome, but neither necessary or sufficient to have a greatly positive contribution to humanity. If you can't think of any contribution you can make that is greater than (nontrivially) rewiring your brain to suffer and resist less, you probably aren't thinking. If you don't see that you live in a cosmic horror show where you must act, you are living a solipsistic delusion.

[Kanwar Anand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard this in audio format. The author delves into spiritual awakening. The language/grasp is easy but to be in the state that the author refers to requires a lot of courage and surrender. This book is vague on how to become awakened. However, it tells you what it feels like to be awakened, the side effects and the qualities of a person who is awakened. I felt it had a lot of good insights but there were many vague holes which I didn't appreciate/grasp. Not sure if I would recommend this to people. Other books that are similar and worth your time : "The power of now" and "New World" by Eckhart Tolle.

[July Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Adyashanti book I have read, and it was exactly what I've been looking for. Awakening comes before enlightenment, and I knew I was on the brink of some type of realization. Adya put the process into simple experiential words that helped me drop several preconceptions and refuse to form more. This is one I will read again and again for quite a while.

[Dielle Ciesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Adya. I love his raw honesty about the awakening process. I love his clarity. This was an excellent read because it was more than a read; it was an experience. There were so many sentences that blew my mind, brought me pause, and opened me up. Not many books can do that.

[Aaron Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not every day you find a book on a topic you've never seen addressed before. This book is filled with personal advice that, at least for me, rang true - and offered valuable encouragement I've reflected on again and again.

[Sunil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and Clear Teachings...Awesome Methods of Contemplation...

[Shawn Minihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I've read a lot of books on spirituality, but this one is a life changer.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious.