What do you think?
Rate this book
After Awareness: The End of the Path
Written by leading non-duality author Greg Goode, After Awareness offers an insider’s look at the Direct Path—a set of liberating spiritual teachings inspired by Shri Atmananda (Krishna Menon). This book shares secrets of the Direct Path that are rarely revealed. It examines topics hardly ever mentioned in non-duality discussions, such as the importance of ethics, the language of non-duality, the role of the guru, and the provisional nature of the Direct Path itself.
Our modern world is one of myriad beliefs and traditions. Most seekers explore a variety of ideas and spiritual paths before finding something that feels Eastern and Western philosophies, orthodox practices and mystical experiences, independent studies or devotion to a teacher. After Awareness takes this diversity into account, treating the Direct Path as one approach among many, rather than an objectively true description of reality.
This is no prescriptive, step-by-step After Awareness examines core principles in non-duality and provides context, examples, and critiques of these ideas. It explores the Direct Path without presuming belief in the path’s concepts. Instead, you’ll discover the central elements of the Direct Path—such as direct experience, awareness, and the witness—offered as tools of self-inquiry, not eternal truths.
With this open, pragmatic, and deconstructive approach, you’ll see the Direct Path from many different angles. Most important, you’ll learn how an exploration that begins with everyday perspectives and experiential investigations into the nature of the “I” can lead to a sense of peace and joy, free from judgment, grasping, and self-consciousness.
Our modern world is one of myriad beliefs and traditions. Most seekers explore a variety of ideas and spiritual paths before finding something that feels Eastern and Western philosophies, orthodox practices and mystical experiences, independent studies or devotion to a teacher. After Awareness takes this diversity into account, treating the Direct Path as one approach among many, rather than an objectively true description of reality.
This is no prescriptive, step-by-step After Awareness examines core principles in non-duality and provides context, examples, and critiques of these ideas. It explores the Direct Path without presuming belief in the path’s concepts. Instead, you’ll discover the central elements of the Direct Path—such as direct experience, awareness, and the witness—offered as tools of self-inquiry, not eternal truths.
With this open, pragmatic, and deconstructive approach, you’ll see the Direct Path from many different angles. Most important, you’ll learn how an exploration that begins with everyday perspectives and experiential investigations into the nature of the “I” can lead to a sense of peace and joy, free from judgment, grasping, and self-consciousness.
- GenresSpiritualityPhilosophy
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2016
115 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Greg Goode
11 books42 followersGreg Goode is the author of highly regarded books in the contemplative spiritual field. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Rochester. Greg grew up in multicultural Southern California. He lived in Panama for three years during his service with the U.S. Army, and lived in Germany for a year during graduate school. Greg currently lives in New York City with his wife, May.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 26, 2017
AFTER AWARENESS: THE END OF THE PATH is the latest in a series of books by Greg Goode on the “direct path” to enlightenment.
I loved the book. It was easy to read and most of it resonated with me. That said, there was very little new here. He’s gone into great depth on all the direct path exercises in THE DIRECT PATH: A USER GUIDE. He’s also talked extensively about the use of language and on the subject of joyful irony.
What is new is his attention on ethics. He’s explained his thinking in previous books when he talks about heart-centered paths, but now he’s using a word that has for years rubbed me the wrong way. Though he does explain that he’s using the word in the context of a heart-centered ethics teaching and not in the sense of ethics as in something that tells you what you’re supposed to do whether you agree with it or not, I still would have preferred it had he used another word, because that one simply carries too much baggage.
Most of what is written in this book can be found in Greg Goode’s other books with a few exceptions. Yet somehow, I found this book both refreshing and enlightening.
I highly recommend AFTER AWARENESS to anybody interested in the subject of non-duality or enlightenment.
I loved the book. It was easy to read and most of it resonated with me. That said, there was very little new here. He’s gone into great depth on all the direct path exercises in THE DIRECT PATH: A USER GUIDE. He’s also talked extensively about the use of language and on the subject of joyful irony.
What is new is his attention on ethics. He’s explained his thinking in previous books when he talks about heart-centered paths, but now he’s using a word that has for years rubbed me the wrong way. Though he does explain that he’s using the word in the context of a heart-centered ethics teaching and not in the sense of ethics as in something that tells you what you’re supposed to do whether you agree with it or not, I still would have preferred it had he used another word, because that one simply carries too much baggage.
Most of what is written in this book can be found in Greg Goode’s other books with a few exceptions. Yet somehow, I found this book both refreshing and enlightening.
I highly recommend AFTER AWARENESS to anybody interested in the subject of non-duality or enlightenment.
January 3, 2025
A very good clarification on some of the more common concerns, confusions and conceptual “sticking points” in the non-dual approach.
From my perspective, at this particular juncture of my personal “journey”.
The text seems to tangent and dwell on philosophical issues past the point of being relevant or useful (for me, here/now).
Which makes perfect sense given the author’s training and interests in both western and eastern philosophy.
These issues DEFINITELY need clarification.
As such this text is IMPORTANT.
But more as a framing support for direct path non-dual practice. And less as an instructive text for actual direct path practice.
I read this as a preparation for reading this authors other (more practice oriented) texts. Which are highly rated and which I assume will contain valuable insights and practices.
As such.
I’m grateful for the author for sharing the material in this book. My intuition is that some/all of this will be more useful once I get deeper into the direct path practices.
4/5 ⭐️
From my perspective, at this particular juncture of my personal “journey”.
The text seems to tangent and dwell on philosophical issues past the point of being relevant or useful (for me, here/now).
Which makes perfect sense given the author’s training and interests in both western and eastern philosophy.
These issues DEFINITELY need clarification.
As such this text is IMPORTANT.
But more as a framing support for direct path non-dual practice. And less as an instructive text for actual direct path practice.
I read this as a preparation for reading this authors other (more practice oriented) texts. Which are highly rated and which I assume will contain valuable insights and practices.
As such.
I’m grateful for the author for sharing the material in this book. My intuition is that some/all of this will be more useful once I get deeper into the direct path practices.
4/5 ⭐️
December 22, 2016
AFTER AWARENESS: THE END OF THE PATH is the latest in a series of books by Greg Goode on the “direct path” to enlightenment.
I loved the book. It was easy to read and most of it resonated with me. That said, there was very little new here. He’s gone into great depth on all the direct path exercises in THE DIRECT PATH: A USER GUIDE. He’s also talked extensively about the use of language and on the subject joyful irony.
What is new is his attention on ethics. He’s explained his thinking in previous books when he talks about heart-centered paths, but now he’s using a word that has for years rubbed me the wrong way. Though he does explain that he’s using the word in the context of a heart-centered ethics teaching and not in the sense of ethics as in something that tells you what you’re supposed to do whether you agree with it or not, I still would have preferred it had he used another word, because that one simply carries too much baggage.
Most of what is written in this book can be found in Greg Goode’s other books with a few exceptions. Yet somehow, I found this book both refreshing and enlightening.
I highly recommend AFTER AWARENESS to anybody interested in the subject of nonduality or enlightenment.
I loved the book. It was easy to read and most of it resonated with me. That said, there was very little new here. He’s gone into great depth on all the direct path exercises in THE DIRECT PATH: A USER GUIDE. He’s also talked extensively about the use of language and on the subject joyful irony.
What is new is his attention on ethics. He’s explained his thinking in previous books when he talks about heart-centered paths, but now he’s using a word that has for years rubbed me the wrong way. Though he does explain that he’s using the word in the context of a heart-centered ethics teaching and not in the sense of ethics as in something that tells you what you’re supposed to do whether you agree with it or not, I still would have preferred it had he used another word, because that one simply carries too much baggage.
Most of what is written in this book can be found in Greg Goode’s other books with a few exceptions. Yet somehow, I found this book both refreshing and enlightening.
I highly recommend AFTER AWARENESS to anybody interested in the subject of nonduality or enlightenment.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews