Details Books Toward Handbook to Higher Consciousness
| Original Title: | Handbook to Higher Consciousness |
| ISBN: | 0960068880 (ISBN13: 9780960068883) |
| Edition Language: |
Ken Keyes Jr.
Paperback | Pages: 215 pages Rating: 4.17 | 495 Users | 48 Reviews
Rendition As Books Handbook to Higher Consciousness
Written in 1975, this is a New Age classic and a truly awful book. Normally I just ignore awful books, but I have some things to say about exactly why the worldview presented by Keyes is toxic.The post-colon half of this book's title is "The Science of Happiness," which points to two ways this book is false: first, it teaches that spirituality is a science (it is not, it is an art). Second, it teaches that the goal of spiritual development is personal happiness (and it's not -- personal happiness is an accidental byproduct of spiritual development, but paradoxically, spiritual progress can only be made by cultivating selflessness).
Keyes mixes a watered down version of Asian spiritual philosophy with self help and humanist philosophy, producing a program that is part Forum and part Scientology. You are a biocomputer, which is capable of producing absolute bliss at all times, but has been improperly programmed to produce pain, and by reprogramming yourself, you can fix all of your problems. The first step is getting rid of all addictive behaviour, defined here as "emotion-backed desires." ALL desires based on "need" are considered unhealthy. The enlightened person learns to let go of all need, and learn to think of desires as preferences instead. We must learn to love everyone unconditionally, including ourselves. Keyes' "Living Love" system for self realization includes affirmations like "I always remember that I have everything I ned to enjoy my here and now -- unless I am letting my consciousness be dominated by demands and expectations based on the dead past and the imagined future."
There is some good advice in here, especially about how to break addictive thought patterns. The problem is that the overall worldview is narrow, shallow, rigid, and narcissistic. Keyes writes, "A practical rule of thumb for one starting on the road to higher consciousness is to grant oneself emotion-backed demands for physical necessities such as air, food if starving, or shelter if about to freeze -- and all other addictions are sickness!"
If taken literally -- and make no mistake, Keyes means you to take him literally -- here are some "sick" thoughts that need to be "corrected" by the Living Love plan:
-- my child needs good schools
-- I need the factory across the road to stop spewing out air pollution
-- I deserve to be safe from physical violence
If a woman trapped in an abusive relationship were to read this book, she would be taught by Keyes that her problem was with her own perception of her situation -- there is nothing wrong with being raped and beaten, it is only your addiction to safety that is creating your emotional discomfort. And if the abusive husband read this book, here's Keyes' advice: "You can do anything you prefer as long as you are not addicted. For when you are free of addictions, your actions will be characterized by wisdom and oneness." So as long as you don't NEED to rape, but merely prefer it, go right ahead.
There is no moral compass in this book at all, only infantile narcissism. That is why this worldview has such a deep and lasting appeal for the American middle and upper classes -- it IS useful advice if your biggest problem is where to shop this weekend, and it WILL help you stop obsessing about your neuroses. Furthermore, this book will help bolster the delusion that the world of the privileged, white, educated American is the only reality that exists, and nothing matters but furthering their comfort. If, on the other hand, you are a Haitian peasant trying to get health care for your child, this is a cheap and ludicrous book.
This book is to Buddhism as strawberry pop tarts are to strawberries.
Particularize Out Of Books Handbook to Higher Consciousness
| Title | : | Handbook to Higher Consciousness |
| Author | : | Ken Keyes Jr. |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 215 pages |
| Published | : | January 1st 1993 by Love Line Books (first published 1973) |
| Categories | : | Self Help. Psychology. Spirituality. Nonfiction. Philosophy |
Rating Out Of Books Handbook to Higher Consciousness
Ratings: 4.17 From 495 Users | 48 ReviewsEvaluation Out Of Books Handbook to Higher Consciousness
This is the most profoundly practical book to clean up your unhappiness act and choose a happy way of life. It's neuroscience reprogramming before its time. (It sold a million copies in the 1970's. I just reread it and am amazed how much working with it had bettered my life. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!Ken Keyes outlined steps you can take to bring yourself to a higher level of consciousness. I keep a copy of this book and review it again and again. I don't know how many times that the information in this book has helped me through negative situations.
This little gem of a book brings some of Taoism and Buddhism into a western framework. Ken Keyes views suffering being the result of "emotionally backed demands" which he labels "addictions.The book was written at a time when the word "addiction" wasn't used unthinkingly by pop culture. I don't know that he was the first to use the word as he did, but I don't remember anyone earlier in my readings.It is easy to skim the book and misunderstand his view. But here it is in a nutshell.Life happens.
I am surprised by how relevant the book is given that it was published over 40 years ago. Compared to other books dealing with the same issue, the book offers more practical advice that is actionable. I also liked the summary in the appendixes, which you can keep as a reminder to refresh your mind once in a while.
While reading one of my older books by Iyanla Vanzant, I came across the name of this book which she credited as one of the books that helped her in her spiritual journey. I couldnt find this book online or at my library but luckily, after googling the authors name, I found a PDF copy of the book online available for download for free!If I hadnt read Eckhart Tolles Power of Now, I admit that this book would have made no sense to me. Even so, I feel that I will need to read this again and again
I can't believe I missed this book along the way.This book is from 1975. Ideas presented predate and are incorporated by Anthony Robbins in Awaken the Giant Within and Eckart Tolle in his books. A precursor for sure.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It brings home how most of the suffering in our lives comes from the meaning we attach to things and not the events themselves.Is it sensible to be upset if it rains? It does also use the exmple of spilt milk... Unless we are starving and that is the only sustenance we have perhaps these things aren't worth upsetting ourselves about and wouldn't we be happier without those upsets?The difficulty is in overcoming our habitiual programming... Despite our
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