The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life (Chopra, Deepak) by Deepak Chopra Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life (Chopra, Deepak)
Book Review: A book in search of an editor...
Summary: 1 Stars
Deepak Chopra has made a fortune on his personal musings about life and existence. This work represents the most current book after the death of his beloved father. Chopra attempts to link the secrets for a fufilling life into a "users manual" for the masses. However, rather than sticking to the strictly metaphysical, he delves into science to justify his own version of faith. This is the latest gimmick of new thought philosophers. Phrases like "quantum mechanics" are tossed around like tomatoes at a salad bar. Deepak has moved away from his old standby of "synchrodestiny" in favor of the phrases popular among current adherents.
For someone to undertake this text requires them to subscribe to the basic tenets of Deepak's faith. Although he claims not to espouse any specific belief, there is a clear line back to his early days with transcendental meditation. One of the most frustrating elements of his book is his reluctance to name names or cite source material, save for the ancient texts of spiritual wisdom he references. He makes both profound and pointless statements almost on the same page. He waxes philosphical at the unique properties of water and ignores basic chemistry.
Many of his recommendations are very useful and arguably beneficial. "Live in the now" and "take time to meditate" will only help a person reduce their stress and improve their life. The disdain he heaps upon "science" and non-believers is hardly masked however. I have been privileged to see Deepak live on three occassions. He is a compelling speaker and his writings echo his oratory skills. In this instance he needs help. There is so much free flow and repetition, that one begins to lose the messages contained within his work.
Fans of Chopra will love the book. There is nothing here I can say to dissuade them. However, prospective followers would be advised to seek out something more palatable - Ageless Mind for example.
Book Review: impressive and insightful
Summary: 4 Stars
I found the book to be a really insightful and a thoughtful account written in easy language with good analogues and anecdotes. This book was quite unlike many other spiritual texts that sometimes delve into hard to comprehend philosophies. This seemed to be a more general account on the principles of good and content living. I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to other readers looking for spiritual texts.Book Review: Commercialized, pulped ancient truths - only for those desperate to find the point in life
Summary: 3 Stars
Chopra's "Book of Secrets" is definitely an example of a typical New Age, self-help book. Chopra describes how the power to change anyone's life lies within them and gives a few simple statements, which should help the readers realize that.
I bought this book because of my interest in yoga and meditation, and hoped that Chopra, who, after all, is an MD and a founder of the renowned Chopra Center, would give some deep insights, some real methods of meditation and way to get united with the world. Instead, this is a book, which, frankly, anybody could write. Based loosely on the ancient Indian philosophical and religious systems, exploits them without even acknowledging that the simplified thoughts expressed there are not original. And, in fact, they are not really helpful - could you not get to these spiritual truths by yourself? Besides, the biological "evidence" Chopra tries to connect with his advice is far from true; example: according to Chopra, typically, cells store no more than 8 seconds (I wonder where this number comes from) worth of nutrients and oxygen within their boundaries - well, what about adipocytes, which, after all, are quite typical... This was for me really surprising - many New Age books provide far better scientific explanation with references to original articles, allowing the reader to verify the information.
Undoubtedly, the story of Chopra's attitude change upon his father's death is the most appealing moment in the whole book (and no doubt deliberately chosen to impress the American readers, who like personal accounts)
Maybe I am not at the point of my path, where I would need this type of text and I cannot appreciate it, and therefore find it rather pathetic. I earnestly believe that there are readers, who need this type of advice and will treat Chopra's work as life-changing, but for me one reading was more than enough. To those interested in the theoretical foundations of yoga, in Indian mysticism and in its influence, but presented with the Western flavor, I would recommend the works of Mircea Eliade (including his diaries); Those who are very serious should rather dive into the original texts, like the Upanishads, or Patanjali's Yoga Sutras; to those who like everyday advice based on yogic principles, The Yoga Journal will do a great job.
Book Review: The Book Of Secrets Unlocking the Hidden Dmensions of Your life
Summary: 4 Stars
I found deep pleasure in reading this book. I always find that reading on his level of enlightenment brings a sense of "Oh yeah ,I know what he's expressing or gee I have felt the same way.and always a wow! I can now look at this from a diffrent perspective. Is always a joy to spend time with his thoughts. thank you.Book Review: Chopra's Take on Deep Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
In "The Book of Secrets," Deepak Chopra gives us his vision of spirituality and of the reality we find ourselves wedded to. Chopra (page 15) writes: "Every secret in this book goes back to the existence of an invisible intelligence that operates beneath the visible surface of life. The mystery of life is an expression not of random accidents but of one intelligence that exists everywhere."
Chopra (page 21) tells us: "You are not in the world; the world is in you. The only reason that rocks are solid is that the brain registers a flurry of electrical signals as touch; the only reason the sun shines is that the brain registers another flurry of electrical signals as sight. There is no sunlight in my brain, whose interior remains as dark as a limestone cavern no matter how bright it is outside."
I found the best way to read Chopra is in small 30 minute mini-reads, ideally sitting outside in the park with birds chirping in the background, a mere rest spot within my hour long walks that may occur daily. Chopra has a poetic style to his spiritual advice that can be enhanced significantly by background conditions that are beyond the book. A good example is provided by Chopra's (page 43) remarks: "Thinking points the way whenever your mind stops being restless and speculative. On this path, you silence your internal dialogue in order to find clarity and stillness. It takes clarity for your mind to see that it doesn't have to be so driven. Thinking can turn into knowing, which is to say wisdom. With greater clarity your intellect looks into any problem and sees the solution. As your knowingness expands, personal questions fade. What your mind really wants to know is the mystery of existence. Questions knock on the door of eternity, at which point only the Creator can answer them for you. The fulfillment of this path comes when your mind merges with the mind of God."
Chopra (page 31) writes: "An infinite, silent energy field flickered for an instant, experiencing an object (the rose) and the subject (you the observer) without going anywhere. Awareness simply took look at one aspect of its eternal beauty. Its only motive was to create a moment of joy. You and the rose stood at opposite poles of that moment, yet there was no separation. A single creative stroke took place, fusing you both."
Chopra (page 25) reminds us that ego is not the enemy: "Throwing the ego into the dark, making it the enemy, only creates more division and fragmentation. If there is one reality, it must be all-inclusive. The ego can't be thrown out any more than desire can be thrown out." Yet even Chopra's forgiving outlook can confuse the ego when it is genuinely needed; e.g., when "you are stopped at a red light on the way home, but the car behind you doesn't stop and rear-ends you," (page 116). Chopra recommends these personal identifications of self: "This accident was no accident; it's a reflection of myself. This stranger is a messenger. When I find out why this event happened, I will uncover some aspect of myself." When the other driver is discovered to be intoxicated, for example, Chopra's critics will point to his gullibility with the issue of ego surrender. Even if some events are found to be random occurrences among many meaningful events, Chopra is not so gullible to accept the advice of a guru without the ever critical ego (at least I hope not). He (page 84) does admit that "manipulators use charm, persuasion, coaxing, trickery, and misdirection." Chopra (page 79) recommends taking the attitude that: "I will put a distance between myself and those who want to hurt me. I do not have to confront them, guilt-trip them, or make them the cause of my self-pity. But I cannot afford to absorb their toxic effect on me, and if that means keeping my distance, I will."
Chopra (pages 111) plays up the term "wholeness", writing that: "Wholeness means including everything, leaving nothing out. At the present we each experience life sliced up into bits of time, bits of experience, bits of activity. We clings to our limited sense of self to protect the slices from falling apart. But it's impossible to find continuity in this way, hard as the ego tries in its struggle to make life hang together. Wholeness is a state beyond personality." But "wholeness" carries the connotation of web of life, the dynamic flux unto itself, and of system theory, and these views can only be a misplaced caricature if taken literally. For example, Ken Wilber called these views a "flat land" perspective, while having been critical of Chopra in particular. I think Chopra can find a way beyond this criticism, by sticking to his poetic spirituality in its simpleness, and while leaving system thinking in its proper place.
One of the high points in Chopra's book is his treatment of evil. He (page 126) tells us that "evil depends completely on one's level of consciousness." And Chopra (page 138) writes of the repressed shadow: "the shadow has grown used to being repressed, to access this region of the mind doesn't happen easily. Nor is direct assault effective. The shadow knows how to resist; it can slam the door and hide its dark energy even deeper." He (page 141) writes: "The fleeting gap between sensation and interpretation is the birthplace of the shadow. When you go into the gap and see how intangible everything is, the ghosts begin to disperse... Evil is born in the gap. The gap isn't anyone's private possession. The gap contains collective responses and collective themes. When an entire society accepts the theme of `the outsiders' who cause all the trouble [us versus them], then evil has everyone for a father and mother." Chopra (page 142) writes, "I don't accept that evil people exist, only people who have not faced their shadows."
The shadow, in fact, is found to be our lover and helper. Chopra (page 146) tells us: "That's why the words don't matter. Once you access the feeling, the real work of release can begin. You need to go on and feel it completely, ask for release, and keep going until you get a new bit of self-understanding. It may take practice before any real deep release comes to you, but step by step the walls of resistance will come down. The shadow is subtly involved in everyday life. It is never so hidden that you cannot bring it to light."
Chopra (page 183) writes: "In clarity you know that you are not a puppet - you have released yourself from the unconscious drives that once fooled you into thinking that you were acting spontaneously."
Chopra (page 198) writes on being mindful: "You catch the present moment without words or thought. Few things are easier to describe and harder to do. The crux of the matter is time. Time is as slippery as that blessed moment before you say `I'm happy right now.' Was that moment really fleeting or is it eternal? "
Disclosure: My agenda is declared in my profile.