The Odyssey of Enlightenment: Rare Interviews with Enlightened Teachers of our Time
by Berthold Madhukar Thompson
List Price:
Our Price: $12.31
You Save: $6.69 (35%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.71 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Berthold Madhukar ThompsonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2002-08
ISBN: 1931254095
Number of pages: 350
Publisher: Origin Press
Book Reviews of The Odyssey of Enlightenment: Rare Interviews with Enlightened Teachers of our Time
Book Review: a sincere and honest search for one's own way
Summary: 4 Stars
Berthold Madhukar Thompson's book The Odyssey of Enlightenment is a fascinating read.
At first I thought the book was too full of new age stuff. I did not believe the first two gurus (Osho and Papaji) were truly enlightened. Rather, I felt that these two that Madhu had spent the most time with were more like cult leaders. They wanted devoted followers and their money. Although they did speak of some well-known wisdom, they were very ignorant and unresponsive of Madhu's burning questions.
I became worried for Madhu in his search, even though he felt he had benefited from these two teachers. He was in a deep trap, a trap in the desire for enlightenment--something he only had heard of. He wanted permanent happiness and bliss because he could not face the negative emotions in his daily life, and he wanted escape. He did not have a conscious knowledge or an intuitive knowledge of what enlightenment was.
However, his sincerity and honesty saved him. He never gave in to half truth. When he left Papaji and started on his journey looking for other teachers, I too enjoyed meeting the teachers along his way. Many of the teachers had insightful wisdom to share with him.
In spite of that, Madhu was not ready to receive some of the teachings, and the teachers were again ignorant of the ineffectiveness of their words. I could feel Madhu's frustration when the teachers seemed to go around and around the questions and never gave a straight answer. Either these teachers were very inflexible in their teaching, or they had limited understanding of Reality, or maybe they and Madhu were not good match. Sometimes I felt the guru would say things just to show how special and advanced they were on the path of enlightenment. Sometimes when they tried to point out the opposite, they appeared like Zen masters, but was Madhu ready for such teachings? I thought not.
When we met UG Krishnamurti the anti-guru, I felt he was arrogant and unkind toward Madhu. I don't know why he would do this. His book on the Myth of Enlightenment has been on my wish list for a while and clearly he has important insights into spirituality. I might read his book and see for myself.
Toward the end, I like Andrew Cohen for his responsiveness and coherence (moral integrity, clarity of intention, and open-hearted humility).
In the end Madhu met D.B. Ganolli and found his peace in the teaching of Advaita Vedanta, the spiritual scripture. It seems that Madhu had found his own path, his own way of spiritual search. When he was ready, his new guru appeared.
From Madhu's journey, I believe more firmly that there are infinite ways to reach one's destiny in life, and each person has to find his own way.
More The Odyssey of Enlightenment: Rare Interviews with Enlightened Teachers of our Time reviews:
1 2
1 2
Health, Mind & Body Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Masters of Non-Duality
All I See Is Part of Meby Chara M. Curtis
Illumination Arts Publishing Company; Published: 1994-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.45
Price in other shops:
Krishnamurti: 100 Yearsby Evelyne Blau
Stewart, Tabori, & Chang; Published: 1995-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.18
Price in other shops:
Autobiography of a Yogiby Paramahansa Yogananda
Self-Realization Fellowship; Published: 1946-12-12; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.65
Price in other shops:
The Initiationby Donald Burton Schnell
Inner Ocean Publishing; Published: 2002-04; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
The Odyssey of Enlightenment: Rare Interviews with Enlightened Teachers of our Timeby Berthold Madhukar Thompson
Origin Press; Published: 2002-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.31
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Take Me To Truth: Undoing the Egoby Nouk Sanchez, Tomas Vieira
O Books; Published: 2007-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.58
Price in other shops:
The Real Is Unknowable, The Knowable Is Unrealby Robert Powell
North Atlantic Books; Published: 2005-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.87
Price in other shops:
The Mystique of Enlightenment: The Radical Ideas of U.G. Krishnamurtiby U. G. Krishnamurti
Sentient Publications; Published: 2002-04-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.44
Price in other shops:
I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta MaharajChetana Private Ltd; Published: 1999-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.00
Price in other shops:
THE MOST DIRECT AND RAPID MEANS TO ETERNAL BLISSby Michael Langford
The Freedom Religion Press; Published: 2007-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.95
Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Arkana)by Sri Ramana Maharshi
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1989-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops:
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journeyby Jill Bolte Taylor
Viking Adult; Published: 2008-05-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.95
Price in other shops:
Silence Of The Heartby Robert Adams
Acropolis Books (GA); Published: 1999; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.50
Price in other shops:
Perfect Brilliant Stillnessby David Carse
Paragate Publishing; Published: 2005-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.49
Price in other shops:
Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages: Stories of Enlightenmentby Robert Ullman, Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman
Conari Press; Published: 2001-10-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.72
Price in other shops: