The Seven Steps to Awakening Paperback – May 25, 2015

Edit May 31, 2015: I recently learned that the Second Edition of The Seven Steps to Awakening (2nd Edition) has been published. I believe it's through a different distributor connected with Amazon, and is always "In stock" through amazon. It has all the original 1574 quotes, but is slimmer in size and easier to carry around.From the introduction:"I really love you and want the best for you. I don't want you to continue to suffer needlessly. Here in these quotes I am showing you the way to bring the illusion to an end and to awaken into the Reality of Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss. Here in these quotes I am showing you what most aspirants cannot see, even if they have read some of these quotes before. Here I have collected the quotes that are most essential and most helpful for those who really wish to awaken in this lifetime. Here I have collected the quotes that have no detours or distractions. Here I have collected the quotes that reveal the most direct means that brings the impostor self to its final end.""The Seven Steps to Awakening" is a masterpiece and a valuable gift from your true Self to sincere seekers of liberation. The ego [which the author likes to call the 'impostor self'] in all humans is very deceptive and cunning. Almost no human has the desire for the impostor self [or ego-illusion] to come to an end. The desire to preserve the ego-illusion is always greater than the desire for liberation. However, since the impostor self is responsible for all suffering, until it ends, there can be no true liberation. But since the impostor self never wants to end; even when one approaches teachers and teachings of liberation, the layers of deception within distort the teaching in order to prevent the ego-illusion from ending, and thus prolong endless cycles of suffering. It is a vicious cycle of the thief pretending to play a Cop. Many teachings of the past have thus been distorted by the ego [imposter self], and the essence of the teachings have been buried under layers of distractions and detours, thus making it almost impossible to find a direct way to end this ego-illusion and the suffering caused by this ego-illusion.What makes this book truly special is that not only does it contain quotes by seven different truly liberated sages, but also that the quotes have been selected and arranged by a fully liberated sage himself! This makes this work truly valuable, as it saves true seekers of liberation a LOT of time and effort. All the distractions have been taken out and the seven steps to awakening have been revealed. Just reading a few quotes slowly and repeatedly takes me to a deep and spontaneous meditation. The first chapter lays the foundation for how the quotes are to be used [as practice instructions for liberation, not for intellectual entertainment or for gathering knowledge]. The rest of the chapters in a step by step manner unravel the a)nature of impostor self and the enormous suffering caused by identifying with it b) provides an understanding that without a strong desire for liberation [from the imposter self and the suffering caused by it], all efforts to be liberated will fail c) provides motivation, inspiration and encouragement for practice leading to liberation d) provides the direct practice instructions to bringing the impostor self and the suffering to a final end.There are 1574 quotes in total. Each one serves a definite purpose. Several obstacles and pitfalls on the road to liberation have been pointed out along with ways to overcome them. Many seekers get lost in intellectual concepts and enjoy discussing and arguing about spiritual teachings instead of actually putting the teaching into practice….they remain trapped in such concepts until old age and never get a direct experience of Truth; some others get disheartened when they encounter challenges and abandon spiritual practice prematurely misperceiving such obstacles as apparent lack of progress; and there are those who get carried away by some temporary spiritual experience and mistake it to be final liberation, and they declare themselves “awakened” and start teaching others……in addition to deluding themselves, they mislead other people. I’m one of those people who’s pretty much fallen into many if not all possible pitfalls, and got my ego bruised and burnt and learnt it the hard way; I credit this book to helping me getting back on track every time I fell off. Careful study along with sincere application of the quotes in this book can save sincere seekers from falling into such traps and pitfalls and remain focused on the direct path; it can help one realize ones mistakes and know how not to repeat them thus saving years of going around in circles.This is an exhaustive and comprehensive work containing everything: 1)The Supreme goal, 2)The inspiration to reach the Supreme goal and 3)The method to reach the Supreme goal are all given here. All other books can now be given away or discarded. The only other book I would keep is The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss (6th Edition) authored by the Editor/ Creator of this present book. I found that book to be amazingly inspiring and enlightening and started practicing the meditation "techniques" instructed in that book for 2-3 hours every day. There are times where amazing grace is flowing through, but there are also times when the impostor self presents challenges which lead me to being distracted away from practice into futile worldly pursuits. It is during those challenging times that I need inspiration to stay in the path without getting distracted into meaningless pursuits which always end in suffering. I find that this book offers amazing inspiration for that exact purpose. I have full convictions in the words of these books and through the bliss experienced by reading and practicing the teachings in the book, I am convinced that I am on the right track. I highly recommend this book to all sincere spiritual seekers!The titles of the seven chapters and some select quotes from each chapter are provided below for reference.Step 1:Use the quotes as practice instructions.Know that a conceptual journeyis not a journey to Awakening."28. Only he who has attained immortal life can save the world. For the ignorant one to help another is but the blind leading the blind.""57. On a verbal level everything is relative. Absolutes should be experienced, not discussed.""82. I cannot solve your problem by mere words. You have to act on what I told you and persevere. It's not right advice that liberates, but the action based on it.""199. The supreme truth is established only in total silence, not by logic, discussion and argumentation."Step 2:Know that the world is a dreamlike illusion."266. Bad thoughts make bad dreams, good thoughts make good dreams, and if you have no thoughts you don't dream at all.""286. The only thing that can help you is to wake up from the dream.""297. My heart wants you awake. I see you suffer in the dream and I know you must wake up to end your woes. When you see your dream as a dream, you wake up. But in your dream itself I am not interested. Enough for me to know that you must wake up.""423. The world illusion has arisen because of movement of thought in the mind; when that ceases illusion will cease, too, and mind becomes no-mind."Step 3:See how the impostor selfperpetuates its imaginary selfand all illusion and suffering"561. Realizing the Self is the only useful and worthy activity in this life, so keep the body in good repair till the goal is achieved. After that the Self will take care of everything and you won't have to worry about anything anymore. In fact you won't be able to, because the mind that previously did the worrying, the choosing and the discriminating will no longer be there. In that state you won't need it and you won't miss it.""574. There are so many who take the dawn for the noon, a momentary experience for full realization and destroy even the little they gain by excess of pride.""587. Without Self-realization, no virtue is genuine.""592. Insanity is universal. Sanity is rear, yet there is hope, because the moment we perceive our insanity, we are on the way to sanity.""613. The dissolution of personality is followed always by a sense of great relief, as if a heavy burden has fallen off.""697. The existence of mind causes misery; and its cessation brings joy."Step 4:Increase your desire for liberation."791: In order to qualify as an aspirant, one must have the absolute conviction that happiness, the sole aim of all living beings, can be obtained not from external objects but only from one's own inmost Self. When one has this qualification, an intense yearning will arise in one's heart to try to attend to and know Self. Indeed for a true aspirant the desire and effort to know Self will become the most important part of his life, and all other things will only be regarded as of secondary importance. When such an intense yearning arises in one, success is assured, for 'where there is a will there is a way'.""812. Questioner: How does one reach the supreme state?Maharaj: By renouncing all lesser desires. As long as you are pleased with the lesser, you cannot have the highest.""816. Suffering has made you dull, unable to see it's enormity. Your first task is to see the sorrow in you and around you; your next to long intensely for liberation. The very intensity of longing will guide you. You need no other guide."808. "…And do not waste energy and time on regrets. Learn from your mistakes and do not repeat them."Step five:Be inspired, encouraged and motivated."921. You have to make an enormous effort to realize the Self. It is very easy to stop on the way and fall back into ignorance. At any moment you can fall back. You have to make a strong determined effort to remain on the peak when you first reach it, but eventually a time will come when you are fully established in the Self. When that happens, you cannot fall.""923. Don't be discouraged by the length of the journey, and don't slacken in your efforts to get home.""927. Don't waste energy on thinking or evaluating how well or how badly you are doing in your meditation.""967. Faith is not blind. It is the willingness to try."973. Try and try again.1171. Only by persistent and determined self-effort and by one's own direct experience is perfection attained, not by any other means.Step six:Turn your attention inward."1287. Fond, foolish people may find joy in pleasure at the moment. Soon it palls and leaves but pain behind.""1320. A sincere aspirant should arrange his work in such a way that he will spend only a portion of his time and energy for maintaining the body, so that he can utilize the remaining time and energy in striving to earn the great profit of Self-knowledge.""1353. Freedom comes through renunciation. All possession is bondage.""1359. All you need is already within you, only you must approach your Self with reverence and love.""1378. One should abandon all cravings for pleasure and attain wisdom. Only the mind that has been well disciplined really experiences happinessStep seven:Practise the most rapid, effectiveand direct methodthat brings the impostor selfto its final end."1439.If you observe awareness steadily, this awareness itself as Guru will reveal the truth.""1451. Questioner: But is it enough to be aware of awareness?Annamalai Swami: You are repeating the question, so I will repeat the answer. If you remain in the state of consciousness, there will be nothing apart from it. No problems, no misery, no questions.""1564. You have heard all this, but you do not rest in the truth. Only by constant practice does the truth become fully established.""1570. Turning one's purified awareness within on the witness as pure consciousness; one should gradually bring it to stillness and then become aware of the perfection of one's true nature.""1574. The universal Self is witness of itself."Very highly recommended!!

It's easy to go overboard when one is blessed with a divine gift like The Seven Steps To Awakening.That's why I'm glad "TF" reviewed this marvelous masterwork first here on Amazon. He did a real reviewer's hard labor -- all the "wise restraint" and understated maximal praise, leaving the rest of us to dance in digital streets like bliss-crazed sadhus.For that's what this inconceivably rare samsaric spell smashing volume called The Seven Steps To Awakening inspires within one: a vast and ongoing joy.Does the review title seem a tad over the top? Well, dear friends, it isn't: not by a hair. I feel no qualms in making what on the face of it seems to be an immature and absurd statement. I'll state it again directly: no putative 'spiritual' book published in any language anywhere can get near what this amazing text has to offer. Within The Seven Steps To Awakening you find no silly blather from neo-Advaitic hustlers on perennial global tour, nor ramblings from self deluded poseurs presenting themselves as "above and beyond" sincere spiritual practice.Instead one is gifted with super de-hypnotizing inductions of truly Realized Vedantic Masters assembled in progressively explosive sequence.They read like metaphysical nuclear bombs from the Armory of Freedom.They blast away your ignorance.They purify your intent.They fortify your ceaseless exertion.Within this clear 238 page volume is everything you need to investigate, zealously practice, and complete the Path to Final Enlightenment from start to finish.These words will guide and awaken you all along the journey to Liberation.Whomever you are.Wherever you are.And these guiding words are -- for all but the most sincere and experienced spiritual practitioners -- almost impossible to both find and recognize for their true worth. Even discovering bejeweled yogis like Sadhu Om (The Path of Sri Ramana Parts 1 and 2) as well as Muruganar (The Garland of Guru's Sayings) takes a lot of digging over the course of perhaps several lifetimes.Michael Langford, the sage author, has done it all for us.He deserves a collective "Thank you, Michael!" from our heart of hearts.The sage also truncates his practice instructions for each of the Seven Stages to the minimum. Stage Seven, for instance, reads: Spend as much time as you can every day practicing the most rapid, effective and direct method that brings the impostor self to its final end. That method is described in the following quotes: (1439-1574).The quotations then follow, as they do in each prior chapter. And each of these quotes, without exception, is liberating beyond measure.The method the author encourages is, of course, Awareness Watching Awareness. And it is to this almost unknown sage that we owe the broadening regeneration and global spread of this simple yet ever deepening Way.My suggestion is to buy multiple copies of The Most Direct Means To Eternal Bliss simultaneously with multiple copies of The Seven Steps To Awakening.Rubber band two-book sets of each wonderful volume.Carry a set everywhere you go.Read from both books avidly.Always have your "spiritual book power pack" within arm's reach.After following the author's practice instructions, flip open a volume at random and inhale the ever clear, vivifying air of Eternal Freedom the words convey.Thank you, Michael, for The Seven Steps To Awakening, one of the most important gifts to sentient beings in our timeless time.