The Direct Way by Adyashanti
Though he has now retired from active teaching, Adyashanti has left such a wealth of material for us to listen to and read, ‘The Direct Way’ being a particularly fine example.
One of the best things about this book, especially useful if you are developing an interest in non-duality, is that it is very much practice orientated. There are thirty really short chapters, so realistically you could do it in a month. Personally it took me a bit longer, as I liked to continue practising some of the exercises. I’d read one after my morning meditation and take it into my day.
I will included my usual caveat here - you don’t need books to practice. You don’t want to conceptualise too much, and for seeking to become a hobby. Rather, I find books like this serve as an inspiration, helping me to deepen my practice. Some people also work better with videos than books - I’m a mixture of the two.
I found the exercises around awakening the heart to be particularly useful, as it’s something I’ve neglected in my practice. Developing spacious awareness, disidentifying from the ego, resting in the I AM - there’s plenty to work on here.
As in his talks, I find Adya to be clear, direct and possessed of a great ability to be incredibly wise and profound in a couple of short sentences. Like I say, he’ll be missed but what a great legacy. And here’s a free book to download, to see if he resonates with you.