The Diamond Approach: An Introduction to the Teachings of A. H. Almaas

This great introduction to Almaas'teachings. Reading the books written by A.H. Almaas can be a little dificult to understand, specially for foreigners like me who are not native english readers. This books has the major concepts condensed in only one book. I found this very usefull.

If you're at all curious about what A.H. Almaas is talking about in his many Diamond Approach books, get this one first. He lays out the fundamentals of the teaching about The Work.

A.H.Almaas' diamong approach is a powerful spiritual practice that deals with the unconcious barriers to enlightenment that other spiritual practices overlook. And Davis' book is an excellent summary of the subject. Unfortunately the diamond approach is not available to most people. It can't be practiced on your own. Furthermore, Almaas' own books are difficult to get through. A more accesible approach to this objective can be found in Susan Thesenga's "The Undefended Self."

I arrived at the teachings of A. H. Almaas through Ken Wilber's books. "The universal message of the Diamond Approach," Almaas explains, is that "when we learn how to invite our true nature to reveal itself, it will guide us toward realizing our spiritual ground and, at the same time, actualize our potential in all walks of life." John Davis, one of Almaas's first students (p. xi), now teaches "Ali's" Diamond Approach to human potential here in Boulder, a practice that integrates the ancient spiritual wisdom of Gurdjieff, Sufism, Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism with modern psychological theory (p. 10). "The aim of the Diamond Approach," he writes, "is to live fully and deeply" (p. 3), and like a diamond, the practice is "durable, valuable, precious " (p. 17). In a way that is easy to understand, Davis surveys the main concepts and methods of the Diamond Approach, including teachings on inquiry, the soul, space, essence, self-realization, and pure Being. The practice itself, however, is more challenging. Writers including Wilber, Jack Kornfield, and Tony Schwartz have all recognized the value in the Diamond Approach, and in his book, Davis provides his readers with an introduction to Almaas's Diamond teachings that, well, glitters. G. Merritt