“There is no other teacher but your own soul.”
Swami Vivekananda
“There is no other teacher but your own soul.”
Swami Vivekananda
Readings & Recordings
Readings & Recordings
A small but important collection of books, audio recordings, and videos that, to one degree or another, focus on core aspects of the perennial wisdom. This list is being added to as often as time permits.
A small but important collection of books, audio recordings, and videos that, to one degree or another, focus on core aspects of the perennial wisdom. This list is being added to as often as time permits.
Readings
Joel Goldsmith produce a copious amount of written and recorded materials. But the cornerstone to all of it was his book, The Infinite Way, which was the hub through which all of his other teachings emanated. A small, concise book that will change the way you think about yourself, God, and the world around you.
Robert Adams never wrote any books. But fortunately for us, students recorded many of his talks and then transcribed them into a collection titled, Silence of the Heart. This was the book that introduced me to the concept of Advaita Vedanta and quite literally changed the source of my spiritual journey forever.
Rather than a systematic theological treatise, the Al-Hikam is a collection of Sufi aphorisms penned by Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh al-Iskandarī that are designed to challenge the ego and support the seeker’s quest to know God. Similar to other perennial way teachers, these sayings are often paradoxical, contradictory and speak directly to the seeker’s experiential search (versus more esoteric teachings). Some of the Hikam’s most prominent themes include:
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Trusting in God rather than relying on one’s own efforts.
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Recognizing the subtle role of the ego even in so-called ‘good’ deeds.
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Seeing trials and suffering as divine gifts designed to strip away illusions.
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Understanding that closeness to God is not about external acts alone but about inner purification and surrender.
The Hikam is considered important to seekers because it offers:
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Accessible wisdom – The aphorisms are brief and memorable, making them easy to carry in the heart and meditate upon.
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Correcting illusions – They help seekers distinguish between true reliance on God and subtle forms of egoism disguised as piety or spiritual progress.
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Direct pointing – Like Zen koans or mystical poetry, the Ḥikam seeks to break the reader’s attachment to worldly causes and awaken direct awareness of God’s presence.
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Living tradition – For centuries, Sufi teachers have used the Ḥikam as a training manual for disciples. Commentaries by great scholars (e.g., Ibn ʿAbbād of Ronda, Aḥmad Zarrūq) show how it has remained central to spiritual education.
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Universal relevance – Although deeply rooted in Islamic spirituality, its wisdom often resonates with seekers of all backgrounds who are grappling with self, surrender, and the mystery of divine nearness.
Ramana Maharshi received visitors from all over the world, and though he spent most of those visits in complete silence, his oral teachings were often jotted down by those in attendance. David Godman (what a perfectly suited name) was one such early visitor and opted – even in the wake of Ramana’s death – never to leave. He has become the world’s preeminent scholar on Ramana’s teachings and captured many of them beautifully in this little gem of a book, Be As You Are.
David Carse penned the miracle that is Perfect Brilliant Stillness after his profound spiritual awakening in the Amazon. This book is the best I’ve read on what it means to discover ‘there’s nobody home’ and that the self is pure awareness itself. Carse is a terrific writer and does his best to articulate what cannot be articulated. For a real treat, purchase a copy of the audio version narrated by the late Terrence Stamp. I’ve listened to it multiple times and always come away with something new and revealing.
Using the Heart Sutra as its backbone, The Open Secret employs a collection of essays, poetry, dialogs, and epigrams to tackle the human mind, self, space-time, illusion, and other metaphysical musings through the lens of Zen Buddhism.
William Samuel kicks off his book, Awareness and Tranquility, with this teaser: “Reader, I have discovered a peace of mind and tranquility that are utterly beyond belief – and with the discovery has come the ability to communicate it to others.” Which he does in this and other books, detailing the awareness and gentle presence at the core of all human beings awaiting our own discovery.
Written in 1577, Teresa of Ávila’s Interior Castle is considered a masterpiece of Christian mysticism. At its core, the book serves as a kind of spiritual map leading toward a reunion (return to) with God. As with other great mystical teachings, the journey is described as one of surrender vs self (ego) effort. As one moves deeper, self-centeredness fades and love for God becomes the soul’s entire orientation.Teresa imagined God at the center of a castle made of diamonds or crystals filled with many rooms (aka ‘many mansions’), radiating light to help guide the souls seeking it. for the souls seeking It. The seven mansions or stages of spiritual growth are:
- Awakening: Distracted by worldly concerns, the soul nevertheless begins to turn toward God.
- Growth in Discipline: Still struggling with earthly (material) temptations, the soul begins to pray and meditate more faithfully.
- Active Virtue: While the seeker settles into a devout, disciplined life, the love of God has yet to become all-consuming.
- Beginning of Contemplation: As prayer becomes deeper and more supernatural, God begins to draw the soul inward in quiet love.
- Union of the Will: A kind of spiritual betrothal unfolds with God’s presence constant and intimate.
- Purification through Suffering: The soul undergoes trials, deep longing, and ecstatic encounters with God.
- Spiritual Marriage: Complete union with God, where the soul lives in continual awareness of divine love.
Widely considered the earliest surviving English-language book written by a woman, Julian Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love was a recounting of the 16 divine revelations she experienced during what she imagined was a fatal illness. The visions revealed deep insights into the nature of God, creation, sin and redemption.
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## **Julian of Norwich’s Sixteen Showings**
*(based on the long text’s expanded theological reflections)*
### **1. Christ’s Crown of Thorns**
* **What she saw:** The bleeding head of Christ crowned with sharp thorns, blood running down like rain.
* **Meaning:** The crown represents both Christ’s suffering and His victory. It’s a sign of His unfathomable love and willingness to bear pain for humanity’s sake.
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### **2. Christ’s Face in Passion**
* **What she saw:** Christ’s battered, bleeding face — pale, weak, yet full of love.
* **Meaning:** His suffering is not forced, but freely chosen. The ugliness of the wounds contrasts with the beauty of His love, showing the cost of redemption.
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### **3. God’s Full Reign and Providence**
* **What she saw:** God enthroned in majesty, holding the whole world — as small as a hazelnut — in His hand.
* **Meaning:** All that exists is preserved by God’s love. She hears that God made it, loves it, and keeps it, and that without His love it would vanish.
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### **4. Christ’s Bleeding Body**
* **What she saw:** Christ’s body, torn and bleeding, the blood flowing freely and abundantly.
* **Meaning:** The flowing blood is life-giving — not a sign of defeat, but of God’s generosity. His suffering is a wellspring of healing.
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### **5. The Passion’s Joy**
* **What she saw:** Despite the agony, Christ’s love was steadfast and joyful in purpose.
* **Meaning:** The Passion is an act of deep joy for Christ, because through it He brings His beloved creation back into union with God.
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### **6. Mary’s Role**
* **What she saw:** Mary at the foot of the cross, steadfast and serene.
* **Meaning:** Mary is the model of faith — one who accepts God’s will fully, even without knowing how everything will be resolved.
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### **7. Christ’s Death**
* **What she saw:** The moment Christ dies — darkness, stillness, and silence.
* **Meaning:** His death is the culmination of love; the stillness after is a holy pause before the triumph of resurrection.
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### **8. The Trinity**
* **What she saw:** A vision of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — perfectly united in love.
* **Meaning:** God’s essence is love shared in mutuality, and this love is the foundation of all creation.
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### **9. The Soul’s Union with God**
* **What she saw:** The soul, kept safe in God, like something treasured and protected.
* **Meaning:** God never leaves the soul — even in sin or suffering, the soul remains rooted in divine love.
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### **10. God’s Pleasure in Creation**
* **What she saw:** God delighting in His creation as a joyful parent delights in a child.
* **Meaning:** God’s relationship to us is tender, intimate, and delight-filled, not distant or wrathful.
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### **11. Sin and Its Purpose (“Sin is behovely”)**
* **What she saw:** Humanity’s sin — but also God’s promise to make all things well.
* **Meaning:** “Sin is behovely” means that while sin is not good, it plays a necessary role in the unfolding story of redemption, because it leads to humility and the knowledge of God’s mercy.
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### **12. God’s Assurance: “All shall be well”**
* **What she saw:** A divine promise that in the end, every wrong will be made right.
* **Meaning:** Even the worst of evils will be overcome by God’s goodness — though the “how” is hidden from us now.
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### **13. Christ as Our Mother**
* **What she saw:** Christ as a nurturing mother who feeds us with His body and blood.
* **Meaning:** This maternal imagery expresses God’s tender care, patience, and intimate involvement in our spiritual growth.
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### **14. The Church and the Communion of Saints**
* **What she saw:** The whole community of believers — past, present, and future — united in God’s love.
* **Meaning:** Our salvation is communal as well as individual; God gathers us all together in one love.
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### **15. Longing for Heaven**
* **What she saw:** Her soul’s intense desire to be with God fully.
* **Meaning:** This longing is planted by God, and the fulfillment of it will bring unending joy.
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### **16. Final Assurance of God’s Love**
* **What she saw:** All the visions knit together in one overwhelming sense of God’s eternal, unchangeable love.
* **Meaning:** God is our beginning and our end, and His love never fails. The whole point of creation is this mutual love between God and the soul.
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If you’d like, I can also make you a **single-page visual chart** showing each vision’s imagery, theological meaning, and related quotes from Julian — it’s a really handy way to see the progression from Christ’s Passion to her sweeping vision of divine love. Would you like me to prepare that?
Recordings
Samaneri Jayasāra has studied and practiced Buddhism and meditation in various capacities for over 35 years. She has a PhD and Master’s Degree in education, focusing on comparative spiritual traditions, Buddhism and psychotherapy. She has taught at secondary, undergraduate and post-graduate levels in psychology and counseling, and also worked as a trainer in mental health and crisis intervention in the welfare sector. Her voiced excerpts of various mystics and masters are truly divine. The entire library can be found here.
I stumbled across Chene’s YouTube channel via a compelling NDE video and since then have delved into many of his other productions. Chene is a documentarian who interviews folks who, in one way or another, attempt to shine a light into the nature of truth, what we are, and the nature of reality. One of the things I most enjoy about his videos is that Chene doesn’t include himself in the videos – like the best documentarians, he lets his subjects do the speaking. You can find his channel here. Or, if you prefer a recommended starting point, you might try this one on David Lorimer, an author and speaker on mysticism; or this marvelous NDE by Penny Wittbrodt. Lastly (for now), this piece from Aaron Abke is notable, maybe only to me, because various parts of his journey are so much like my own.