I was just at Chapters and wanted to use my gift card since I only had $3 left on it and went with my gut. It was either this book or Osho's Emotional Wellness. I'm glad I picked this one. I'm not familiar with Michael A. Singer's work and had never heard of him before. His writing is just as penetrating as Eckhart Tolle with less simplicity but more seemingly concise depth. I would suggest this book for anyone interested in exploring awareness and consciousness.
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Chapter - Who Are You? (excerpt)
It starts to become a serious question: "Who am I? Who is having all these physical, emotional, and mental experiences?" So you contemplate this question a little deeper. This is done by letting go of the experiences and noticing who is left. You will begin to notice who is experiencing the experience. Eventually, you will get to a point within yourself where you realize that you, the experiencer, have a certain quality. And that quality is awareness, consciousness, an intuitive sense of existence. You know that you're in there. You don't have to think about it; you just know. You can think about it, but you will know that you're thinking about it. You exist regardless, thoughts or no thoughts.
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If you go very deep, that is where you live. You live in the seat of consciousness. A true spiritual being lives there, without effort and without intent. Just as you effortlessly look outside and see all that you see, you will eventually sit far enough back inside to see all your thoughts and emotions, as well as outer form. All of these objects are in front of you. The thoughts are closer in, the emotions are a little further away, and form is way out there. Behind it all, there you are. You go so deep that you realize that's where you've always been. At each stage of your life you have seen different thoughts, emotions, and objects pass before you. Buy you have always been the conscious receiver of all that was.
Now you are in your center of consciousness. You are behind everything, just watching. That is your true home. Take everything else away and you're still there, aware that everything is gone. But take the center of awareness away, and there is nothing. That center is the seat of Self. From that seat, you are aware that there are thoughts, emotions, and a world coming in through your senses. But now you are aware that you're aware. That is the seat of the Buddhist Self, the Hindu Atman, and the Judeo-Christian Soul. The great mystery begins once you take that seat deep within.