Has anybody read Wei Wu Wei's books?

[ethereal]

Here's the review I read:

Terence Gray, a sage, Irish aristocrat, and scholar who wandered the Himalayas before his death in the 1980s, published several important books under the pseudonym, Wei Wu Wei. His books, like Ramesh [Balsekar]’s teaching, emphasize the importance of the deep understanding of the absence of volition and of the “I”. Ramesh has stated that he has read one of Wei Wu Wei’s books, Open Secret (1970), at least a hundred times (Consciousness Writes (1998) private distribution). I have found that Open Secret and another one, Posthumous Pieces (1968), are both extremely powerful and succinct metaphysical pointers to Reality.

I just picked up Open Secret today, and it was mind-blowing After reading a few chapters I had the realization that logically it didn't even make sense why anything should exist at all, and I experienced something close to the Voidness of Nothingness; and then I realized that even though there is Nothingness, I am still experiencing this reality, this body-mind, this universe, and therefore Nothingness is also equivalent to Allness. I don't know what happened, but for hours I couldn't stop giggling at how comical the human drama in this world is

It doesn't even make any sense when I read this now, lol but I give my thumbs-up to Wei Wu Wei. Does anybody else have any comments or experiences with his stuff?

A good intro and links to some extracts:
WEI WU WEI ARCHIVES - INTRODUCTION

[Glass Joe]

Originally Posted by ethereal

After reading a few chapters I had the realization that logically it didn't even make sense why anything should exist at all, and I experienced something close to the Voidness of Nothingness; and then I realized that even though there is Nothingness, I am still experiencing this reality, this body-mind, this universe, and therefore Nothingness is also equivalent to Allness.

Yeah... I think Wei Wu Wei is the cat's pajamas.

I'm guessing you read the brief discussion about Wei Wu Wei in the other thread. And I'm glad you started this thread, because I'd definitely like to hear from others about their thoughts on Wei Wu Wei as well.

I'll try to post some more comments to this thread later on, after I re-read some more of his books.

[Simmiah]

Originally Posted by ethereal

I just picked up Open Secret today, and it was mind-blowing After reading a few chapters I had the realization that logically it didn't even make sense why anything should exist at all, and I experienced something close to the Voidness of Nothingness; and then I realized that even though there is Nothingness, I am still experiencing this reality, this body-mind, this universe, and therefore Nothingness is also equivalent to Allness.[/url]

I haven't personally heard of Wei Wu Wei until now (thanks much! I am curious..) but your quote struck me as reminding me of the Heart Sutra.

"Form is Void. Void is Form."

Hmm.... very interesting! I will be checking out your link.

[Glass Joe]

Here's another collection of Wei Wu Wei quotes.

Wei Wu Wei Quotes

Not as extensive as the "Wei Wu Wei Archives" site already posted above. But it still has a lot of good quotes from all of his books, laid out on one single page.

[JUSTIN2008]

I read some quotes from WEI WU WEI's book on the internet, and I was really shocked , are there any e-books available for online reading for "open secret" and his other books?

his style is quite similar to Ramesh and Ramana Marhashi, I feel.

[Groundless]

I went through a period of little sleep and much spiritual exploration a while ago. The primary book that set me off was I AM THAT and then I purchased five Wei Wu Wei books and read those. Between Wei Wu Wei and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj I finally let go many blocks to being/knowing myself as I really am.

Wei Wu Wei is not for the feint of heart though. Much of it was a difficult read as it is easy to tell Wei Wu Wei liked to flex his vocabulary and sentence structure skills, sometimes, for no benefit to the reader.

Wei Wu Wei would not be an author I would recommend for anyone who is not already somewhat well read in spirituality and/or non-duality matters.

[Jasper Solomon]

I'm so please to see there are plenty of readers of Wei Wu Wei. My search for his out-of-print books from the '60s was sparked off by reading a quote from one of his books:
"“Why are we unhappy?
Because 99.9% of everything you think,
And everything you do,
Is for yourself –
And there isn’t one.”
They slowly became available again through Amazon and Sentient Publications.
I've tried to distill some of his insight in my own web site: www.whatweare.co.uk. This may sound cheeky but he did say in one of his prefaces that you should give away the book if you don't want it but give it to a seeker as, if someone had given it to him when he was seeking, he would have understood earlier. I haven't found anything else with the breadth and depth of understanding in his books but would love to hear of any suggestions.

[Groundless]

Originally Posted by Jasper Solomon

I haven't found anything else with the breadth and depth of understanding in his books but would love to hear of any suggestions.

I AM THAT by Nisargadatta Maharaj is, IMO, better distilled and a slightly easier read. Pretty much the same concepts but less flowery in syntax.

In addition, awakening 101 has lots of good stuff but it is a huge volume of reading and not as distilled as either Maharaj or Wei wu Wei.

AWAKENING 101

[Jasper Solomon]

Thank you Groundless. I go along with your comment on Nisargadatta Maharaj, whose I AM THAT I read avidly, followed by Ramesh Balsekar's (disciple of Nisargadatta) many books. Incidentally, Ramesh pays great tribute to Wei Wu Wei and accepts that his 'knowing' came from his guru and his 'understanding' of what he knows came from Wei Wu Wei.

Awakening 101 looks great as a path and good luck to anyone who wants to take a path and get to somewhere he isn't. Basically this seems to be traditional Zen and could well be an excellent introduction but I sense more and more that young people (and even the not so young) are impatient and not inclined to undertake the interminable path to enlightenment that the traditions prescribe. Enlightenment is instant and unpredictable and it's doubtful whether more people have become enlightened as a result of treading paths than those who have never heard of Zen or Buddhism. The traditions tend to teach that there is somewhere you have to get to , a belief in which is precisely what is likely to prevent it happening.

Wei Wu We sets out the understanding of what the sages in their knowing have tried to convey. Yes, it's an intellectual exercise and his books are mind-stretching but the insights that arise from reading his books are flashes of intuition that, after all, are moments of knowing, any of which can be the trigger that is enlightenment.

It is interesting to note that, in much of the literature by and about the enlightened, they refer to the knowing as overwhelming and blissful but often confess to not knowing what it is they know. Many, after several years and awakening curiosity, start to search for the understanding of what it is they know. It can be a frustrating experience for the seeker to always be presented with the words of the enlightened (who keep on repeating that words are useless to describe what has happened to them) that nothing they do can be of the slightest use in attaining enlightenment. Wei Wu Wei explains why this is the case.

[Alex2007]

Hi guys.

You have put me into temptation to look for those guys you mentioned above.

The "Open Secret" of "Wei Wu Wei" and
The "I am That" of "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj"

I have accessed some excerpts of The "Open Secret" of "Wei Wu Wei" from amazon.com but it seems that his superfluous verbiage doesn't help me.

I will try the recommendation for "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj" though, expecting it to be more comprehensive.

[Alex2007]

Originally Posted by Alex2007

.....
I will try the recommendation for "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj" though, expecting it to be more comprehensive.....

I have found a more concise solution that will not demand that I read the whole book. It is a series of videos. The one I am interested about is called "I am That I am" narrated by Dr.Stephen Wolinsky. found here: I am that I am: Experience the teachings of Nisargadatta Maharaj


"This two and a half hour DVD contains not only The Teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj but also "experiental meditations" to lead the viewer into the I AM, into That One substance from which all phenomena arise. "

Man the guy is very ugly, almost a turnoff ! Look at him here.


You can see a video ABOUT Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj here


You can see an explicit video OF Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj here


Thanks