As some of you know, I consider Adyashanti to be one of the best contemporary spiritual teachers around. He has a way of putting things into words that cuts right through all the BS that you might find in other teachings. One thing I thought was pretty great was that he gives away one of his books, The Way of Liberation.
The Way of Liberation is a short book, but then, most of these teachings are relatively simple. Extremely challenging for most of us, but simple. In the book Adya says "You will get out of The Way of Liberation teachings exactly what you put into them." It is a practical book, meaning we have to apply the teachings in our own life in order to have an hope for success.
The first main section of the book discusses what Adya calls "The Five Foundations," which provide the context for the teaching. I've given a brief overview below:
The Five Foundations
Clarify Your Aspiration - This means knowing what you value most in your life, not in the future, but in each moment. Basically what is most important to you. This is something that should be contemplated deeply rather than assumed. Even though we may think we value truth or reality, sometimes we're putting other values first in the way we act. Clarifying your aspiration isn't a one and done thing, we should come back and reflect on issues relevant to our current understanding in order to stay on the cutting edge of our unfoldment.
Unconditional Follow-Through - After clarifying our aspiration we need to follow through on it. This has to do with what we are willing to do or let go of. Aspiration shows us what we truly love and value, and we reflect that in our actions. By following up on our aspirations with action, we create a strong force for that aspiration to survive any obstacles and distractions in our lives.
Never Abdicate Your Authority - This means taking full responsibility for our lives. No blaming others or having others do the work for us or projecting our own issues onto others. Basically just owning ourselves and our position in life. We can remain open to guidance, but can't follow blindly.
Practice Absolute Sincerity - Adyashanti says "Sincerity encompasses the qualities of honesty, genuineness, and integrity." This means being honest with ourselves and how we are right now, truly owning ourselves despite our flaws. "In order to be sincere you just let go of being judgemental."
Be a good Steward of Your Life - Not using spirituality as a means of avoiding other aspects of life. The Way of Liberation is a way of completely facing yourself and your life without withdrawing into denial, judgement, or magical thinking. It is a means of piercing through the veils of illusion and awakening to Truth."
Just a quick overview of the foundation of The Way of Liberation. I definitely recommend checking out the book. It's free, straight to the point, and well-written.
Thanks for reading!