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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 02:35:17 AM
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I have ordered Secrets of Wilder and eagerly awaiting the book to arrive. I'm sure it will be delightful. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 7:28:29 PM
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Radharani,
I just finished reading The Secrets of Wilder for the second time. The first time was when I discovered AYP about a year-and-a-half ago, so it really got me fired up to start on the quest. On this second go-round though, the novel took on even greater depth and became a further affirmation to fuel the bhakti and devotion to daily practice.
It's always a great rush to read favorite novels and have them take on new meaning and power in our lives.
And I think you'll wonder...hmmm...perhaps this little novel has just a touch of autobiography that reflects the life of the anonymous non-guru that wrote it...just maybe, hehehe...
Enjoy! |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 9:10:02 PM
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Yes, it has a touch of autobiography, but it has been enhanced to make it a good read. |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 01:13:04 AM
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can't wait! |
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Yaming
Switzerland
112 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 05:28:07 AM
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it certainly is a great book. The first read through was k. I just started ayp. I didn't think it was great and actually understood why yogani might have had problems to publish it. The swecond time i read it was when I had done about 7 months of AYP. This time it was absolutely great. It fueled my bhakti incredibly.
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Trying
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 07:00:53 AM
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Other than this work of alleged fiction, is there more information in the other books other than what is presented in the lessons, or are they merely compilations of what has already been written here? |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 08:42:45 AM
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Trying: there is quite a bit more in the actual Vol 1 and 2 which contains lessons not posted in the free versions such as enhancements for core meditation, adjustments for sensitivity variations and so on (all the lessons with a * I believe).
Secrets of Wilder was great. I'd love a sequel, or even another stand-alone maybe with a sci-fi/fantasy/survivalist twist...the possible variations are endless while still keeping it unique! I'm sure in the future, an author-practitioner would pick up on the idea as inspired from practice. |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 11:06:56 AM
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quote: Originally posted by Trying
...is there more information in the other books other than what is presented in the lessons, or are they merely compilations of what has already been written here?
The 2 AYP "big" books are more of a compilation of the free lessons here. I haven't read them, so can't comment on if they contain more info than what's presented here.
The "Enlightenment" series is more of a distillation of the lessons. They are smaller and more focused on the practices, without all the Q & As. Personally, I love the Enlightenment series. They are small, but they contain everything you need. And they're easy to give away as gifts. |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 11:34:32 AM
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Also, the Support Forums Posts of Yogani ebook I found to have a ton of good pointers and insights that really clarify how the methods manifest in practice, their relationships, advice on how they apply, individual problems, and so on. It's very comprehensive, so it's guaranteed to have something relevant to anybody. |
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Yaming
Switzerland
112 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 4:23:06 PM
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Oh yeah I would love another stand alone book in the fashion of the wilder book. |
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Leo17
USA
29 Posts |
Posted - Dec 24 2011 : 4:07:06 PM
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I couldn't put Secrets of Wilder down. I've never read a book that stoked my spiritual fire nearly as much as this book. If only I had such discipline as John! |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2520 Posts |
Posted - Dec 25 2011 : 06:23:16 AM
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unfortunately nobody knows who this John is.... |
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vijikr
United Arab Emirates
413 Posts |
Posted - Dec 25 2011 : 07:27:11 AM
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Dec 28 2011 : 9:00:20 PM
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The book arrived today and I've begun reading. ooohh, it is delicious! lovely to fan the flames of bhakti! (then again, these days it doesn't take much, a single word or two...) I'm on page 70 and starting to become impatient for him to figure out that he can consumate the relationship with Devi and still have God, or even more so. |
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vijikr
United Arab Emirates
413 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 01:57:30 AM
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Radharani yep that book once you start reading you just cannt put it down!
Iam gonna reread it again.
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Swan
India
256 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 02:22:53 AM
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I recently got my copy (guess what! it arrived on my B'day ) and I'm going to have a long train journey with it starting tonight (another dimension of journey within journey )
Love... |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 02:34:27 AM
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Swan, happy birthday! Enjoy!
Ok, I'm about halfway through the book and I love, love, LOVE it! Having said that: I do find it quite unbelievable. Oh, not so much the walking on water and healing the crippled girl. No, the parts that I find unbelievable so far are:
1. High school senior Devi wants to throw away her pills and have his baby and they haven't even had sex yet. NOT!
2. This entire complex system of yoga which just happens to parallel the ancient tradition including very specific advanced techniques was essentially created out of thin air by a slightly neurotic teenage boy spending time w*nking off in his room instead of going to college.
If I didn't know better I would say the author of this fictional novel had actually studied, say, Swami Vishnudevananda's "The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga" and/or trained with a yogi from India with whom he later parted ways and for whatever reasons, decided not to reference.
I don't mean the above in a negative way. I'm REALLY enjoying the book!!! |
Edited by - Radharani on Dec 30 2011 02:36:13 AM |
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vijikr
United Arab Emirates
413 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 05:40:45 AM
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Happy Bday swan.Hope your journey along with your inner journey reach the DESTINATION.
Radha dont worry I understand what you mean |
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yogesh
USA
153 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 09:14:07 AM
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I am reading it as well, from the Initiation chapter it seems the I AM mantra is considered as the secret name of God as given in the Judaic/Christian tradition, the I AM Moses heard when he saw the Burning Bush on top of Mount Sinai.
yogesh |
Edited by - yogesh on Dec 30 2011 09:49:13 AM |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 1:10:58 PM
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yogesh: that explanation was just part of the novel. Yogani explains that it is not part of any lineage here. |
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yogesh
USA
153 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 1:58:20 PM
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quote: Originally posted by AumNaturel
yogesh: that explanation was just part of the novel. Yogani explains that it is not part of any lineage here.
so that was entirely fictional? why then do people here refer to it as somewhat autobiographical? and what part is fictional and what part is autobiographical?
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 4:17:00 PM
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Hi Yogesh,
Yogani once said that he had to pack 40 years of personal experience into just 10 years for the novel, so I would assume that most of it is at least based on personal experience, even if the names and situations are different. |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 4:56:37 PM
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yogesh: I wouldn't say a fictional source, just that it has experiential support for effectiveness, which you could say is a 'lineage' of its own, none at all, or one that is in many but also transcends them all. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2011 : 6:54:02 PM
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quote: Originally posted by Radharani 2. This entire complex system of yoga which just happens to parallel the ancient tradition including very specific advanced techniques was essentially created out of thin air by a slightly neurotic teenage boy spending time w*nking off in his room instead of going to college.
If I didn't know better I would say the author of this fictional novel had actually studied, say, Swami Vishnudevananda's "The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga" and/or trained with a yogi from India with whom he later parted ways and for whatever reasons, decided not to reference.
LOL. This is one thing I thought about upon reading the novel. That is part of the book's brilliance and genius. Since yoga and its practices are intuitive investigations of the self via the body and mind, Yogani so artfully created a character that stumbled upon these methods, through a combination of experimentation, visions, dreams, and even direct transmission (Christi Jensen's tapping of the breastbone and releasing i am).
When you strip away all the traditions and trappings of the bodies of knowledge, all that is left is the inquiring mind of a curious boy! Genius! |
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Swan
India
256 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2012 : 10:14:56 AM
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Thank you Radha and Vijikr!
It was some journey! With whole day reading and practices in between, I started feeling overloaded and by the late evening when I am finished I had to run cold water on my head in this winter. The whole thing was very positive, a lot of questions were answered, and a lots new of questions surfaced ...
@ Bodhi Tree - Thanks for sharing your view. I noted with little surprise that all the yogic terms we use here were carefully avoided in the book, because I was expecting to find similarity between the lessons/practice books and 'Secret of Wilder'. If I consider that god gives the power (practices) also along with the purpose, I was wondering why in ten years John did not consider reading about any God Quest made by people in the past. Now what you said does resonate with me.. thanks. |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2012 : 03:54:28 AM
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Bodhi and Swan, I concur that the novel is supposed to illustrate that yoga is a universal/ intuitive/ neurobiological process, and therefore the young Mr. Wilder was able to pull the entire advanced system out of his @ss without any reference to outside sources or existing yoga traditions.
I am nearly finished with the book, and LOVING it, primarily for the continual orgy with i am. But, I still say the plot is quite unbelievable. I would have found it much more believable if Wilder had the desire and then Devi, whose grandma was a yogini, taught him the specific yoga practices (rather than the reverse). Also, nobody could be THAT God-obsessed! |
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