The Open Secret (Tony Parsons)
Another Banal Neo-Advaita Text
[My 1-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Open Secret†by Tony Parsons.]
A fan of my Amazon.com spiritual book reviews sent me a copy of “The Open Secret,†and after reading the super-skimpy text, which I managed in less than fifteen minutes, I’m ready to review it.
First, this book hardly qualifies as a book. It’s fifty pages long, and half the pages are either  blank or just half-full of text.
Second, Tony Parsons has nothing new or profound to say. All he does is parrot the neo-Advaita Vedanta message that there is nothing to be attained (spiritually) because there is no one to become enlightened. Hence, there is no need to exert any effort. Just cease your fruitless seeking and be (free) instead of striving to achieve enlightenment. Zen Buddhism teaches the same thing, but in Zen you’ve got to meditate for years or lifetimes to attain this “non-attainment.†But Parson makes this “non-attainment†sound like a walk in the park. Interestingly enough, Parsons became enlightened in a park, just like Eckhart Tolle. What a coincidence.
If you’ve read one of these banal neo-Advaita texts, you’ve read them all. The script is always the same: The author tells a personal story about his failed spiritual search, describes how he gave up the search, and instructs us to do the same. But if you’re looking for depth and details regarding the awakening process or the awakened state, you won’t find them in these books.
As a public service, I’ve reviewed a number of these neo-Advaita texts at Amazon, and because all of these reviews are one or two stars, it won’t be hard for you to find them.
[My 1-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Open Secret†by Tony Parsons.]
A fan of my Amazon.com spiritual book reviews sent me a copy of “The Open Secret,†and after reading the super-skimpy text, which I managed in less than fifteen minutes, I’m ready to review it.
First, this book hardly qualifies as a book. It’s fifty pages long, and half the pages are either  blank or just half-full of text.
Second, Tony Parsons has nothing new or profound to say. All he does is parrot the neo-Advaita Vedanta message that there is nothing to be attained (spiritually) because there is no one to become enlightened. Hence, there is no need to exert any effort. Just cease your fruitless seeking and be (free) instead of striving to achieve enlightenment. Zen Buddhism teaches the same thing, but in Zen you’ve got to meditate for years or lifetimes to attain this “non-attainment.†But Parson makes this “non-attainment†sound like a walk in the park. Interestingly enough, Parsons became enlightened in a park, just like Eckhart Tolle. What a coincidence.
If you’ve read one of these banal neo-Advaita texts, you’ve read them all. The script is always the same: The author tells a personal story about his failed spiritual search, describes how he gave up the search, and instructs us to do the same. But if you’re looking for depth and details regarding the awakening process or the awakened state, you won’t find them in these books.
As a public service, I’ve reviewed a number of these neo-Advaita texts at Amazon, and because all of these reviews are one or two stars, it won’t be hard for you to find them.
