Contemporary Spiritual Teachers

Robert Adams -- American Advaita master who passed away in the mid-1990s. Is very respected in the Advaita circles in part because he was a direct disciple of the great Ramana Maharshi, and did not come only through Ramana's disciple Poonjaji as most other Westerners of that lineage have done so.

H.W.L. Poonja -- Former disciple of Ramana Maharshi who empowered a number of Western students to teach in the West. Passed away in 1997. Poonja was no wallflower but a somewhat volatile and autocratic teacher. Came under criticism at times from some for perceived inconsistencies in behavior. Has had a large body of devoted supporters.

U.G. Krishnamurti -- The notorious "anti-guru" guru. Claimed to have no message and no disciples, but attracted admirers and followers anyway by virtue of his brashness and implied grasp of the ultimate truths. Interesting and entertaining but needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Passed away in 2006.

Richard Rose -- Relatively low profile American teacher who was something of an independent maverick and has been likened to an old-fashioned Zen master and "the greatest man never known." Similar to Gurdjieff in disposition, but very unique as well. Passed away in 2005.

Ramesh Balsekar -- Former student of and translator for Nisargadatta Maharaj. Was once the president of a major Indian bank. Now elderly and respected by many for his clarity, simplicity, and grasp of the principles of Advaita.

Jean Klein -- Highly respected Advaita teacher, originally a Western medical doctor who was drawn to India in the 1930s and after many years of study and practice returned to the West to teach. His writings are very good for more intellectually inclined seekers.

Bernadette Roberts -- Christian contemplative. Not all that well known and doesn't have her own website but was one of the more respected female spiritual teachers of the 20th century, mostly by virtue of her naturally occuring realizations.

Douglas Harding -- British architect-turned-philosopher and spiritual teacher. Remained exceptionally clear and vital while teaching into his late-90s. Passed away in 2006.

Tony Parsons -- English Advaita teacher. His teachings are amongst the purest and most simplified expressions of non-dualism available. Much like Poonja and Ramesh Balsekar, he has only become widely known in his elder years.

Stephan Jourdain -- Elderly French mystic whose teachings are based on his "radical awakening". Lived as a businessman most of his life, low profile, not very well known outside of France, but dialogues with him indicate a profound understanding.

John deRuiter -- "Jesus of Edmonton". Canadian teacher who is held in very high esteem by many on the guru-circuit. Is renowned for his stillness, both physically (he hardly moves an inch for hours on end in his very long meetings) and energetically. Some find him difficult because he generally does not give intellectual explanations, inclining more toward silence or short, pithy expressions.

Toni Packer -- Former Zen nun appreciated by many for her simpleness, lack of pretention, and non-embellishment of the essence of Zen.

Gangaji -- Considered by many to be H.W.L. Poonja's most well known ambassador in the West, but also a respected Advaita teacher in her own right.

Andrew Cohen -- Former student of H.W.L. Poonja who was empowered by his master to teach in the West, but who ultimately turned against Poonja due to complex reasons documented in his unusually open and honest book Autobiography Of An Awakening. Andrew's strength has been in his willingness to explore dialogue with other teachers, something rarely done by gurus with followers.

Adyashanti -- Popular West Coast Zen master whose teachings are a blend of Zen and Advaita. He is both very clear and original in his grasp and expression of nondual principles. Adya does not much care for travel and teaches mostly in the Bay Area of California.

Francis Lucille -- Former French nuclear physicist who dropped his profession after his spiritual awakenings. Still retained his scientifically trained intellect however which is why his explanations of non-dualist philosophy are some of the clearer ones around.

Eckhart Tolle -- Well known author of the popular book "The Power Of Now". Tolle is unusual in being both a bestselling popularizer of enlightenment teachings and a teacher of genuine realization at the same time. He awoke spontaneously in his late 20s following a deep depression. The independent path he followed is reflected in his teachings which center on nonduality but which are not traditional Advaita or Buddhist teachings.

Jed McKenna -- Recently published two unusual books that present "politically incorrect" expressions of enlightenment. Some believe that "Jed McKenna" is a fictional character, along the lines of Castaneda's "don Juan" or Dan Millman's "Socrates", but all the same his writings are original, entertaining, and worth a look.

Ken Wilber -- Not a spiritual teacher per se and claims to have no students, but his books are some of the best ever written on spiritual philosophy and he's considered one of the more important American writers of recent times in the area of consciousness theory.

David Deida -- Not a traditional non-dual spiritual teacher, but his work in the area of recognizing the deeper meanings of spiritual relationship and the higher values of both masculine and feminine genders has been appreciated by many.

A Few Personal Favourite Books

The Three Pillars Of Zen -- by Roshi Philip Kapleau. The best book on practical Zen Buddhism I've read. Very moving and inspirational personal accounts of seekers breaking through into enlightenment.

Only One Sky: On The Tantric Way Of Tilopa's Song Of Mahamudra -- by Osho (also titled "Tantra: The Supreme Understanding"). The finest book on Tantra I've read.

The Book Of Secrets -- by Osho. The ultimate guide book for transformational meditation methods, by a teacher with unrivalled scope of practical spiritual knowledge.

For Those With Little Dust: Pointers On The Teachings Of Ramana Maharshi -- by Arthur Osborne. Superbly written book about the incomparable Advaita sage Ramana Maharshi. This was one of the few books that ever evoked an extended satori experience in me just by reading it.

The Knee Of Listening -- by Adi Da (Da Free John). A spiritual autobiography of unsurpassed clarity, brilliance, and detail in describing the awakening process.

Easy Death: Spiritual Wisdom On The Transcendence Of Death And Everything Else -- by Adi Da (Da Free John). I've read a number of books on the process of dying and the meaning of death in the context of a spiritual life; this one is by far the best contemporary treatment of the subject.

In Search Of The Miraculous: Fragments Of An Unknown Teaching -- by Peter Ouspensky. An excellent narrative account of Ouspensky's years with the enigmatic and captivating Greek-Armenian master G.I. Gurdjieff. This book is commonly recognized as being more effective than Gurdjieff's own writings.

The Fourth Way -- by Peter Ouspensky. Verbatim transcripts of question and answer sessions between Ouspensky and seekers. An excellent, lucid explanation of the nuts and bolts of Gurdjieff's system, with emphasis on self-remembering. The whole book is somewhat ironic in that Ouspensky repudiated the entire "system" at the end of his life, but that should be seen as Ouspensky's destiny rather than any inherent flaw in the teachings themselves.

Teachings Of Gurdjieff: A Pupil's Journal -- by C.S. Nott. An excellent account of life with Gurdjieff by Stanley Nott, a student of Gurdjieff who was present at his center in France in the 1920s. This is one of the best books about Gurdjieff that was written by both a serious seeker and an actual disciple of the master, describing the Work from that perspective.

Witness: The Story Of A Search -- by John G. Bennett. This is Bennett's autobiography. A student of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, Bennett was a quality thinker and teacher in his own right. Part of the charm of this book is Bennett's honesty about his own human failings, despite his copious writings and obvious deep realizations.

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism -- by Chogyam Trungpa. This book had a powerful influence on me when I first read it at age 21. Trungpa was a controversial Tibetan master of uncommon psychological sophistication who died too young, in his 40s.

The Tibetan Book Of The Dead -- by Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup and W.Y. Evans-Wentz. This is the original translation of the Bardo Thodol, the ancient Tibetan text describing the experience of the "Bardo" or after-death realms, with an interesting forward by C.G. Jung. More recent translations have been written by Chogyam Trungpa and Robert Thurman, which are easier to read, but the original Evans-Wentz text along with Jung's introduction is a classic. Together with Adi Da's writings, this book is one of the few teachings that accurately describes the death process and what really happens to us after the body dies, in my opinion.

Love Does Not Condemn -- by Kenneth Wapnick. A comparative analysis of the metaphysics of A Course In Miracles, Gnosticism, Platonism, and Christianity, by a first-rate scholar and one of the chief interpreters of ACIM.

Holy Madness -- by Georg Feuerstein. One of the most absorbing and interesting books written about the phenomenon of the "crazy wisdom" master, those "rascal gurus" who are highly unconventional in their behavior.

Journey To Ixtlan -- by Carlos Castaneda. Of all of Castaneda's books, this one is my favourite. Lucid, wondrous, engrossing tale of Castaneda's apprenticeship to an old shaman. I first read it as a 16 year old boy in 1975, and it opened my mind up more powerfully than any drugs did, which is ironic given that this was the only one of Castaneda's earlier writings in which he was not narrating his experiences with powerful hallucinogens.

Tales Of Power -- by Carlos Castaneda. The fourth book in Castaneda's series, and the last one before his writings began to take on a more fictionalized quality. This book is riveting, entertaining, and profound all at once. At this point in his story it was becoming evident that "Juan Matus" was likely a purely literary creation, but the narrative and teachings remain pure gold.

Memories, Dreams, Reflections -- by C.G. Jung. Jung's memoirs. Well written, absorbing stuff by a psychotherapist of uncommon spiritual quality.

Magick In Theory And Practice -- by Aleister Crowley. Crowley was a serious seeker, a scholar of the perennial wisdom, and something of a rogue as well, much like his contemporary Gurdjieff. But he was ultimately harmless, all attempts to cast him in wicked (or grandiose) lights notwithstanding. He had a very strong grasp of Taoism, Yoga, and Western esoteric tradition. Despite the eccentricities of his character, this book is a very good read.

The Tree Of Life: An Illustrated Study In Magic -- by Israel Regardie. Written by Regardie in his 20s, and published in 1932, this eloquent work remains a classic textbook on the Western esoteric tradition.

The Religions Of Man -- by Huston Smith. The classic introduction to the world's wisdom traditions, written by a fine scholar who understood the original spiritual impulse behind all religions before they got entangled in doctrine and dogma.

Coming Home -- by Lex Hixon. What Huston Smith did for the major religions, Lex Hixon did for mysticism, in this excellent book describing the major pathways to enlightenment from the world's great Eastern and Western esoteric traditions. Hixon was both a scholar and devoted practitioner himself of many of these pathways.

Siddhartha -- by Herman Hesse. The classic novel about a seeker named "Siddhartha" who lived during the time of that other famous "Siddhartha", who later became known as the Buddha. Hesse's tale is innocent, simple, and inspiring. I read it in my teens and along with Castaneda it was a major influence on me at that time.

Collision With The Infinite -- by Suzanne Segal. A strangely readable and compelling little book about one woman's difficult struggle with coming to terms with the experience of no-self, and with the depth of her spiritual realization. As it happens she died of a brain tumor not long after publishing this book, making it all the more interesting. The strength of the book lies in its openness and honesty.

Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy In Man -- by Gopi Krishna. A spiritual autobiography that takes place in India during the 1930s-40s, describing in detail the horrific states of terror undergone by a seeker who prematurely awakens his "kundalini" energy. Not the deepest spiritual classic but a gripping narrative that touches on the rarely considered "dark side" of spiritual practice and the precarious psychological consequences that can arise from a spiritual ambition that is forced and lacks guidance.

Life Of Osho -- by Sam. I was a committed disciple ("sannyasin") of Osho from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, up to the point where I began to teach, run my own groups, and follow my own "star". Although I saw Osho in a very great light, I was also present at the ill-fated commune in the Oregon desert in the mid-80s and saw first-hand the collapse of the community at that time. This book, written by a former disciple going by the pen-name "Sam", succeeds in striking a fair balance between acknowledging Osho's strengths as a spiritual master and providing appropriate criticisms. The book is no spiritual classic but rather a fair-minded look at an extremely complex teacher and his legacy.

Scribed/Spirit-Guided/Channeled Teachings

So-called "spirit-guided" or "channeled" teachings (or equivalent claims) have been in existence for thousands of years, back to the Delphi Oracle of ancient Greece, through the Christian Bible, and up to the State Oracle of Tibetan Buddhism. In the "new age" that began in the 20th century largely via the influence of teachers/mediums like H.P. Blavatsky and Alice Bailey, spirit-guided teachings proliferated, especially from the 1970s onward, but it can be safely said that the vast majority of channeled information is heavily esoteric and not especially inspiring, often focussing on simplistic good-evil dualistic worldviews. That said, there have been at least two strong exceptions to the collective mediocrity. These two exceptions have been so extraordinary in quality as to easily rival some of the most profound teachings ever given by embodied masters. We refer here to A Course In Miracles, scribed by the psychologist Helen Schucman from 1965 to 1972 based on dictation from a "Voice" alleging to be that of Jesus; and to the transcripts of "Seth", an alleged spirit guide who communicated via the medium of Jane Roberts from 1963 to 1984.

A Course In Miracles -- Full Text, Workbook, and Manual For Teachers. A profound teaching of both great spiritual and psychological depth, and literary beauty. Though utilizing conventional Judeo-Christian languaging, ACIM is in fact a nondualistic teaching that has more in common with Buddhism, Advaita, or some branches of Gnosticism, than it does with contemporary Christianity.

Foundation For A Course In Miracles -- Site dedicated to ACIM and its teachings as interpreted by Ken and Gloria Wapnick.

Circle Of Atonement -- Site dedicated to ACIM and its teachings are interpreted by Robert Perry, Allan Watson, and Greg Mackie.

How to hear the Voice of God -- DavidPaul Doyle and Candace Doyle, authors of The Voice for Love are dedicated to inspiring, teaching and supporting others in hearing the Holy Spirit as described in A Course In Miracles.

The Teachings Of Seth -- Site for Seth, the name of the "spirit guide" who communicated through Jane Roberts. Seth was considered one of the first of the well known spirit guides to appear in the latter part of the 20th century, but few of the subsequent ones ever matched the level of sophistication and depth of insight found in his teachings.

Miscellaneous Sites of Interest

Non-Duality Salon -- Huge site containing copious information on non-dualism, philosophy, etc.

Realization.Org -- Comprehensive site dealing with enlightened spiritual teachers in the non-dual tradition.

Advaita.Org -- Large site dealing mostly with the Advaita tradition, with many links to established teachers. This site was created by Dennis Waite, who is the author of the excellent "The Book of One: The Spiritual Path of Advaita."

Sarlo's Guru Ratings Service -- Compilation of information on spiritual gurus, mostly modern, some ancient. Part serious, part satire. Extremely funny and entertaining in places.

Sacred Sanctuary -- Spiritual poetry.

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The author of this website can be contacted at pmistlbergerATyahoo.com