The Shimmering World: Living Meditation
In my review of Steven Harrison’s Doing Nothing, I remarked that he had been led to the conclusion that the ‘search itself is a means of evasion. Seeking prevents finding, the ego blocks selfrealisation, the questioner may obscure the answer, the self must realise its ground in emptiness.’ This new book is of a different kind, in that it combines his short aphorisms with beautiful matching paintings by Richard Stodart. It is one to keep by the bedside and dip into. Here is a remark on humility: ‘humility is the absence of a particular position in relation to the world around us, the silencing of the critic within, the surrender to the movement of life without interpretation.’ And again: ‘the meditation of where we are is not even spiritual. It is life itself, moving of its own accord, fluid, quiet, beautiful, and self fulfilled.--The Network ReviewThe Shimmering World is a good introduction to this teacher's sometimes challenging approach to living. It includes previously unpublished excerpts from his talks as well as thought-provoking quotes from his books."In the face of the vastness, the magic, the unknown quality of life, and in a moment of true humility, we may discover the actuality that washes away all our concepts."The words in this exquisite little book provide us with a portal to that discovery. Pairing the quite remarkable paintings of Richard Stodart with the profound words of Steven Harrison, The Shimmering World evokes the mysterious alchemy of stillness that transforms us."The fact is that fear is what is unfit for human habitation. Fear needs to be condemned and torn down. Yet we allow fear to operate our lives, and we live, with resignation, in the soul squalor of fear."A gift from the heart for anyone who is moving through a great transition or wants to change their life, this is a companion book for those who need to reach deeper within to come face to face with their truth."We have entered the realm of radical creativity where our art becomes the life we live, the forms we express, the very communication of the undivided energy we have discovered through the living experiment of our self."We don't know anything about the creative space and that is the beauty, passion, and energy of it. That is why it's so alive.Steven Harrison, whose seminal work Doing Nothing helped guide spiritual seekers to the experience of the present without practices, has written five other books on living a post-spiritual life.--Branches of Light: News and Reviews from Banyen Books & Sound; Spring/Summer 2008