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A review by karrusan
Grounded Spirituality by Jeff Brown
3.0
Spiritual litterateur is always difficult to summarise. If you read it at the wrong time in your life, even Ram Das can sound sententious. I can’t say I read Grounded Spirituality at the right time, but I read it a point when I needed some confirmation for my growing suspension of nonduality as a means of escaping.
Jeff Brown certainly makes a good case why that is so and instead offers a model still rooted in eastern practices, through the lens of western individualism. The book is divided in two parts. The first part Is Brown's biography and it is where the reader will get a basic understanding about the author’s beliefs. It so sort of pitch, but longer.
The second part is a dialogue between Brown and an imaginary character, based on the younger Brown and spiritual seekers he met along the way. If the first part is the textbook, this is the workbook.
I can certainly understand why a lot of people will get triggered by Brown's writing. Though I don’t find it cynical, some of the language used to describe these ancient eastern beliefs and practitioners is generalised. I don’t know a lot about Brown or which people he encountered, but sometimes his criticism is based on points he just assumes. Like the chapter about Eckhart Tolle.
But on a positive note I think the global community of seekers needs people like Jeff Brown. Like the psychedelic community, so many beliefs, rules, worldviews are taken for granted. Brown deconstructs these concepts. Grounded Spirituality may not be the book that will change modern western spiritualism, but it is certainly a worthy addition to an ever growing collection.
Jeff Brown certainly makes a good case why that is so and instead offers a model still rooted in eastern practices, through the lens of western individualism. The book is divided in two parts. The first part Is Brown's biography and it is where the reader will get a basic understanding about the author’s beliefs. It so sort of pitch, but longer.
The second part is a dialogue between Brown and an imaginary character, based on the younger Brown and spiritual seekers he met along the way. If the first part is the textbook, this is the workbook.
I can certainly understand why a lot of people will get triggered by Brown's writing. Though I don’t find it cynical, some of the language used to describe these ancient eastern beliefs and practitioners is generalised. I don’t know a lot about Brown or which people he encountered, but sometimes his criticism is based on points he just assumes. Like the chapter about Eckhart Tolle.
But on a positive note I think the global community of seekers needs people like Jeff Brown. Like the psychedelic community, so many beliefs, rules, worldviews are taken for granted. Brown deconstructs these concepts. Grounded Spirituality may not be the book that will change modern western spiritualism, but it is certainly a worthy addition to an ever growing collection.