Peter Ralston apprenticeship reading list

[Tonypop100]

This is the reading list Ralston sent me for the apprenticeship what do you think any questions or comments would be appreciated.

Ralston's books:
The Book of Not Knowing (required reading)
Pursuing Consciousness (required reading)
The Genius of Being (required reading)
Zen Body-Being (required reading)
Consciousness Dialogues (required reading)
Ancient Wisdom, New Spirit
Reflections of Being

Other Educational Possibilities: (if you have time)
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Suzuki
Actualizations, Stewart Emery
On Time and Being, Heidegger
The Knee of Listening, Franklin Jones (Bubba Free John)
Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Gregory Bateson
The Way of Chuang Tzu, Merton
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
The Book of Tea
Zen in the Art of Archery
Critique of Pure Reason, Kant (difficult)

Some others:
The Journey to Ixtlan, Castenada

@Leo Gura

[Leo Gura]

Pretty weak list, IMO. But whatever.

[Leo Gura]

@Lauritz Bewer Your question makes no sense.

[Shin]

19 hours ago, Tonypop100 said:

This is the reading list Ralston sent me for the apprenticeship what do you think any questions or comments would be appreciated.

Ralston's books:
The Book of Not Knowing (required reading)
Pursuing Consciousness (required reading)
The Genius of Being (required reading)
Zen Body-Being (required reading)
Consciousness Dialogues (required reading)
Ancient Wisdom, New Spirit
Reflections of Being

Other Educational Possibilities: (if you have time)
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Suzuki
Actualizations, Stewart Emery
On Time and Being, Heidegger
The Knee of Listening, Franklin Jones (Bubba Free John)
Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Gregory Bateson
The Way of Chuang Tzu, Merton
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
The Book of Tea
Zen in the Art of Archery
Critique of Pure Reason, Kant (difficult)

Some others:
The Journey to Ixtlan, Castenada

@Leo Gura

Totally not biased towards Zen Buddhism lol

Don't stay stucked on one particular way, explore more diverse kind of non dual teachers

Edited November 21, 2020 by Shin

[snowyowl]

There's a mixture of perspectives to master: Zen, Castaneda, Western Philosophy, etc. To understand the underlying Truth through these different lenses takes some doing IMO. Heidegger has a reputation for being impenetrable and many people need an interpretation; Zen is paradoxical etc. But it's good to have a variety, just that it starts off being baffling until the penny drops, you get the metaphors and can 'dig the scene' (sorry for my dated 60s expression )

Edited November 21, 2020 by snowyowl

[Tonypop100]

@Arzola you're welcome 

[Tonypop100]

@Leo Gura could you elaborate ive only read peters books and the tao te ching. Some of the books do seem kind of generic though.

Ps I love your book list I've read through most of it.

[UnbornTao]

9 hours ago, Lauritz Bewer said:

@Leo Gura would you consider the books in the booklist or other gems which you've never shared ??

Are you asking for gems that Leo hasn’t shared in his book list? That’s what I gleaned from that.

[Leo Gura]

If you read Peter's books and the books on my book list, then you should be all set.

I will be adding more books to my list, but most will not be enlightenment related.

There is only so much use you can get out enlightenment books. After you read a dozen, they all become the same. To really go to the next level you must drop the books and turn to psychedelics.

[herghly]

@Leo Gura What types of books?

[Preety_India]

33 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

There is only so much use you can get out enlightenment books. After you read a dozen, they all become the same. To really go to the next level you must drop the books and turn to psychedelics.

I'm turning to psychedelics next year. 

 

[eggopm3]

45 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

There is only so much use you can get out enlightenment books. After you read a dozen, they all become the same. To really go to the next level you must drop the books and turn to psychedelics.

If you're open to psychedelic-themed suggestions for the booklist I'd put forward: PIHKAL & TIHKAL (Shulgin), True Hallucinations (McKenna), Diamonds From Heaven (Bache), Sacred Knowledge (Richards). Those are probably the ones where I that I have gained the most educational, historical, spiritual, and entertainment value from (in various proportions). At least so far.

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, herghly said:

@Leo Gura What types of books?

More earthly stuff like government, economics, society, etc.

[How to be wise]

1 hour ago, Preety_India said:

I'm turning to psychedelics next year. 

 

Why not now? If you’re procrastinating now, you’ll procrastinate later.

[captainamerica]

1 hour ago, Preety_India said:

I'm turning to psychedelics next year. 

 

@Preety_IndiaWhich ones are you planning on starting with? 

Edited November 22, 2020 by captainamerica

[Preety_India]

52 minutes ago, captainamerica said:

@Preety_IndiaWhich ones are you planning on starting with? 

San Pedro that is mescaline, also peyote, 

Already did ayahuasca couple of times last year. 

Changa 

 

And pure Dmt 

[captainamerica]

41 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

Already did ayahuasca couple of times last year. 

 

@Preety_India How was your experience? 

I was contemplating having LSD for trauma healing but was worried about these recent crackdowns and arrests happening. Just yesterday I heard about Bharti Singh getting arrested.

Edited November 22, 2020 by captainamerica

[Preety_India]

@captainamerica ayahuasca is a herb. 

You can get it in Mexico. You get ayahuasca tea. I was in places close to Mexico last year. 

In India its not possible to do these things. 

You can go to other countries to do this. 

I'm waiting for Covid-19  to end. Then I can travel to US and order Ayahuasca and San Pedro from Mexico. Better are the facilities in around Austin where I'm planning to go. 

From Austin, I can go to Albuquerque, and then Santa Fe. Synergia Ranch. 

Many shamanic retreat centers in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. 

In India you can't do it. Sorry. 

 

[Preety_India]

@captainamerica Ok, LSD is illegal in India. 

It's also illegal in the US. So don't think about doing it. Do it at your own risk. 

Ayahuasca is not considered a drug, but a herb, similar to San Pedro, Peyote, Acacia, Changa etc. 

Some herbs have hallucinogenic impacts similar to drugs that are pure. 

However they are not the same as Class A drugs.

heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and LSD are Class A drugs. Doing these can land you in jail. 

But doing herbs is not a problem. 

Most herbs are used in teas and concoctions

 

If you want a starter hallucinogen then I'd suggest something as mild as chamomile tea which you can order on Amazon. Gives excellent benefits and clarity of mind. 

Don't try Class A drugs. 

@captainamerica well the beauty of America is that you can go there and do whatever you want.

Asian countries are awfully strict with drugs and psychedelics. 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Preety_India

[captainamerica]

13 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

@captainamerica Ok, LSD is illegal in India. 

It's also illegal in the US. So don't think about doing it. Do it at your own risk. 

Ayahuasca is not considered a drug, but a herb, similar to San Pedro, Peyote, Acacia, Changa etc. 

Some herbs have hallucinogenic impacts similar to drugs that are pure. 

However they are not the same as Class A drugs.

heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and LSD are Class A drugs. Doing these can land you in jail. 

But doing herbs is not a problem. 

Most herbs are used in teas and concoctions

 

If you want a starter hallucinogen then I'd suggest something as mild as chamomile tea which you can order on Amazon. Gives excellent benefits and clarity of mind. 

Don't try Class A drugs. 

 

Okay. Thanks for the advice!

@Preety_India Yeah, I agree. It's really strict in here. Many of the so called smart people and toppers our system produces also cannot reason it out logically, generally speaking. Even the knowledge and academic culture here is full of dogma and ideologies. 

Edited November 22, 2020 by captainamerica