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"The most common reason that people turn to spirituality is to deal with suffering. They don't do this by accident, but because every religion promises that it can relieve pain, that faith transcends the sorrows of the flesh, that the soul is a refuge for the suffering heart." ~ Deepak Chopra
For the most part, "The Book of Secrets" is a treat. It is filled with beautiful Indian wisdom that embraces a spiritual lifestyle. There are fifteen secrets that help to explain how you can awaken to your true self. This may remind you of "enlightenment." This book goes deeper than a self-help book because it seeks to unearth the reasons for suffering. Instead of just telling you how to overcome problems, the affirmations seek to change your way of thinking so you can experience more happiness in this life.
Deepak Chopra brings a new understanding to existence and explains how you can live your life with meaning. He shows how you can become the creator of your own life and stresses the importance of the individual who observes the creation.
Throughout the book there are helpful notes on how to meditate or change your life around through a focus on positive thoughts. The idea is more that "as you think, so you become." Some of the secrets include:
What You Seek, You Already Are The Cause of Suffering is Unreality Every Life is Spiritual Everything is Pure Essence
This book covers numerous intriguing topics. Awareness, Happiness, Bhakti Yoga, Buddhism, Chaos, Choice, Consciousness, Cosmic Wisdom, Death, Depression, Dreams, Ecstasy, Energy, Entropy, the Five Kleshas, Generosity, Giving, Good and Evil, Immortality, the Laws of Nature, Love, Mantras, Nonviolence, Pain, Pleasure, Rage, Spirituality, the Theory of Everything, Unity and Wholeness are all discussed in detail.
There were only two items that seemed a little tricky. The idea of evil being the same as good doesn't make sense to me because I believe they are diametrically opposed. There is a good chapter on the shadow self and how it appears in reality. The other area of concern is the idea of Satan and Deepak says: "There is no cosmic Satan to rival God, and even the war between good and evil is only an illusion born of duality."
While this book is quite a complex read, I think at the heart of the message the reader can come to a greater understanding of what it means to be a soul. Life after death is covered briefly and Deepak seems to believe in a heaven and a hell. What he doesn't explain is how your beliefs in this life can affect the destination of your soul. While he talks about Jesus' teachings he doesn't present Jesus Christ as the savior of the soul. For this information you may want to read: The Gospel According to Jesus.
(From quoting Rebecca Johnson, USA)
Target readers:
Motivational and inspirational readers.
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