The Importance of Practice

Ep. 44 (Part 2 of 2) | A.H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), renowned author and co-creator of the Diamond Approach, a complete spiritual path that flows out of his direct personal experience and realization, informed by the great wisdom traditions and practices, describes here his own process of inquiry and some of what he has come to discover in his lifelong pursuit to understand the nature of reality and know the truth. 

Hameed tells us answers come in the form of experiences rather than words and that there is no end to what we can realize about our true nature and reality itself. He talks about experiencing the authentic presence of being; the dynamics of realization; the paradox of practice; the importance of curiosity; and the joy of discovery. What makes time possible and what makes timelessness possible? What happens when we die? Throughout the conversation, Hameed transmits a quiet exuberance, humor, profound wisdom, and deep peace. This is a remarkable, inspiring, sometimes astonishing dialogue that will illuminate and exhilarate your understanding of the nature of reality and our potential as human beings. Recorded August 10, 2022.

“Reality really has much more up its sleeve than any human being can imagine.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2

• On death: each of us has a particular consciousness that is undying; death is not the end, but how we live our life will influence how we die and afterwards (00:53)
• Is an initial activation—a “close encounter of the third kind with true nature”—a requirement to enter the Ridhwan School? (07:49)
• What is “runaway realization''? There’s no end to what you can realize about reality or yourself (09:18)
• The importance of true curiosity (12:30)
• The experience of pure, absolute time: what makes time possible and timelessness possible? An example of Hameed’s own inquiry process (13:29) 
• Spiritual discourse and non-standard realization (15:57)
• Becoming alive to the zen of ordinariness (20:02)
• Hameed’s practice: continual inquiry and meditation (22:31)
• Most of Hameed’s awakenings don’t happen in meditation (24:47)
• The dynamic of realization: practice opens us to grace (25:56)
• Opening to transmission (31:59)
• A new kind of presence: non-standard presence is very important to opening to runaway realization (33:12)
• In the depths of nondual realization something arises (36:51)

Resources & References - Part 2

• The Ten Ox Herding Pictures from the Zen tradition 
• Vajra Body, symbol of highest spiritual power
• Hameed Ali, creator of The Ridhwan School and The Diamond Path
• A. H. Almaas, Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery*
• A. H. Almaas,The Alchemy of Freedom: The Philosophers’ Stone and the Secrets of Existence*
• A. H. Almaas, Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type*
• A. H. Almaas, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart*
• A. H. Almaas, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence*
• A. H. Almaas books page on Amazon*
• Diamond Approach YouTube videos with A. H. Almaas

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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A. Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him to inquire into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature rather than the physical nature of the universe. 

He left the academic world to pursue an in-depth journey of inner discovery, applying his scientific precision and discipline to personal, experiential research. This included study with different teachers in different modalities, extensive reading, and continuous study of his own consciousness in an effort to understand the essential nature of human experience and reality in general. Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell