This blog is about spiritual awakening, maps and stages, the blinding effects of our strong momentum/conditioning (karmic propensities), view, realization, experience, etc. If you're new here, I recommend going through the 'Must Reads' articles (see sidebar). For discussions you are welcome to join the Awakening to Reality Facebook group
AtR Dharma Library
Start Here
A short mobile guide to Awakening to Reality's core readings and library sections. The full sidebar library is still preserved after the article.
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Feedback:"The shortened AtR guide is very good. It should lead one to anatta (the experiential realization of no-self) if they really go and read. Concise and direct." – Yin Ling
Download links: PDF ·
EPUB
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This is the original 1300+ page document on which the practice and abridged guides are based.
"I also want to say, actually the main ATR document >1200 pages helped me the most with insight... ...I did [read] it twice 😂 it was so helpful and these Mahamudra books supported ATR insights. Just thought to share." – Yin Ling
"To be honest, the document is ok [in length], because it’s by insight level. Each insight is like 100 plus pages except anatta [was] exceptionally long [if] I remember lol. If someone read and contemplate at the same time it’s good because the same point will repeat again and again like in the nikayas [traditional Buddhist scriptures in the Pali canon] and insight should arise by the end of it imo.", "A 1000 plus pages ebook written by a serious practitioner Soh Wei Yu that took me a month to read each time and I am so grateful for it. It’s a huge undertaking and I have benefitted from it more that I can ever imagine. Please read patiently." – Yin Ling
ATR Guide preview
Listening to PDFs on Various Devices
How to download PDFs and listen with text-to-speech (TTS).
iPhone (iOS 18+)
Download & unzip: In Safari, download the ZIP. Open Files → Downloads and tap the .zip to extract.
Add to Books: In Files, select the PDFs → Share → Books (may appear as “Save to Books”).
Listen with Speak Screen:Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak → Speak Screen → turn on Speak Screen (and optionally Show Controller / Highlighting). Open the PDF in Books, then two-finger swipe down from the top, press Play on the floating controller, or say “Siri, speak screen.” Adjust Voices & Speaking Rate there.
Android
Download & unzip: In Chrome, download the ZIP and extract in the Files app.
Open a PDF: Use Drive PDF Viewer, Acrobat, etc.
TTS options: Turn on Select to Speak in Settings → Accessibility (voices/speed under Text-to-speech output), or use an app like @Voice Aloud Reader.
Windows
Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge.
Click Read aloud (or press Ctrl+Shift+U).
Use Voice options to change voice and speed.
Adobe Acrobat Reader: View → Read Out Loud → Activate → choose a mode; voices in Preferences → Reading.
Thank you so much to all who were involved in this work. I only read the first one so far and looking forward to reading the second book after it is completed. My special appreciation and gratitude to Soh and John for sharing profound dhamma for so long with the world. Most of the paragraphs in the PDF is worth underlining and contemplating. While John provides deep dhamma points, Soh brings those out by asking great questions and complimenting his own realizations.
This is what I see as unique about this writing:
1) covers broadly both non-dual and buddha's teaching. Even with Buddha's teaching you are not limiting yourself to one branch as you share great pointers from theravada, zen, mahamudra etc.
2) you have succeeded in explaining deep dhamma without using any Pali or Sanskrit words!
3) Soh takes great care to share non-dual, I am, one mind, no-mind, awareness, consciousness etc etc using great examples that covers many angles - a feature that I haven't seen in any other great dhamma books.
4) Most writing is a result of their own realization - a rare point in most modern dhamma books and written in practical terms.
5) I also appreciate John's persistence to keep things simple. Most get bogged-down on dogmas and complicated dhamma points that result in stagnation and/or never ending discussions or arguments.
6) though I wish to highlight so many paragraphs, may I finish with only one: "Intuit the vipassana and the samatha. Intuit the total exertion and realization. The essence of message must be raw and uncontaminated by words. It cannot be secondhand." -by John Tan, 2019. May I add that the most important word here is 'intuit (intuition)'. I hope John agrees.
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Thank you so much to all who were involved in this work. I only read the first one so far and looking forward to reading the second book after it is completed.
My special appreciation and gratitude to Soh and John for sharing profound dhamma for so long with the world.
Most of the paragraphs in the PDF is worth underlining and contemplating. While John provides deep dhamma points, Soh brings those out by asking great questions and complimenting his own realizations.
This is what I see as unique about this writing:
1) covers broadly both non-dual and buddha's teaching. Even with Buddha's teaching you are not limiting yourself to one branch as you share great pointers from theravada, zen, mahamudra etc.
2) you have succeeded in explaining deep dhamma without using any Pali or Sanskrit words!
3) Soh takes great care to share non-dual, I am, one mind, no-mind, awareness, consciousness etc etc using great examples that covers many angles - a feature that I haven't seen in any other great dhamma books.
4) Most writing is a result of their own realization - a rare point in most modern dhamma books and written in practical terms.
5) I also appreciate John's persistence to keep things simple. Most get bogged-down on dogmas and complicated dhamma points that result in stagnation and/or never ending discussions or arguments.
6) though I wish to highlight so many paragraphs, may I finish with only one:
"Intuit the vipassana and the samatha. Intuit the total exertion and realization. The essence of message must be raw and uncontaminated by words. It cannot be secondhand." -by John Tan, 2019.
May I add that the most important word here is 'intuit (intuition)'. I hope John agrees.
Is the full Practice Guide available as an ePub anywhere? Much gratitude.
Hi Unknown,
The ePub has just been uploaded: https://app.box.com/s/1yr71xbut8y7gr5qc7c6m4fzfl1bf37s
Hi MarkA,
Thank you so much, MarkA, for your heartfelt appreciation and thoughtful feedback :)