A.H. Almaas Archives - Diamond Approach Online

A multi-venue channel for commentary, dialogue and inquiry with A. H. Almaas, founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-realization.

In the Diamond Approach, true identity is referred to as the point of existence as it is this point that gives existence to all elements of a human life. Thus, points of interest expresses the where, what, when of dialectic interaction between two points of existence.

THE DIAMOND APPROACH

An Overview of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization by A. H. Almaas The Diamond Approach is a contemporary spiritual teaching that developed within the context of awareness of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychological theories; hence the perspective of this teaching recognizes the inherent synthesis between the spiritual and the psychological domains of experience. The spiritual and the psychological can be separated only in theory, for in experience, they are two dimensions of the same human consciousness. Recognizing this truth makes it possible to approach the path to inner realization informed with modern psychological knowledge. Thus, understanding one’s psychological experience opens one’s consciousness to the deeper truths of our spiritual nature. This teaching approaches the path by considering,

November 16, 2021 No Comments

Dogen: The Founder of Soto Zen in Japan

In this lecture, A. H. Almaas introduces the 13th-century Zen master Eihei Dogen Zenji, founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan. Speaking not as a scholar but from lived spiritual understanding, Almaas highlights Dogen’s unique realizations—many of which challenge modern assumptions and expand the boundaries of contemporary spiritual thought. A timely and insightful look at a profound yet often misunderstood teacher. https://youtu.be/4hqUcX_D8H8 Download a Handout with the Quotations from this Lecture Summary In 1228 CE, the Japanese monk Dogen returned to his homeland from China, where he had lived for four years and received Dharma transmission from the Buddhist master Rujing. Dogen went on to introduce the practice of zazen in Japan and founded the school of Soto

October 11, 2021 No Comments

Dzogchen in the West

In this illuminating talk, A. H. Almaas explores the ancient Tibetan teaching of Dzogchen—not as a teacher of the tradition, but as a fellow practitioner and spiritual researcher. Drawing on his own experiences and observations, he reflects on how Dzogchen has been introduced and practiced in the West compared to its transmission in Tibet. Using the foundational “Three Statements of Garab Dorje” as a framework, Almaas offers valuable insights into the power, potential, and pitfalls of the path, and how Western practitioners might approach Dzogchen in a way that honors its depth and transformative potential. https://youtu.be/m5DqqmvJb2g Download a Handout with the Quotations from this Lecture Summary Garab Dorje lived in the first century CE and was the original teacher of

September 28, 2021 No Comments

Advaita Vedanta: That Thou Art – (Tat Tvam Asi)

In this lecture, A. H. Almaas will explore some of the most widely known Vedantic teachings of our times and situate them within their Indian origins, to help those interested in the rich tradition of Advaita Vedanta to understand what the classical teaching requires from students—something that is not often emphasized by Western teachers of nonduality. https://youtu.be/YgobVNir4tI Download a Handout with the Quotations from this Lecture A Nondual Teaching of Hinduism The first texts of Advaita Vedanta, a nondual teaching of Hinduism, date to 500 CE. Through the ages, it has remained a powerful force in India. The great 20th-century teacher Ramana Maharshi employed Vedantic methods of inquiry into the nature of the self. His spiritual path centered on the

September 17, 2021 No Comments

Krishnamurti: His Experience

In this lecture, Almaas will explore Krishnamurti’s inner experience, including the headache that lasted most of his life, and the possible reasons for it. His was an unusual kind of spiritual transformation, which will be instructive for many these days, for it points to uncommon kinds of spiritual potentialities.  https://youtu.be/qKl6wM_DukE Download the Lecture Handout for the quotes referred to in the lecture An Unusual Life Most academic disciplines leave our personal lives as a purely personal matter. While engineers and scientists may privately hold religious views or engage in spiritual practice, their public work stays separate. However, this is not true across all fields, professions, or disciplines. The lives of our religious icons and spiritual teachers are usually seen to

May 7, 2021 No Comments

Jiddu Krishnamurti: His Teaching

In this lecture, A. H. Almaas explores the radical teachings of 20th-century spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti, whose revolutionary approach to awareness, perception, and the dissolution of the self helped awaken countless seekers to the truth of non-dual consciousness. Almaas will illuminate Krishnamurti’s contribution to modern spiritual practice, exploring the role of observation without conceptual overlay. https://youtu.be/h6o0_SgW_lc Download the Lecture Handout for the quotes referred to in the lecture An Important Figure in Transformation of Consciousness Mindfulness has become quite a popular topic in current culture, with innumerable books, courses, and teachers extolling its virtues. The eminent spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) took an important step forward in the twentieth century in the study of the transformation of consciousness, spearheading a

April 3, 2021 No Comments

Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Neglected Teachings

In this lecture, Almaas will carefully investigate Nisargadatta’s experience of “I am,” pure awareness, and the Absolute, in order to clarify an understanding of his teaching and bring appreciation and greater precision to the levels of self-realization that can be achieved by spiritual practitioners. This is an important understanding that is missing in many nondual teachings. https://youtu.be/TDA1KlIi_Ps A Pioneering Teacher of Nonduality Nisargadatta Maharaj’s famous tome I Am That, first published in 1973, describes a path to self-realization through non-identification. He was a member of a particular lineage and received teachings and instructions from his guru, and then went on a personal quest before settling to teach. I Am That remains a popular book—and although he died 40 years ago, Nisargardatta is well-known

March 12, 2021 No Comments

spirituality transcendence transformation (1)

Spiritual Transcendence and Transformation (Diamond Approach)

From the beginning. . . …it’s important to know the distinction between spiritual transcendence and spiritual transformation. Most teachings, especially those that come from the East or are influenced by the East, tend to emphasize spiritual transcendence and teachings that come from the West, like the Kabbalah, tend to emphasize spiritual transformation. This doesn’t mean they are mutually exclusive. (This post is derived from a recorded live presentation. Some minor edits have been made. Quotes and images added for emphasis and to show a certain amount of agreement between other recognized nondual teachers.) Dictionary Definitions: Transcendence: existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level. Transformation: a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance; a metamorphosis during the life cycle of

March 9, 2021 No Comments

Perspective of the Work (Diamond Approach)

A. H. Almaas – 6/21/1981 I want to give a perspective that somehow delineates, not that this Work (the Diamond Approach) is available and useful, but to delineate its nature and how it is different from other kinds of Work. What does this mean? That’s the part that is really difficult to see, because many of you have never been involved with other kinds of Work. Many of you have never really done any deep work in essential development or deep work in a psychological sense. So it’s hard to get a perspective when you have nothing there to compare it with. I think that by having a perspective of what’s available here, how it is different or similar to

December 22, 2020 No Comments

Harmony of Centers

Three elements needed for the process of understanding To be able to turn away from something, to turn away from a certain experience, a certain sort of image, your identity needs to be at a deeper level than that self-image in that moment. You cannot turn away or disidentify from something if you happen to be identified with something that is more superficial than what you’re intending to disidentify from. This post is an excerpt from a teaching by A. H. Almaas in July of 1983 So, if you are identified with a certain self-image, and then there’s a feeling that arises and you find yourself unable to turn away from it, it might be because it is at a

November 23, 2020 No Comments