From Self Judgment to Self-Compassion

with A. H. Almaas & Byron Brown

“[Soul Without Shame] is not only a study of the inner critic and how to deal with it, but a clear presentation of how this work can be done in a way that actually helps reveal our true and spiritual nature. In other words, it demonstrates how the work on the inner critic can become a path toward realizing true conscience—the essential conscience of which the inner critic is merely a limited imitation. Byron has also succeeded in demonstrating how the work with the inner critic and the arising of inner spiritual states are related, and how they contribute to and support each other. ” – A. H. Almaas

In this free recording, A. H. Almaas, founder of the Diamond Approach, and Byron Brown, originator of Soul Without Shame, explore ways the Diamond Approach can help us begin to directly address our inner judge and use true strength, compassion, and awareness to reclaim what the judge has taken from us. Also learn more about the online course Soul Without Shame: Exploring the Nature of Self-Judgment that can help us disengage from the judgment process through understanding and deliberate action.

A. H. Almaas is the pen name of A. Hameed Ali, founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. Almaas has authored eighteen books about spiritual realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Beyond Price, The Void, and The Alchemy of Freedom. He is the founder of the Ridhwan School for Spiritual Development, an inner work school devoted to the realization of True Nature. The orientation of the school is directed toward guiding students to realize their true nature to the fullest realization and further still to endless enlightenment.

Byron Brown has been a Diamond Approach teacher since 1990. He leads groups, works with individuals, and trains teachers in the Ridhwan School. He has taught workshops on the superego across the US and in Europe for the last twenty years. His book, Soul Without Shame: A Guide to Liberating Yourself from the Judge Within, was published in 1999 by Shambhala Publications.

Next Step: Soul Without Shame Online Course

The judge, superego, or inner critic shapes and limits our daily life. This psychic entity, which praises, accuses, promises, and threatens, is forever looking over our shoulder to see if we measure up. Invading our relationships and undermining our self-esteem, self-judgment is also the primary force interfering with our personal spiritual work.

This online course will guide you to begin to directly address the inner judge using principles of the Diamond Approach. Through embodied awareness (to support presence) and open-ended inquiry (to bring about understanding), we will learn to recognize and confront the assumptions and principles that keep self-judgment in place. We will cultivate aspects of our true nature that can act as antidotes to self-judgment: awareness, compassion and strength. Most importantly, we will practice disengaging from the judgment process through understanding and deliberate action.

The six segments of the course will each include meditation, lecture, discussion, repeating question exercises, and experiential/movement practices. The course is open to everyone with an interest in and a willingness to confront habitual patterns of self-attack. Bring your courage, compassion, and curiosity.

Here is what you’ll learn when you register for this 6-week online course:

How we orient to our experiences by evaluating them as positive or negative, good or bad, right or wrong—the manifestation of inner judgment
How to bring awareness to and examine judgments, including identifying words used in judgment and examples of judgments of ourselves
How compassion serves as the heart’s direct antidote to judgment
How we can reclaim our essential strength from the superego–our passionate aliveness, capacity, focus, initiative, courage, and bright fullness
Tools for disengagement from the inner critic, including humor, healthy aggression, disinterest, compassion, and active visualization

Learn more and register for the Soul Without Shame Online Course