The keys to self-knowledge and deep contentment

are right here before us in this very moment -

if we can simply learn to live with open awareness. In The Unfolding Now, A. H. Almaas presents a marvelously effective practice for developing the transformative quality of presence. Through a particular method of self-observation and contemplative exploration that he calls inquiry, we learn to live in the relaxed condition

of simply being ourselves, without interference from feelings of inadequacy, drivenness toward goals, struggling to figure things out, and rejecting experiences we don’t want. Almaas explores the many obstacles

that keep us from being present -

including defensiveness, ignorance, desire, aggression, and self-hatred -

and shows us how to welcome with curiosity and compassion whatever we are experiencing.