Update: Awareness approaches, Buteyko Breathing, Sam Harris meditation approach, Michael Langford's Awareness BLISS book.

 

Quick update: (June 2026)

• Completed some work-related courses and learning about Lean Thinking. This unintentionally also affected my approach to spiritual/psychological practice by focusing on keeping systems, instructions, methodologies as 'lean' and simple as possible

• A major breathrough occurred a few months back with the learning and applying of Buteyko Breathing techniques. I originally looked into this and learned and applied it for health reasons, and it has had a major effect on meditation and mindfulness practices as well. It has become one of the biggest 'hacks' for spiritual practice as well as living life in general. If you haven't looked into this, as a part of breathwork, then it is a must. Can't overstate the impact of this way of functionally breathing and its effects.

• Unexpectedly took an interest in Michael Langford's BLISS (Awareness teachings) again. This time it feels different. Better and much more effective, thanks largely due to Buteyko Breathing Technique and reduced breathing in general. It is creating a landing base for the AWA practice to actually launch from. GPT conversations confirm the logic in this as well.

• Further, Sam Harris type meditations have yielded some results in terms of awareness being approachable 'out there' and not just 'within'. SH's approach is Dzogchen-like and a much more relaxed recognition vs many of the advaita self-enquiry instructions, which can inadvertently lend themselves to over-effort in focusing or becoming aware of awareness "within" vs without. 

Notes on Michael Langford's teachings on Awareness. Awareness watching awareness. The Most Direct Means.

 

I had been recommended Michael Langford's awareness teachings last year. I actually went though Michael Langford's awareness teachings, books, and methods probably about 15 years ago now, and credit him (and his book "The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss") with actually starting me on the nondual path after years on the progressive path.

So I thought to revisit ML's teachings once again, and really do a deep dive into those teachings, methods, and approaches related to awareness and ML's version of the direct path / awareness teachings. His main claim to fame on the Internet at least is the BLISS book, and the Awareness watching Awareness method. This is quoted by some aspirants of paths such as Zen, Advaita, and certain pockets of followers of Nisargadatta and/or Ramana Maharshi.

I'm just going to list down some Plus/Delta or in other words some pros and cons of Michael Langford's teachings according to MY experience. This is not to say there's anything wrong with ML's teachings or approach- in fact, there's a lot of GOOD points in his approach. However, for me personally, there's a couple of red flags that caused obstacles for me following his approach, and ultimately led to me moving on at some point due to various factors, which I will list below. If you feel led to give ML's approach to awareness teachings a try, by all means, go for it, and most of the resources are online for free (to ML's credit).

Pros

• Emphasis on practice, practical means, direct practical instructions in an easy to follow manner. Not at all interested in philosophy or theoretical distractions.
• Clean, concise, easy to understand language
• Repetitive ideas and instructions that lend themselves to hammering home the point that ML is making, such as the importance of practice over thinking, and the importance of having a burning desire for liberation
• Overall, a tried and tested approach to attaining I AM awareness, or the identification with awareness and disidentification with the false self or ego
• Good starting point for getting into the awareness and nondual teachings. Many pointers and references for classic teachers such as NM and RM etc., that can be used by the aspirant to go away and study or take up
• Author's own experience is used. ML isn't afraid of detailing his own experiences and failures and successes
• Great analysis of the ego, false self, and the strategies and tricks that the ego uses to maintain its own validity and illusory existence

Despite the issues that I personally had with ML's approach, I would still advise one so interested or attracted to this approach to "have a go" at the Awareness watching awareness method, read "The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss" and possibly some other books by Michael Langford and related. If anything, just for the experience of how challenging it can be to do nothing except attempt to 'watch awareness' for minutes, hours, days on end. There is a concessional practice given, which involves letting go of effort, and thought. There is also an emotional acceptance practice detailed called The Loving-All Method, which is worth a look and test run.

Why does experiencing awareness, as it is, seem so difficult for a lot of people?

 Why does experiencing awareness, as it is, seem so difficult for a lot of people?

Experiencing awareness, or simply being present in the moment, or simply being, can indeed be challenging for many people due to a variety of reasons:

1. **Constant Mental Activity:** Our minds are naturally active, constantly thinking, analyzing, and processing information. This mental chatter can make it difficult to focus on the present moment without being carried away by thoughts about the past or future.

2. **Cultural and Societal Conditioning:** Many cultures and societies emphasize productivity, achievement, and goal-oriented thinking. This conditioning can make people feel guilty or unproductive when they simply "be" in the moment without a specific purpose.

3. **Stress and Anxiety:** Stress and anxiety can dominate one's thoughts, making it challenging to be present. Worries about the future or regrets about the past can consume a person's mental energy.

4. **Attachment to Technology:** Our modern world is filled with distractions like smartphones, social media, and constant connectivity. These technologies can pull people away from the present moment and into a virtual or digital reality.

5. **Lack of Mindfulness Practice:** Awareness and presence are skills that can be developed through mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, or simply paying deliberate attention to the present. Many people have not been exposed to these practices or have not made them a part of their daily lives.

6. **Cognitive Overload:** In today's information age, people often experience cognitive overload, where they are bombarded with a vast amount of information and stimuli. This can make it difficult to filter out distractions and focus on the here and now.

7. **Emotional Disturbances:** Strong emotions, such as anger, fear, or sadness, can pull people away from the present moment. When emotions become overwhelming, individuals may find it challenging to remain aware and centered.

8. **Ego and Self-Identity:** People often identify strongly with their thoughts, beliefs, and self-image. This attachment to the self can create a barrier to experiencing pure awareness because they are always interpreting the present through the filter of their self-concept.

9. **Lack of Time:** Many people lead busy lives, and the demands of work, family, and other obligations can leave little time for contemplation or self-awareness.

10. **Fear of Facing the Self:** Some individuals may avoid being present because it requires confronting aspects of themselves they'd rather avoid. This can include past traumas, unresolved issues, or uncomfortable emotions.

Despite these challenges, there can be great benefit in stopping for a few moments and simply being aware- not necessarily of any object, but just aware. Cultivating an awareness of being aware itself. It can reduce stress (in the form of constant subject-object tension), improve mental health, enhance relationships, and provide a greater sense of fulfillment. Overcoming the obstacles to experiencing awareness, just as it is, often involves first developing some attentional skills, mindfulness type skills and making a conscious effort to prioritize a sense of 'presence' in daily life.

"I am- I wish to be.

"I am- I wish to be."

This enigmatic Fourth Way phrase (attributed to Gurdjieff and his groups) can be taken in many different ways- all with different results depending on the focus.

Much has been written by Gurdjieff on what he means by the words 'to be', though usually these words point to 'be-ing' in a way that involves conscious, self-aware, and non-automatic, living. 

One way the above phrase may be used, in order to enable (or rather) promote self-remembering, (ie self-awareness and direct self-knowledge aka nondual awareness and countless other phrases of similar meaning), may be as--

verbally saying and noting -

"I am" - which brings one back to one's self in this moment, including but not limited to sensations, perceptions, identifications, etc. The whole of one's self, especially including one's being-ness which is the background of awareness that includes all of the above external objects. In short, a sense of personal being-ness, am-ness etc.

(pause)

"I wish to be." - which sets one simply in a state of relaxed, open, spacious, aware, be-ingness. It is really an affirmation and self-allowing permission just to relax and be in one's current state, while also being aware in/as the background awareness. It is the state aimed at within other nondual teachings such as Zen (shikantaza), Dzogchen (Rigpa), Advaita Vedanta (Turiya), Jnana Yoga (ParaBrahman), Sufism (Haqq), etc.

"I am- I wish to be."

Try it, you'll like it. You might even return to it again and again, once you get a "taste" for it.

Otherwise, as a more base practice, the phrase can also be used in a somewhat grounding way:

“To prevent reverie, you have to visualize or repeat something, such as ‘I am, I wish to be.’ ” (Richard Rose)

Direct vs Indirect paths. (Immediate vs Progressive paths). Body awareness.

One often finds a contradiction amongst legit realized teachers concerning the two ideas of whether a student should begin practicing 1) only with the Direct/Immediate methods aimed at non-dual awareness, or 2) with Indirect/Progressive methods first, before approaching (1).

Teachers that promote the (1) idea include those such as Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Sadhu Om, Sri Annamalai Swami, certain Dzogchen masters, fringe teachers such as UG Krishnamurti, writers such as Michael Langford, Michael James, and others in various schools (some Zen teachers for example).

Teachers that promote the (2) idea include most progressive path teachers in traditional systems such as Buddhism schools (all 3 Yana-schools), traditional Vedanta and yoga schools, Western Mystery schools, contemporaries such as Osho, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, and too many others to list.

Some teachers include both (1) and (2) paradoxically in their writings, such as Nisargadatta, often due to the wide range of students they were attempting to instruct.

However, in my mind, this contradiction, which is rampant in writings all over the spiritual plane (Advaita, Buddhism, etc.), can be resolved.

Generally, teachers have attempted to teach the highest truth (1) if the student's capacity was evident. Failing this, they had to resort to (2) teachings.

Some teachers such as Sri Sadhu Om take the extreme view that even this approach should be dispensed with, and that everyone should only start immediately with apprehending awareness / consciousness ('first person' or Self) immediately. On further inspection though, it seems that his writing is aimed at dispelling the notion that full Self-realization can happen via subject-object or (2) type practices. This is a common view still prevalent in many progressive schools- that one can attain full realization (and nirvikalpa samadhi) simply by the advanced practice of concentration on an object. It is evident through reading any of Ramana Maharshi's writings and those in his stream, that this isn't true. Likewise, Gurdjieff mentions that "self-observation with self-remembering is useless".

I tend to side with Nisargadatta's approach on this issue, and that is that the method should be aimed at the student's capacity level, being- "wet charcoal", "dry charcoal", and "gunpowder" levels of readiness.

Further, in this day and age, I find that people, in general, (and myself in particular) are so divorced from their physical body and physical environment, so as to require some form of body awareness and re-acquaintance with what it means to live in a physical body. If "body identification" is a major obstacle (and it seems so from the writings of virtually any teacher worth their salt), then this can only be transcended and fully understood by first knowing what it means to be identified as a body.

As a means to this end, I've found some of the practices in Gurdjieff's work and the Fourth Way, as well as basic Theravada mindfulness practices to be effective in bringing one back to an awareness of living in a body. Eckhart Tolle also makes a good attempt through some of his 'feel the body's energy' exercises as developing this awareness.

In older times, it probably wasn't so necessary to keep focusing attention on and in the body- since people generally did much more labour work and physically used their body for a larger part of the day. Walking long distances, hunting, fixing things, cooking, farming, child-rearing with no gadgets, etc. etc. all clearly reminded people that they were living in a body, no special attention required. No so nowadays, with the invention of offices, desks, computers, mobiles, Internet, fast-food, day-care, factories, etc.- you get the message.

By experiencing oneself fully as 'a body' and by developing awareness of the body (and also awareness itself), one may be lucky enough to come to the realization that they are not in fact, a body.. thus dropping one of the biggest obstacles on the path. Nisargadatta alludes to this when he explains that the path is as simple as seeing a flower- "you know you are not the flower. There is 'you', and there is the flower. Investigate this." Simple, but not easy.

In summary, I find the progressive paths, and especially body-work, to be extremely helpful, and should be experimented with by all means. However, it should also be kept in mind that they are not ends in themselves, and that the apprehension of direct awareness of awareness, or investigation of one's 'self' as consciousness- and abiding there- will ultimately lead to the undoing of the "I" and hence the endless-dream or waking-sleep we find ourselves in here.

A final point to keep in mind is also that there will be times when resting in awareness (or being as Awareness only) will be easy, and times when it will not. James Schwartz would say this depends on how "satvic" your "vasanas" are. Whatever.. the reason isn't important. What is important is that one takes a break from direct practice, if needed, and moves down a notch - again, back to simple practices such as body awareness.

Kenneth Folk writes clearly about this in his "3-gears" approach. Michael Langford also notes that trying to keep up "Awareness watching Awareness" during one's daily activities is likely too difficult, and thus advises one to practice his "Loving-all" method. Personally, I find body-awareness to be more useful (for reasons above) than a mind-method such as mantra, japa, devotion, 'loving-all' etc.

An in-between approach may be to use an awareness of one's "self" (i.e.. perceived ego-I-self which equates to a 'me' in a body). This was used by Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (aka "self-remembering"), and is mentioned at times as a form of "self-inquiry" by writers in the Ramana Maharshi tradition. Others such as John Sherman call this "looking at oneself". It is a highly effective end-practice in itself.




<Apologies for the length and lack of structure in this piece- I'm constrained with time/location at the moment, and wish to "get it all down", rather than produce a perfect blog posting :) >