• The Recognition Sutras

  • Illuminating a 1,000-Year-Old Spiritual Masterpiece
  • By: Christopher D Wallis
  • Narrated by: Christopher Wallis
  • Length: 22 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (308 ratings)

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The Recognition Sutras  By  cover art

The Recognition Sutras

By: Christopher D Wallis
Narrated by: Christopher Wallis
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Publisher's summary

One thousand years ago in the valley of Kashmir, a great Tantric master named Ksemaraja wrote his masterpiece: the Pratyabhijna-hrdaya, which means "The Essence of the Recognition Philosophy" - recognition, that is, of oneself as a direct expression of the universal divine Consciousness. Recognition also that this Consciousness is, in truth, all that exists, and that its five fundamental powers of awareness, enjoyment, willing, knowing, and acting are the sacred endowments of every sentient being.

The Pratyabhijna-hrdaya was a concise primer, written to introduce spiritual seekers to the Recognition philosophy in less formally philosophical, more approachable language. What Ksemaraja created turned out to be one of the world's great spiritual masterpieces, breathtaking in its brevity but stunning in its power. It came to be considered equivalent to scripture itself by later generations, because of its undeniable inspiration.

One of the most powerful and revelatory spiritual masterpieces of world history, the Pratyabhijna-hrdaya is one of the primary sources for the study and practice of nondual Tantrik Yoga, and it has never been accurately translated or fully explained until now. Christopher Wallis, author of Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, expounds the subtleties of this spiritual and philosophical classic.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2017 Christopher Wallis (P)2017 Christopher Wallis

What listeners say about The Recognition Sutras

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What just happened?

The sweet aftertaste of experiencing something extraordinary has remained ever since I finished “The Recognition Sutras“ just a couple days ago.

I haven’t merely "read" another book, but instead, I have been on a journey, experiencing something which I have no words to describe.

I LOVE THIS BOOK, and it is the first book I have the desire to immediately listen to again. So far, I have not come across anything like it, so to simply call it a “book“ feels like an understatement.

I don’t have any background in tantric philosophy, but Christopher’s way of writing made it so smooth and easy for me to understand. He seems to sense exactly what happens in a reader’s head and answers questions in the very moment they arise. Very comfortable to listen to, perfect pace, beautiful sanskrit sutras and even singing parts.

I feel fortunate to have discovered this treasure, and I highly recommend this masterpiece to anybody interested in the truth of existence.

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77 people found this helpful

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Where is the PDF?

What did you love best about The Recognition Sutras?

This is a great book, lots of info to contemplate

Any additional comments?

I am still reading this, on chapter 16 now. Twice I have been instructed to refer to the accompanying PDF, however, when I check my Audible library, there is no PDF to download? I think someone forgot to add it? It would be nice to have it since this is a very "heady" book to wrap yourself around.

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52 people found this helpful

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Like having tea with a friend

Listening to this book is somewhat like sitting with a friend and having tea one evening. The discussion gently migrates to the nature of being, and your friend pulls out a small glass prism from his jacket pocket. He holds it in front of you, and the light from the lamp shines past your shoulder through the prism onto the far wall. As the sun begins to set, you see your own image refracted in a broad spectrum of colors. The image starts to shift, and you witness scenes from your life experience unfolding in new hues. The images spring from deeper and deeper parts of your being, a reflection of your interior landscape.

Look, here’s what I thought when I was 10. And here is what happened last week. And here are all my relationships. And here is who I think I am.

Part of you would like this to stop - who wants to expose all this? Your most closely held secrets? Your deepest fears? Everything that has ever moved you. But it’s compelling, and you can’t look away - you no longer know what to think, you can only keep watching the light shift, revealing yet another intimate scene that you have revealed to no one else. Maybe all of who you are was not what you thought at all. Or maybe you knew this all along. (What was in that tea?) A slight ache in your chest that you usually ignore deepens and sharpens into a piercing icicle of insight.

You notice that the light no longer seems to be coming from the lamp but from somewhere under your ribcage, and it feels like a space is opening there. Your body tugs the images from the wall back through the prism and ultimately collapses them into your being. A kind of alchemy transmutes your innermost substance of self into something unnameable, something utterly beyond description. You catch your breath, unable to move but amazed at the increasing expansion you’re experiencing from the inside out, a movement against physics that encompasses the entirety of your being and beyond it to include the whole world.

In astonishment you look at your friend who regards you with a slight smile. He is no longer holding the prism.The softest light of dawn slips in through your window, and he glances outside. “I need to go now,” says your friend.

“No, wait!” you say. “You can’t leave yet. What happens now? What do I do with all this?”

Your friend chuckles softly and says, “Ask Life what it wants to do through you today.”

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29 people found this helpful

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Seeking for more can stop here...

Receive the WISDOM from which Buddhism and Hinduism grew... from which much of psychology is evolving toward...

From a longtime practitioner and amazingly clear Sanskrit scholar. HE reads it and you can feel much of his presence through is words.

Enjoy the Play of Consciousness with this audible book.

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Chapters don't line up with hard copy book

I love the content of the book and the audiobook. I hoped to be able to read and listen...underlining, noting, etc. I was disappointed to find that chapter 4 (example) in the audiobook does not correspond to the book itself. Nothing corresponds. And locating it in the audiobook is a clunky matter.
Can that be fixed?

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Wonderful! Finally, it all makes perfect sense.

Any additional comments?
Sooo many concepts we're being advised to accept, along with interpretations by various people... "supported" by bible verses here, quantum physics there... yet ultimately nonsensical to our day to day existence, leaving us with a good deal of magical thinking: "Illusion," "creating your own reality", "everything that happens to you is your choice" etc. With his excellent grasp of the Sanskrit language, the author illuminates the truths within the manuscript, as well as our related misconceptions. Each time your mind says, "but wait, how..." Wallis is already there to address the question. Sanskrit is teaming with nuances and levels of clarity barely addressed in our day to day language, and Wallis is fantastic at translating. He gently puts the nail in the coffin on the misguided "this world doesn't really exist" philosophy -- (thank you! so tired of hearing that without proper checks on all the grandiose & delusional baggage that comes with it). Concepts such as oneness, illusion, free will, and creating your own reality do apply, but Wallis gives the how/why/when -- the limitations of applying these ideas to our everyday world, and the way to Recognize what you are participating in creating, and from where it's coming.

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14 people found this helpful

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A rare gem in spiritual literature

Never before have i had a piece of single writing answer so many questions while simultaneously confirming what i had already come to know. A must read for any person walking the path to enlightened realization.

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WHERE IS THE PDF????

Author references the PDF, where is it? Otherwise I am very happy with my purchase

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Awakening and profound!

This may be one of my favorite books of all time. Wallis does an incredible job of making esoteric teachings tangible, practical, and applicable for anyone that's curious about the spiritual path. This book expanded my perception of reality, opened up new pathways for being in the world, and it helps me find more joy in every moment. No really, Wallis' translation and interpretation is *that* powerful!

I especially love how Wallis' passion for understanding these teachings shines through in his writing and in the audible recording. It's rare to find a scholar who is also a practitioner and who is also deeply dedicated to understanding the real practice of yoga. This book is enlightening, refreshing, and my go-to text for grounding and spiritual support.

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Well written

I will have to listen to this a few more times to absorb what is really said. I heard plenty I have not before and would like to understand it better. He references a few other authors and books I would like to look into also.

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