The Eye of the I From Which Nothing is Hidden

This is another challenging but absolutely inspiring book by David Hawkins, leading us further on the path to enlightenment.

Hawkins depicts his own path in considerable detail, describing the various states he experienced. When reading these descriptions, particularly in the section entitled "About the author", I myself fall into expanded states: waves of healing flow through me (I have much to be healed), occasionally accompanied by feelings of ecstasy/bliss; I also sometimes experience a wonderful feeling as though millions of cells or units, I don't know what they are, in the part of my aura immediately in front of me, are deeply, deeply satisfied. This is not a feeling of love, joy, bliss or ecstasy, but such deep satisfaction that it borders on the latter. (If Hawkins' books are not around and I wish to experience an expanded state of this kind, I say the words "I let go of resistance" or "Thy will be done", which invariably begin a process leading to these states.)

(While typing in this review I am simultaneously listening to an interview with Panache Desai, and this gives me a wonderful peaceful, blissful feeling too.)

The author describes how he "worked with himself" (my term) to achieve enlightenment, and how he came back to resume "earthly life", which was not easy,

Continually, he refers to his kinesiological technique by which he tests the truth of everything and its level on the "Map of the Scale of Consciousness". On this Map, 200 is the level between Force (negative) and Power (positive), and 600 indicates "the crossing over from the perceptual worlds of duality to the nonperceptual world of nonduality". The levels below 200 represent suffering in all its forms.

He explains that the recent major shift of consciousness of mankind from 190 to 207 is "the most profound and significant event in all of man's history.

The Eye of the I is "the Self of Divinity expressed as Awareness".

"There is no division between Creator and that which is created. All is self-creating as the manifestation of the mind of God --- Because the universe is self-evolving and self-fulfilling, no intervention is necessary. All is in perfect balance and harmony."

The calling of the spiritual aspirant is of service to the whole of mankind. Every increase in the level of consciousness affects the consciousness of all mankind.

"The power of love emanated by the consciousness of only a fraction of mankind ... totally counterbalances the negativity of the whole mass of humanity".

The "12-step" groups are spiritually pure and calibrate at 540, the level of Unconditional Love.

The block to Realization is the mind itself, which is not different from the ego: they are one and the same.

"Neither Truth nor Enlightenment is something to be found, sought, acquired, gained, or possessed. That which is the Infinite Presence is always present and its realization occurs of itself when the obstacles to that realization are removed."

The latter half of the book is devoted to transcripts of talks and meetings and comprises Hawkins' answers to questions posed by "spiritual students".

However, in my experience everything stated by Hawkins cannot be taken as absolute truth. For instance, his explanation about the difference between out-of-body and near-death experiences does not accord with an experience I had at the age of 14. It was an ecstatic out-of-body experience, in no way a near-death experience but accorded greatly with H's description of a near-death experience.

We must begin by accepting that all truth, all reality, is subjective. No such thing exists as an objective truth.

H. explains repeatedly that causality does not exist - there is only identity. There is no cause of anything. In Reality, everything is already complete. "It is obvious that nothing is the cause of anything else as that would require a dualistic separation in time and space, which is impossible."

What I have stated above gives an indication of the content of this exciting book. There is some repetition, but this repetition is not redundant, the nature of the content being such that repetition in various formulations is necessary in order to facilitate the reader's integration of the material.

This is one of the most significant books I have read, and some of the others that would fall into this group are also penned by Hawkins. I admit that I needed to re-read many of the sentences in order to even attempt to comprehend them.

I am sure that the claim that the reading of this book and others by the author raises one's level of consciousness is correct. Just simply by being in the presence of an enlightened master helps one further on one's path, and reading the books has a similar effect. My experiences cited at the beginning of this review bear witness to the effect of the author's consciousness on the reader.

There were a few editorial glitches, but otherwise my only complaint is that I would have appreciated an index.

David R. Hawkins is often associated with his use of applied kinesiology, which is a form of kinesiology that is often criticized by modern intellectuals and scientists. This is unfortunate, because the fundamental nature of his work is that of research on the true nature of Consciousness, along with how Consciousness expresses itself in all aspects of life and reality.

It is even more unfortunate because aside from his research, Hawkins is one of the first American Sages, which is to say he is a human being that is the embodiment of Truth and has realized his Oneness with All That Is, or has become Self-Realized. Thus his understanding of the nature of reality and truth is profound to a degree that is rare among all modern mystics, gurus or sages.

His first mainstream book, Power Vs. Force, lays the groundwork for this book by presenting many aspects of modern nonlinear science such as: quantum mechanics, Chaos Theory, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, critical point analysis, nonlinear dynamics and more.

In Power Vs. Force, he then takes these concepts that center around the nature and behavior of energy, and presents his Map of Consciousness, where collective consciousness is described as being a series of fields of energy, each field of which behaves in very similar waves. An easy comparison would be that of comparing the full spectrum of light to a rainbow, where each individual spectrum of light behaves in a way that creates a specific color of light among the whole of the rainbow.

Understanding this Map of Consciousness is foundational to the full appreciation of Eye of The I. And yet, while Power Vs. Force is an amazing book, for the average or beginning reader it can seem to be laden with a lot of scientific jargon based around this science of kinesiology that can make it a challenge to digest.

Well, for those interested and determined readers who get through Power Vs. Force, this book, Eye of The I, is definitely the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. While some of the verbiage may not be discernible if one hasn't studied Hawkin's Map of Consciousness in Power Vs. Force, I believe this book stands alone as one of the greatest expressions of the Enlightened experience of Reality.

Eye of The I begins with a seven page prologue that is a firsthand, subjective description of reality as it is experienced by a Self-Realized Sage, such as Buddha (The Awakened One), Krishna, or Jesus the Christ. This description is immediately engaging, provocative and astonishing! The second chapter of the book describes his process of re-acclimating into normal society after having experienced this awakening experience that rendered him, for a time, non-functional in normal society.

These first 19 pages of the book are so stunning and profound that for the reader seeking enlightenment or the evolution of their awareness, you will not see the world the same after having been exposed to these pages. These pages, by themselves, are worth the price of the book.

As if this wasn't enough, the book continues forward with 317 pages of profound observations about the nature of truth, reality, life, subjectivity, perception, the mind, and even the very nature of God itself! (The 11-page chapter on the nature of God is another masterpiece of this book, and presents observations about the nature of Divinity--or God--in a way that immediately refutes the one issue that seems to divide humanity moreso than any other issue.)

I cannot speak highly enough of the importance and precious nature of this book. It is clearly ahead of its time... or is it? Perhaps it has arisen at precisely the right time, when humanity is on the verge of an explosive revolution in human consciousness.

Regardless, as the book states in its introductory caveat:

The traditional religionist or the spiritually timid are forewarned that the material herein presented may be disturbing and therefore better bypassed.

The teachings are presented for the seriously committed spiritual student who is seeking God as Enlightenment.

The pathway to Enlightenment via radical truth is demanding and requires surrender of belief system. Only then does the ultimate reality reveal itself as the sought after I of the Supreme.

The material presented herefore is from the perspective of the Eye of the I.

If you are ready to take a quantum leap forward in your progress toward the realization of the ultimate spiritual awareness of Truth as the very essence of your being, I very seriously doubt you will find another book as useful and helpful along your path as this book is.

I'm convinced this work will stand the test of time, and will stand next to the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching, The Sermon On The Mount and the Bodhidharma as being one of the most important spiritual writings ever written.

That is what this book meant to me throughout the chapters. It is as if Truth or Reality was speaking to me, offering me hope, and nudging me along the road to Enlightenment. I first stumbled upon Hawkins at the public library having spotted "Transcending Levels of Consciousness", after which I then read "Power vs Force". "The Eye of the I" most clearly lights the steps before you and explains the experiences as well as the distractions to avoid along the straight and narrow path. Such encouragement to the seemingly isolated spiritual aspirant is most welcome!

Each vital verse required me to savor and reflect sufficiently before I was able to continue to the next. Then again, this book, along with others that offer revelations, are to be kept bedside as diligent reminders of the whole point of being here on earth, or anywhere, as a consciousness.

I've always been skeptical of the Old Testament anthropomorphic God and humanized deities such as Kuan Yin, and assumed people needed to humanize the divine as well as individualized them in order to feel comfortable relating to them. I was glad that Hawkins put all of that to rest in that he encourages us to avoid all the distractions and detours of seeking astral beings, nature spirits, spirit guides, channelings, statues, and I would even include angels because God is pure consciousness and has no form, echoing New Testament's statement, "God is Spirit." And why not go right to the Source vs some Being along the celestial ladder.

The greatest gift this book gave me is this: as a spiritual seeker having tried so hard to fit in the world (due to ignorance), even in Christian churches, and then amongst New Agers, finally do I feel at home with the concepts presented and explanations. The old path is behind me, but necessary to get me to where I am now, and the new is before me. I am thrilled beyond belief and filled with relief.

Some of what Hawkins wrote are also comical. And it is contagious. Just this Sunday morning I was sitting serenely, probably just contemplating after having read this book and the first volume of the Upanishads (which gives a fundamental understanding of the spiritual Universe and is at times helpful in some of the references made), when laughter bubbled up out of my body and I was almost in tears. Humor is divine. It pierces thru all the illusion that the world holds so dear as true and effectively rattles our perception for our own good.

Mr. Hawkins' book gives a very seductive account of what it might be like to live the awakened life. However, the more I learn about Mr. Hawkins (the origin of his Ph.D for instance), and having listened to some of his on-line talks, the less I respect what he writes . Net-net, I won't buy anything else he does or endorses.

This book,Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior-Author's Official Revised Edition 2012 andDiscovery of the Presence of God-Devotional NonDuality in my opinion are the best books by David R Hawkins. Again the author shows us his own high level of consciousness and gives us a book to help us with our own enlightenment. My calibration gives it a 910 in Hawkins' own map of consciousness.

I don't understand how he can write about applied kinesiology, when everybody - you, me, everybody - can test within 5 minutes in their own house that this is pure nonsense. I mean, we don't have to talk belief-systems or opinions here, just try it, right? In "power versus force" he explained how to do it, easy enough.

What confuses me is: how does this go together with the incredible intellectual and didactic performance of what remains to be said in this book. This one knocks the living daylights even out of PvF. It is that good. It is mind-boggeling. He will leave the reader behind with more than an intuitive feeling of what he is talking about. I am reading it slowly. "Power of now" (Tolle) turns into something utterly laughable compared with what we are reading here. This is real food for thought. This is real paradigm shifting. THIS enables a skeptic like myself to do what he has always attempted: try to tear down, remove those obstacles that are always to be found in the thinking, and approach the subject open minded, almost liberated. The serious thinker who values his thinking so highly, gets beaten here, clearly, with his own weapons. Somebody reviewing one of this other books remarked someting about where he received his diploma and kind of tried to damage Hawkin's credibility. In my opinion: the great sages ( I am not saying yet he is one of them, but might be) did not have a diploma at all. It is also not needed. Content rules.

I know, this is not really a review, just opinion, I am just saying: buy the book, it is one of the best books I have ever read. Because it is so intellectually satisfying. And gets me to really "get it". Most of the time.

I also recommend "I am that".

This book is a brilliant synthesis of spiritual wisdom. One of Dr. Hawkins most useful explanations is the Scale of Knowledge. This powerful tool reveals how spiritual knowledge that may be true on a lower level of the scale, is no longer valid at the higher levels of the scale. I also believe Dr. Hawkins is writing from genuine revelation and insight -- he is not rewriting material he has heard before. It reminds me very much of Vernon Howard's and J. Krishnamurti's books. Dr. Hawkins writes with power. The book is filled with vivid illustrations. If you are a serious spiritual student, don't miss this book! It is a goldmine!

This book first attempts to describe what it is like to be in a state of enlightenment and then proceeds to show you how to get there. Some of the material is in a Q & A format. Perhaps it reflects discussions from past seminars. In any event, the "dialogs" help clarify some of the more difficult concepts.

My favorite chapters are entitled Advanced Awareness and The Nature of God. There you find a field guide for the pathway to enlightenment that covers many of the pitfalls and how to avoid them. Emphasized is the advice to avoid false teachers and false gurus.

It comes down to this: You must accept the responsibility for verification, and this is not always easy, because at higher levels of consciousness, Truth is completely subjective. Hawkins is evidently trying to prepare you so that when the Truth reveals itself, you will recognize it.

I recommend getting this book as a companion to the earlier "Power vs. Force" as well as a bridge to the third title in this series, "I", subtitled "Reality and Subjectivity."

The capacity for understanding rely's on our ability to comprehend information, via the intellect. Without reserve, I am grateful to have come to Dr. Hawkins teachings with all its brilliance, and I would surely recommend his writings to anyone in the common search for Truth.
In reaction to the comments which compared his teachings to the more simply guided teachings of Christ, Buddha, Krishna: let us remind ourselves of the obvious growth we (humans)have endured since the birth of Jesus, our last Avatar. Know from this... Without using logic, it is easy to understand 'why' teachings from 2,000 years ago would be in a 'different'(more 'simple') format. Obviously, the world at that time, would not have been able to comprehend Teachings with their intellect being less evolved. Also, we could be grateful for the intense descriptiveness of Hawkin's teachings. The manor in which Hawkins presents the information is Terrific and Perfect for this day in age. It is no wonder he was a trained Psychiatrist in his earthly life.
To end, I must say, the level of gratitude I have for his influence on my life as a spirit/(human being), is only partial. Yet apparantly grateful, I know I cannot fully comprehend the tremendous gift it has been, and ever will be, to come into contact with Dr. Hawkins. The thankfullness deserved for this gift is beyond my mind!

This is 'my' first attempt to write a book review, which is really best summed up by the words "Absolutely stunned".
'I' am definitely not the 'I' which I seemed to be at the outset. This magical volume is a Pandora's Box in reverse, and a slow and sensitive reading of it, pondering and fully meditating on the attractor patterns as they are revealed, does indeed expose one to new levels of evolution, wonderment and bliss. I have ended up with a feeling of great thankfulness that a 'man' - if such term be not an understatement - such as David Hawkins is walking on this planet. It will take some time for all this to settle in and adjust to.
One is a little sad that greater care in proof reading was not taken by the publishers. On page eight - of the hardback edition - 'sattva' has been spelled as 'satra' and Ramana Maharshi's name is consistently mis-spelled as 'Ramana Marharshi' throughout.
In Chapter Eight on page 115, the title BEYOND CAUSALITY is fine, however by page 117, and on all odd-numbered pages up to page 127, the running title header has jumped to BEYOND CASUALTY. One can certainly make out an argument - well and truly - that the crisis of emergency hospitalization would indeed be transcended by immersing oneself in this book, but medical professional though he be, I hardly think that this is what Doctor Hawkins originally intended.
However, nothing can detract from the wonderful direct experience imbued that "everything is well and truly all right". This book has shot directly into my Top Ten and has become a serious contender for the Number One slot. It is a profound and moving experience to have worked with this book, and it can be assured that the effects will not stop when the last page has been reached. It feels as though the seed of the soul has been germinated and energized in readiness for the final surrender to the Almighty.

I have been a serious spiritual seeker for 12 years and have not come across a work as clearly written as 'The Eye of the I' (except 'Power vs. Force'). I come from an orthodox background, but have had some highly unorthodox experiences without a context to place them in my mind and spirit. This book has opened entire realms of experience that I never knew existed, allowing the paranormal to exist right along side the normal, the orthodox next to the unorthodox.
If you also come from an orthodox religious background and have been raised with blinders on your eyes, be prepared for full vision! Many of the laws, tenents, dogmas, and prejudices that we take for granted are examined with microscopic precision. Many of the 'granteds' I took were only out of necessity because I could not reconcile their incongruencies in my own mind and heart. Dr. Hawkins shows clearly the true nature of God, while at the same time, he does not favor one religious view, denomination, cult, or sect over another; nor does he preclude them.
My only reservation comes from the use of Kinesiology as a tool to test intention. Many factors affect the yes/no test result that have nothing to do with Consciousness. These include, but are not limited to, apolaria (the body not being electrical), general adaptive syndrome (by Hans Selye which we call stress or burnout, from prolonged adrenal gland overuse), dehydration (water is the #1 nutrient Americans do not get enough of), and even the thoughts of the people participating in the test. He claims to have overcome these problems which may be evident in the sheer numbers of trials he has run, and that he has done this research cross-culturally.
Technical points of Kinesiology aside, the spiritual insights are profound. In his first book, Dr. Hawkins stated that just by reading it consciousness could be raised 35 points on his scale. Seekers' consciousnesses will be affected by at least that much again upon completion of this second work. I eagerly anticipate the final volume of the trilogy in November 2002: 'I'.

After reading "Power vs. Force," I immediately started reading Hawkins's "The Eye of the I." It was just as amazing as the former book, and really took me deep into numerous areas of intellectuall, philosophical, and spiritual study. The study of the nature of consciousness is indeed intriguing, and by reading this book you will be exposed to many profound ideas and new ways to think about consciousness. A MUST READ.

It really seems, to me, that this book is different from so many dogmatic books. Many books are products of the ambitions of the frontal lobe(which is programmed to prove its importance, to itself, through the act of thinking).

Hawkins is aware of all the ego trappings of the frontal lobe. All the usefullness of this book comes from Hawkin's ability to see the simple truths (such as the different fields of attraction throughout the scale of consciousness)and his agility in communicating in a simple and clear way, devoid of his own postionality.

I would like to summerize my opinion about the book, but I don't think I can. I hope more people get started by reading this book.

PS-A good companion book to read also is The Tao Te Ching.

I thought Power vs. Force was terrific, but Eye of the I is even better! A down-to-earth, understandable map of the path to Enlightenment -- no small feat! And, having just attended one of his seminars, I must say he's even more impressive (and funny!) in person than on the printed page. A MUST READ for all spiritual seekers.

I had been down,really down,spiritually for about a year.In fact,I was close to throwing out my collection of spiritual books.I picked up my old copy of Eye Of The I and,behold,the negativity and depression evaporated and was replaced by a state of joy.This happened in a very short time.So just reading this book-and Hawkins'book I,too,I'm sure-will resonate with your soul and change your consciousness.Please don't hesitate to buy.

Provided you are ready to recive it, and ideally have read "Power vs. Force" beforehad, this book will radically transform you. It changed my life forever. It blows my mind every time I pick it up and read it, which is basically daily. My copy is bent, tattered, underlined, written upon, due to constant referral and reflection.
This book is best taken daily; read a paragraph or a sentence, then reflect upon it. Being that it is like "mainlining" spirituality it is practically impossible to take in more that a bit at a time without going into overload.
The benifits of carefully reading and reflecting on this book over time *cannot*, i repeat *cannot* be overestimated, cannot even adequately be put into words.
This book is a perfect complement to "The Power of Now" as well; I found that working with both books simultaneously has a powerful synergistic effect. Tolle is a bit more gentle and hands-on, while Hawkins hits you (lovingly) with a 60ton anvil-over-the-head of direct spiritual truth.

One of, if not the, most valuable reads encountered relative to enhancing personal spirituality. It puts full responsbility on the individual reader to walk his/her own talk if truly committed to the path of personal enlightenment, now an attainable level of human awareness. With specific suggestions and insightful explanatons, the reader is provided the tools to grapple with his own ego issues, leading naturally into increased balance and harmony with all life. Be prepared to look into the mirror of reality which you have personally created, like it or not. I felt like I had been put through an intensive monastery experience - loved it!

Upon completion of Power vs. Force, his first book, it was evident that Dr. David R. Hawkins was onto something big. Now comes The Eye of the I, the second in a trilogy that will, no doubt, become classics in Spiritual literature, if not in Physics, Medicine, Psychology, and heaven knows what other areas. A noted doctor and healer with many credentials, Hawkins experienced enlightenment in all its glory, and gently points the way for us. He is a loving presence, a kind teacher, a benevolent energy that transcends time and space. The words on these pages awaken something great in the reader. It is recommended, though, that the books be read in order. Though the first one is a bit technical, the second book speaks to the spiritual seeker in all of us. The world morphs into a paradise as these books are passed from hand to hand, from mind to mind, and from heart to heart.

A book that is receiving enormeous attention in the field of conciousness. Making this book a part of you, will certainly help to comprehend the mechanism and tools to help you transcend your own levels. It changes the perception of reality. Magnificently written and easy to comprehend. Thank you for bringing such a good work David.

In these times, and at this point of our developement....

This book is a must read ! Hawkins does it once again. Power V.S Force is the one to read before this one. Both of them will help you make huge leaps towards your own highest potential.

The author basically just regurgitates new age/esoteric type stuff. Many ancient texts state we are all one...god is love...religion can be divisive...that life is an illusion....putting your ego aside...and we IGNORE them. This random white dude repeats this stuff....and everyone says OMG WHAT A GENIUS.

He states that everything is made up of vibrations....higher vibrations are more holy/god-like. AGAIN....HE IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO HAVE THIS THEORY. He somehow has some scientific way to decipher the vibrations of jesus christ...and he then says that HE HIMSELF vibrates at the same frequency. Hun.

He also states that certain books vibrate in a similar way. The bible for example....vibrates at a HIGH frequency...along with HIS book. According to him...of course. GIRL PLEASE.

Also...I bought this book used....this book smells weird. It has a odd scent to it...it smells like a REALLY dirty pillow.

After reading "Power vs Force" (which I was impressed with, btw), I saw this book on the bookshelf by the same owner and decided to pick it up based on the summary information.

The book seems to be a continuation of ideas picked up in the first book and also a lot of other stuff in his "answer and questions" parts. Although some of the answers make me wonder about the accuracy of kinesiology.

I don't, for example, agree with his definition of ego. Nor do I agree with some of the answers givin based on my past experience and knowledge. I knew that some of his answers were either incomplete or just wrong based on some information that I had obtained in other books or just thinking logically about it to myself. Some of the answers seem to be just summarizations of what the author has read from other sources (perhaps internet and books would be my guess). For some poeple this can be a good thing, I think. His answers can be useful for some poeple at a certain level of spiritual evolution and simple enough to provide a base level for those that want to jump to more complicated concepts. For those of us wanting more accurate and more complete answers, there are better books out there.

I wonder how accurate kineasilogy is - is it like channeling? (where the author's bias can effect the outcome of the answer?). Perhaps, he works under the false assumption that kineaseology is always correct and also seems to ironically, present an ego about his own sense of spirituality and knowledge about certain subjects.

As some spiritual masters say - the greatest temptation of spiritually advanced people is pride. Perhaps if he willing to question his methods and his own answers and is willing to take the attitude that his method is not always correct, and stick with the scientific method (like he more or less did in the first book), then it'd be a better work of material. He treats the material as if there was some sort of destiny about it (giving them numbers). I don't see how this booked ranked higher than the last one, unless you count the quantity of information as soemthing to be added to the total. Or perhaps the effect the book might have.