Being Infinite

An Entheogenic Odyssey into the Limitless Eternal: A Memoir from Ayahuasca to Zen

By: Martin W. Ball

Narrated by: Martin W. Ball

In this very revealing memoir, entheogenic researcher, Dr. Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., details his quest for self-discovery, transformation, and liberation into authentic being. His journey takes him through struggles as a graduate student in Religious Studies, an unhappy marriage, explorations of numerous spiritual traditions, and deep into the mysterious realm of entheogens. The tale told here follows Dr. Ball through his practice of Zen meditation, his initiation into Mescalero Apache medicine traditions, use of peyote in the Native American church, ayahuasca and Santo Daime, and the explosive and life-altering event of experiencing five-MeO-DMT with the temple of awakening divinity and his first encounter with the true nature of being as God and universal consciousness.

A pivotal moment comes for Dr. Ball in 2007 at Burning Man, where he finally admits to himself that he is profoundly unhappy. In order to be true to himself and his heart, he must make radical changes in his life and dive headfirst into his quest for self-discovery. What unfolds is a profound and shattering process of uncovering the infinite nature of authentic being and his struggle to accept the reality that there is only God - that all of reality is one universal being of pure energy, love, and absolute awareness.

Dr. Ball has told his story before in bits and pieces, but this is the first time it has all been articulated in one place in an intimate and comprehensive format. Provocative, challenging, and radical, Being Infinite articulates Dr. Ball’s nondual perspective that developed from his entheogenic experiences and the profound transformations they made within his sense of self and understanding of the nature of reality and being. There are many psychedelic memoirs available, but there is nothing else quite like this work that listeners are sure to find engrossing, challenging, and maybe even liberating. It is a story that is both personal and universal, and has profound implications for anyone seeking after deeper self-awareness and authentic being, and lays the inspirational groundwork for anyone who is ready to move beyond being spiritual to simply being true, right here, right now. It is a tale of truth, and a tale of freedom from all self-created limitations and the very important role that entheogens, particularly five-MeO-DMT, have in this profound process.

Anyone who is interested in cultivating self-awareness, exploring entheogens, and moving beyond superficial spirituality will surely find this to be a radical edition to their reading list, and just might open a few eyes and hearts in the process. In the end, there is only One, and the task of each person is to discover this eternal truth for him or herself. It cannot be taught. It cannot be learned. It can only be discovered in the core of each individual’s heart.

©2014 Martin W. Ball (P)2019 Martin W. Ball

Truly inspirational

The story is almost too incredible to believe. But yet I experience recognition of ultimate Truth that resonates within when hearing this.

Not bad not great

For someone who transcended the ego, he sure loves to feed it. Oh the paradox

Too much personal antecedent

There was about 45 minutes of deep Knowledge and while his conclusions Concerning the reality of consciousness And oneness are correct there was just too much personal antecedent involved in the book. I cannot recommend.

Inspiring

A journey of self discovery and realization of the nature of unity.
Brave, honest and inspiring that sparks the opening of the heart💖

Hard to listen to

As a student of nonduality and a psychonaut I've found there are very few people out there discussing 5-MeO as a route to nondual awakening. Martin Ball is one of the few. I've enjoyed talks he has given on the topic and thought it would be helpful to hear about his progression with entheogens throughout his life.

Unfortunately, this autobiography is long and rambling. I'm not done with it yet but feeling fairly bored with long, excruciating details right now about his graduate work with the Mescalero tribe and conflicts with his advisor. I feel like he is reading his diary to me. And the quality of his narration is not terribly smooth, causing it to be even more difficult to listen to.

I think Martin Ball has some very useful information on working with entheogens (especially 5) from a nondual perspective but there is, so far, very little of this book (1/3 in) that is about this topic. Perhaps it will improve and if so I will update this review.