The Book of Not Knowing

Exploring the True Nature of Self, Mind, and Consciousness

By: Peter Ralston, Laura Ralston - editor

Narrated by: Keith O'Brien

Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

For fans of Eckhart Tolle - a guide to mastering self-awareness through direct experience, not old presumptions or harmful thought patterns.

Through decades of martial arts and meditation practice, Peter Ralston discovered a curious and paradoxical fact: that true awareness arises from a state of not knowing. Even the most sincere investigation of self and spirit, he says, is often sabotaged by our tendency to grab too quickly for answers and ideas as we retreat to the safety of the known. This "Hitchhiker's Guide to Awareness" provides helpful guideposts along an experiential journey for those Western minds predisposed to wandering off to old habits, cherished presumptions, and a stubbornly solid sense of self. With ease and clarity, Ralston teaches listeners how to become aware of the background patterns that they are usually too busy, stressed, or distracted to notice. The Book of Not Knowing points out the ways people get stuck in their lives and offers listeners a way to make fresh choices about every aspect of their lives - from a place of awareness instead of autopilot. 

©2010 Peter Ralston (P)2017 North Atlantic Books

Critic Reviews

"True innovators are, by definition, ahead of their time. Therefore, they remain largely unrecognized, except by a few. How many of us wish we had met Bruce Lee, sat in a session with Carl Jung, or walked around Walden Pond with Thoreau? Too late for that, but not too late to take notice of Peter Ralston. His creativity, commitment, and clarity shine through as he articulates higher principles based on direct experience and piercing insight. A caring teacher, he has been to the mountaintop and bathed in the spring of Being. His insights speak to us all." (Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior)

May have been good

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I couldn't get through the first chapter, not because of the content or the narration but because of the way the chapters are structured. Every few minutes or even sometimes seconds the reader announces the chapter and section. It was so distracting that I couldn't even follow the content. It would be like reading the bible and announcing the chapter and verse after every sentence.

Painful

1.1 What on Earth
1.2 possessed the narrator
1.3 to read
1.4 the chapter and verse
1.5 with the content
1.6 of the book?
1.7 Its so painful to listen to
1.8 and complete kills the flow
1.9 of the narration.

Worth the slosh

The biblical sectioning especially in audio-book format is quite distracting and annoying.
The first 80% of the book is opinionated slosh but the few other chapters in the book are worth its weight in gold.

Narrator is fantastic/Mind-bending book

What about Keith O'Brien’s performance did you like?

At the time of this review, there are 3 2-star ratingsof the narrator with no explanation. I do not get this. The narrator is good, as good as any good narrator. There is certainly nothing distracting, annoying, or unusual about his narration.

I almost passed on this book because of those ratings. That would have been a mistake. The techniques in this book are very valuable to me. The narrator conveys them effectively. And pleasantly.

Most annoying narration...

The worst narration of any audible I have ever listened to, the reading out of sub-chapters every few lines is too much. In all honesty, I only got through the first 2 chapters before I couldn’t bare to listen any further, and it wasn’t bad so I gave the story a 2 star -

Opinionated, but good

The message of this book seemed very similar to Thomas Metzinger's "Being No One", but 1) much more readable and usable, and 2) coming from a place of direct insight rather than philosophical thought - so, less detailed and (despite all Ralston's hard contemplation work) more willing to jump to conclusions.

In a few places, this book is either ordinary self-help/ positive thinking material, or ordinary Zen Buddhist material. But overall Ralston has succeeded in describing a practice different from either - and, for the most part, it's a practice grounded in reality.

This book could benefit from some of the fine distinctions Metzinger makes - after all, what is it to "be conscious" of the truth? Which of the many distinct types of consciousness are we meant to employ? But, on the other hand, Metzinger's book could arguably benefit from the practical advice on reshaping our consciousness which Ralston presents.

Basically, I'm saying read both.

Infuriating narration

I have a though time reviewing this book, because the narration made it almost impossible to grasp any of it. The shifting of tones and general style took all my attention away from the subtle message being implied through the words. Even after re-listening to bits (because I could never get in flow listening to it) I would just get more annoyed cause my subconscious would attack the narrotion style for robbing the focus of a message that goes deeper than words. Best way I can explain it is, that this sort of narration triggered my intellect like I was in math class being asked to figure out why f(e^x)=f'(e^x). Just not the experience I was looking for. I feel with this sort of book, the narrotion should trigger the eq (emotional intelligence) and intuition/flow state. All in all made it impossible for me, to have any profound epiphany moments.

I would definitely recommend buying a hardcover or Kindle version.

Not a Problem

This book is brilliant. As for the reader (who does an excellent job) noting all the passage numbers: it was not distracting at all. The reader was able to fold that in with the actual text.

Mind blowing!

The content is amazing, I can't describe in words how many eye opening moments are hidden in this book. Really worth your time reading it.

I would not recommend the audible version because narrator is reading the numbers of paragraphs and its very distracting. If there was another narration without the numbers I would buy that one! Buy paper book instead! The only reason I can come up with why the narrator is reading the numbers is for the reader to follow in their paper book.

Incredibly well done.

This is hands-down the best book I’ve read for a very very long time. It is up with the best writers on thought, being, and how we relate to our existence. This is the type of book that will change what you get out of every other book that you read. At least that’s what I found in it. I will probably re-read this book at least once a year for the rest of my life. Peter Ralston has an incredible understanding of being. I don’t know what else to say other than get the book and read it.

AI-written summary

"The Book of Not Knowing" is a book by Peter Ralston that explores the concept of not knowing and the role it plays in personal growth and self-discovery. In the book, Ralston argues that we often try to avoid not knowing, as it can be uncomfortable and unsettling, but that this avoidance limits our ability to learn and grow. He suggests that embracing not knowing and cultivating a "beginner's mind" can lead to greater understanding and insight.

The book is divided into three main sections. In the first section, Ralston discusses the importance of not knowing in the process of learning and self-discovery. He argues that we can learn more when we are open to new ideas and experiences, and that not knowing allows us to approach life with curiosity and a sense of wonder.

In the second section, Ralston explores the ways in which we avoid not knowing, including through the use of preconceived notions and beliefs, and the role that these avoidance strategies play in limiting our growth and understanding. He also discusses the importance of letting go of these avoidance strategies and cultivating a sense of openness and flexibility in our thinking.

In the final section, Ralston offers practical techniques and exercises for cultivating a beginner's mind and embracing not knowing, including mindfulness practices and the cultivation of self-awareness.

Overall, "The Book of Not Knowing" is a thought-provoking and insightful book that encourages readers to embrace not knowing as a path towards greater understanding and personal growth.

Very meaningful, yet a bit redundant

I love the concept behind the book, the purpose and it has definitely answered some very meaningful questions.
But I got the feeling that sometimes it was redundant. In the sense that the narrator kept saying the same thing for 5-10 minutes but in different ways but this is my opinion only. Maybe it was on purpose. Maybe the author felt that some information should be repeated several times so that the reader(or the listener, in this case) "absorbs" the it entirely.

One of the top books on self-understanding.

I love the content and it's one of that book that has to be listened multiple times.
One thumb down though for reading the number at every new line. I find it tiring and interrupting the narrative.