Lee Lozowick (1943-2010) was "an original" -- a rare, American-born master who spoke the language of contemporary Westerners while firmly rooted in the longstanding spiritual traditions of both East and West. The book lays out his earliest spoken words, taken from both public talks and intimate gatherings with close students. In teachings given from 1975 through 1981, Lozowick offers his listeners (now readers), an opportunity for deep self-reflection. He does this by challenging the illusions of conventional thinking, and provoking emotional reactivity (albeit often humorously) as a way to highlight one's denial mechanisms and attachments.
Though Lee's talks are edited to make them more accessible to the public, his raw, earthy, style consistently breaks through. Wide-ranging subjects include the sublime and esoteric (like his commentaries on the gnostic Gospel of Thomas) to the mundane and immediately practical, like his conversations about money, sex, and conscious childraising -- a cause he advocated with passion throughout his ministry.
The compilers and editors, Vijaya and Karuna, were among the early band who began work with Lee in New Jersey and then followed him out to Arizona in 1980. There, at his Prescott ashram, they lived in his close company until his death in 2010. Their careful and authoritative input on this project is the fruit of a lifetime of "playing the game," as Lee used to say -- engaging the recommended practices and work opportunities that generally stretched his students and devotees beyond their self-imposed limits.
To the reader's advance, the editors were present for most of these talks, and clearly remember the impact these spontaneous teachings had on themselves and others. Their dedicated efforts have made this transcribed material available to anyone in the world who might be able to make use of it in furthering their spiritual/transformational work. For newer students and those in the master's community who have not previously heard them, these transcripts, set with the editor's context, will be an invaluable resource.