Robert's book will be of interest to both TM mediators and anyone else who wants to look beyond preconceived concepts of the enlightened life. Filled with much research from Eastern and Western mystical writers, this book may bring a feeling of peace to those who thought they knew and struggled inwardly because what they thought did not coincide with their reality. Filled with personal descriptions of Cosmic, God and Unity Consciousness. Robert's book brings the highest goals of Vedic and in fact all religious traditions to the common individual and shows the many facets of the human diamond that still require polishing even while the silence overlooks our actions. ~ Tony Kainauskas, 21st Century Books

I love his quirky writing style, his gentle, disarming manner and his vivid language.  I admire the fearless, open honesty he displays and his willingness to embrace paradox and stay with the sweaty ambiguity.  I thank him for sharing his story in such a simple and fascinating way.  The book is simple and its teachings are profound.  It is a gem and I highly recommend it.

Enlightenment invites you to be honest about your spiritual goals and to consider a radically different and more productive approach.  Through metaphor, humour, sincerity and vulnerability, in beautifully descriptive and poetic style, this unique work offers newfound hope to spiritual seekers everywhere.

"Enlightenment ain’t what it’s cracked up to be” is a bone-deep description of the decades-long spiritual journey of Robert K. C. Forman, one of America's most respected spiritual teachers. If ever a book was written from the heart, this is it. It is both a summation and an update of a work in progress. Enlightenment ain’t what it’s cracked up to be describes the dazzling heights of spiritual awareness, but it also lays bare the twists, turns, and surprises of spiritual maturation, warts and all. Beware: If you need your spiritual guide to be serious, elevated, reserved, and pious, go elsewhere. But if you want eye-ball to eye-ball honesty, integrity, and humor supercharged with compassion, love, vulnerability, and deep wisdom, this is your book."
            —Larry Dossey, MD.    

“One of the most important things that sensitive East/West researchers have done over the last few decades is significantly contextualize and re-interpret exactly what spirituality can—and cannot—do.  Going from the idea that to ‘awaken’ spirituality was absolutely all one needed in life—it covered all the bases—we have increasingly seen that spirituality is but one of numerous intelligences, and mastering one of these intelligences does not mean automatically mastering them all.  This has been a process of both scaling back the claims of what a spiritual path can do, but also highlighting and doubly appreciating what it can and often does do, which can be quite profound.  Bob Forman’s “Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up to Be” is another in this growing literature, and is especially recommended for its honesty, openness, insight, wisdom, and significance.  Points he brings up—in a thoroughly enjoyable memoir-type format—are absolutely central to the furtherance of this dialogue.  Pick it up, give it a read, and ponder deeply its points—you won’t regret it!”

I loved it

Some spiritual memoirs are so authentic, honest and well-told that they stir the soul.  Others offer trenchant observations and wise commentary about the modern spiritual scene.  This is one of the rare books that do both.   Compelling, intriguing and thought-provoking, it is a graceful exposition of one man’s journey, but it illuminates the path that millions are embarked upon.

This book is more than a memoir of a profoundly revealing spiritual journey. It is a deep invitation to be your authentic self--to fully own, embody and express every aspect of yourself. The honesty, openness and transparency of Roberts spiritual journey instantly captivated me. I read the book in one long, joyous sitting. I literally could not put the book down. It is illuminating, entertaining and impactful. If you re looking for guidance as to what is truly spiritual and enlightening, then read this book.

It is definitely chicken soup for the spiritual seekers soul!

What Robert Forman has learned about and accomplished in spiritual growth is inspiring. But even more than a touching personal memoir, Forman opens our thinking to new ideas of what 'enlightenment' or spiritual growth could actually be in the modern world. This is a vitally important issue: we have more to do in saving our world and our selves than learn to sit around in a cave feeling good and looking holy like the ancients did.  Enlightenment ain’t what it’s cracked up to be is a great book. 

Robert K.C. Forman offers a touching, humorous, and honest account of ordinary and extraordinary spiritual events.  Relevant to anyone interested in the scientific exploration of what still remains mysterious.

Enlightenment Ain't What It's Cracked Up To Be is a powerful breath of spiritual fresh air!  It is one of the most refreshingly authentic accounts of the spiritual life I've ever read. In its clarity, honesty and depth, this book is the real deal. From the first page you are in conversation, encouraged to encounter and re-examine your own journey into how to integrate your spirituality with the rest of your life.  Forman’s extraordinary blend of personal courage, psychological awareness, formal cross-cultural philosophical training and direct spiritual experience is as unusual in the spiritual marketplace as it is helpful.

Robert K.C. Forman does a beautiful job of linking spiritual autobiography with discussion of what it means to be on a spiritual path and engaged in personal development. Self-revealing and extremely well-written, it takes on the hard issues of the spiritual path and treats them with wisdom. This is definitely a book that I'd buy, for it makes the case that our conventional spiritual understanding is too simple for the complex lives we now lead. Enlightenment ain't what it's cracked up to be stands head and shoulders above most other spiritual writings.