Dennis Waite is one of the foremost writers on Advaita and here he gives an in-depth explanation and exposition of the twelve key mantras of the Mandukya Upanishad describing the fundamental states of consciousness – waking, dreaming, sleeping and the fourth state. This leads him into a detailed consideration of the nature of these states, including questions of causality, creation and selfknowledge. Like the woman who is looking for her necklace but finds that she is wearing it, ‘all our efforts to attain liberation are superfluous. What can be gained is simply the knowledge that we are already free.’ There is no creation, no seeker, no liberation, only Brahman. We are already That. Such is the wealth of detail in the book that it is aimed at the advanced seeker and as such represents a considerable achievement of scholarship. ~ David Lorimer, Paradigm explorer

Synopsis: Gaudapada was one of the world's greatest philosophers in seventh-century India. He invokes the mystical symbol 'AUM' (pronounced as 'ohm') pointing to the three states of consciousness (waking, dreaming and deep sleep) and the nature of reality itself. In the text on which this book is based, he writes that the waker, dreamer and deep-sleeper are like the roles that an actor plays at various times. All three states are the result of ignorance and error. Who we really are is the fourth aspect - the actor himself. If you see or feel a 'thing', then that 'thing' is not 'real.' So the waking world is no more real than the dream. 'You' have never been born. Nothing has ever been created. Causality is a myth. Discover your true nature to be Existence-Consciousness, without limitations, undivided and infinite, prior to time and space. Incredible? Read "A-U-M: Awakening to Reality" by Dennis Waite and be convinced by the irrefutable logic of Gaudapada. Critique: Gaudapada (c.6th century CE) was the author or compiler of the Ma ukya Karika, a quintessential text which used madhyamika philosophical terms to delineate Advaita Vedanta philosophy. "A-U-M: Awakening to Reality" by Dennis Waite (who has been a student of Advaita for over 25 years and maintains one of the most visited and respected websites on the subject at Advaita Vision - http://www.advaita.org.uk/) is an informative, thoughtful, and insightful study which is very highly recommended for academia and the non-specialist reader with an interest in Indian philosophy and metaphysics. Appropriate for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A-U-M: Awakening to Reality" is also available in a Kindle edition ($12.99). Willis M. Buhle Reviewer ~ Willis M Buhle, Midwest Book Review

I am writing this to congratulate and thank you for your books on Advaita, especially the latest one, AUM on the Mandukya Karika, which I am reading now. You write with clarity and insight and authenticity. I first read 'The Book of One' some time back and enjoyed it greatly. Recently I read ‘Path through the Jungle’, which clarified what genuine traditional advaita is, in contrast to the teachings of some satsang/direct path type of teachers. This I felt was timely and helpful. Swami Sarvapriyananda, (a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission, at present living in the monastery at the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hollywood, Los Angeles) ~ Swami Sarvapriyananda, Vedanta Society

Your book on the Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada kArikA-s is the best introduction I have read on Advaita. Clear, succinct, knowledgeable without being pedantic. The book shows your deep grasp of the principles but what is exceptional is your ability to explain the dynamics without dumbing down. And the simplicity of your writing shows that you understand without recourse to abstruse and complicated reasoning. It means you know what you are writing about. A rare feat considering the amount of verbiage out there! What struck me was your capacity to give the teachings context. TMP Mahadevan, Balasubramanian, TK Sundaram et al have published erudite books but, as Westerners, we fail to catch the nuances that they take for granted. You have given the teaching context, applicability, and awareness of implications and consequences. This is rare. With your Western education and culture you have managed to absorb the teaching within your background. One could go native so to speak and become a swami after intensive study at say Swami Dayananda's Arsha Vidya Ashram but that can be a trap for, by exchanging one set of 'clothes' ( physical, mental, emotional) for another, there is the danger in thinking one is now superior. You have avoided that trap and as a result your investigations have an authenticity lacking in many who 'explain' Advaita however versatile they may be in spouting Sanskrit and abstruse concepts. ~ Christopher Quilkey, The Mountain Path