Something strikes you the moment you start reading Paradise Found by Charlie Hayes, which is the full force of the relentless message here. Charlie is pointing in a no holds barred way to a truth so real, it is literally everywhere as One Truth, as you and me and everything we see, and yet it is nothing at all. This truth is therefore inexpressible. Yet, Charlie is expressing something that every so-called teacher ought to have the guts to say, which is: Do you see the bullshit? Do you realize that your belief in this or that is no different than a belief in Santa Claus? These are pointers that allow the reader to look for himself or herself and discover there is no self.

In the foreword, Stephen Wingate poignantly refers to Charlie's writing as having "the power and force of a sledge hammer." What is so amazingly beautiful, however, is that after you take that sledge hammer within, and allow it to destroy every belief, what is left is genuine, "unconditioned, unbounded love." Charlie points to and hammers on what is essentially an illusory story of lack called "me," which then reveals the abundance inherent in nothingness. Only a genuine transformation beyond concepts could embrace the seemingly paradoxical nature of such a realization.

With his signature ruthless compassion, Charlie states, "Keep seeking Paradise. That will make it absolutely certain that you will NEVER find Paradise." This kind of powerful and direct pointer leaves no room to hide within a concept about this one inexpressible truth called "enlightenment" or non-duality. It allows the reader to see the futility of the search, to see that the search is the self, and that the self is much ado about nothing. In seeing that futility, the possibility of true spiritual awakening arises, the kind that realizes that even the concept of awakening is bullcrap. This is the total deconstruction and demolition of what you believe to be truth. Only the real, totally liberating and loving truth could be that generous.

(Scott Kiloby is the author of “Love’s Quiet Revolution: The End Of The Spiritual Search”. His website is www.kiloby.com.)