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FEATURED REVIEW - Publisher's Weekly (5/16/2022)
Linking the realm of the mind to the concept of a universal soul and the ancient yet still provocative notion that consciousness itself is something of the Prime Mover of existence, Hauck’s impassioned treatise draws deeply on the histories of philosophy, religion, and physics to argue “The focused awareness you feel right now reading this page—that spark of consciousness you take for granted—is more mysterious and powerful than anything you will ever read in any book.” That’s the first chapter’s grabber of a first line, an arresting introduction to concepts that are quite literally heady—Hauck links, with passion and some persuasive power, the elusive truth of what happens in our minds to the Pythagorean concept of the “monad,” the “single, indivisible source” that creates reality—or, as Ibn Sina posited a millennium ago, “the infinite mind” that creates “intellect and self-awareness in individuals.”
Call it God, the Big Bang, the universal soul, or whatever else. The Monad Manifesto argues not that it’s any one thing that we can comprehend, but that it’s something we can sense, and feel an intimate connection with, especially as we come to understand “the fundamental role consciousness plays in the creation of cosmic reality”—that consciousness is more fundamental even “than matter, energy, space, or time.”
Hauck grounds these searching, complex arguments in the cogent examinations of the Monad-related thought from Ancient Greece and Egypt, in Gnostic teachings, the Tao Te Ching, Jainist spiritualism, Buddhism, and the work of philosophers and scientists up to the age of relativity and beyond. But his message, for all that, is practical, a call for humanity to shine “with inner light.” He pleads, “Stop ignoring the subtleties of existence because they are beyond your comprehension!” Chapters on mediation and Monadic experiences are richly detailed and inviting.
This is easily the most clearly written, and possibly the most comprehensive, book about the Monad. Surveys a couple thousand years of thought about the Monad from a broad spectrum of philosophers, scientists, poets and mystics. The author writes with great clarity, insight and understanding.
New Concepts for me. Very interesting ideas and concepts. These are new to me and a bit hard to grasp but are interesting nonetheless. It’s the perfect way for me to get a sense of the “modern thinking” and theories about life and the universe. I just might have to read it again because the points raised are quite deep.
This is a valuable compilation of the idea of the monad, the primordial source from which our experienced reality arises. Virtually every mystical and esoteric tradition, across every culture, held the concept that reality is multilayered, with our everyday experience just the tip of an iceberg. The book starts with an introduction that defines what a monad is, and then how this idea is found in philosophy, science, mathematics, cosmology, and personal experiences. Meditations based on the monad are also included. There's a fine bibliography at the end for those who wish to delve deeper. I'm familiar with Hauck's other books on esoterica, and this one is a fine contribution that provides the background story that connects them all. Highly recommended!
This book looks at the nature of consciousness and its origin in the universe. By tracing the evolution of scientific and philosophical viewpoints, the author develops a comprehensive paradigm based on the idea of a singular source of reality known in science as the “Singularity” and in mathematics and philosophy as the “Monad.” Hauck presents his interpretation in an inspiring Manifesto, which for me was a joy to read. He supports his ideas with useful supplementary chapters on monadic experiences and meditations. But the chapters on the monad concept in philosophy, science, mathematics, and cosmology build a solid foundation for his concepts. Overall, this is a thoughtful and enlightening read with important insights that just might open the way for a true merging of science and spirituality.
Addressing the overall singular nature of the ground of reality, this book pierces this same concept by looking at how philosophers, and scientists—both ancient and modern—were all describing the investigation of the same one thing. This wide variety of perspectives leaves the reader with a form of emergent "Gestalt" perspective, whose whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. The author walks a nice line between providing significant material for professionals to ponder, while providing sufficient depth and background for the inexperienced. The material is undoubtedly complex, yet it doesn't feel like it, given the conversational and approachable manner in which this text is written.
This book is very interesting. It is certainly for open-minded readers that are interested in the intersections of science, physics, math, and philosophy. The book asks some thought-provoking questions and is worthy of a read especially if you are into these subjects.
Overall, this was a powerful read, and I put a lot of thought into it, though sometimes the mind-stretching material took time to get used to. I have to wonder if books like this will have to wait for more enlightened generations that have gotten beyond the addictive materialistic view of reality that has been bred into all of us.
This book resonates with me deeply, even though I do not fully understand the science completely. Yes, the illustrations really help. Funny how you can sense the importance of something even though it seems new and strange. Already read it twice and still getting more out of it on my third reading.
Fantastic idea for a book! Honest and straightforward and a wonderful blend of science and spirituality that rings true on the personal level. I haven’t felt such a deep personal connection with a nonfiction book before, and that itself is quite an accomplishment from this light-bearing author.
The mixture of science, spirituality, depth psychology, and personal experiences is impossible to fit into any one genre. This should be four or five different books!
True, this book doesn’t fit into any existing category, but then, it’s not like anything I read before and that might be a good thing.
This book is a comprehensive, in-depth discussion and treatment of the often ignored subject of monads in philosophy, science, mathematics and cosmology. Also discussed are personal monad experiences and meditation. Previous to reading this book, I never knew about monads other than their mention by the 18th century philosopher Leibniz. Monads are single units of consciousness, and the universe is the first Monad—the unified intelligence of everything. The consciousness of individual human beings are also monads—self-aware units of consciousness.
I must be honest, this book blew my mind! I felt like I was running to keep up, and I even reread a couple chapters, but all in all it’s very interesting. Even if you only have a passing interest in what makes the universe tick, you should read this book. The author supports his views with ancient philosophies and current day scientific theories, but no matter what school of thought, it all comes down to the mystery of singularity.
This is a philosophical book that explains the Monad and how various philosophers and scientists viewed the Monad throughout history. But we may ask, what is this Monad and how do philosophers and scientists explain their points on this? The book provides adequate answers to all the reader's questions. What I loved about the book were the extra materials and drawings the author provided for a deeper understanding of the subject. I also love that the book listed out the general characteristics shared by those who report having introvertive and extrovertive experiences of the Monad. To discover the Monad in us, the final chapter provides different kinds of meditations, which have been categorized into three parts: "Rejection of the Unreal," "Abstraction of the Real," and "Meditations in the Light." These diverse meditations and practices were what I loved most in this book.
Almost two-thirds of the book (first five chapters) traces the very detailed history of the concept of “Monad”, citing many dozens of different people and disciplines, including the Heremetics, Janists, Gnostics, Arabians, Persians, Neoplatonists, Muslims, Buddhists, Alchemists, and Persians, up to modern times. The last third of the book (Chapters 6 and 7) is about “Monastic Experiences”, which studies the personal Monadic experiences of notable people such as Dante, Jacob Boehme, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Wordsworth, and Walt Whitman, and the “Monad Meditations”, of such notables as Marcus Aurelius, Siddhartha Gautam, Dzogchen, and Rembrandt. Overall, this book provides a fascinating history and useful application of monadic experience.
Depending upon the reader's scholarly background, this book may have startling new subject matter, or at least a novel expansion on familiar ideas. Like other of Hauck's work, it exposes a thread of alchemy in many works that are not identified as part of that tradition. Well enough organized and categorized, a deeper dive into the articles, and especially their sources, would expand the book to ten times its size!
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I can't think of a better introduction to syncretic, Hermetic ideas than this book, and I would recommend it. I would say most issues I have with the text relate to the way some things are said, rather than the substance behind them. As an example, early in the book when talking about all existents summing to zero so the universe remains, ultimately, nothing; I would have put the "nothing" in quotation marks. I'm absolutely opposed to the idea that anything could ever come from a true nothing. So, I'd put it in quotations to reflect it being an apparent nothing, rather than real. Having read quite a lot in occultism over the decades
This Manifesto is awesome, scientifically over my head at times, but I do wholeheartedly appreciate all the thought, meditation and interpretation of this beautiful philosophy. Thank you, may this way of thought spread quickly. As you stated humanity is in great need of a much deeper and more personal world view of existence . . .
This book focuses on the monads' history and perception by different philosophers and scientists. The monad is the absolute source of creation and highlights the singularity in time and space. Hauck presents logical concepts and profound meanings of the individual's consciousness and emphasizes the monadic influence in different civilizations. There is no aspect I disliked about this book. I liked that it questioned the cause of everything and presented the physical universe through scientists' theories, consciousness studies, and mystical experiences.
I appreciated that the author focused on the origin of the cosmos and the divine mind and presented the definition of a monad from different philosophers. I loved that Hauck offered numerous examples of monadic patterns from literature, math, and cosmology. I liked the monadic vision of Dante Alighieri and his platonic love for Beatrice, and I found Aurobindo Ghose's experience of Nirvana very profound because it highlighted the awareness of a self-conscious reality. I liked the philosophical theories which questioned the illusion of matter. I appreciated Indra's Net in the Buddhist monadology and the theory of multiverse that highlighted infinity and reflection.
Also, I liked that the author shared his own monadic experiences. For instance, he almost died during a diabetic coma and explained the pure self-awareness and no fear of death – only bliss and a sense of eternity remained. I recommend this book to people who want to find the inner core of their mind and stimulate their mental imagery
If you want just a simple fun read, this isn't it -- but if you want something to make you really think about the universe and the connections between spirituality and science this is perfect for you!
I loved reading this book! It makes non duality simple to understand combined with many enlightening little excursions. If you are interested in spirituality, I think it is very likely you will enjoy this read.
The Monad Manifesto is an exceptional continuation and expansion of the author's seminal 1999 work, The Emerald Tablet. This book not only builds upon the foundational concepts introduced previously but also delves deeper into the intricate philosophies that captivated us before. The author's eloquent prose and profound insights provide readers with an enriching experience that stimulates both the mind and the soul. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the metaphysical and spiritual realms, offering a fresh perspective that is both enlightening and inspiring. The Monad Manifesto is a testament to the author's growth and continued contribution to the field!
If you want a book that reliably (and on a very practical level) creates the perfect synthesis of the traditional principles of spiritual alchemy with cutting edge theories of quantum mechanics, all in very clear, accessible language, look no further than this groundbreaking work by acclaimed teacher of alchemy Dennis William Hauck. Pay close attention and stay with the book long enough for the ideas to truly penetrate your mind, and it will open new vistas of awareness for you. Bravo! This volume is revolutionary!
This is easily the most clearly written, and possibly the most comprehensive, book about the Monad. Surveys a couple thousand years of thought about the Monad from a broad spectrum philosophers, scientists, poets and mystics. The author writes with great clarity, insight and understanding.