"No new knowledge is required or acquired, Ray. No transcendental experience or higher consciousness needs to be achieved. When the recognition of what you are is seen, nothing at all happens. Why would it? You simply find yourself as you already are." After many years spent searching for the secret to peace, happiness and unconditional freedom, a chance encounter on the ghats of the sacred River Ganges heralds the end of Ray Brooks' s spiritual journey. Interspersed between humorous and uplifting stories of life in Rishikesh, India are nine thought-provoking conversations between Ray and an unassuming yet extraordinary Anglo-Indian man. Ray' s long-held spiritual beliefs are exposed and challenged, allowing him to see that his quest for wholeness has been a futile path: just like a shadow that seeks the sun. This book offers no promises or systems of belief. Instead, it clearly points to something that is ever-present yet completely overlooked: the ordinariness and beauty of our natural state of being. And it is only after we acknowledge that simple yet profound truth that our spiritual search will be complete.

As a young, up and coming electrical engineer living in England, Ray Brooks had everything he could want a high paying job, late nights, and fast cars. All he was missing in his life was the meaning. A series of events brought him to Japan, where he met a man who played the shakuhachi, an ancient Japanese flute. That fortuitous interaction motivated Brooks to embark on a journey to learn this very difficult instrument. Through playing the shakuhachi, he began to understand the Zen discipline that is a crucial aspect of Japanese culture. This understanding greatly changed his outlook on life, putting him in touch with his authentic self. Blowing Zen s humor and its irresistible story of cultures converging lets the underlying message come through without preachiness: life is about finding your true calling, not just what brings you superficial joy. Brooks spontaneous approach to the collaboration of art, mind, body, and spirit is inspiring and instructive. This uplifting memoir has been entrancing readers since its release in 2000, and it is now being re-released with a new chapter and lots of photographs. This is the expanded and revised edition with photos.