The Price of a Remarkable Destiny: The Life and Spiritual Journey of Edward Salim Michael Paperback

This book is very precious. It inspires me to seek the very truth that Salim had embodied in his every breath.

If you want to understand, be moved and deeply inspired by the inner life and struggle of an authentic and relatively unknown spiritual teacher of the highest conceivable order then I urge you to read this book. There are universal treasures here awaiting any seeker from any spiritual tradition and everything that is revealed herein bears the hallmark of untarnished and direct mystical experience What makes this teacher unique is that he has not hidden his personal struggle from the world and by following the rich tapestry of his life one can learn about the struggles and personal sacrifices that inevitably will be required by any seeker of Truth.

This simply written book captivated me. In a hyperactive world Edward Salim Michael demonstrates it is possible to pursue an inner life with tenacity. There is something very real about this life story which makes it stand out as authentic.I first read his book’ The Way of Inner Vigilance’ decades ago which is now published as ‘The Law Of Attention’. Many Buddhist teachers including Ajahn Sumedho and Tenzin Palmo have found insights in Edward Salim Michael’s words but as he belonged to no tradition, not even Buddhist, many have missed these two classic books.The essence of this book is in the title ‘The Price of a Remarkable Destiny’ Edward Salim Michael saw the worth in paying the price and it was not always easy.The two main strands of the book being Edward Salim Michael’s musical life in the late 1940’s onward and his spiritual life which for me is one of the most inspiring reads.The book gives many details of Edward Salim Michael’s early years but his life changed for good one evening in London in December 1949. For the first time he saw a statue, over a meter high, of the Buddha seated in meditation. The serene and composed posture transfixed him. On returning home he felt an irresistible need to put himself in the same posture as the Buddha. On sitting he became aware of the inner sound or Nada, for the first time, calling him beyond discursive thought.This Inner Sound was to be a joyful skillful means he turned to till the end of his life. The book lays out how he worked with the inner sound and other skillful means throughout his life.I had not realized his many struggles as a musician, his lack of money and food at times but for all these problems his determination not to give up on his spiritual life is one of the most endearing messages of his life story. In a way this is the thread that runs throughout this whole book of both his biography and teaching extracts.To paraphrase ‘Don’t give up, now is always the time for inner vigilance.’On the musical side of his life teachers like Nadia Boulanger realized his talent and dignity. Many details are given about his recordings and performances. His ability as a solo violinist cultivated his attention which he also used to prolong the state of ‘inner vigilance in active life’.Which was very important to him.The book is full of reminders not to make life ‘ tomorrow ‘He gently admonishes himself at times in simple and practical ways. Like the time he catches himself rushing, imagining a future meeting and stops and asks himself - ‘ -ultimately how much time will have really been saved by rushing ? Many spiritual sections of the book are about Edward Salim Michael’s attempts not to be lost in a scattered fearful mind but to realize the goal is always situated in the present and the importance of returning to the ground of being, the discovery of the Sublime within. He takes inspiration from the Buddha seated in meditation, the writings of Brother Lawrence, the Bhagavad Gita and many others but really he is a man of practice first.A very inspiring read which it is hard not to be moved by. A book to read and then dip into and reread over many years.

Great

Great read...