Free Medicine: Meditations on Nondual Awakening

Free Medicine is a collection of forty intimate meditations written by Sufi teacher Pir Elias Amidon. Whether describing a naked dive into a pond in the middle of the night, or a confrontation with soldiers in a Burmese temple, these meditations can serve as companions for those whose deepest desire is to know first-hand the good news at the heart of reality. Human, accessible, and tender, Free Medicine has the power to open us up in ways we never expected. In the words of Keith Dowman, author of Natural Perfection, Although it comes packaged in different languages, cultures and religions, deep mystical insight spirals around a single heart-core: here is Elias Amidon s inspired Sufi reflection of that ineffable nondual reality. Amidon s close connection with nature; his compassion for people in distress; his simple, clear observation of the mysteries of life and death; and his calm sense of humor combine in intriguing ways to reveal the uncaused happiness that is our essence. Reading this book is a wonderful experience, full of brilliant insights, stories, images, lots of free medicine, says Coleman Barks, author of The Essential Rumi."

Elias Amidon is the spiritual director (Pir) of the Sufi Way International, a non-sectarian mystical order in the lineage of Sufi Inayat Khan. An initiate of the Sufi Way for the past forty-seven years, Pir Elias has studied with Qadiri Sufis in Morocco, Theravadan Buddhist teachers in Thailand, Native American teachers of the Assemblies of the Morning Star, Christian monks in Syria, Zen teachers of the White Plum Sangha, and contemporary teachers in the Dzogchen tradition. Elias has lived a multifaceted, engaged life, working as a schoolteacher, carpenter, architect, writer, environmental educator, peace activist, and wilderness rites-of-passage guide. He helped develop several schools, including the Boulder Institute for Nature and the Human Spirit, the Institute for Deep Ecology, the graduate program in Environmental Leadership at Naropa University, and the Open Path. Co-editor of the books Earth Prayers, Life Prayers, and Prayers for a Thousand Years, he has worked for many years with his wife, Elizabeth Rabia Roberts, as a citizen activist for peace and interfaith understanding in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Israel/Palestine, and with indigenous tribes in Thailand and Burma on issues of cultural continuity and land rights (see: www.pathofthefriend.org). He was instrumental in founding the Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil (the Abraham Path), an international project dedicated to helping Middle Eastern countries open a network of cultural routes and walking trails throughout the region. Pir Elias has been leading programs in Sufism for over three decades, and Open Path programs since 2005. He is the author of The Open Path: Recognizing Nondual Awareness, also published by Sentient Publications. Nine- and six-month Open Path Trainings are offered frequently in the United States, England, Holland, Germany, and Austria. These trainings give participants a chance to work directly with Elias over an extended period, learning to recognize and sustain the freshness of nondual awareness in their lives. One and two week solitary Open Path retreats are also held frequently at Nada Hermitage in Crestone, Colorado. Information about current Open Path/Sufi Way programs can be found at www.sufiway.org.