Franklin Merrell-Wolff’s Experience and Philosophy

Reviews on Amazon

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pathways Through To Space

Reviewed in Canada on May 12, 2001
Franklin Merrell-Wolff's memoir of and reflections upon his experience of "Realization" is one of the most engaging
and intelligent accounts ever written. His path was that of the jnani and the philosopher, and his lucid critical
thinking is a rarity in this sort of literature. But this story is far from dry, and the mysticism is genuine and deep.
This book got me through a series of "spiritual" crises in the mid-80s and has come around several times since, and
is richer and more suggestive on each reading, as few books are. There is a subtle chemistry to "mystical" writers;
one person's revelation is another person's tedium. Merrell-Wolff's work has a particular ineffable quality, a flavor
that appeals to me immensely. He was an inspiration to Richard Moss, whose works are also highly to be
recommended to those pursuing the path that disappears into God's country.

Robert Radford

5.0 out of 5 stars A Philosopher's Perspective of Quantum Cohesion

Reviewed in Canada on February 5, 2010
Franklin Merrell-Wolff experienced consciousness without an object and without a subject in 1936, around the
same time that modern scientists were developing theories about quantum cohesion and quantum entanglement:
concepts of a reality consisting of billions of complex, interacting probabilities; concepts of a reality without time,
space and physicality. Basically, Franklin and the quantum physicists are talking about the same thing: the unity
and oneness of all. I am fascinated by the different interpretations which different people give to the same
realizations. I am not a philosopher and I am not a quantum physicist, but the writings of Franklin Merrell-Wolff
(Experience and Philosophy) and Apollo astronaut, Edgar Mitchell (The Way of the Explorer), came to me at the
same time and, combined, helped to bring me to a level of understanding and enlightenment for which I shall be
forever grateful.

Robert Charles Radford

Mark Voss

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly clear, extraordinarily profound

Reviewed in Canada on October 30, 2001
I found "The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object," one of the two books making up this volume, by
chance a few years ago. Dr. Wolff is like pure gold. He provides independent confirmation and explication of
mystical experience outside of religious traditions.
To existing reviews I just want to add that one of the deep joys of this book is Dr. Wolff himself, as transmitted by
his language. Extremely literate, deeply kind, considerate, powerful, courageous, patient, thorough, Dr. Wolff is
beautiful to read. This book contains the truth, in sentences that are so precise that they are like mathematical
equations, and so vast in scope that they are themselves like books.

Julie Faber
5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be rushed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2013
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This book is very deep and although I normally read very quickly, I am taking my time with this one. I am only a
little way through it but I know the writer has some profound insights to share. It looks like it may possibly be one
of the most important books on studies in consciousness available.

Berlake
5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2008
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Please, read this book. And then read it again. And again. Wolff was a rare human being indeed, and I'm not saying
this because I'm mistakenly presuming his enlightenment to be more profound than any other genuine
enlightenment; I am saying it because it's true. Read the book and take it all in and you'll see what I mean. No-one
else has written anything like it. I defy you to not feel a deep gratitude and - if I may be so bold - love for Wolff for
having written it... After you've read this, read his other work, "Transformations In Consciousness". Terrible title,
but another astonishing book. And I don't say that lightly.....

nick reading
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, essential reading for those interested in consciousness, but very challenging
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2015
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I hold this book in incredibly high esteem. It contains some of the strongest writing on any topic I have ever
encountered. Only Naboakov's literature and Hindemith's music theory writing are of a similar level of clarity,
power and beauty. Franklin's writing is absolutely top shelf.

I also think of Franklin Merrell-Wolff as the most lucid and penetrating commentator on consciousness that I have
ever encountered. To put that comment in context, I have read 50+ books on consciousness, ranging from classical
Indian, Chinese and Japanese texts, to modern English language writers. The only other book I put even close to
Frankin's writing on consciousness is the Tao Te Ching (Stephen Mitchell translation) which is a timeless classic
rendered in beautiful style. But while the Tao is beautiful and mysterious, Franklin's writing is penetrating and
precise.

I don't write many reviews, but I wanted to take the time to recommend this book for a few reasons. First, it is a
supreme achievement in writing on consciousness. Second, it has been of enormous help and value to me and to
many of my friends who are committed to conscious living. Third, I see a few negative reviews which come from
people who either didn't read the book or who were put off by the style of the book, and I would like to comment
on and counterweight those reviews.

To comment briefly on the negative reviews: I read the negative reviews as saying essentially that Franklin's style is
too difficult, too obscure, too tangential or too boring to be readable or useful. I would agree that there is a strong
and unique style in the writing. I personally found his writing and style to be enormously challenging but also
enormously rewarding. Franklin's writing is very academic and precise in style. He sounds like a professor, and
indeed he was a professor of Mathematics and also of Philosophy at Stanford University before he left academia to
dedicate himself to an ascetic lifestyle and realization of fundamental consciousness.

I'm not put off by "difficult" books and have patiently made it through many challenging texts by Heidegger,
Derrida, Iser and others. Even given my patience as a reader, it took me 4 attempts over several years to finally
make it through Franklin's writing -- the first three times I found it too dense, too opaque, and too tangential to my
interest to keep going. But there was something in the book that kept bringing me back, as well as several of my
friends holding the work in great esteem.

What finally helped me make it through the book was allowing myself to start the collection from a different entry
point: this collection contains a few distinct works, and they are each of very different approach. When I stared
with the second title in this volume, "Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object," I found that piece to be a
more concept-driven and holistic rendering of his topic matter, and that rendering agrees more with how I prefer
to think and read. Afterwards, I returned to the other main work in the volume, "Pathways Through to Space,"
which is essentially a time-series of journal entries over the a period when Franklin was experiencing major shifts
of consciousness. When I started reading the volume beginning with "Pathways," I found it too rambling and
disorderly to make any sense of. But after having read "Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object" and then
giving another shot to "Pathways," then finally the richness of its journal-style narrative started to emerge and
make sense. Lastly, it should be noted, there are a series of 50+ short aphorisms near the end of the volume; I
consider these a timeless classic of writing on consciousness and they are very fitting for meditation or frequent
rereading to "soak" in how Franklin considers consciousness. So, to wrap up my answer to the book's critics, yes
the style is challenging, but if that is allowed for, there are many different entry points to the text, and with patient
reading, the great merit of the content can come through.

I personally love the work and consider it very unique for a few reasons. First, Franklin has the conceptual clarity of
a Mathematician and the linguistic precision of a Philosopher, reflecting his academic training. It can be very
difficult to put into language ideas regarding consciousness, and Franklin is more adept than anyone I've ever
encountered at putting penetrating observations on consciousness into clear (if challenging) language. Second,
Franklin is no mere academic commentator, but rather he dedicated the majority of his adult life to pursuing a
realization of higher consciousness, and by several accounts, met with major success. Franklin was a mentor to
several other authors and teachers I know and respect, and Franklin was regarded as an esteemed expert in this
area and visited by many foreign authors and sages. In my estimation, his work reflects true realization of higher
consciousness. Third, as much as I like the old classic writings on consciousness, I greatly appreciate having work
from a modern and native English-language author; in such a case, we have to worry less about ideas translating
appropriately over barriers of time, culture, or linguistic differences.

In summary, if you are very interested in consciousness and conscious living, and like writing with a philosophical
style, this volume of Franklin's work may be very rewarding for you. The style and rendering of the work can be
challenging, but ultimately very rewarding due to its uncanny insight and precision. I have reread the volume 4
times and consider it to be the finest work on consciousness I have ever seen by a very wide margin. My
recommendation: buy the book, derive great value and satisfaction from it, and tell your friends!
D. Doyle
5.0 out of 5 stars If you have found this book - purchase it!
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013
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An intimate account of the Awakening of an individual that has taken great conscious care in both a daily account
of the process after the shift to Awakening, and of the overall processes upon the path in the wide sense and yet in
the most detailed and refined sense.

A Westerner with a vast body of prior practice and a high Awakening rarely visited upon us on this planet. His
ability to communicate to us here in our western bodies and backgrounds is so rarely of this quality and detailed
refinement that I do not have an apt comparison except perhaps to the very best of our philosophers - but this is
not a book of theory or possible opinion, it is direct knowledge from one who is well beyond reproach as will
become obvious to the ear of one who has worn the path upon himself.