Reviews

“Your books (referring to Mr. Rose’s writings), CDs, and video tapes inspired me to search for the Unknowable/Truth/God. You inspired me to go within and find a Teacher to help me realize that which Is. We have not met in person, nor have I written you a mail (a thing which I regret), but your legacy remains in my heart.

Through my Teacher’s blessing, through your teachings, and through the help of my spiritual friends, me and my wife have had the experience (May and July 2005) that I think you have pointed to. This experience was like dying while alive.

P.S. One of the things that helped me See the Perfection of All That Is was Mr. Rose’s lecture about contemplating on ‘Nothingness and Everythingness’. The mind makes things too complicated….It is so simple yet often overlooked.”

“Thank-you very much for the reply…I have read all of Richard’s books and they have definitely helped to lighten the path for me… Richard still lives through his books and teachings and for that I am grateful!”

“I don’t have to tell you of all people that for me – having read the words of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramana Maharshi, etc. – the beauty is that Mr. Rose more or less did it all; experienced it all. And he did it and explained it honestly and in plain English.”

“It is rare that a few book excerpts can make me realize that 99% of everything I’ve read before is pablum. Looking forward to the read.”

Testimonial: A statement, often a letter, recommending the character, value, etc. of a person or thing. An act, statement, event, etc. that gives public acknowledgement of esteem or appreciation. (Webster’s Concise Dictionary of the English Language 2003)

Dear Unknown Reader,

I have been asked to write a testimonial for Richard Rose, and I am both honored and humbled do so, hoping that my words may move others to investigate his life and writings, and knowing that words will never touch the Spirit that he contained and expressed so simply and so eloquently throughout his life. I believe Richard Rose may well be the most astute philosophical thinker the Western hemisphere ever produced. I will make no attempt to reduce the scope of this inclusion, since after two decades of spiritual and philosophical research; my conclusion is that no attempt is necessary.

Richard Rose, from the humblest beginnings imaginable in a tiny West Virginia town, rose to the pinnacle of achievement in life’s most valuable field—the study of human mental experience. As a child he read Plato and Socrates, Descartes, Aquinas, the Christian Bible, and other renowned historical texts. Unsatisfied and unfulfilled, he ventured into Science, both mainstream and “pseudo”, discovering in those fields that the end result of all knowledge was not the certainty of experience that he sought. “I made a vow to look under every rock,” he said; a vow which he kept diligently until his death in 2005. Rose’s practical philosophical perspective, which he called The Albigen System, developed over the course of fifty years of active investigation into what many recognize as life’s big questions: “Who are we? Where did we come from?, and Where are we going?

Mr. Rose wrote seven books in his lifetime, and delivered hundreds of lectures at colleges and universities across the United States. He labored long for Truth, and in this labor took no rest or compensation, which fact alone set him above 99.9% of all others in the field. He believed in equal application of logic and intuition to solving the problem of life’s great mystery, and he consistently managed to balance those two mental capacities to an almost unimaginably subtle degree. His books on meditation, energy transmutation, psychology, and particularly his poetry, weave a multi-dimensional tapestry of astutely objective observations and insightful mystical impressions that often stun the reader into a state of direct perception that abridges years of ordinary mental work. In this aspect alone his writing is invaluable, and unparalleled.

I knew Richard Rose for over thirty years, and found him to be of incredibly sound mind, stout heart, and honest integrity beyond the bounds of which men have rarely ventured. He was a man who lived to think and to discover what lies beyond all thought, without preconception, wishful thinking, or false belief. He often said he saw no value in life, unless one KNEW who was living, and he backed up his words with action by living a life solely dedicated to what he called Self-definition. He subordinated all other efforts and endeavors to this single purpose, and as in all human enterprises, his results were proportional to the amount of energy applied. In our modern age of quick fixes, global enterprise, redundant psychology, concentric philosophy, and smorgasbord spirituality, Richard Rose’s voice rings loud and clear with simple unadorned common-sense logic, and with an undeniable aura of Truth, comprehensible to anyone willing to spend ample time and energy in serious self-investigation and honest appraisal.

I feel privileged to have associated with Richard Rose for those many years as a student and as a friend. His teaching covered all life’s lessons, from the most mundane to the most sublime. To him I honestly owe my life, and certainly my psychological, philosophical, and spiritual achievements, for it was under his tutelage that the groundwork was laid in these areas. Throughout his tenure, never once did he accept any gratuity from me, other than my energy put forth to further the Work, which might have meant splitting firewood, putting up posters, or working to secure a lecture or meeting hall. There is no question that I was repaid a thousand-fold for my time and labor.

In conclusion, to those who are looking for answers to psychological and philosophical questions, I heartily and sincerely recommend reading Richard Rose’s books. Perhaps more importantly, listen to his lecture tapes, since it was in his personal presence that one most easily could feel and experience the intensity of the man. From the time of his own Enlightenment experience in 1947, he worked tirelessly to convey to others in any way he could, that they too could find the Answer to life’s great riddle. He offers a distinct systematic approach that calls for nothing less than complete honesty with one’s self, in all aspects of one’s life, every moment of every day, yet it includes the understanding and compassion so necessary to offset the many failings of the human spirit, with which we are all too familiar. In my opinion, no man could have done more for his fellow man. I am quite certain that those with a sincere interest in psychology, philosophy of mind, mysticism, and esoteric thought, who include Richard Rose in their investigations, will be more than amply rewarded for their efforts.