God is not a person or a thing but rather a process, according to world-renowned author and spiritual leader Deepak Chopra. The purpose of this ambitious book is to assure readers that anyone can engage in this process--"it isn't a matter of faith, religious teaching, innate goodness, luck or some other mysterious factor," Chopra explains. "Our brains are hardwired to find God." This hardwiring is deftly explored as Chopra lists the seven ways humans know God and how they correspond to the anatomy of our human brains. He devotes a chapter to each of the seven visions of God: "Protector," "Almighty," "God of Peace," "Redeemer," "Creator," "God of Miracles," and "Pure Being--I am." In every chapter he asks and answers the same questions for the readers: "Who am I?" "How do I fit in?" "How do I find God?" The format works well, helping to tame this broad discussion while also illuminating the different personality types that are attracted to these seven different visions.

Fortunately, Chopra is a gifted narrator, able to make human anatomy and quantum physics understandable while also keeping spiritual and metaphysical discussions grounded. As he drifts through the cloudy realms of ESP, telepathy, clairvoyance, miracles, obedience, loyalty, evil, ego, addictions, and mentors, readers can trust that there is a competent pilot at the helm, deftly guiding this excellent book. Plan to take some time with this one. It is perhaps his best yet and as such deserves a slow and steady commitment. --Gail Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
Prolific author Chopra (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Creating Health, etc.) explores the different ways people apprehend God. Chopra contends that there are seven responses to God and that "the brain cannot register a deity outside the list of seven responses." Chopra's seven include: fight or flight (a God who can save us from danger), reactive (a rule-giving God), restful awareness (a God who brings tranquility out of chaos), intuitive (a good and forgiving God), creative (God as Creator), visionary (God as exalted) and sacred (God as the source of everything). Different personalities envision God differently, says Chopra; a go-getter determined to shape his own destiny will imagine a creative God, whereas someone who feels she is just barely getting through the day will have the stage-one "fight or flight" response, envisioning a God who can rescue her. For Chopra, these seven ascending stages are normative; someone who has reached stage seven is more in tune with God than someone stuck at stage one. (Readers from law-based religions may feel dismayed that Chopra so devalues their "stage two" conception of God.) To help spiritual pilgrims reach the seventh stage, Chopra recommends that they see themselves and others "in the light," forgive themselves when they err and seek out the sacred and the unknown. Like most theories that claim to be all-encompassing, Chopra's scheme is often reductive, but this will nonetheless be a worthwhile addition to the spiritual seeker's library. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Chopra, best-selling author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and the CEO and founder of the Chopra Center for Well-Being in La Jolla, CA, continues his exploration of science and philosophy. According to him, the brain is "hardwired to know God." He reminds the listener that the human nervous system has seven biological responses that correspond to the seven levels of divine experience. The brain has an infinite need to make meaning from what Chopra calls "quantum soup." This work delves into the mysteries of religious awakening and offers an accessible guide for the spiritual seeker. The book, while abridged, is still a long listen at five hours. Larger public libraries will probably need at least one copy due to the author's popularity. Smaller public libraries should purchase as the need arises.APam Kingsbury, Florence, AL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
To some a mystic and to others a charlatan, Chopra reads the latest of his many books, presenting his distinctive religious ideas with clarity and seriousness. Chopra was born and raised in New Delhi and has the accent, albeit slight, of one whose first language is Hindi. His pronunciation and intonation are different from those of a native English speaker, but not off-putting. Trained in modern medicine and a current promoter of an ancient science of healing, Chopra sounds like a deeply spiritual yogi while reading this book, which blends Western and non-Western approaches to both religion and science. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

FROM THE PUBLISHER

You don't have to believe in God in order to experience God.
—- Deepak Chopra

The celebrated author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success has written his most ambitious and important work yet, a runaway international bestseller that has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to rethink their concept of God.

According to Chopra, the brain is hardwired to know God. The human nervous system has seven biological responses that correspond to seven levels of divine experience. These are shaped not by any one religion (they are shared by all faiths), but by the brain's need to take an infinite, chaotic universe and find meaning in it. How to Know God describes the quest each of us is on, whether we realize it or not. For, as Chopra puts it, "God is our highest instinct to know ourselves." This book makes a dramatic and enduring contribution to that knowledge.

FROM THE CRITICS

Dalai Lama

I congratulate Dr. Deepak Chopra for this wonderful book, reaching out to many, many readers, on the subject of spirituality but with a scientific approach.

Library Journal

Chopra on our "instinct" for God. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Just when I think he can't go any deeper, he does. We have in our midst a spiritual genius. — (Marianne Williamson, author of Return to Love)

Andrew Weil, M.D., director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of ArizonaHow to Know God is a profound and accessible exploration of the experience of God, including an understanding of it in biological and scientific terms. It is both fascinating and uplifting. — Andrew Weil

This book, which unfolds the knowledge of God-consciousness, is at once a map of Spirit and a map of your own deepest Self. — (Ken Wilber, author of Integral Psychology)

Larry King, host of Larry King Live, CNNOne of the best books ever written about a subject that more people think about than anything else.  — Larry King

Robert Thurman, Ph.D., professor of religion, Columbia UniversityThe most important book about God for our times. This book is a magical stairway to ascend to a life-changing experience of the sacred. — Robert Thurman