The Pearl Beyond Price is number two in the three-book Diamond Mind series. The centerpiece of Almaas's transformational object relations psychology, in it he explains how an infant identifies with its primary caregivers and ends up losing its "essence" by replacing it with an ego-based personality. Dismantling this imprisoning edifice requires recognizing it in the first place, but once exposed for the false though necessary stage of reality it is, ego tends to dissolve of its own accord. Under the gentle guidance of Almaas, the various aspects of essence begin to emerge, one of them being the centrifugal "personal essence" ("the pearl beyond price"). Through integration of concepts from all the world's religions, though most specifically Sufism, with the latest concepts of depth psychology, Almaas provides the scientifically inclined a point of departure into metaphysical realms. While the presentation is somewhat technical--and therefore of use to psychologists, counselors, teachers, parents, and other serious-minded sorts--it is completely accessible to the generally educated reader. --Randall Cohan

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