The Art of Mastery - by Peter Ralston (Paperback)

About the Book

This title is part of the Sacred Planet Books collection.

Book Synopsis

A detailed guide to what it takes to master anything

- Explores in depth the foundational skills and operating principles that empower mastery, including accurate perceptive awareness and effective interaction

- Looks at how to control your mind and transform your perceptive experience so what you are experiencing aligns with what's actually occurring

- Presents a step-by-step breakdown of the principle of effective interaction and explains how to overcome the major obstacles to mastery

Becoming a master in a particular area is not tied solely to innate ability or talent nor to years of rote practice. As martial arts master and consciousness explorer Peter Ralston explains, the secret to mastery lies in accurate perceptive-awareness and effective interaction.

In this detailed guide to what it takes to master something, Ralston examines the powerful dynamics behind the art of mastery. He explores the foundational skills and operating principles that empower mastery, including the principle of effective interaction, the mind-body alignment principle, and creative intelligence. Examining "reaction" versus "response," he looks at how to control your mind and transform your perceptive- awareness so that what you are experiencing aligns with what's actually occurring--the first step toward reaching your objectives. Sharing methods to overcome the major obstacles to mastery, he presents a step-by-step breakdown of the principle of effective interaction and explains how to adapt when the people or objects you're interacting with are working contrary to your goals, including in sports, business, warfare, politics, or any arena in which you've committed to pursuing mastery.

Revealing the elements that lead to masterful interactive skills, this guide shows how to do the work of personal transformation necessary to access mastery as a real, functional experience, providing an opportunity for deeper insights into yourself and life.

Review Quotes

"I so highly value the years I studied with Peter. In our work together, he immediately made me a better fighter and markedly so. Yet more importantly, he brought something else out: an internal energy, a state of being indescribable or undefinable, a power that I feel in every aspect of my life. He's not only a master in his art but a master teacher. That generous creative flow of universal light that he has allowed and brought forth in his own experience sets fire to everyone who studies with him."-- "Richard Moon, Aikido sensei/instructor 6th dan, facilitator in international peace-building, executi"

"Ralston provides both a real definition of mastery and a very detailed process to achieve it. The book highlights a path to mastery that applies to any chosen field. It provides specific principles and practices and points out potential pitfalls along the way. It is both encouraging and rigorous. There are no participation trophies in this book. One of its best features is guidance on how to benefit from the inevitable mistakes and failures along the path to mastering any activity. If you spend time and effort with this book, you will greatly benefit from the investment."-- "Bob Noha, Aikido 6th dan and chief instructor at Aikido of Petaluma"

About the Author

Peter Ralston is a founder of the consciousness movement in the San Francisco Bay area and the creator of the Art of Effortless Power, an internal martial art based on effortlessly effective interaction. Born in San Francisco but raised primarily in Asia, he began studying martial arts at the age of 9 in Singapore. By the age of 28 he had black belts or expertise in almost every martial art there is and was developing his own Art of Effortless Power. In 1978 he became the first non-Asian ever to win the World Championship full-contact martial arts tournament held in the Republic of China. The founder of the Cheng Hsin Center and the author of several books, including The Book of Not Knowing, he currently lives outside of San Antonio, Texas.