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Review Detail

 
Scientology 0-8: The Book of Basics
Scientology Books
October 13, 2012    
I recommend it to all Scientologists. But, not as a starting book for people to understand Scientology.
Overall rating 
 
4.3
Wow factor 
 
3.0
Informative 
 
5.0
Easy to understand 
 
4.0
Usefulness 
 
5.0
Reviewed by Patterson November 10, 2012
Top 100 Reviewer  -   View all my reviews (2)

Required if you are a Scientologist

I recommend it to all Scientologists. But, not as a starting book for people to understand Scientology.

Where I stand

I am a...
Independent Scientologist

Pros and Cons (optional)

Pros
The original version was incredibly useful as a single-stop reference to the key scales and axioms of Scientology and Dianetics. The book is a compilation from other works, a distillation of key data, and it is meant to be used as a reference, and it does so very well. It also contains the essay "Consideration and Mechanics" which well describes the Scientology point of view that life is senior to matter, energy, space, and time.
Cons
The 2007 version has been "updated" to include, apparently, every single iteration of every single chart of scale that ever was written. So, there are several versions of the "Havingnesss Scale" for example. There are several versions of the tone scale. What it should have is the definitive Havingness Scale and the definitive tone scale, know-to-mystery scale, etc. Instead, it leaves it up to you to wade through it and figure out which version is the right one. The whole purpose of the book is "one-stop shop" and the latest version makes it very confusing. Nonetheless, at least the scales are referenced, so you could go back to the source materials to see why the scale looked like it did at that time.

Bottom line...

Recommend it to a friend?
Yes
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Want auditing?

self-analysis

START HERE

Self  Analysis (August 1951):  Possibly the best introduction to the subjects of Dianetics and Scientology. Self Analysis contains both a series of essays on the basic discoveries Ron had made up to this point in his research as well as an extensive auditing section that a person can do by themselves right at home. The book contains a special version of the Hubbard Chart of Human Evaluation and a series of tests one can do to discover where you're really at. Then, by applying the processes from the second half of the book, one is guided through a path of self-discovery. At the end, you will re-do the tests to confirm your improvement. How good can you get? These techniques have been in use for more than six decades and Ron referred to them again and again throughout his research, stating that the processes here were capable of curing any neurosis.

This is the starting point for anyone wanting auditing. You will be audited by L. Ron Hubbard himself through the pages of this book.

Find a copy in used bookstores or at Alibris.com, Amazon.com, eBay. Or you can buy a new copy from these Church of Scientology organizations (but once you give them your address they may continue to send you junk mail) Bridge Publications or New Era Publications.