Author Guide · Advaita · Non-duality
Books Written by
In the 1990s, after a trip to India, a former street artist and art teacher sold chai and incense in Brixton and handed out “thoughts for the day” written on McDonald’s straws. That was Tony Moo-Young, born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, in 1954, who in 1993 sat with the Indian teacher H.W.L. Poonja, known as Papaji, a disciple of Ramana Maharshi. From 1999 he taught as Mooji, and his satsangs now draw over a thousand people from some fifty countries. His books are mostly his spoken teaching set on the page: dialogues with seekers, short sayings and brush drawings, all pointing to one practice, self-inquiry. This guide covers his 7 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 7 key books · 2010–2018 · Updated October 2026
ClickTap a spine to jump to that book below.
Quick answer
Mooji has published 7 key books in English, from Breath of the Absolute (2010) to An Invitation to Freedom (2018). The best known are Before I Am (2012), White Fire (2014) and Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space (2016). Start with Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space, which was put together to introduce his teaching on self-inquiry to new readers.
Where to Start with Mooji
If you are new to his teaching
→ Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space (2016) — written as an introduction to self-inquiry.
If you want his questions and answers
→ Before I Am (2012) — dialogues on fear, suffering and relationships.
If you want short sayings to dip into
→ White Fire (2014) — nearly 800 pointers in one volume.
If you want something very short
→ An Invitation to Freedom (2018) — a pocket-sized book of reflections and meditations.
7 Mooji Books, in Order
Breath of the Absolute
Dialogues between Mooji and visitors held at the foot of Arunachala, the mountain near Tiruvannamalai in South India where Ramana Maharshi lived. The talks start from the one fact no one can doubt, that we exist, and ask what that existence is. It was published in India by Yogi Impressions.
Writing on Water
A book of short sayings meant for meditative reading, set beside Mooji’s own brush drawings. Many of the sayings return to the idea “I am the body” and question it.
Before I Am
A selection of dialogues in which seekers bring Mooji their questions about fear, suffering, confusion, relationships and spiritual practice, and he answers by turning them back to self-inquiry. The second edition added about 100 pages of previously unpublished dialogues, new sayings, brush drawings and photographs.
White Fire
Nearly 800 short sayings that gather his core teaching, arranged so the book can be opened anywhere. First published by Mooji Media in London in 2014 and reprinted in the US by Non-Duality Press; a revised second edition, which Mooji reworked saying by saying and added guided self-realisation passages to, followed later.
The Mala of God
Prayers and blessings with Mooji’s pencil and ink drawings. Where most of his books work through inquiry, this one shows the devotional side of his teaching, the love for God and the guru that runs alongside his non-dual pointers.
Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space
Written to present his teaching on self-inquiry to readers new to it. Part I, “Stepping into Oneness”, covers inquiry, the ego and grace; Part II, “Life in Its Dynamic Expression”, applies it to relationships, family and suffering, with a glossary at the end. Published in the US by Sounds True in 2016, and in Britain by Coronet in 2018.
An Invitation to Freedom
A small book of simple reflections, questions and meditations with Mooji’s art, meant to lead the reader straight to the recognition of their true nature. The Non-Duality Press edition runs to about 60 pages in a pocket format; an audiobook version is also available.
In What Order to Read Mooji
Mooji’s books do not build on each other; each one points at the same thing from a different angle, so you can start anywhere. The main difference is form: Breath of the Absolute and Before I Am are dialogues, Writing on Water and White Fire are collections of sayings, and Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space is the one arranged as a guided introduction.
Most readers do best starting with Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space, then moving to the dialogues in Before I Am to see the teaching applied to real questions. Keep White Fire for daily reading, one saying at a time.
A reading path
1. Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space (2016)
2. Before I Am (2012)
3. Breath of the Absolute (2010)
4. White Fire (2014)
5. An Invitation to Freedom (2018)
The years · 1954–2018
Quick facts about Mooji
- Known for
- Teaching self-inquiry in the Advaita tradition of Ramana Maharshi and Papaji, through satsangs and retreats he now leads from his ashram, Monte Sahaja, in Portugal.
- 1954
- Born Anthony Paul Moo-Young in Port Antonio, Jamaica
- 1987
- A meeting with a Christian mystic in London starts his search
- 1999
- Begins teaching as Mooji
- Born
- 29 January 1954, Port Antonio, Jamaica
- Real name
- Anthony Paul (Tony) Moo-Young
- Moved
- To his mother in Brixton, London, as a teenager; she had come to Britain with the Windrush generation
- Teacher
- H.W.L. Poonja (Papaji), a disciple of Ramana Maharshi, met in India in 1993
- Teaching
- Satsang and self-inquiry (Advaita Vedanta), from 1999
- Lives
- Monte Sahaja, his ashram near São Martinho das Amoreiras, Alentejo, Portugal
The red mark is 2016: Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space, the book written to introduce his teaching to new readers.
How Mooji Writes: Teaching Spoken onto the Page
Almost everything Mooji has published began as speech. Breath of the Absolute and Before I Am are edited transcripts of satsang, the question-and-answer meetings at the centre of his teaching: a visitor describes a fear or a doubt, and Mooji answers by asking who it is that has the fear. The books keep that back-and-forth, and an editorial team from his Sangha shapes the transcripts into chapters.
His central method is self-inquiry, the practice Ramana Maharshi taught and Papaji passed on: instead of improving the person, look for the one who is suffering and notice that it cannot be found as an object. The sayings books, Writing on Water and White Fire, compress this into lines of a sentence or two, set beside his own brush drawings — a trace of the years he worked as a street artist and art teacher.
Where many Advaita writers stay strictly with inquiry, Mooji also writes devotionally, about grace, the guru and God, most openly in The Mala of God. For the source of his lineage, see the books of Ramana Maharshi.
Watch
Mooji on the Question 'Who Am I?'
In this satsang recorded at a café in Monte Sahaja, Portugal, on 14 June 2024, Mooji uses the question ’Who am I?’ to look at the nature of the self. From the official Moojiji channel.
Frequently asked questions about Mooji’s books
How many books has Mooji written?
This guide covers his 7 key books in English, from Breath of the Absolute (2010) to An Invitation to Freedom (2018). Several have been translated into German, Czech, Russian, Hebrew, Hungarian and other languages, and there are revised second editions of Before I Am, White Fire and An Invitation to Freedom.
What are Mooji’s books in order?
Breath of the Absolute (2010), Writing on Water (2011), Before I Am (2012), White Fire (2014), The Mala of God (2015), Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space (2016) and An Invitation to Freedom (2018).
Where should I start with Mooji?
With Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space (2016), which was put together to introduce his teaching on self-inquiry to readers new to it. If you prefer questions and answers, start with Before I Am.
What is Mooji’s most famous book?
Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space has the widest reach, published by Sounds True in the US and by Coronet in Britain. Among his followers, White Fire and Before I Am are just as well known.
Who was Mooji’s teacher?
H.W.L. Poonja, known as Papaji, whom he met in India in 1993. Papaji was a disciple of Ramana Maharshi, so Mooji teaches in the same line of Advaita Vedanta and self-inquiry.
What is Mooji’s real name?
Anthony Paul Moo-Young, known as Tony Moo-Young before he began teaching as Mooji in 1999.
Is Mooji still alive?
Yes. He was born on 29 January 1954 in Port Antonio, Jamaica, and lives at Monte Sahaja, his ashram in Portugal.
Where is Monte Sahaja?
Near São Martinho das Amoreiras in the Alentejo, southern Portugal. Mooji bought a 30-hectare property there and built it into an ashram and retreat centre; according to the Mooji Foundation, about 40 to 60 people live there full-time.
Is Mooji related to Cherry Groce?
Yes. Cherry Groce was his sister. In 1985 she was shot and paralysed by police during a raid on her home in Brixton, which set off the 1985 Brixton riot.
Footnotes
- Mooji — Wikipedia
- About Mooji — Mooji Foundation
- White Fire — mooji.org
- Breath of the Absolute — mooji.org
- Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space — Porchlight Books
- Before I Am — mooji.org
- The Mala of God — mooji.org
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“To awaken to your true nature is your opportunity.”
— Mooji, quoted in the publisher’s description of Before I Am
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendations