Oneness: The Destination You Never Left

by John Greven

What have you been missing? In Oneness , author John Greven invites readers to see the world as it really is, right now , without the mind’s own reflections obscuring its multifaceted mystery. Oneness takes the reader, step by step, to the inescapable reality that is the self. The intent of this book is to look afresh at one’s daily experience, to point to something that the mind may have overlooked. It is not pointing to anything new, anything that you can achieve, or anything you can add to yourself. It is not pointing to the good deeds you have done in your life to emphasize what a wonderful person you must be. It is pointing to something so simple, something so obvious, that when it is pointed out and seen, you wonder how it was ever missed. How could the mind have taken something so obvious for granted? How did the mind so easily toss out the valuable jewel in favor of its reflections? You may have been searching for self realization, enlightenment, the Buddha Mind, God, or some other goal implying the same thing. You may have been searching for many years, or you may just be getting started on a search; Whether you’ve been traveling a path for a while or you’re just taking the first step makes no difference. This book invites you to take a look at the space that has been overlooked, to see what is obvious, and to bring that search to an end—right now.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2005

Reviews

[Shyamlal Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hehehehe

Hehehehe

any review is pointless. if the mind has the patience to read its own death charter, let it read. To write this mind is needed. Let the mind die. It can't be killed since there is no one. Life recognizing itself as itself.....

[Srikanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book on the subject of Advita or Non-Duality that clearly and concisely conveys the message in as few pages as possible. Unlike most other books where there is a lot of word play as far as the concept of non-duality goes, this one has a different approach. The author asks the same age old questions of 'Who am I?', 'What is the purpose of life?' etc and in each chapter, tries to experimentally deduce answers to those questions along with the reader. So, at the end, the answers become our own and not something forced upon us. I definitely learnt a lot from this short book.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This brief book gives a very concise introduction to Advaita Vedanta, a "non-duality" school of Vedanta, which is apparently one of six schools of Hindu philosophy. The strength of the book is also its weakness. It is good for people who want a quick, simple overview of this school of thought/belief. It could almost be called the "Cliff's Notes" of Advaita, or even "Enlightenment Lite" for those in a hurry. Its weakness is its superficiality, as I found it very unconvincing, and in the end, just another belief system.
The book repeatedly emphasizes that the truth is beyond the ability of the mind to grasp (which may in fact be true), but then it jumps to its rather dogmatic conclusion that all of reality is only presence/awareness and the entire universe of physical objects, persons, and events is pure illusion, just appearance. Presto! Since you and I don't exist, and everything is an illusion, there's no such thing as birth, death, good, evil, and meaning. Everything is a "dream" of pure Awareness. Don't seek enlightenment; you're already enlightened! In fact, you are inseparable from pure Being/Awareness. Just leave the mind behind and let the illusions drop. (Easier said than done.)
Although presented in a very helpful and sympathetic manner, the exposition seemed sloppy to me, and in the end it just became another faith/belief system. Of course, to the truly enlightened, they know better. There is an odd mix of humility and smugness/spiritual superiority that is common in books like this.
But it's a short book and worth reading to get the philosophical gist, even though you probably won't come away convinced that it portrays ultimate reality.

[James Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have arrived, You are home.

This book is about trying to answer the age old questions— who and what am I. The author does not resort intellectual calisthenics but in stead looks at the process of life and living from a different and for many a new perspective. The being, you is seen to be an appearance in presence,awareness and being. Being is associated with the concepts of timeless and spaceless.
These concepts, once “understand “, remembering that words can never truly these issues and that you are not your thoughts, do at least allow a framework to recognize the most important feature of the book. That being the presence in the One and the negation of Separation. It is Separation which is the source of “all suffering “. You are the Source, as described in book. You are the Supreme Subject. All objects are seen as assumptions and are by definition “impermanent “.
I throughly enjoyed reading this book, I have read it through twice. I know that that I will read it many more times and I definitely will recommend it to everyone.

Dr. James Michael Bell, m.d.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad summary of the direct path, taking a high-level view of nonduality/Advaita, and giving some easy to understand examples of how it plays out in one's experience.

[mr paul wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oneness

This book is brilliant. It takes on a complicated subject and transforms it to simplicity. It is a ' must read ' for anyone interested in the subject matter, if you aren't interested in who you are, where you came from, the creation and life, you should still read it. Everyone should know of their true origins. It is written in an easy to read format, you don't have to be a scientist to understand it. You just need an open mind.

[Anil Mehrotra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimate book on spiritualism

This book totally changed the way I had been seeking the creator. Thanks to the author for such words of wisdom. most books on spiritualism fail giving clarity how to b egoless although each of them do talk about it .But this one does this beautifully.

[lyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The One knows space, time, and creation to be unreal against the one reality which it is. As the source, the One knows itself as the sole reality even while loving the appearance of beingness. The One is loving to be, and knowing that, in truth, nothing is really happening."

[EDWARD M MROS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got It!

I enjoyed this explanation of Being in that prior to having read many books regarding understanding enlightenment. Once you discard your impression that you are , the point of the book becomes very clear.

[- · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read multiple explanations about oneness, either through Buddhist texts or articles about spirituality, I think this book really simplifies what oneness meant. While I don’t think I have fully grasped the concept yet, this book brings me closer to the understanding. What you seek is seeking you. I will definitely return to this book again.

[Aamir Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good as an overview but lacked some more depth and detail. However, in true terms of the book…was that the purpose? Does it really matter?

Read the book and make your own judgement or non-judgement…

[Gerard Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book

Was getting right into the book then it just ended. Could of explain it more in depth but on a whole I still enjoy reading it

[Felleke Habtemariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realizing the One in Self is not complicated.

According to this book - be present/aware in the present for there is no past or future to draw upon.

[Rodmackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff

Great book. I enjoyed it a lot. It was wo


rth it. Simple and to the point. I recommend you read it.

[Ripkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The End

Words, explinations are simply
pointers and there are many. This book, this pointer, has provided the finishing touch to what has been a long and at times painful search. For this I an grateful.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book on non-duality/ oneness as a concept. One of the major differences between the Eastern and Western worlds can be this concept of duality/oneness.

This book was helpful in connecting further with the concept of "oneness".

[Ladory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short, easy read. It is one of the best books I have read (and I have read a lot of this type!) on the true nature of reality and how to shake the mind loose from its grip. I will keep it on my kindle and will read it many times. It's only 89 pages long (on the kindle).

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I can't say I get it yet but it definitely whetted my interest on the subject.

[Varun K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and nice book that explains the concept of non-duality. The first few chapters where author describes how we perceive the world are eye-openers. Really worth reading.

[Rob Hermanowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short (89 pp) and interesting, though sometimes confusing, reflection on the nature of non-duality. I may read it again to try to better grasp some of John Greven's ideas.

[Cade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The clearest pointing I've read.