Return to the One: Plotinus's Guide to God-Realization

by Brian Hines

In the "Enneads," 3rd century mystic philosopher Plotinus synthesized a thousand years of accumulated Greek wisdom with his own profound mystical experiences. What is the nature of God? Of spirit? Of soul? In what fashion can God be realized? How can the validity of spiritual experiences be tested?

"Return to the One" presents Plotinus's compelling answers to such ageless questions in a refreshing modern style. Whatever your spiritual beliefs, you will find yourself challenged and stimulated by Plotinus's matchless blend of rationality and mysticism.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality, Mysticism, Nonfiction

390 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2004

Reviews

[Julie]

For a change of pace - this book is an explication of the Enneads of Plotinus, a third century philosopher and mystic and proponent of Neoplatonism. I found it to be fascinating reading and there is much contained in it that I found appealing. I read it on and off over a period of a month, for there is much to think about and savor. Lots of references in footnotes and an excellent list for further reading.

[Mark Wonser]

Excellent breakdown of Plotinus. Everything is clear and understandable. Very well written. The content was so good I read it twice.

[Kosta]

This is a great summary of the works of Plotinus and the theology/cosmology of Neoplatonism in general. It's laid out as clearly as possible given the opaque, mystical subject matter. It can be a bit dry in places and the mysticism ended up leaving me stumped at a few points. One thing that really struck me while reading this is Neoplatonism's similarities to Buddhism, a connection that hasn't gone unnoticed to scholars, Buddhists and a lot of people on weird arcane forums (going by a google search).

Hines clearly knows his stuff, and he does a great job of explaining it.

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[Yohanes Saputra]

Return to the One is an exposition of the book Enneads by the Ancient philosopher Plotinus. In it he maps out the cosmology that has influenced many of the Abrahamic religions. With me being a Christian, I was surprised by how robust Neoplatonism is, and I understand more of my world when I see it through the Neoplatonic lens.

[Scott Robinson]

Reasonably readable and understandable, but cute; every chapter, for instance, has an alliterative title. (“Purification is Presence,” “Fear is a Fiction,” “Without is Within.” Also, predictably, his (mis)characterization of Christianity is ham-handed and without nuance.

[Louis]

Good introduction to Plotinus. Gives the beginning of a deeper understanding to what Plotinus might be trying to express in the Enneads. This book is helpful to read before Gerson's Plotinus or the Enneads themselves.

[Seekers of Unity]

I think this was the first work I read on Neoplatonism/Plotinus, that was cool. I don’t think it was a particularly systematic or scholarly exposition, more of an enthusiastic approach, but a great first introductory read.

If you like books like this you'll love my project:
http://youtube.com/c/seekersofunity?s...

[Quietone317]

just started reading this.