This book compiles the most lively expressions of nonduality, which is the understanding that existence is one undivided whole and that the daily distinctions we make within this unity are useful, but not ultimately true. The book conveys what nonduality itself is, in a nonacademic style that draws heavily on modern, popular writing on the subject. Also included are spirited passages from major traditions—Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality
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“One is a major step in increasing our understanding of nonduality by explaining it from an impressive and diverse range of perspectives. In today's society where the dangers of religious divisiveness are painfully evident, this sort of pointing to common ground is not only refreshing and liberating, but perhaps a necessary step towards a better global future. Highly recommended.”
—Gary Crowley, author, From Here to Here
“This book is in a class of its own as the clearest and most helpful introduction to nonduality.”
—Nathan Spoon, author, Words from an Empty Boat
“By carefully combining a wide range of nondual texts, both ancient and modern, Jerry Katz has made a significant contribution to the growing library of nondualist writings. The author creates a very readable overview of the subject and shows that what it’s pointing to is relevant today. Above all, he reminds the reader that the cross-cultural perennial philosophy that lies at the core of all of the great religions has been this same realization of the absolute unity of all things. True freedom arises through the discovery that separation is an illusion and that everything is, quintessentially, only One. This book can be an opening. Very well done and highly recommended.”
—Chuck Hillig, author, Enlightenment for Beginners
“My kind of book. I know I will enjoy having it for years to come. Leave it to Jerry Katz to show the pluralism of the unitive experience. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for the best reference guide to nonduality on the market today. A must have for serious seekers for its breadth of perspectives.”
—Paul Cohen, Publisher/Editor, Monkfish Book Publishing Company
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.From the Author
This book weaves the desire for nonduality, the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, self-realization confessions from major traditions, and the nondual perspectives of psychotherapy, education, art, and the movie The Matrix, to present a sweeping introduction to the teaching of nonduality. Diverse, sparkling, classic writings make-up this compilation, which might serve as a foundation to a collection of nonduality books.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Jerry Katz had me from the first sentence when he defined nonduality as "the experience of our true nature, the taste of being" -- what a clear, concise definition. Direct seeing itself is the experience -- you can call the experience itself Self, or if you choose, God -- and in this direct seeing one becomes whole. This is the experience of becoming a participant in the natural bliss of plants and flowers and trees, and it is one's death as well as rebirth. As soon as we drop the mind [ego] that is the source of all fear, this new world unfolds. In it, we become one with nature. Nothing is separate, nothing is different, and everything begins to throb in harmonious peace, which is our true nature.
Then, one page later, when Katz said that the need for knowing nonduality is grace, and that grace is a profound gift arising from truth, my heart nearly exploded. He went on to say that allowing the desire for nonduality to unfold saves us from fear -- the fear that we're missing what is real [true] and the "great fear" that we do not exist [we just "are" -- "being," as opposed to "being this" or "being that"]. This was all said in the first three pages and is where this review probably needs to end, even though the following 190 treasure-filled pages are as plenary as these three.
The essence of the remaining pages is that we cannot transcend a duality by choosing only one of its sides. It is the choosing itself that is the mistake. The nondual path is where there is no extreme, no duality, no choice to make. Instead, we are to move into the consciousness that chooses, into the state of knowing that perceives the duality. This movement is true wisdom, and it is this wisdom that is the door to light. All actions, perceived as good or bad, happen against a background of "being" that is unaffected. Ultimately, neither good nor bad has any real existence. Reality is beyond dualities. Consciousness -- which is all there is -- supports all, without involvement. "Good" actions are those that point one back towards the truth, towards knowledge of Self. "Bad" actions entrench one further in the depths of illusion, taking one further away from Self. And, there is no reaching Self because You are Self -- you are already That. This is nonduality, where there is no separation from Self or truth.
Still, I am compelled to comment on Jerry Wennstrom's chapter of "becoming nothing" in the nondual perspectives section. A film has been made about the life of Whidbey Island artist, Jerry Wennstrom. Beginning in 1979, Wennstrom destroyed all the art he had created, gave everything he owned away, and began a new life. He sensed an inner and outer world in perfect order and became a willing participant in that order -- he leaped into the void, the ultimate creative act. In reading this chapter, I tasted the "great freedom that nothing is ours to hold or identify with...and that the only territories consistently worth exploring are the badlands of limitation and fear. When we release the personal identity, then our gifts will be sanctified and returned. The attempt to do anything significant in the world before we have been deeply changed ourselves is a way to avoid real change. Good intention counts for very little...doing our own work first leads to our true and unique participation in the world we wish to serve." Jerry Wennstrom and I met in the Heart as I read this chapter, three times in a row. The Heart is the only possible place to meet, to join -- no separation from truth is there. And, I'll end this review with a quote from Wennstrom: "A mature creative life, which has discovered its source, finds it is linked to everything."
Then, one page later, when Katz said that the need for knowing nonduality is grace, and that grace is a profound gift arising from truth, my heart nearly exploded. He went on to say that allowing the desire for nonduality to unfold saves us from fear -- the fear that we're missing what is real [true] and the "great fear" that we do not exist [we just "are" -- "being," as opposed to "being this" or "being that"]. This was all said in the first three pages and is where this review probably needs to end, even though the following 190 treasure-filled pages are as plenary as these three.
The essence of the remaining pages is that we cannot transcend a duality by choosing only one of its sides. It is the choosing itself that is the mistake. The nondual path is where there is no extreme, no duality, no choice to make. Instead, we are to move into the consciousness that chooses, into the state of knowing that perceives the duality. This movement is true wisdom, and it is this wisdom that is the door to light. All actions, perceived as good or bad, happen against a background of "being" that is unaffected. Ultimately, neither good nor bad has any real existence. Reality is beyond dualities. Consciousness -- which is all there is -- supports all, without involvement. "Good" actions are those that point one back towards the truth, towards knowledge of Self. "Bad" actions entrench one further in the depths of illusion, taking one further away from Self. And, there is no reaching Self because You are Self -- you are already That. This is nonduality, where there is no separation from Self or truth.
Still, I am compelled to comment on Jerry Wennstrom's chapter of "becoming nothing" in the nondual perspectives section. A film has been made about the life of Whidbey Island artist, Jerry Wennstrom. Beginning in 1979, Wennstrom destroyed all the art he had created, gave everything he owned away, and began a new life. He sensed an inner and outer world in perfect order and became a willing participant in that order -- he leaped into the void, the ultimate creative act. In reading this chapter, I tasted the "great freedom that nothing is ours to hold or identify with...and that the only territories consistently worth exploring are the badlands of limitation and fear. When we release the personal identity, then our gifts will be sanctified and returned. The attempt to do anything significant in the world before we have been deeply changed ourselves is a way to avoid real change. Good intention counts for very little...doing our own work first leads to our true and unique participation in the world we wish to serve." Jerry Wennstrom and I met in the Heart as I read this chapter, three times in a row. The Heart is the only possible place to meet, to join -- no separation from truth is there. And, I'll end this review with a quote from Wennstrom: "A mature creative life, which has discovered its source, finds it is linked to everything."
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The editor of "One: Essential Writings on Nonduality", Jerry Katz, exhibits an intuitive grasp of the universality of a nondual understanding of reality through his selection of the broadly ranging texts included in this volume. He succeeds both in presenting the essential features of Nonduality through his selection of the succinct teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi which are formatted in a clear question and answer format, and also in ensuring that his readers do not stray from the important point that Nonduality is not a particular school of thought or system of any one person or culture, but rather lies at the heart of a broad range of writings in many fields, including education, art, and cinema, as well as in mystical writings from all major religions. This is the fruit of this book.
There are many ways to talk about Reality, but none of them adequately encompass the wholeness of Reality. Language focuses on descriptions of the world around us, but necessarily loses focus when we attempt to turn it onto the essential nature of Wholeness. Lacking a basis upon which to distinguish non-dual Reality, each speaker must necessarily create his or her own language for describing the nature of that which they have come to realize in their heart. By placing many of these descriptions, each couched in its own subjective terms, side by side in this volume, Jerry Katz had made it possible for us to find the nuggets of gold buried, sometimes deeply, other times lying close to the surface, in each contribution and thus to see their common nature. As he points out in his introduction to the selection of texts he calls "Nondual Confessions": "It is important to grasp that self-realized people are speaking from an understanding about reality very different from the understanding of most others."
"One" is probably the best introductory text for gaining access to this understanding of Reality. Finding this book is a grace, spending the time to understand its' meaning is worth every moment.
James Corrigan
An Introduction to Awareness
There are many ways to talk about Reality, but none of them adequately encompass the wholeness of Reality. Language focuses on descriptions of the world around us, but necessarily loses focus when we attempt to turn it onto the essential nature of Wholeness. Lacking a basis upon which to distinguish non-dual Reality, each speaker must necessarily create his or her own language for describing the nature of that which they have come to realize in their heart. By placing many of these descriptions, each couched in its own subjective terms, side by side in this volume, Jerry Katz had made it possible for us to find the nuggets of gold buried, sometimes deeply, other times lying close to the surface, in each contribution and thus to see their common nature. As he points out in his introduction to the selection of texts he calls "Nondual Confessions": "It is important to grasp that self-realized people are speaking from an understanding about reality very different from the understanding of most others."
"One" is probably the best introductory text for gaining access to this understanding of Reality. Finding this book is a grace, spending the time to understand its' meaning is worth every moment.
James Corrigan
An Introduction to Awareness
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Q: What is the sound of one editor, editing?
A: Deafening, like the roar of many waters, is the silence and peace it can bring! -- especially so in this case, as the editor, Jerry Katz (owner of nonduality [dot] com) knows the nondual literature of past and present as few other Earthlings do.
Nonduality is an ancient view of consciousness and being, albeit a minority view. It's what you've always known, but have ever been told is naive and impossible: All is one! And the beauty of this realization is nothing less than breathtaking in its arrangement in this volume.
If you're just beginning your inquiry into nonduality, his selections will bless you on your way, while encouraging you to retain the suppleness of 'beginner's mind.' If you are a person of long and/or deep spiritual practice, able to bring an open thought to these readings, you will surely find insight here.
His is a full-spectrum presentation. He has a gem dealer's eye for clarity, hue, sparkle, while never seeming to be put off by packaging or provenance. This man knows how to select and string pearls! And he doesn't care if they are from freshwater water, or salt; from east, or west. He shows us their fitting place; he is able to juxtapose them into a setting that is fluid, graceful, stunning in their relational beauty. Readers will find their wariness of brandname spiritual practices fade as they are able to behold, simply, what is.
His selections range from Native American to Christian, from Tao to Hindu and Sufi. And they all point to One, not-two, thus nondual. Isn't it time you availed yourself of some help putting 'Humpty together again?' The whole is the sum of the parts. And they belong together, as he shows us. Yes, it's just a start, but the journey is both inviting and compelling. This is a great place to begin.
~eric. Alden, NY
A: Deafening, like the roar of many waters, is the silence and peace it can bring! -- especially so in this case, as the editor, Jerry Katz (owner of nonduality [dot] com) knows the nondual literature of past and present as few other Earthlings do.
Nonduality is an ancient view of consciousness and being, albeit a minority view. It's what you've always known, but have ever been told is naive and impossible: All is one! And the beauty of this realization is nothing less than breathtaking in its arrangement in this volume.
If you're just beginning your inquiry into nonduality, his selections will bless you on your way, while encouraging you to retain the suppleness of 'beginner's mind.' If you are a person of long and/or deep spiritual practice, able to bring an open thought to these readings, you will surely find insight here.
His is a full-spectrum presentation. He has a gem dealer's eye for clarity, hue, sparkle, while never seeming to be put off by packaging or provenance. This man knows how to select and string pearls! And he doesn't care if they are from freshwater water, or salt; from east, or west. He shows us their fitting place; he is able to juxtapose them into a setting that is fluid, graceful, stunning in their relational beauty. Readers will find their wariness of brandname spiritual practices fade as they are able to behold, simply, what is.
His selections range from Native American to Christian, from Tao to Hindu and Sufi. And they all point to One, not-two, thus nondual. Isn't it time you availed yourself of some help putting 'Humpty together again?' The whole is the sum of the parts. And they belong together, as he shows us. Yes, it's just a start, but the journey is both inviting and compelling. This is a great place to begin.
~eric. Alden, NY
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Difficult subject, made more difficult by the selections
By its very nature, non-duality is a difficult topic to write about. Words fail to convey the deep meaning of this concept, so writers must use rather special techniques to convey... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Eric Maroney
A compilation from various faiths
What's nice about this one is the broad selection of the writings. There is even one from an American Indian. One is from an artist and another from a school educator. Read more
Published on March 9, 2010 by D. S. Clark
Universal Advaita
No other book exploring the philosophy of Advaita, has the breadth of One: Essential Writings by Jerry Katz. Read more
Published on January 16, 2010 by Eric Gross
Not Quite for Buddhists
This book contains many interesting views of non-duality, including some Buddhist ones. However, if one is a Buddhist, and looking for an exclusively Buddhist view, another book... Read more
Published on December 9, 2009 by William Ford
Excerpts from the human journey
This slim volume collecting excerpts from some of the world's well known sacred texts and enlightened writers makes a simple point, that awakening to our true nature is not a... Read more
Published on October 30, 2008 by Daiho
Finally! A Book I Can Give to Friends that ask, "What...?" A++
I am grateful to Jerry Katz for offering us this superb introduction and explication on the meaning, function, and essence of Nonduality. Read more
Published on June 19, 2008 by Ted Biringer
Something for everyone
`Selected writings' rather than `essential' but there is nevertheless something here to inspire everyone and perhaps point them in a direction to discover more about the one truth... Read more
Published on March 20, 2008 by D. Waite
Highly recommended for religious and spiritual philosophy shelves.
Edited by nonduality instructor Jerry Katz, One: Essential Writings on Nonduality is a sourcebook anthology of writings crucial to the spiritual perspective of universal reality,... Read more
Published on July 8, 2007 by Midwest Book Review
A Valuable Resource
Non-duality is the most important topic one can study, contemplate, discuss with others, and practice. Read more
Published on May 21, 2007 by Cliff Mikkelson
A Refreshing Bringing Together of Perspectives on Nonduality
In One: Essential Writings on Nonduality, editor Jerry Katz captures refreshing and diverse perspectives on nonduality in one book, proving the point that nonduality is a truth... Read more
Published on May 18, 2007 by Gina Lake
Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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eternal form, desire for nonduality, awakening nondual awareness, resurrected condition, nondual perspective, ascension experience, nondual reality, divine air, resurrected state, divine condition, transcendental wisdom Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Matrix, Ein Sof, World-honored One, Tao Te Ching, Ramana Maharshi, Great Mystery, Bernadette Roberts, Heart Sutra, Avadhuta Gita, Wei Wu Wei, Agent Smith, Allah Most High Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
eternal form, desire for nonduality, awakening nondual awareness, resurrected condition, nondual perspective, ascension experience, nondual reality, divine air, resurrected state, divine condition, transcendental wisdom Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Matrix, Ein Sof, World-honored One, Tao Te Ching, Ramana Maharshi, Great Mystery, Bernadette Roberts, Heart Sutra, Avadhuta Gita, Wei Wu Wei, Agent Smith, Allah Most High Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
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