You Were Never Born [Paperback]

John Wheeler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

John's fourth book, You Were Never Born, addresses the perennial and compelling question of our true identity. With his usual clarity and focus he answers questions from seekers in over seventy concise chapters of dialogues and in a departure from the format of his previous published collections, John has written an introductory set of prose pieces as well as a summary of 'pointers' toward the end of the text. Also included as an addendum is an extended one-to-one interview with John. A clear and beautiful guide to any aspirant of self-knowledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Non-Duality Press (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0955399920
• ISBN-13: 978-0955399923
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the purest teaching I've come across, August 11, 2007

By 

Michael Ashe (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You Were Never Born (Paperback)

If you're looking for a book with nothing but direct pointers back to your true nature, this book is for you. It makes no claims to make you like your job more, be better with your relationships, or manifest a million dollars. Just unrelenting pointing back to the presence/beingness/awareness that is the ground of everything. Which also happens to be what you are.

It has three parts. The first part, which is the bulk of the book, contains short dialogues between John and random "seekers". Most of the dialogues are 2 to 4 pages long. About a third of the way through, I started to get a little frustrated because it almost didn't matter what question the person was asking, John would just revert back to his pointers. But I kept reading, often just a chapter or two a night and grew to really enjoy it.

The second part of the book contains writings from John, sometimes just a paragraph long. I'm not sure if he wrote these, or if they were transcribed from recordings. Probably a mixture of both. There is some high quality stuff in this section.

Finally, the book ends with a long interview with John. There was a smidgen of personal stuff in there but it mainly contained, you guessed it, direct pointers!

I've been visiting John's website for about a year now and I recognized bits and pieces of this book from past postings. That was fine by me. This is good stuff. Especially if you've already studied and experimented with lots of self help and/or self annihilation teachings. This is the real deal, no fluff. Enjoy.

41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Teaching, May 5, 2007

By 

Charlie Hayes "Charlie Hayes" (Reno, NV, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: You Were Never Born (Paperback)

The following is a review of another of John Wheeler's books, "Right Here Right Now." I am awaiting delivery of "You Were Never Born," I'll update this after I have spent some quality time with it.

Regarding "Right Here Right Now:"

I have read hundreds of "Spiritual Books," from Advaita to Zen. From Ramana Maharshi (Who Am I?) to Nisargadatta Maharaj (I Am That) ... with all manner of practices, and Gurus (like Baba Muktananda who I still love,) as well seminars, therapies, and meditations ... which went on for over 30 years.

Meeting John Wheeler was the beginning of the end of all that seeking, confusion, mistaken identification, and the attendant suffering. It's that simple and that real, what John points to.

I had a long struggle with the uncompromising nondual pointers John shares, until awareness began to dawn, and the suffering began to lessen, then subside as the Truth revealed itself. This cannot be attained, as the brute fact is that the one who wants to attain is a phantom. This is made crystal clear in John's sharing. But it is not something John gives a seeker - that very dualism is what is false and as John reminds the reader over and over, only through our OWN rigorous and committed investigation can this Innate Truth of our Aware Presence be seen to be the ground of all being and then the seeking evaporates, along with the seeker-identity. All is clear then and it is as obvious and bright as a sunrise that what we are IS this presence of awareness ... simply, Being Itself. It was never absent - so the search itself was the real problem!

I have known my now very good friend John Wheeler since November of 2004; we met first through his writings and website, and then through in-person meetings and e-mail exchanges (John may well be the most generous and forgiving human being I have ever known; I was a hard case and never once did he give up on me!)

In my view only one with a sharp sense of self-awareness can point to That Truth of Timeless Being in ways that the seeker can see for himself or herself. This sharp clear loving energy comes through between, and before, the `words' in the book. I was totally skeptical that words could lead beyond words ... but when the words are viewed not as "the truth" but rather as "signposts" or Arrows that show us, stop and look here! can there be a dawning of the innate intelligence-energy that lies at the heart of all creation.

I'd suggest to not dismiss this as merely a book! Take it up with a commitment to discover what the words are pointing to (NOT describing or representing, but indicating the direction for our own looking) and you will be amazed at the resonance and heart-felt affinity for your own true Self that arises.

Over and over we are reminded by the ancient sages and saints, the great word: "You Are That." That - Sat - Chit - Ananda, which can be translated as Being, Awareness and Pure Love - THAT is what you are.

Some call this Awareness-Presence God. Know this as you look in the ways John suggests: As the great Word - the "Mahavakya" - states: That, Thou Art. That, I Am. All That Is, Is That.
With love and respect for who you are, I humbly suggest that you read this book, as well as others by John, and follow the pointers back into your True Self. That Self is eternally free, Self-knowing, and brimming with affection and respect for all that is, as it is.

Five stars ain't enough!

In love and Gratitude, to The One appearing as Mr. John Wheeler,

I Am.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best I've read, October 14, 2007

By 

Joseph Siemion (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You Were Never Born (Paperback)

As the other reviews indicate, this is straight forward pointing to what is. It's one of my favorite books on this topic because of this fact. I've read most of the books on nonduality, and this is one I keep coming back to. Highly recommended!