Paul Brunton (1) (1898–1981)
Author of A Search in Secret India
For other authors named Paul Brunton, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Paul Brunton (1898-1981) is generally recognized as having introduced yoga and meditation to the West. His writings are among the most popular and authoritative sources of information on Eastern philosophies and meditation systems.
Series
Works by Paul Brunton
Relativity, Philosophy and Mind: Notebooks Volume 13 (The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Vol 13) (v. 13) (1988) 13 copies
Emotions and Ethics/The Intellect: Notebooks (Notebooks of Paul Brunton) (Volume 5) (1987) 10 copies
Religious Urge/Reverential Life: Notebooks Volume 12 (Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Vol 12) (1988) 10 copies
Practices for the Quest/Relax and Retreat: Notebooks Volume 3 (Notebooks of Paul Brunton) (1986) 9 copies
A Busca do Eu superior 3 copies
O Caminho secreto 2 copies
The Book of Tokens 1 copy
A crise espiritural do homem 1 copy
Zápisky Paula Bruntona. (Svazek 4), část 1, Meditace : do hloubky rozpracovaná studie… (1992) 1 copy
The Tarot 1 copy
Vägen till överjaget 1 1 copy
The notebooks of Paul Brunton [vol. 13]. Vol. 13, Relativity, philosophy and mind: an in-depth study of categories… (1988) 1 copy
Ajatuksia etsijän tieltä 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Hurst, Raphael
- Birthdate
- 1898-10-21
- Date of death
- 1981-07-27
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- England
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Occupations
- philosopher
- Short biography
- Paul Brunton (October 21, 1898 - July 2, 1981) was born Raphael Hurst, and later changed his name to Brunton Paul and then Paul Brunton. He was a British philosopher, mystic, traveler, and guru. He left a journalistic career to live among yogis, mystics, and holy men, and studied Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. Dedicating his life to an inward and spiritual quest, Brunton felt charged to communicate his experiences about what he learned in the east to others. His works had a major influence on the spread of Eastern mysticism to the West. Taking pains to express his thoughts in layperson's terms, Brunton was able to present what he learned from the Orient and from ancient tradition as a living wisdom. His writings express his view that meditation and the inward quest are not exclusively for monks and hermits, but will also support those living normal, active lives in the Western world. (from Paul Brunton: Essential Readings by Godwin, Cash and Smith)
Members
Reviews
Relativity, Philosophy and Mind: Notebooks Volume 13… by Brunton
This type of New Age gibberish was fodder for Aldous Huxley's satirical Crome Yellow. Credit for the Oxford comma.
This is the first of Brunton's books that I have read... hmm, I guess I read some of the notebooks that were published in the 1990s, so the first book of those he published. Anyway I can't compare this to his other published books.
The core of the book is a meditation technique of three or four steps, a quite simple method. The whole thing feels like neo-Vedanta, like Vivekananda. There was one quote from Ramakrishna in this book. He also quotes a Tibetan proverb on the relationship between mind and breath. Brunton presents the ideas here as his own distillation from the wisdom around the world and throughout history. It's a pretty reasonable claim. He references mystics across that range, from Milarepa to Eckhardt etc. No bibliography here but the names dropped could provide a person with sufficient seeds for further research.
Perhaps it was Vivekandanda who was the real pioneer of perennialism, the idea that all religions teach the same esoteric essence. Brunton certainly follows that line of thinking here. I didn't pick up any flavor of Guenon here... I suspect Brunton wasn't tapped into that scene, but maybe I am wrong. Brunton gets quite concrete in his metaphysical claims, which makes the perennialist line a little difficult! He makes some specific claims about spiritual healing. I've been reading Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas very slowly over the last year or so & Thomas has some nice outlining of debates about religion and healing. To what extent can/should one coax God to help one improve one's physical lot?
Brunton's language is quite flowery. It really sounds funny today. Probably in the 1930s it was a lot more common. It's definitely a layer one needs to peel back to use the book today. Or a layer to enjoy, if you miss that in today's writing!
This book was written in 1935. Brunton refers to the coming war, and more to the devastation of WW1. Things were falling apart pretty seriously in 1935 - the depths of the Great Depression. Have we just continued to collapse, or are we in a new collapse, or do things just always seem to be in collapse and it is actually some kind of optical illusion?… (more)
The core of the book is a meditation technique of three or four steps, a quite simple method. The whole thing feels like neo-Vedanta, like Vivekananda. There was one quote from Ramakrishna in this book. He also quotes a Tibetan proverb on the relationship between mind and breath. Brunton presents the ideas here as his own distillation from the wisdom around the world and throughout history. It's a pretty reasonable claim. He references mystics across that range, from Milarepa to Eckhardt etc. No bibliography here but the names dropped could provide a person with sufficient seeds for further research.
Perhaps it was Vivekandanda who was the real pioneer of perennialism, the idea that all religions teach the same esoteric essence. Brunton certainly follows that line of thinking here. I didn't pick up any flavor of Guenon here... I suspect Brunton wasn't tapped into that scene, but maybe I am wrong. Brunton gets quite concrete in his metaphysical claims, which makes the perennialist line a little difficult! He makes some specific claims about spiritual healing. I've been reading Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas very slowly over the last year or so & Thomas has some nice outlining of debates about religion and healing. To what extent can/should one coax God to help one improve one's physical lot?
Brunton's language is quite flowery. It really sounds funny today. Probably in the 1930s it was a lot more common. It's definitely a layer one needs to peel back to use the book today. Or a layer to enjoy, if you miss that in today's writing!
This book was written in 1935. Brunton refers to the coming war, and more to the devastation of WW1. Things were falling apart pretty seriously in 1935 - the depths of the Great Depression. Have we just continued to collapse, or are we in a new collapse, or do things just always seem to be in collapse and it is actually some kind of optical illusion?… (more)
1 
kukulaj | 1 other review | Nov 1, 2017 |
kukulaj | 1 other review | Nov 1, 2017 | 
not for me. Found this very difficult to read, and all theory, without any concrete instructions. After the first couple chapters I skimmed, so I might have missed the instructions, it was just all theory, theory, theory.
not for me. Found this very difficult to read, and all theory, without any concrete instructions. After the first couple chapters I skimmed, so I might have missed the instructions, it was just all theory, theory, theory.
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