A Search in Secret India Paperback – January 1, 2016

Paul Brunton was a seeker of some universal, ultimate Truth. His writing is clear and focused. At times this book reads like a novel and at other times it is saturated with a philosophy that is rare in any era, including the current one where there is a self-appointed spiritual guru on every corner.If you have found the teachings of Vedanta, self-enquiry, then you'll appreciate this book all the more. It's idea to follow up with Vic Shayne's 13 Pillars of Enlightenment or his more pragmatic The Self is a Belief. Or both. In any case, at some point you find, as did Brunton, that the truth is simple and does not involve all of the nonsense that we find with today's internet nonsense about awakening.

This book is the story of Paul Brunton's travel in India in the early 1930s. He was a journalist, but he really wanted to see for himself sages of India and the insights they impart. Brunton was one of the early explorers from the West into the teachings of India. He meets a number of revered yogis and sages. There are also charlatans and others. He shares both the teachings and the sense of being in the presence of souls who have a deep connection to the essence of being.One point I should disclose. The one teacher Brunton did NOT like is my personal teacher. Nonetheless, I like this book as a great adventure story and a classic for insight into the sages of India.

This is a wonderful book that kindled interest in the mystic tradition of India. Paul Brunton was one of the most influential writers of his time and this was his first book about the subject matter. It is obvious that Brunton was a bit of a skeptic about the topic of meditation and seeking God through that which is known as self inquiry. The Greeks knew about it. It was not unknown in Egypt during the their reign historically and the same path led to Indian mystics that had forged these observations of a path to God. Brunton got bit by the cobra and could not deny what he found. The rest of is life he sought to encourage others to seek out what he had experienced, Find a real teacher and seek the answer to what mans relationship to God really is. Brunton is all but forgotten now, but the West owes a debt to this great soul.

I was surprised at the clarity and honesty of the author’s view of India’s religious structure in his easy-to-read text. He focuses primarily on Yogic sciences. Other than a couple of snides at Aurangzeb, I didn’t see any bias at all. Generally, when an outsider, unfamiliar with the depth of Indian background, views India, the result is missing the essence or jumping to conclusions. Nothing of that is true for this wonderful book! The basis of Indian thought hasn’t changed in the past thousands of years and this book written about 90 years ago is quite accurate.There is a preponderance of wisdom in Indian philosophy. But it seems that the people who come up with this don’t share it with the general public. For some reason, the common person in India is passive and non-violent and normally inclined to ‘worship’ elites. People with wisdom isolate themselves aspiring for higher and higher mental powers and don’t generally share whatever they find. When they are questioned, they simply flip the question putting the burden back on the person asking the question. For some reason, they acquire happiness based on a misplaced sense of achievement and internally feel puffed up. While there is truth in their pronouncements, there is no justice. Many of the belief systems peddled are based on human imagination and are hard to tie them to any scientific truth. Spiritual, perhaps because it can be interpreted in any way as spirit is unseen.The author travels all over India and meets many people in his search for a master of Yogic practices in order to learn from him and decipher its secrets. While he meets some who demonstrate magic, he finally ends up with one who he considers as a master. For the last twenty of so pages in the book, the author appears to be swept under the inspiration of this master. Most of his logical and accurate interpretations in the rest of the book are left aside and he is sort of taken over.

The indescribable is beautifully described here, urging me to push on and on never to stop. For those who are seeking but not knowing what they are seeking, it’s a bright light post not to be missed.

I came to this book after discovering Ramana Maharshi. Mr. Brunton does an excellent job of recounting his adventure to India. He also does an really good job of capturing the essence of the message which Ramana consistently delivered to any who had the good fortune to converse or encounter him. I am forever grateful to Mr. Brunton for detailing his adventure in India and for introducing us to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi!

As one who has read many spiritual books and is a follower of Paramhansa Yogananda, I was thrilled in reading PB's book on India. I was most impressed by his encounters with holy men who could perform wondrous feats. Most people from the west think that so-called miracles stopped with Jesus. I was captivated reading his accounts of meeting and interacting with the true holy men of India. His dealings with the phony conjurers was interesting and showed how relentless he had to be to find true saints. His written experiences were fully convincing and reflect just how much we have to learn about our abilities to move beyond the physical world we think is our only realm of operation. I recommend this book for anyone seeking a path to self-realization. It was a great read and very helpful to me.

The author approaches the subject of spirituality with a critical and cynical view, which is well warranted, and lays out his experiences on the journey to become self realized. Definitely an enjoyable read as he takes one through the journey. Also, lots of hidden gems in terms of knowledge from top masters of India.