The Short Path to Enlightenment: Instructions for Immediate Awakening
Review by Mountain Path magazine, the quarterly publication of Sri Ramanasramam, Oct.-Dec. 2014
Paul Brunton needs no introduction to our readers. This new book is a selection taken from PB’s posthumously published The Notebooks of Paul Brunton in sixteen volumes. The book’s title indicates that there is a quick route to self-realisation as articulated by PB which places it in the company of esoteric paths that have in recent decades become readily available to seekers. The purpose of the book is stated in the sub-title. The Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation has become increasingly active and influential in the public domain since the passing of PB in 1981 and, this book is a reminder of their efforts to make available a ‘new’ teaching that is consonant with the perennial tradition.
The value of PB’s insights is that they come from a long and sustained journey by someone whose intelligence, perseverance and integrity are self-evident. He was a pioneer in the 20th Century when such an aspiration to know the so-called ‘secret’ higher truths was derided in the mainstream of Western life. There is an element of common sense coupled with a refined fluency in his writing style which is immediately engaging. A gifted writer, his books published in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, are classics and have quietly influenced generations of seekers. Through his books, especially his A Search in Secret India many especially in the West came to know of Ramana Maharshi. He has the ability not just to inspire but clarify what is essential. The simplicity of his writing veils the sophistication of his comprehension. These short selections on a wide range of spiritual topics are meant more for meditation than browsing.
(This issue also includes an article about PB’s teachings: Discerning the Real through the Writings of Paul Brunton.)
