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The Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation (PBPF) is a resource for individuals seeking to deepen their experience and gain broader understanding of themselves, their deeper Self, and the Real.

We have the honor and responsibility of being the stewards of Paul Brunton’s writings (published and unpublished), his photographs, and other memorabilia.  We are also fortunate to have several board members who worked closely with Paul Brunton (PB) in his later years and who are often available to respond to questions regarding PB himself, his writings, and the general practice of an independent spiritual path.

Thanks to donors’ generous contributions to PBPF, this site exists, as do the Notebooks of Paul Brunton, PB’s physical and digital archive (at Cornell University and online), the reprints of his earlier writings, and a variety of other projects.  The Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation is a (501(c)(3)) non-profit foundation.  Donations are tax deductible, unless otherwise noted.  The PBPF was incorporated in 1986 by PB’s son, Kenneth Hurst , his major European publisher, Robert Larson, and members of Wisdom’s Goldenrod, two of whom are co-editors of The Notebooks.

Originally funded by the donations of Robert Larson, and with the support of Kenneth Hurst, a team was formed under the guidance of Paul Cash and Timothy Smith to accomplish PB’s final wish: to see an edited version of his lifetime collection of notes (paras) put into print.  This project spanned eight years and was only achieved through the dedicated work by many members of the Wisdom’s Goldenrod community.  The final result is available as The Notebooks of Paul Brunton (Larson Publications).

Since completing some of these tasks, we’ve turned our attention to the even greater task: informing the general public about PB and providing meaningful access to the universal wisdom so often found in the pages of his writings.  To this end we have published small introductory books for the general public, we have begun a major project of publishing updated and enhanced versions of PB’s original books, and we have developed this website.

In addition to The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, we recommend PB’s original publications and Realizing Soul: From Intuition to an Inspired Life. The deluxe edition of the classic A Search in Secret Egypt is something to treasure as well as read.  These books are described in our online shop.  We also support the activities of many individuals who are presenting the ideas and teachings of PB to a worldwide audience and providing prisoners with copies of our smaller books through the donor-supported “Prison Project.”

Paul Brunton’s own mission statement might well have been “to promote the essence of spiritual development to all students of every faith and every social standing in language suited for the modern world.”  PB’s teachings are primarily meant to augment and deepen the practices of individuals who are committed to an independent spiritual practice and who have a living reverence for the wide variety of teachings available in the world today.  These teachings begin with introduction to spiritual life, the reeducation of the ego, and the attention to physical health; they conclude with a careful unfoldment of advanced meditation techniques and the philosophy behind their success.  Read more about PB’s approach.

The PBPF operates with a very active volunteer Board of Directors and one half-time paid support staff (who is focused on completing the Archive Project).  We are committed to keeping our overhead to a minimum and ensuring that donated funds are directly applied to the goals and projects of the Foundation.  We are always open to suggestions for new projects!

The Foundation is headquartered in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, where Paul Brunton’s original writings, photographs, and memorabilia are housed.

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The PBPF Board of Directors

The PBPF is governed by an active and committed twelve-member Board of Directors, with officers serving one-year terms except for the Board Chair, who serves a three-year term.  Directors serve up to three-year terms.  The Board Chair also currently volunteers as President.

Standing Committees include:

  • Finance/Auditing Committee, chaired by the Treasurer of the Board, consisting of three Board members
    Annual audits are conducted by a CPA external to the Board
  • Nominating Committee, chaired by an Officer with at least one Director and may include at least one Volunteer
    Responsible for nominating persons to the Boards, Advisory Boards, and Volunteers to Board of Committees
  • Publications Committee, consisting of at least three Directors and may include Volunteers
    Responsible for all items pertaining to the publishing arena, including preserving and maintaining PB’s writings in print, and developing new materials
  • Philosophic Spiritual Community Committee, comprised of Directors, Advisers, and Volunteers
    Involved in establishing and maintaining relationships with like-minded organizations and/or individuals throughout the world

Special Committees:

  • Archival Committee
  • Communications, Development, and Outreach
  • Website
  • other AdHoc Committees as needed

Board Directors' Bios

Lisa Beradino

Lisa holds a Ph.D from Virginia Tech, an MBA from Loyola and a BS from the University of Louisiana.  She teaches business and management at the SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica, NY, which has proven to be valuable background for her current work on the PBPF Board as a member of its Finance Committee.
For the last sixteen years, Lisa has worked on several PB data entry projects.  She is currently collecting older PB books and is right now transcribing a year in the life of the diary of a secretary that worked with PB in England.  The year is 1934, between the two World Wars.  The secretary is Zomah, and the project sounds fascinating!

Beverly Bennett

Beverly has a Masters degree in Education from Ohio State University.  As a member of The Philosophers’ Center in Columbus, Ohio, she served as PB’s secretary during his visit to Columbus in 1977.  Although now a Columbus, Ohio, resident, she lived near Wisdom’s Goldenrod for three years and attended classes at the Center while Anthony Damiani was alive.  While she was there, she had the opportunity to read PB’s notebooks in their original form and participated in collating material for Perspectives, the first volume of PB’s published Notebooks.  She served as Chairperson of the Committee that produced audio tapes of two of PB’s books, The Secret Path and Discover Yourself, both narrated by Christopher Reeve.  In addition to serving as Second Vice Chairperson of PBPF, she fills the vital role of Chairperson of the Publishing Committee—and does so vigorously!

Jeffrey Cox

Jeff Cox retired as the co-owner of Snow Lion Publications in 2012. He moved to Ithaca in 1971 from Columbus, Ohio, where he was guided to the teachings of Paul Brunton by wonderful PB students whom he had the good fortune to meet. Jeff was one of the first individuals to live as a resident “monk” at Wisdom’s Goldenrod, where he studied with Anthony Damiani. He became involved with Snow Lion in 1984 and was instrumental in establishing it as the major publisher of Tibetan Buddhism. He and his wife, Christi Cox (who also contributed greatly to Snow Lion and has served on the PBPF Board), are longtime devotees of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They continue to explore a wide variety of spiritual teachers and teachings, always returning to PB as their primary source of inspiration and guidance.

Louis DeSarno

His introduction to PB started with his meeting and subsequent study with Bert Salmirs at Watkins Glen High School in the late 1960’s.  During that time Bert introduced his philosophic group to Anthony Damiani, and from that point on, Louis became a devoted student to Anthony and thus to PB.  He attended classes at the American Brahman bookstore for several years with Anthony and eventually joined with other students to help Anthony create Wisdom’s Goldenrod and build all the buildings there.  He went on to graduate from Elmira College with a B.A. in English Literature.  He taught high-school English for a short time, then moved on to industry as an evaporator operator at Cargill Salt in Watkins Glen, NY, retiring the summer of 2012.  He served on the Goldenrod board of directors for several years, has made numerous presentations at Goldenrod’s Summer Studies programs, and is presently an active participant in classes at Wisdom’s Goldenrod.

Dr. Michael Eisman

Michael is a recently retired physician and medical director. He has a fellowship in biopsychosocial medicine and has had an integrative medical practice that includes advanced studies and publications in hospice care.

Michael discovered PB’s ideas in 1969 via Anthony Damiani, the founder of the American Brahman Bookstore in Ithaca, NY and Wisdom’s Goldenrod Center for Philosophic Studies in Hector, NY where Michael has studied and held leadership roles.

Michael has served as treasurer of the PBPF and is currently on the finance committee.

Mary Ann Flory

Mary Ann brings to PBPF an extensive career as a bookkeeper, and her expertise has been inestimably valuable as treasurer.  She has studied PB as part of the “Columbus Group” for longer than forty years, while simultaneously raising a large family and becoming a beloved grandmother!  Over the years she has made several trips to study at Wisdom’s Goldenrod, both while Anthony Damiani was alive and in more recent years.  During her working career she discovered an aptitude for accounting, took classes at Franklin University, and retired as a full charge bookkeeper from Godman Guild Association a large United Way Agency.  She worked as the main bookkeeper for an active non-profit agency for many years and has recently retired in order to spend more time with her studies and her family.  The Foundation has benefited immeasurably from this decision.

Tom Marino

Tom had already been taking classes at Wisdom’s Goldenrod’s forerunner, The American Brahman Bookstore, for two years and had met Anthony Damiani by the time he received his college degree in Economics from Cornell University in 1971.  He has been a serious student of philosophy ever since.  He had the privilege of meeting PB twice: in Switzerland in 1975 and at Wisdom’s Goldenrod in 1977.
Tom has worked in the financial field for over thirty-five years and has served throughout that time as the financial advisor to several non-profit organizations.  Before that period, he worked for Social Security for eleven years.  Tom has been a board member of Wisdom’s Goldenrod as well as five other non-profit organizations, and has served as Treasurer for a few prominent local groups.  He is an invaluable member of the PBPF Finance Committee.

Maria Ochoa

Maria is currently a researcher and a member of the board of the INDIPP Psychological Research Institute in Quito Ecuador. She has studied PB for more than 30 years, and she has been able to deepen in his writings through the studies and activities of Wisdom’s Goldenrod during the last seven years. Maria has translated Paul Brunton’s books, essays, and web pages into Spanish and participates weekly in study groups of PB’s writings in Spanish.

Barbara Plaisted

Barbara is another founding member of the Philosophers’ Center study group in Columbus and has been studying PB’s writings since the 1950s.  She had the privilege of meeting PB in Switzerland in 1975 and was very pleased to help host his visit to the Columbus study group in 1977.
Barbara graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Arts and Sciences and also took a degree to teach Drama and English.  She served for twenty-five years as a juror of the Religion and Philosophy Committee of Documentary Films for the international Film Festival, as president and actor in local theatre work, as a ten-year board member of the local Arts Council, and as a board member of an organization that raises money to support local working artists.  Barbara has been married to her husband, Jim, since 1959, and they have three grown children.  She lists reading, oil painting, and listening to music as favorite pastimes.

Cleta Rudolph

When Cleta met Paul Brunton in the 1970s, she had already been studying his work for many years, having met Anthony Damiani in 1969, when she was already familiar with the philosophic writings of PB.  She was one of the founding students of the dynamic Philosophers’ Center study group in Columbus, Ohio.  She had also already received a BA in Human Services Management from Capital University in Columbus.  She has put that degree to work in direct service positions, management and administrative positions (Public Relations, Development, Human Resources and Corporate Compliance) in the not-for-profit sector.  Cleta serves on the board of the Jung Association of Columbus, Ohio.  She joined PBPF in 2007 and has served on committees that revamped policies of the all-important Publications Committee, as well as updating the foundation’s  bylaws.  She headed the Nominations Committee that brought new life into PBPF and has served closely on the Website committee.  Now as Chairperson, she serves on all committees, and is an invaluable presence in all of the workings of the Foundation.  She continues to be involved with others in establishing an international network of study groups and questers.

Janet Hollis Selby

Janet is a French and Spanish teacher with graduate degrees in French/Spanish and Art History.  She has been studying PB’s books for many years, beginning at the American Brahman Bookstore in 1969 and continuing with the Philosophers’ Center in Columbus, Ohio, where she met PB in 1977.  Janet has served as co-chair of the Boone County Youth as Resources Board of United Way, as Conservation Chair for the Heartlands Chapter of the Sierra Club, and as secretary of the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club.  She has also been Clerk and chair of the Missions Board at her church and has volunteered for the Humane Society of Indianapolis, Tails a’ Waggin’ Animal Rescue, and the Central Indiana Bicycling Association.
Janet wants to ensure that the works of Paul Brunton will continue to be available to all who can benefit from them.  Toward that end, she serves on this board, on its Publishing Committee, its Website Committee, and as its Secretary.

Inquiries can be addressed to: info@paulbrunton.org

4936 NYS Route 414
Burdett, New York 14818
USA

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