The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West

by Mick Brown

In 1897, an Indian yogi named Bava Lachman Dass exhibited himself at the Westminster Aquarium in London, demonstrating forty-eight yoga positions to a bemused audience. Four years earlier, Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda had spoken at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where theosophist Annie Besant rhapsodized about 'his inborn sense of worth' and the 'exquisite beauty' of his spiritual message.

The Victorians had conflicted views on the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian subcontinent, blending fascination and suspicion. But within two generations, legions of young Westerners would be following the 'hippie trail' to India, and the Beatles would be meditating at the feet of the guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Journalist Mick Brown's vivid account charts the eccentric history of the West's evolving love affair with Indian religion through a curious cast of scholars, seekers, charlatans and saints.

From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Religion

560 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2023

About the author

Mick Brown (born 1950 in London) is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph. He is also a broadcaster and the author of several books

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this romp of a read through Mick Brown's interview on the New Books Network. That exchange, which ended in a rundown of various gurus and Brown's assessments of whether they were saints or charlatans, lasted two hours and was so engaging that I found myself wishing it had lasted longer. As for the book itself, the early chapters are particularly strong, covering topics such as Edwin Arnold's nineteenth-century work "The Light of Asia" (a poetic retelling of the Buddha's life), the story of the first Westerner to ordain as a Buddhist bhikku in what was then Ceylon, and the perennially relevant and amusing fibs and misadventures of the Theosophical Society.

Indeed, one of the recurring themes in the book--besides the truism that saints in any religion are rare--is the role of European converts and admirers in preserving and restoring bits of Buddhist and Hindu culture and historical sites. (I was reading the book en route to a celebration of the Buddha's birthday here in Taiwan, and it occurred to me that Vesak in Southeast Asia is a similar story of a tradition largely systematized and promoted as a national anti-imperial cause by... Western members of the Theosophical Society. History is full of ironies.)

Some of the narrative propulsion and novelty wears off in the second half, set mainly in the 1960s and '70s, but it's still a great time, and I certainly had some suspicions confirmed concerning Transcendental Meditation and similar money-making schemes. Still, a refreshing aspect of Brown's voice is its warmth. This is not a cynical or smug account by an outsider. Brown has met many of the gurus he catalogues here, and it's clear that he's as interested in seekers as saints, and, ultimately, his book is a deeply compassionate look at the human search for something or someone to believe in. Faith, we're left feeling, is often inspiring yet easily misplaced.

[Frederik · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? I learned about the three successive waves of Eastern yogis and teachers coming to the West since 1870. This book focuses on the first two waves and their most prominent protagonists. I found many aspects very interesting, but other parts I skipped.

First Wave: Late 19th to Early 20th Century
* Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). World Parliament of Religions in Chicago 1893
* Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950). Holy mountain of Arunachala, only a loincloth. Teachings centered on the practice of self-inquiry, summarized in the question "Who am I?". Famous guests included Sommerset Maugham who used him as model for "Sri Ganesha" in The Razor's Edge
* Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952). Only touched upon in this book. Introduced the West to Kriya Yoga through his book Autobiography of a Yogi and the Self-Realization Fellowship.
* Meher Baba (1894-1969). Declared himself to be an Avatar (direct descent of God). He embraced people from all castes and worked with the poor. He worked with individuals who were considered spiritually advanced but mentally disturbed, whom he referred to as "masts." Later many rich western woman followed him. Since 1925 he maintained a vow of silence.
* Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986). Proclaimed as "Messiah" by the Theosophical Society, but distanced himself from any religious affiliations

Second Wave: Mid 20th Century
* Neem Karoli Baba (~1905-1973). Guru of Ram Dass. Emphasized love, service, devotion, and the remembrance of God.
* Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918-2008). Transcendental Meditation (TM). Beatles, All you need is love. Gigantomaniac, believed that a significant number of people practicing TM could positively influence the collective consciousness of society
* Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh / Osho (1931-1990). He emphasized the importance of meditation, awareness, love, free sex, celebration, courage, creativity, and humor. Communes in India, then US, very contoversial, including bioterror attack and collection of 60 Rolls-Royce
* Ram Dass / Richard Alpert (1931-2019). Professor at Harvard, collaborated with Timothy Leary in controversial research on psychedelics, particularly LSD. Transformed to Ram Dass, becoming a beloved spiritual teacher who bridged Eastern and Western spiritual philosophies. Be Here Now

[aneta_w_trasie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka „The Nirvana Express” to literacka podróż na styku fascynacji i krytycznej ciekawości — Mick Brown niczym reporterski detektyw śledzi, jak duchowość Wschodu zaczęła przyciągać Zachód, od joginów w Indiach, przez hippisów, aż po gwiazdy popkultury. Z każdą stroną rośnie refleksja: czy poszukiwanie oświecenia to szlachetna misja, czy raczej kusząca pułapka dla samotnych serc i nerwów? Brown nie boi się pokazać człowieka — znanego mistrza duchowej ścieżki — i ducha epoki, który chwyta za gardło: od kolonialnych impresji, przez teozofię, po sceny medytacji i ceremonii, które czasem zdają się teatralnym spektaklem. Lektura chwilami szokuje — są momenty, gdy granica między autentyczną wiarą a sekciarską manipulacją staje się bardzo cienka. Autor kreśli portrety postaci barwnych i skomplikowanych: mistyków, guru, uczonych, a nawet tych, którzy wykorzystali duchowe idee do własnych celów. Co fascynujące — Brown potrafi pisać zarówno z podziwem, jak i z ironią; wciąga cię, byś zapytał: czym naprawdę jest oświecenie i kto ma prawo je głosić. To książka dla tych, którzy chcą zrozumieć, jak idea „wewnętrznego światła” została sprowadzona z Himalajów na salony Zachodu — i jakie koszty ponieśli ci, którzy w nią uwierzyli.

[Philemon - · Rating 4 out of 5]

In weighing a huge spiritual culture clash of West invading East and then vice versa over a seventy- or eighty-year period, Mick Jones provides an even-handed, richly researched account that spotlights the main players (Edwin Arnold, Paul Brunton, Allan Bennett, Aleister Crowley, Allen Ginsberg, The Beatles, Vivekananda, Muktananda, Aurobindo, Meher Baba, and Sai Baba, and many others on both sides), but goes below the glitzy initial meetings to mundane level on which most of the players ultimately failed to establish successful connections across a cultural divide.

The western seekers are shown generally to have suffered from mental instability, confusion, and lack of stamina. The eastern gurus, nearly all from India, likewise often proved unequal to the task of accepting and gracefully managing fame and power. The failures appear to greatly outnumber the successes. Jones examines it all in fine detail while maintaining neutrality throughout. As a result, the book becomes an intriguing document on which the reader must draw his or her own conclusions. A laudable, excellent effort by Mr. Jones that should be well worth the time of anyone interested in this subject.

[Somrwita Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book explores Western fascination with Indian spirituality. It begins with Edwin Arnold's 'The Light of Asia'. Arnold's follow-up work under the title 'The Song Celestial', a translation of Bhagavad Gita also influenced Westerners. Gandhi was inspired by Gita for his espousal and understanding of ahimsa or non-violence. Naive westerners' love affair with spiritual enlightenment took the readers from Buddha to Acharya Rajneesh, aka Osho. It also informs the readers how Annie Besant, the social campaigner, came under the spell of Swami Vivekananda's fiery spiritual message at the Parliament of Religions and became his devotee. The westerners' flirtation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi was also dealt with in a candid manner in the book.

[David Poyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

so so