The Wisdom of the Overself: The Path to Self-Realization and Philosophic Insight, Volume 2

by Paul Brunton

Inspired by Paul Brunton's years spent with sages in Asia, The Wisdom of the Overself and its companion volume The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga were written at the request of these remarkable teachers, who recognized that Brunton had a significant role to play in the transmission of traditional wisdom to the West. Here is a profound re-creation of these teachings, brought to life and made accessible by Brunton's insights. In print since the 1940s, Brunton's works are considered to be among the most comprehensive, clear, and practical guides on the path to enlightenment. Brunton unfolds the grand vision for human development by investigating consciousness as the source of all experience; how to move from ego-centered life to the transcendent reality; the interplay of karma, free will, and grace; the nature of evil and suffering; how to awaken intuition and penetrative insight; the passage through death to rebirth; and psychic experiences and mystic visions. He also provides seven ultramystic exercises to open the door to higher consciousness, including a healing meditation on the sun; practices for transforming the future, dream, and sleep; and a meditation on the timeless self. These techniques lead to the deepest spiritual realizations—to the true "Wisdom of the Overself."This new edition has been updated to incorporate Brunton's final revisions. It includes a new foreword plus supplementary reading material selected from the author's archives by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation.ContentsForeword by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation 1. Prefatory 2. The Meaning of Mentalism 3. The Birth of the Universe4. Studies in Dreams5. The Metaphysics of Sleep6. The Secret of the "I"7. The Scorpion of Death8. The Immortal Overself 9. The Shadows of Evil and Suffering10. The War and the World11. The World-Mind12. The Unveiling of Reality 13. Initiation into Mystical Experience 14. The Yoga of the Discerning Mind 15. The Mystical Phenomena of Meditation 16. Some Fruits of Additional Resources from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Compiled by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation Editors

Genres: Philosophy, Spirituality, Nonfiction

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Paul Brunton was a British philosopher, researcher, mystic, and adventurer. He left a journalistic career to live among yogis, mystics, and holy men, and studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. With his entire life dedicated to the spiritual quest, Brunton felt charged with the task of communicating his knowledge and experiences in layperson's terms. He was one of the first persons to write accounts of what he learned about spirituality in the East, and his works have had a major influence on the spread of Eastern philosophy and mysticism to the West. Paul Brunton continued to write after his final publication in 1952, and a significant portion of his large archive of original writings was posthumously published by Larson Publications as "The Notebooks of Paul Brunton" (in 16 volumes). The entire archive will soon be housed at a university (2017) and available to read online (2019).

Reviews

[Phil Calandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Brunton, author of "The Wisdom of the Overself", was a British Theosophist, mystic, spiritualist, and western journalist who was a proponent of mentalism and is best known for his best selling book "A Search in Secret India". During Brunton's long and arduous spiritual journey, his approach was with great skepticism with a journalistic style for seeking the truth. As a result of the foregoing, Brunton uncovered incidents of charlatanism as well as examples of true mysticism. Brunton's long search led him to advocate one's own personal experiences and not the word of any person or spiritual discipline for proper guidance. I believe this view eventually led Brunton becoming a follower of Ramana Maharashi, perhaps the greatest saint in the 20th century, and his becoming a proponent of Ramana's Self Enquiry Method. It should be noted that Brunton was a prolific writer who modified and enhanced Ramana's teaching on Self Enquiry and, I believe, that his work on Self Enquiry is perhaps the greatest contribution to his philosophical mysticism. Unfortunately, the Self Enquiry Method is really not addressed to any degree in this book. However, it is clearly one of the best books written on mysticism that I have ever read. Although somewhat technical, Brunton explains the areas of the awakened, dream and sleep states, mentalism and several other areas in great clarity and depth. Notwithstanding the foregoing, there are certain aspects of Brinton's philosophical mysticism that are clearly different from other schools especially those of the Christian Mystics of Meister Eckhart and Jacob Boehme. It is interesting how Brunton's western background did not have more of an influence on his views. In closing, Brunton's admonition to follow one's own personal experience is key to his philosophical mysticism and one's personal growth. I would highly recommend this book.

[Janice (JG) · Rating 5 out of 5]

And then my head exploded.

[Rodeweeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like one of the other reviewers says, and I fully agree - And then my mind exploded. An absolute must read for anyone who are serious with the practice of meditation and understanding the mind