The Ashram: a true story of enlightenment and the dark night of the soul

by Eric L. Bullard

In the summer of 1989 Eric Bullard took a month off from his job as Vice-President in charge of sales and marketing for the family publishing company and returned to the Hindu ashram where he had lived and studied for three years. It was supposed to be a vacation, a sort of rest before the heavy Christmas season's workload. But what he found there and the resulting years of uncertainty, mystery and finally great magic will leave readers on the edge of their seats, questioning their own perceptions of reality.
Sometimes shocking, sometimes humorous, always on the edge, "The Ashram" is a true story and unforgettable adventure: the unfolding of one man's unconscious mind and his travels through the wilds of Central America as he comes to grips with what he has found.

Genres: Spirituality

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2014

About the author

Eric Bullard was born in Portland, Oregon and studied humanistic psychology and meditation with Randy Revell, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Deepak Chopra, among others. In 1985 he entered into a Hindu ashram where he spent the majority of the next seven years studying Ayurveda and deep meditation techniques. Moving to Mexico in 1994, he spent the next eleven years grounding himself in that experience while living and working with the Highland Mayan tribes of Southern Mexico and Northern Guatemala. Leaving Mexico in 2005, he made a pilgrimage to the Indian and Nepalese Himalayas to continue studies in meditation, Ayurveda, and Tibetan Buddhism. Eric lived, studied and taught in various Tibetan Buddhist monasteries over the next two and a half years. In 2014 he published his first full-length work of non-fiction material, a spiritual thriller entitled "The Ashram" and is now writing the first of three sequels to that book.

Reviews

[Danny Brzozowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A personal account of an unexpected Kundalini experience and the decade of turmoil that followed. I didn't fall in love with this book but it was insightful and a rare first hand account.

[Irish Sharky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book if you want to know more about spirituality and enlightenment.

So, I read "Eat, Pray, Love" and was delighted by it. I'd been divorced many years and I'd wished I'd read that after my divorce. I began to get into books on meditation and enlightenment. I saw this book and bought it, but only got around to reading it now.

The author talks about his studies in meditation. He says he went too far and was unable to do daily tasks for years. Then it switches between him traveling through Mexico and Guatemala while being an alcoholic in 1999 and 1989 when he's trying to understand what's happened and how to cure himself. The epilogue at the end is the only place he gives real insight into what happened.

This book did not teach me anything and I do not recommend it.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads

While I enjoyed the author's journey, I wasn't kept captivated.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

a poor rich kid’s diary of entitlement and cultural appropriation

This isn’t about enlightenment, nor does it cover what is known as the dark night of the soul. It’s a ‘poor me, I was ‘enlightened’ too soon, and when I was too lazy to get a job, I went to Central America to drink and be treated like a god by the wretched people there’ story. It’s ridiculous. It’s nonsense. And worst of all, he completely trivializes the horrific experiences the people of Guatemala went through. Thank goodness it was free. I never write reviews, but this was particularly terrible, especially in the guise of spirituality.

[Joyce Johann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your usual travel book!

I first read Eric's other book on travels through Mexico and Guatemala, which was interesting enough that I felt I had to read Ashram, too. Almost too big an experience to put into words. Going forward and back during his experience gave an expanded view of what had brought him to the place he was. If you are interested in travel and the Search for Meaning in life, this is s real rollercoaster ride!

[Michael Huang · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes the experience of Kundalini of the author. Kundalini is the sensation of “internal energy that can be awakened to purify the individual and facilitate a state of Yoga…”. Many modern-day recreational drugs supposedly work by stimulating Kundalini. It may be a new concept to a reader (it certainly was to me) and the book provides a few pointers to read more about it. That’s the good part. The disappointment is the writing. It uses an annoying interleaved narrative to drag the story on. Half of the thread about the author’s latter day travel is completely irrelevant and skippable.

[Tracy Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great easy read with a wealth of knowledge and first hand experience. The book dives deep into one's personal journey. With so many choices in the world right now, this book provides a clear picture of true paths in a manner which is easily understood. Strongly recommend taking the time to read it and invest in your own journey.
Tracy S. 26 September 2020

[Olive Ziegert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had some interesting points but I basically thought he was writing more about Guatemala then about enlightenment of God. This was about his travels more then what to expect from above.

[Özlem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really having hard time to rate this book. It was beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading how he's described Guatemala etc and he had really kept me engaged, wondering what happened in India on the second round that he became an alcoholic and he had to forget what happened there. Well in the end we learn that everything was more than great when he left India and he had no excuse for being who he is. He accepts it in the book but yet it doesn't make sense to me and I felt cheated. All that curiosity was meaningless. It leaves me with a feeling of why have I wasted my time reading this nonsense but then it was also written very well and I enjoyed reading it. So if you are like me, someone who wants sufficient reasoning, you might want to read something else.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Questionable

His spiritual experience did not happen in a vacuum; he meditated in groups and then in a program in India. IS HE REALLY SAYING HE HAD NO TEACHERS TO TALK WITH ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCEs????! I find that highly questionable. He never gives any names of leaders of his program. Even a person in the US showing up at the nearest zendo will know/meet the guiding TEACHERS relatively soon. Too much is missing from this story.

[Howard Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening experience. Makes you wonder about your inner energies and if you really should be messing around with such things you don't know about without proper guidance.