The sleeve notes on most of his published works read as follows:
Dr. Brunton, whose works are best-sellers in a dozen languages, was born in London in 1898.
During a successful career in journalism, he developed an interest in comparative religion, mysticism and philosophy. He has travelled extensively in the Orient, living amoung yogis, mystics and holy men. He is one of the few students of the East who has the ability to illuminate his understanding for the reader.
My first encounter with the work of Dr. Brunton was back in 1970, when I was recommended his book about ancient egyptian culture titled A Search in Secret Egypt. His clarity of expression and style of prose captured my imagination and I quickly obtained some of his other published volumes such as A Search in Secret India, A Message from Arunachala, and A Hermit in the Himalayas.
When I read his overtly mystical works I noticed a profound change in the style and purpose of his writing. These books included The Inner Reality, The Secret Path and the wonderful The Quest of the Overself. The simple purpose of these volumes is to help the reader to discover a mystical dimension to his life of which he was previously unaware. They de-mystify the mystical quest (excuse the pun), restating the essential points in a way which appeals to the rational western mind, and prescribing a series of simple excercises designed to awaken the westerns mans dormant intuitive nature.
The next two volumes were Dr. Bruntons' Magnum Opus. The twin volumes The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga and The Wisdom of the Overself together comprise a majestic effort in which the deeply profound and previously unrecognised wisdom which exists behind the oftentimes shallow facade of eastern traditions is clarified, rationalised and presented to western readers in western terms to which they can easily relate. These two books could not be described as an easy read, but for me they are honestly the most significant books I have ever read. I can not imagine that any reader who approached them with an open heart and mind would not find his world view undertaking a paradigm shift as the deeper significance of his ordinary everyday experiences are revealed to him.
Dr. Bruntons last published work before his death was The Spiritual Crisis of Man. This beautiful book is a review of modern culture in the light of the conclusions drawn in his previous works. It is my understanding that this volume was not well received by the critics, which is not altogether surprising, as it points the finger of responsibility for the problems in society at large to each individual member of the society. No better world without better men is the general theme, and the reader finds himself shifting uncomfortably in his seat with the realisation that that means him.
In the later years of his life, after he had left public life and finished writing books, he neverthless continued writing in the form of copious notes. After his death these notes were passed to the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation in America, where they were sorted and categorised (according to a scheme devised by Dr Brunton himself) and published in a series of fifteen volumes which have become known as The Notebooks of Paul Brunton. These Notebooks are a superb source of reference and study for any sincere seeker of any (or no) religious or spiritual persuasion. Web site links to both the foundation and the publishers of the notebooks can be found elsewhere in this web site.
Although I never physically met Dr. Brunton, I was fortunate enough to correspond with him and to speak to him on the telephone shortly before he died. As a consequence it is my conviction that he was a highly evolved spiritual being, having attained an uncommon level of enlightenment. To talk to him was like looking in a mirror, where every egoistic tendancy in oneself was reflected clearly back by his almost transparent personality. In himself he was just about the gentlest and most unassuming man one could ever meet - a true gentle-man. I regard my brief and formal aquantance with him to have been one of the most significant features of my life to date. He continues to influence me both through his works and through the growing body of students who continue to be inspired by his example.