By far the safest and most rational exposition of Eastern metaphysics and the practice of mental discipline that I have read.' SpectatorThe Quest of the Overself shows Western readers how to achieve serenity of mind control of thought and desire and the power to use higher forces by means of simple exercises. These include breathing and visualisation as well as mental control through meditation. These ideas which the author gained by extensive travel in India are as relevant to us today as they were when first published in 1937. Paul Brunton was a British philosopher mystic and traveler. He left a successful journalistic career to live among yogis and holy men and studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric spiritual traditions. As he explains in the still fresh and fascinating The Quest of the Overself meditation and the quest for inner peace are by no means exclusively for monks and hermits but also support those living everyday active lives in the West. ReviewI have derived great pleasure and profit from reading The Quest of the Overself. Redolent as it is of the Maharshi's teaching it contains for the most part what was familiar to me but had never come home with so much force. Mr. Brunton writes with the quiet assurance and authority of one who has had the supreme experience. His book will be highly prized by all who have had the call of the spirit but are yet looking for one to guide their footsteps.It is characteristic of the universal appeal of the Maharshi that it is left to a Westerner to make known the wisdom of the ancient Orient not merely to the you... See more

By far the safest and most rational exposition of Eastern metaphysics and the practice of mental discipline that I have read.' SpectatorThe Quest of the Overself shows Western readers how to achieve serenity of mind control of thought and desire and the power to use higher forces by means of simple exercises. These include breathing and visualisation as well as mental control through meditation. These ideas which the author gained by extensive travel in India are as relevant to us today as they were when first published in 1937. Paul Brunton was a British philosopher mystic and traveler. He left a successful journalistic career to live among yogis and holy men and studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric spiritual traditions. As he explains in the still fresh and fascinating The Quest of the Overself meditation and the quest for inner peace are by no means exclusively for monks and hermits but also support those living everyday active lives in the West. ReviewI have derived great pleasure and profit from reading The Quest of the Overself. Redolent as it is of the Maharshi's teaching it contains for the most part what was familiar to me but had never come home with so much force. Mr. Brunton writes with the quiet assurance and authority of one who has had the supreme experience. His book will be highly prized by all who have had the call of the spirit but are yet looking for one to guide their footsteps.It is characteristic of the universal appeal of the Maharshi that it is left to a Westerner to make known the wisdom of the ancient Orient not merely to the younger West but also to the modern East that forgetting its own heritage has imbibed only the froth of the West. The Quest of the Overself is a book which every beginner on the path of the spirit should keep with him and cherish. - S. S. Suryanarayana Sastri Prof. in Philosophy University of MadrasI come to the fourth book which to my mind is much the most valuable of the four. It is an exposition of Eastern mysticism as satisfactory in its way as anything Miss Evelyn Underhill has done for the mysticism of the West. Mr. Brunton's previous books have shown that his mind is critical and not at the mercy of its own will to believe. He sees no necessary cleavage between science and metaphysic and he would cordially endorse that phrase in the recent Times obituary of Sir Jagadis Bose which said " "his achievements provide a unique example of the virtual union between the immemorial mysticism of Indian philosophy and the experimental methods of Western science. "Mr. Brunton's book gains enormously by the fact that he is a mystic himself. He writes deliberately for the Western mind and what he says is not the justification of a particular philosophy so much as a plea for mysticism as the revealer of certain underlying realities. If we are capable of understanding mysticism at all we should be capable of understanding The Quest of the Overself. - The Spectator (London UK) Dec. 19 1937I recommend The Quest of the Overself as by far the safest and most rational exposition of Eastern metaphysic and the practice of mental discipline that I have yet met. - Monk Gibbon in the SpectatorThe author's exposition of the Yoga involved is extraordinarily clear and simple. It is highly recommended. - Modern MysticPerhaps no one has more beautifully written of these finer feelings than the great contemporary English philosopher Paul Brunton. - Columbus Dispatch [Ohio]The Quest of the Overself gives clear instructions for the exercise of the Oriental method of discovering the spiritual self. The simplicity of the exercises should appeal to many who desire help and guidance in the art of meditation. It is stated that half-an-hour a day given to the practices explained in the book will enable anyone who faithfully follows them to come into contact with his own divine spirit. - Yorkshire Evening Press'By far the safest and most rational exposition of Eastern metaphysics and the practice of mental discipline that I have read.' Spectator The Quest of the Overself shows Western readers how to achieve serenity of mind, control of thought and desire, and the power to use higher forces by means of simple exercises. These include breathing and visualisation as well as mental control through meditation. These ideas, which the author gained by extensive travel in India, are as relevant to us today as they were when first published in 1937. Paul Brunton was a British philosopher, mystic and traveler. He left a successful journalistic career to live among yogis and holy men and studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric spiritual traditions. As he explains in the still fresh and fascinating The Quest of the Overself, meditation and the quest for inner peace are by no means exclusively for monks and hermits but also support those living everyday, active lives in the West.