The Inner Reality: Jesus, Krishna, and the Way of Awakening

by Paul Brunton

Overview

When actor Christopher Reeve was asked in a BBC interview which book he would want if stranded on a desert island, he replied, "The Inner Reality by the philosopher Paul Brunton."

A provocative and compelling work, The Inner Reality is an essential guide for spiritual seekers. First published in the 1930s, this remarkable book interweaves the teachings of two great religious figures: Jesus and Krishna. Identifying a common current running through both Christianity and Hinduism, Paul Brunton argues that an "inner reality" or "kingdom of heaven" can be found within each of us. Defining religion as simply the practice of binding oneself with divinity, he encourages readers to embark on the quest for self-knowledge and spiritual communion through a commitment to the contemplative path. With his profound interpretations of the world's sacred texts, from the Gospel of St. John to the Bhagavad Gita, Brunton bridges East and West to guide the reader into the living heart of these ancient traditions.

This new edition has been updated to incorporate the author's final revisions and includes a foreword by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623170165
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,221,388
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Paul Brunton (1898–1981) is one of the twentieth century's most brilliant spiritual writers. Generally recognized as having introduced yoga and meditation to the West, he was the most popular and authoritative source of information on Eastern philosophies, gurus, and meditation systems from the mid-'30s to the '60s. His books have sold over two million copies in seventeen languages. In 1954, he withdrew from public life and continued writing the material that was posthumously published as The Notebooks of Paul Brunton--a truly East-West spiritual philosophy. Written with the passion of an authentic pioneer and the thoughtfulness of a seasoned practitioner, his work is re-emerging as a beacon for all contemporary seekers.

Table of Contents

Foreword Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation xi

1 Prefatory 1

2 What Is God? 9

3 A Sane Religion 21

4 The Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven 35

5 The Seven Beatitudes 51

6 Practical Help in Yoga 77

7 Psycho-Spiritual Self-Analysis 95

8 The Question of Asceticism 111

9 The Scripture of the Yogis: 1. Renunciation 117

10 The Scripture of the Yogis: 1. Revelation 149

11 The Scripture of the Yogis: 3. Realization 165

12 Errors of the Spiritual Seeker 183

13 The Gospel According to St. John 197

14 The Mystery of Jesus 199

Notes 233

Index 235

About the Author 241

Editorial Reviews

Paul Brunton was surely one of the finest mystical flowers to grow on the wasteland of our secular civilization. What he has to say is important to us all.” 
—Georg Feuerstein, author of The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice
 
“[Paul Brunton is] a person of rare intelligence … thoroughly alive, and whole in the most significant, ‘holy’ sense of the word.”
—Yoga Journal 

“An uncommonly interesting volume by one of the leading exponents of the Yoga Philosophy to the Western world. The author gives an entirely new interpretation of the Seven Beatitudes, and a most illuminating exposition of the life of Jesus during the years between childhood and maturity...”
—Johannesburg Sunday Times
 
“This is in some ways the most helpful and practical of the books of this popular writer of mysticism. Brunton's presentation of his methods is clear and reasonable.”
—The Knoxville News-Sentinel [Tennessee]
 
“Paul Brunton, who has taken upon himself the task of explaining yoga philosophy to the West, has produced The Inner Reality which is a further step on the path to a deeper revelation of the true meaning of yoga.”
—Illustrated Weekly of India [Bombay]
 
“The Inner Realty is one of those delightful books.… Its chief asset is a profound simplicity, which leads you all the while nearer to a more complete understand of man and the universe. There is not a dull page and hardly a paragraph that does not sparkle with some gem of truth. How much the modern world needs those words when hatred and fear and suspicion are poisoning the minds and corrupting the hearts of men.”
—The Two Worlds [Manchester, England]
 
“Rather astounding doctrine this to come from one wholly sold on the idea of Yoga. A mingling of the mystical and material is what Paul Brunton pleads for.… No book can assist more in this search than Mr. Brunton's Discover Yourself.”
—Sutton Place magazine  [New York City]

From the Publisher