In the End, Only Experience

BT Song 1313

At present, I am reading the book A Search in Secret India (New Delhi, B.I. Publications Pvt Ltd, 1934; Reprint 1989) by Dr. Paul Brunton, who claimed to be the one who introduced Yoga to the West. He came to India in the 1920s to seek a true Yogi who could answer his questions, which were daunting him due to the materialism in the West. During his search, he encountered many true and fake Yogis and sannyasis. He begins the book by stating:

“When I saw the cataract of credulity which covers so many Eastern eyes, I thanked Heaven for such scientific training as the West has given me and for the common sense attitude which journalistic experience had instilled in me. There is a basis of fact underlying much Oriental superstition, but vigilance is needed to discover it. I was compelled to keep a critical but not hostile eye widely open wherever I went….”—p. 14

However, some of his records seem more like investigative journalism than a presentation of what his scientific training in the West provided. I will quote them in a separate article that I am going to write. His encounters with sincere and serious gurus like Sri Chandrasekara Saraswati Swamini of Kanchi Mutt and Sri Ramana Maharshi reflect their true nature, but what he gained from such encounters appears more like his personal experiment on their experiences rather than a sincere reflection of his scientific training.

I understand that those who go to another culture to understand it often end up using it to experiment with their own projects rather than sincerely learning or recording their investigation. To me, he appears more like a journalist than a serious seeker of Yoga or Yogis, despite the claim that he introduced Yoga to the West. Nonetheless, this reading forced me to reflect on certain claims by some Yogis, gurus, and sannyasis. Consequently, I wrote an article in Tamil, which I posted on my blog titled “Question without Answer” on December 15th, 2021. As I continued to reflect on this, I wrote this song [BT 1313], expressing my search for the answer, which I found in the Lord. Though He became my answer, I still face many questions regularly in my life.

Revised 21-7-2024

Gurukulam

BT Song 1313

At present, I am reading the book A Search in Secret India (New Delhi, B.I. Publications Pvt Ltd, 1934; Reprint 1989) by Dr. Paul Brunton, who claimed to be the one who introduced Yoga to the West. He came to India in the 1920s to seek a true Yogi who could answer his questions, which were daunting him due to the materialism in the West. During his search, he encountered many true and fake Yogis and sannyasis. He begins the book by stating:

“When I saw the cataract of credulity which covers so many Eastern eyes, I thanked Heaven for such scientific training as the West has given me and for the common sense attitude which journalistic experience had instilled in me. There is a basis of fact underlying much Oriental superstition, but vigilance is needed to discover it. I was compelled to keep a critical but not hostile eye widely open wherever I went….”—p. 14

However, some of his records seem more like investigative journalism than a presentation of what his scientific training in the West provided. I will quote them in a separate article that I am going to write. His encounters with sincere and serious gurus like Sri Chandrasekara Saraswati Swamini of Kanchi Mutt and Sri Ramana Maharshi reflect their true nature, but what he gained from such encounters appears more like his personal experiment on their experiences rather than a sincere reflection of his scientific training.

I understand that those who go to another culture to understand it often end up using it to experiment with their own projects rather than sincerely learning or recording their investigation. To me, he appears more like a journalist than a serious seeker of Yoga or Yogis, despite the claim that he introduced Yoga to the West. Nonetheless, this reading forced me to reflect on certain claims by some Yogis, gurus, and sannyasis. Consequently, I wrote an article in Tamil, which I posted on my blog titled “Question without Answer” on December 15th, 2021. As I continued to reflect on this, I wrote this song [BT 1313], expressing my search for the answer, which I found in the Lord. Though He became my answer, I still face many questions regularly in my life.

Revised 21-7-2024

Gurukulam