PAUL BRUNTON REVISITED PART 1

I became acquainted with the writings of PAUL BRUNTON through his book,' A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT, published in 1936, the year I was born. I came across the volume on the shelves of The Fiske Free Library in Claremont, NH, when I was in either Stevens Junior High or the first two years of Stevens High,from which I graduated in 1954. The Fiske Free Library had a marvelous collection of books on nearly all subjects know to man, or at least classified under the Dewey Decimal System, as cumbersome at it often was, at least for me, who rearranges books on my shelves to suit myself and my tastes and needs and mental approaches to things. During the 1960's, as I have often mentioned to others of a literary bent and persuasion, nearly all of the books were decimated, discarded, even burned, by the ,modern barbarians' in keeping with 'business' operations and 'trendy notions'etc....In fact, this trend of 'overhauling' the libraries of villages, towns, cities,even colleges and universities is still going on, along with those drastic changes in other institutions such as, museums...which are, like the libraries, divesting themselves of their materials, whether collections of artifacts or books. I do not expect this pernicious trend to end any time soon before all the shelves and cases are empty and filled with the modern trivia and crap now so popular.But this is my own perception and feelings based as they are on old notions of 'knowledge'. This book' A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT' made a lasting impression on me,though I have not read it since those days and a copy now is more expensive that I care to pay at the moment. I was affected by this book because along with othe ocult books and magazines, such as Sinnett's,'ESOTERIC BUDDHISM' and the AMORC and other 'Rosicrucian'books and magazines,that I read, I formed a loose-knit group of classmates(boys) called 'THE ANCIENT BROTHERHOOD OF TRUTH SEEKERS' and wrote a composition entitled,'THE ENLIGHTENED ONES' amogn others that followed in various ways..... One of my classmates, 'IAN L' joined and when he heard of my interest in Rosicrucianism, told me his mother belonged to them but he was not sure which group it was actually.(There was also THE ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP,under Max Heindel). Seeing myenthusiasm over 'A SEARCH IN SECRET EGYPT' Ian borrowed the book which I had checked out of the library in my name, promising to return it and I naively thought he would do so which,of course, he did not and so the library was on my neck for its return along with a hefty fine. The library contacted my grandmother with whom I had lived since my parents divorce years before, and eventually the book was recovered but I do not know who paid the fines...Ian,I late discovered,was 'light-fingered' despite the 'wealth' of his parents...soemtimes he would snitch a pack of cigarettes from Dion's store,which we both frequented to read comics and drink ice cream sodas,etc. various times. Ian would then go with me and my best friend Bob W. after school where they would try to puff on these 'butts' in the woods, near the railroad tracks that crossed Broad Street...(these tracks, like the rairoads, are long gone and the old rail bed is now a 'hiking trail' complete with plenty of dog poop as expected these days)...Both of these friends and classmates are now deceased but at the time I decided never to become 'addicted' to tobacco or alcohol or
narcotic drugs....at around 8 or 9 or 10, I had experimented with tobacco and beer and whiskey and wine so these were not mysteries to me and for this I am grateful that I never succe umbed to these pernicious and vile habits that ensnared and still do, many people who later attempt to give up such things and really can't except in some instances too numerous to mention... Although I have had numerous 'opportunities' to sample the pharmacy of various drugs that were and somewhat still popular over the years, I have refrained from such, having known from 'ancient sources' the one-way street and brick wall that arises from such .... It is my conclusion, based on seeing others who indulge in such and spend most of their money and time at such 'recreations' start out by becoming addicted to tobacco, namely cigarettes washed down with alcohol, generally 'suds' and 'brews' and then go to the more exotic and hardcore things...like 'maryjane' and 'weed',etc. then take a tumble in the 'snow' and then 'shoot up' with a set of 'works',etc. But all this is another topic and far from the things I wish to discuss here.....

THE 'PROPER' MOOD FOR YOGA

Miss Manner's column on contemporary manners and etiquette by Judith Martin, has the title: GOOD YOGA TEACHER BEGINS EACH CLASS BENT OUT OF SHAPE! The 'bent out of shape' part does NOT refer to the poses, postures and asanas that turn people into pretzels and contortionists but to the attitude of the 'teacher of yoga'....the writer describes the modos and attitudes that the yoga teacher seems to be displaying and which turn people off by her describing the things that have 'gone wrong with her'etc. before class...apparently then teaching, in the words of the writer to Miss Manners, ' a wonderful class'.... This basic attitude demonstrates that many of today's trendy yoga instructors and certified practitioners,even afer years of assuming the obligatory postures of Hatha and other yogas, have yet to quell the mind and the emotions and only subdue the body....mastery of the body should, as many think and feel, relax the body and eventually the mind but thei takes time.... The writer of the letter seems to want to help the yoga instructor get out of the doldrums and negative state she has 'posed herself' into....claiming that the teacher is in financial difficulties(which seem, if real,to be of her own doing)....and is overly concerned with appearances, wanting people to think well of her(the instructor)...... Self-centered yoga instructors of all persuasions often do care more for 'perfect' postures or 'appearances' and will often go to great lengths to do so, by 'standing on their heads' or 'bending over backwards' to both please students and bring in cash and other 'sacrifices'.. Miss Manners shows the correct attitude for dealing with this, perhaps gained from her devotions to manners and proper behavior, a sort of yoga in itself....helping people has become a sort of, as Miss Manners astutely notes, 'A NATIONAL PASTIME' along with other similar recreations of a national character.... But I seriously doubt that this yoga instructor will ever be able to 'get into the proper mood for yoga' if she has not early on in her career learned how this is done....usually self-taught persons or DVD trainees fall into this group...

THE MAHABHARATA

Yesterday, I spent most of the day and some of the night reading a bit of the MAHABHARATA, the William Buck Version in English and also watching the two disc DVD of Peter Brook's movie version which was based on stage plays done around various parts of the world.........Peter Brook is a very intense and creative person, often described as 'demanding' and'rude' but with whom I can sympathize since doing a few TV projects myself and wanting to do the images as I have and hold them in my mind for what I want to do........I have his 'MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN' based on GURDJIEFF'S second book...and which I have watched innumerable times but which actually needs expansion and details that seem lacking in certain areas, and which might lead those unacquainted with THE WORK to make conclusions based solely on the film.......thus going nowhere beyond the 'cinematic' presentation..... THE MAHABHARATA,however, has some interesting things that take it from the realm of the 'cultural-ethnic' classification that many will place upon it, and ignore the universal aspects that need to be understood, basically some of the 'causes' of war and the social ills that plague mankind and how they often arise...though one need not accept the 'religious' twists and turns that fill both the written and film version(s) of this. A multiracial cast provides a most provocative performance while the MARTIAL ARTS movements, are interesting as are some of the weaponry performances,all of which seem derived from JAPANESE,FILIPINO, & South East Asian weaponry systems in a mix that will delight many traditional persons to a great extent if they keep an open mind. A few familiar uses of shields often used in other 'epics' that deal with armies and wars and face-to-face combat and tactics will come to mind as one watches the ba ttle scenes....a few horses add to the fray but the lack of elephants and some others that are often found in such movies, does not detract from the interest one feels during the film....which could have been a realy great epic if it had been done with a big multi-million/billion budget, no doubt, the ESSENTIAL FRAMEWORK of the magnificent MAHABHARATA is there..... Like the movie, ASOKA, another grand epic set in India, this movie gives one many things about which to ponder over and to meditate upon, if one is willing to make the effort beyond the mere form of exciting entertainment and examine the personal and moral and social and historical dilemmas posed to everyone...... THE YOGA OF ACTION, of course, seems to be the focus given by KRISHNA and which has been come to be termed: KARMA YOGA....a sort of 'Hindu' "KUNGFU" so-to-speak....and the other great works allied with this one: The BHAGAVAD-GITA & THE RAMAYANA also are most deserving of attention by martial artists who wish to know more about 'ancient warfare and combat' as well as some strategy...but I am afraid few will seriously take to this special arena as they often are more taken up with strictly Chinese and Japanese strategies that have become of common interest lately,namely both from books on the subjects and numerous movies on such that have flooded the West in past years, all of which I also find enjoyable and significant and take not in the ordinary way of mere entertainment and the like.

WHEN YOIU ARE READY YOUR GURU OR TEACHER WILL APPEAR EVEN IF HE IS A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION!

YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST GURU!

IF YOU ARE ON THE WAY OF THE YOGI YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME YOUR OWN TEACHER!

This is a most gradual process or progress if at all....and many attempt to do this on their own from the very start and end up far from what they wanted to be or do....and even with a teacher they often leave and take up other things...

SRI TIRUMALAI KRISHNAMACHARYA

Having seen and perused the book on the life and teachings of SRI KRISHNAMACHARYA, I finally bought the book by A.G. Mohan and his son, Ganesh Mohan and read it from cover to cover...I was impressed by the photos in the book of 'THE FATHER OF MODERN YOGA'doing yoga in his eighties and the account of his life and teachings...He lived to be 100 years and in his 'WARRIOR VINYASA' I could see,among other things, some I had seen in other yoga sequences and asana, that martial artists of all persuasions could benefit from a study of this.....I was drawn to the simplicity of things, the basics stressed, and the gradual progress indicated, especially in terms of pranayama and breathing, that one has to undertake while using movement(s)... Quite often far too complicated things are entered upon without knowing where one is going to end up....and this has been the case with a great deal of yoga teaching, at least in more modern times, where many things are 'blended' and 'mixed' and served up as 'great cocktails' to be imbibed...... Those who consideer themselves well-grounded in some system of yoga or of several systems, if such can really be done, would do well to read this book and re-read it since it has much to consider and understand, once one has settled down and dismissed one's own peculiar notions about practice and yoga,etc.