The Quest of the Overself

'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.

Born in London in 1898, Paul Brunton published thirteen books between 1935 and 1952. He is generally recognized as having introduced yoga and meditation to the West, and for presenting their philosophical background in non-technical language. He died in Switzerland (where he lived for 20 years) in 1981.