The Short Path to Enlightenment: Instructions for Immediate Awakening

Review by Mariana Caplan, PhD, MFT, author of Halfway Up the Mountain: the Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment and Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path

A powerful transmission for our time. This book and Paul Brunton’s work should continue to inspire the world for years to come. This powerful work bridges ancient and modern mysticism. A gem!

"Spirit Matters Talk" Interview by Phil Goldberg and Dennis Raimondi

Our interview with Jeff Cox about The Short Path to Enlightenment, and PB is posted here.

Review by Penny Kelly, author Consciousness & Energy (3 vols.), Getting Well Again Naturally

The Short Path to Enlightenment is a wonderful book and every paragraph is a treasure. For those of us who live on the short path, it is a nurturing affirmation that what we have come to understand has been grasped and understood by all those who travel this way. Many thanks!

Review by R.L. Black, Netgalley.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Easy to read and understand, this book puts the sudden awakening teachings within the readers grasp. Unlike many other books on the subject, there's not a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to wade through. The author got right to the good stuff. And the fact that Paul Brunton was totally immersed in what he taught comes across as the teachings in the book flow naturally, almost like sitting down with the author and discussing these ideas face to face. Best of all, the exercises in the book work, and they work fast.

Review by Steve Taylor PhD, author of The Leap and Spiritual Science from the UK

I have admired Paul Brunton ever since I read A Search in Secret India 20 years ago. It was a great pleasure to read this new collection of his teachings, 'The Short Path fo Enlightenment.' The book radiates the kind of deep insight and wisdom that can only stem from genuine spiritual awakening. I love keeping this book by my side, to dip into every so often - every time I open it, I find pearls of wisdom.'

Review by Regina Dawn Akers from Colorado

I have received the book and started reading it. I recognized its teaching immediately, as it is perfect and already known through my own heart and way of being. I look forward to reading all of it, and I am excited to share it’s clarity and simplicity with Awakening Together’s members.

Review by Jacqueline Maria Longstaff from Denmark

I have now read most of it and would say it is a real gem - Truth so clearly and simply expressed. I will of course recommend this book to those who come to me. I imagine it can be bought at the Ramana Ashram bookstore in Tiruvannamalai? If so I will purchase some copies when I return to Singing Heart in December and put them out for people to buy during the next meditation retreat I hold there.

Review from Laurie Moore from New Mexico

Thank you so deeply for this book! I am so happy to see that someone has articulated the need for the long-term humility that can only come from ongoing awareness of one's full individual self in duality, complete with shadow to address. The quick path to oneness consciousness void of addressing character has many flaws and caused me to utilize knowledge of traditional religious paths along with the oneness consciousness path. The preposterous notion that one aspect of consciousness is all we need has caused all kinds of misunderstanding and harm so I am happy that someone spoke up! Of course the excuse these days is "there is no harm as its an illusion" as I watch suffering on TV with popcorn in my mouth lounging on the sofa...bayayayaya...and "I'm in an ascended state" so the fact that I am being selfish and intolerant of others paths is a sign of my enlightenment (barf). Yeah for Paul and thanks for this book.

Review by Brandon from Australia

I'd never heard of Paul Brunton before, but, frustrated in my "progress" spiritually, and the lack of enlightened teachers in Australia, one day I decided to google "shortest path to enlightenment".

The searched returned your book The Short Path to Enlightenment. So I emailed my local Buddhist bookshop in Sydney and asked them to order it for me. They complied, but not without a curt "there is no short path to enlightenment". (I'm not Buddhist or Hindu or Advaita Vedanta - to me they're all basically the same anyway...)

When the book came in, I went to collect it, where the shopkeeper once again laughed, mocking the book and stating "there's no short path, all these so-called spiritual gurus these days trying to make a quick buck".

Anyways, I was really happy to see the book was endorsed by Adyashanti, and as soon as I started to read it, I realised the language was dated to the twentieth century, and here was a teacher with immense understanding and insight. He wasn't some new-age guru preaching easy enlightenment for a quick dollar. In fact, after reading the book it confirmed just how much work I have to do. The book is called the "Short Path", NOT the "Easy Path"!!!

Just like Adyashanti, it is so refreshing to find someone who is able to explain enlightenment and the path in such clear detail in English. It helps so much. I still have a lot of "Long Path" purification to do, but reading this book has helped me realise that I've been working with the "Short Path" for a while now as well. This book has made me feel more confident in my current approach, and I can't wait to read more of his work.

Thanks so much for publishing it.