Description

pp. xvii, (5), 174, b/w photographs, “This autobiographical book by the editor of Sigmund Freud’s letters to Wilhelm Fliess and the author of books on psychology tells the story of Masson’s father’s meeting with Paul Brunton in India in 1945 and of Jeffrey Masson’s growing up with Brunton as a resident guru in the home of Masson’s parents. He details various religious practices to curb sexual desire (temptation appears in the form of a woman suddenly hired as domestic help), Masson’s grooming as Brunton’s spiritual heir, and Masson’s discoveries of Brunton’s false pretensions to knowledge of Sanskrit and to spiritual power. The story is a fascinating account of the power of illusion in people’s lives, documented by quotations from letters and journals. Masson recounts his experiences with humor and even affection for Brunton in spite of his disillusionment.”