were in the form of organized notes and apho-
risms on a host of subjects, comprising more than
7,000 pages withheld for posthumous publica-
tion. In his own words, these notes constituted an
evolving new East-West philosophy that emerged
to meet modern conditions. Brunton became a
spiritual teacher and had followers who studied
his ideas as well as his prophecies about world
affairs.
During the last 20 years of his life, Brunton
lived in Vevey, Switzerland, where he received
students and inquirers. He died there of a massive
cerebral hemorrhage on July 28, 1981.
In 1986, the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foun-
dation (PBPF) was founded in Hector, New York,
as a resource for those seeking spiritual under-
standing. The foundation, under the leadership
of Brunton’s son, Kenneth Thurston Hurst, com-
pleted publication of the 16-volume compendium
of his notebooks; instituted a program for donat-
ing books to libraries, prisons, and world leaders;
and initiated a circulating library of published and
unpublished writings by Brunton.
Further reading: Paul Brunton, A Hermit in the Hima-
layas (London: Rider, 1936); ———, A Message from
Arunachala (London: Rider, 1936); ———, The Note-
books of Paul Brunton, 16 vols. (New York: Larson,
1984–89); ———, The Quest of the Overself (London:
Rider, 1937); ———, A Search in Secret India (London:
Rider & Company, 1934); ———, The Secret Path
(London: Rider, 1935); J. Godwin, ed., Paul Brunton:
Essential Readings (Wellingborough, England: Crucible,
1990); K. T. Hurst, Paul Brunton: A Personal View (New
York: Larson, 1989); J. M. Masson, My Father’s Guru:
A Journey through Spirituality and Disillusion (Reading,
Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1993).
Buddha (c. 600 B.C.E.) founder of Buddhism
The Buddha (the Awakened One) is revered
among contemporary Hindus, who usually con-
sider Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism.
The flag of India even shows the Dharma Chakra
or “wheel of the law,” which is a Buddhist symbol.
The places where the Buddha was born (Lumbini
in NEPAL), preached his first sermon (Sarnath near
BENARES [Varanasi]), where he died (Vaishali), and
where he reached enlightenment (Bodhgaya) are
still visited as holy places by Hindus. Addition-
ally, many old sites in India that preserve Buddhist
sculpture and painting, such as Barhut, AJANTA,
and ELLORA, are preserved by India and are very
popular tourist places.
The story of the Buddha’s life is well known
to Hindus. The prince Gautama was shielded as
a child and young man from witnessing any sor-
row: disease, old age, and death. The one time
he managed to elude the protection of his family
and went out to see the world, he was shocked
by what he saw. With the permission of his wife,
he left her and their son and ventured off as a
renunciant. He tried many different paths includ-
ing severe asceticism, which withered his body
and nearly killed him. Eventually, he decided that
neither severe asceticism nor a worldly life of
indulgence was the true path, and he formulated
his famous “Middle-Way.”
Finally, under the sacred Bodhi tree in Bodh-
gaya, Gautama reached his enlightenment; he
spent the rest of his life as an awakened teacher
wishing to lead the ignorant out of the bonds
of karma into a release from birth and rebirth.
Though recent and contemporary India looks
upon the Buddha as an AVATA R and a holy being, in
past eras Indian tradition witnessed great conflict
between Buddhism and the Brahminical tradi-
tion. Hindu saints of South India, both Shaivite
and Vaishnavite, reviled the Buddhist monks and
accused them of following a false path. The great
BHAGAVATA PURANA, which depicts the 10 incarna-
tions of VISHNU, shows Buddha as the ninth, but
in this account he has gone to Earth to preach a
creed designed to mislead the ASURAS, or antigods,
and not to save humanity.Further reading: Edward Conze, Buddhist Thought in
India (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1982);K 96 Buddha