Paul Brunton was a British philosopher, mystic, traveler, and guru. He left a journalistic career to live among yogis, mystics, and holy men and to study Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. Dedicating his life to an inward and spiritual quest, Brunton felt charged to communicate his experiences about what he had learned in the East to others. He met several spiritual leaders, including Meher Baba, Sri Shankaracharya of Kancheepuram, and Ramana Maharshi.  He was credited with introducing Ramana Maharshi to the Western world through his books "A Search in Secret India" and "The Secret Path".
We will present his amazing and extraordinary experience of meeting Sri Ramana Maharshi:
“I fold a thin cotton blanket upon the floor and sit down, gazing expectantly at the silent figure in such a rigid attitude upon the couch... If he is aware of my presence, he betrays no hint, gives no sign.  His body is supernaturally quiet, as steady as a statue.  Not once does he catch my gaze, for his eyes continue to look into remote space, and infinitely remote it seems.”
I find myself outside the rim of world consciousness. The planet which has so far harboured me disappears. I am in the midst of an ocean of blazing light. The latter, I feel rather than think, is the primeval stuff out of which worlds are created, the first state of matter. It stretches away into untellable infinite space, incredibly alive.
His eyes shine with astonishing brilliance. Strange sensation begins to arise in me. Those lustrous orbs seem to be peering into the inmost recesses of my soul. In a peculiar way, I feel aware of everything he can see in my heart. His mysterious glance penetrates my thoughts, my emotions and my desires; I am helpless before it.
“I write for those who have felt the truth in intuitive flashes as well as for those who must be argued into it by intellectual reasonings.” (Notebooks of Paul Brunton 12.5.1)
In the presence of the Maharshi one felt security and inward peace. The spiritual radiations that emanated from him were all penetrating. I learnt to recognise in his person the sublime truths which he taught, while I was no less hushed into reverence by his incredibly sainted atmosphere. He possessed a deific personality which defies description. I might have taken shorthand notes of the discourse of the Sage, I might even print the record of his speech; but the most important part of his utterances, the subtle and silent flavour of spirituality which emanated from him, can never be reported.
One could not forget that wonderful pregnant smile of his, with its hint of wisdom and peace won from suffering and experience. He was the most understanding man I have ever known; you could be sure always of some word from him that would smooth your way a little, and that word always verified what your deepest feeling told you already.
The words of the Maharshi flame out in my memory like beacon lights. “I pluck golden fruits from rare meetings with wise men”, wrote trans-Atlantic Emerson in his diary, and it is certain that I plucked whole basketfuls during my talks with this man. Our best philosophers of Europe could not hold a candle to him.
“I am alone with the Maharishee!  Never before has this happened.  His eyes begin to change; they narrow down to pin-points.  The effect is curiously like the “stopping-down” in the focus of a camera lens.  There comes a tremendous increase in the intense gleam which shines between the lids, now almost closed.  Suddenly, my body seems to disappear, and we are both out in space!”
“There is something in this man which holds my attention as steel filings are held by a magnet. I cannot turn my gaze away from him. I become aware of a silent, resistless change, which is taking place within my mind. One by one, the questions which I prepared with such meticulous accuracy drop away. I know only that a steady river of quietness seems to be flowing near me; that a great peace is penetrating the inner reaches of my being, and that my thought-tortured brain is beginning to arrive at some rest. I perceive with sudden clarity that intellect creates its own problems and then makes itself miserable trying to solve them. This is indeed a novel concept to enter the mind of one who has hitherto placed such high value upon intellect.”
“I surrender myself to the steadily deepening sense of restfulness. The passage of time now provokes no irritation, because the chains of mind-made problems are being broken and thrown away. And then, little by little, a question takes the field of consciousness. Does this man, the Maharshi, emanate the perfume of spiritual peace as the flower emanates fragrance from its petals? I begin to wonder whether by some radioactivity of the soul, some unknown telepathic process, the stillness which invades the troubled water of my soul really comes from him. The peace overwhelms me.”
“The Maharshi turns and looks down into my face; I, in turn, gaze expectantly up at him. I become aware of a mysterious change taking place with great rapidity in my heart and mind. The old motives which have lured me on begin to desert me. The urgent desires which have sent my feet hither and thither vanish with incredible swiftness. The dislikes, misunderstandings, coldness and selfishness which have marked my dealings with many of my fellows collapse into the abyss of nothingness. An untellable peace falls upon me, and I know that there is nothing further that I shall ask from life. 
If you are interested in knowing more about his amazing experiences, please read these two books: "A Search in Secret India" and "The Secret Path".
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