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My Father's Guru by [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]

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Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

My Father's Guru Kindle Edition

by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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As a child growing up in the Hollywood Hills during the 1950s, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson thought it was perfectly normal that a guru named Paul Brunton lived with his family and dictated everything about their daily rituals, from their diet to their travel plans to his parents’ sex life. But in this extraordinary memoir, Masson reflects on just how bizarre everything about his childhood was–especially the relationship between his father and the elusive, eminent mystic he revered (and supported) for years.

Writing with candor and charm, Masson describes how his father became convinced that Paul Brunton–P.B. to his familiars–was a living God who would fill his life with enlightenment and wonder. As the Masson family’s personal guru, Brunton freely discussed his life on other planets, laid down strict rules on fasting and meditation, and warned them all of the imminence of World War III. For years, young Jeffrey was as ardent a disciple as his father–but with the onset of adolescence, he staged a dramatic revolt against this domestic deity and everything he stood for.

Filled with absurdist humor and intimate confessions, My Father’s Guru is the spellbinding coming-of-age story of one of our most brilliant writers.

REVIEWS

“An uncompromising yet compassionate book . . . A coming-of-age memoir unlike any other.”
–The Toronto Star

“AN EXTRAORDINARY CAUTIONARY TALE …. about the enduring human impulse to imbue charismatic individuals with superhuman attributes.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“Told with a mixture of humor and compassion. . . . Throughout this confessional book a grown man tells of an unusual, even weird childhood and the blind submission that consumed his family’s life.”
–ROBERT COLES
The New York Times Book Review

“My Father’s Guru is an interesting account of a warped upbringing made fascinating by the insight it provides into Masson’s adult life. He makes no excuses: in initially revering Freud and other authority figures, Masson realizes he was seeking new and better gurus that Brunton–and was fated to reject them pitilessly when they showed themselves, like Brunton, to be merely human.”
–Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Beneath the guru-bashing, the book is Masson’s poignant and loving indictment of his parents, worth reading for his psychological portrait of coming-of-age disillusionment.”
–Seattle Weekly

Length: 192 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for MY FATHER’S GURU

“An uncompromising yet compassionate book . . . A coming-of-age memoir unlike any other.”
–The Toronto Star

“AN EXTRAORDINARY CAUTIONARY TALE …. about the enduring human impulse to imbue charismatic individuals with superhuman attributes.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“Told with a mixture of humor and compassion. . . . Throughout this confessional book a grown man tells of an unusual, even weird childhood and the blind submission that consumed his family’s life.”
–ROBERT COLES
The New York Times Book Review

“My Father’s Guru is an interesting account of a warped upbringing made fascinating by the insight it provides into Masson’s adult life. He makes no excuses: in initially revering Freud and other authority figures, Masson realizes he was seeking new and better gurus that Brunton–and was fated to reject them pitilessly when they showed themselves, like Brunton, to be merely human.”
–Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Beneath the guru-bashing, the book is Masson’s poignant and loving indictment of his parents, worth reading for his psychological portrait of coming-of-age disillusionment.”
–Seattle Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, ex-psychoanalyst and former projects director of the Sigmund Freud Archives, has written more than a dozen books, including the bestsellers The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats, Dogs Never Lie About Love, and When Elephants Weep. A longtime resident of Berkeley, California, he now lives in New Zealand with his wife, two sons, and five cats. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

From Library Journal

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. Recommended for academic, seminary, and large public libraries.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

ASIN : B00BYJJ3EA
Publisher : Untreed Reads Publishing (March 20, 2013)
Publication date : March 20, 2013
Language : English
File size : 519 KB
Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 192 pages
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,688 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #233 in Biographies of Social Scientists & Psychologists (Kindle Store)
- #738 in Psychologist Biographies
- #15,044 in Memoirs (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
30 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		14%
3 star		10%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		14%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Sports Shooter

Wow, what a life!

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2020

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What a fascinating yet incredibly difficult upbring Masson experienced. His portrayal of Paul Brunton, however, is what I most took away from this book (which seems to be more of an autobiography than anything else). With his success as a journalist exploring the world of spiritualism and the Guru, Brunton began to perceive himself as a guru. Fascinating to witness someone's ego puffing up to such an extent. Reminds me of numerous spiritual types in today's world who have also appointed themselves as gurus simply by studying a "real" Guru or simply spending some time in the East meditating. Goes to show that just because someone meditates and lives what they believe is a "spiritual life" doesn't mean they can't be more self-deluded than the average so-called householder.

One person found this helpful

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underwater kiss

Worthwhile for PB fans, although a bit challenging to bypass the author's understandably bitter attitudes

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2016

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Was Paul Brunton a perfect individual? Mr. Masson's book fills in a lot of biographical gaps from first hand knowledge and scholarly research. For this I am grateful. He concludes that Mr. Brunton was not a perfect person, and hence an imperfect teacher of some of his devoted fans. However, it was not necessary for Mr. Brunton to be a perfect person to accomplish what he did, to help the very many people that he helped, and to ultimately Realize the Goal of his Life and of Human Existence.

7 people found this helpful

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Robert G. Schneider

One of my all-time favorite memoirs.

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

One of my all-time favorite memoirs. Paul Brunton was rather innocuous as narcissistic con man gurus go, but a narcissist nevertheless. Thank you so much, Jeffery, for telling your story. I enjoyed this book immensely and couldn't put it down!

One person found this helpful

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Lore B.

I've enjoyed everything Masson has written

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I've enjoyed everything Masson has written. He had a very unique childhood. This book is well worth a read, especially if you are interested in the history of transcendentalism in the occident.

Helpful

Ms. Eleonore Pum

I liked this book very much and had bought it after ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

I liked this book very much and had bought it after reading For the Love of Dogs by the same author. I gave the book to a friend afer I fionished it and she also liked it tremendously.

One person found this helpful

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Dale R. Wade

Enjoyed it.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

A very interesting read! Enjoyed it.

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Amazon Customer

A Must Read for Any Spiritual "Seeker"

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is an insightful expose of the guru-devotee relationship. It reveals the sheer foolishness of looking to a Guru
for the answer to the riddle of life. In delightful detail it recalls the "quest" of a wonderful family looking for Truth
and believing a strange little man who called himself Paul Brunton had a pipeline to the mysteries of the universe.

4 people found this helpful

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Christine Chandler

I will read the second time, it was so good and interesting.

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015

Verified Purchase

Fascinating , I will read it again.

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Top reviews from other countries

H. Macrae

The Will to Believe

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2014

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I think from the small number of reviews that very few people have read this book, whilst many believe that Paul Brunton was a kind a mystical saint. This is a very interesting view from the inside of of the type of dysfunctional relationships people enter into when their honest search for truth brings them into contact with someone who appears to have all the answers they seek. Having been involved in the world of yoga for years, I have seen this so many times. It is not the fault of the 'guru' if someone wants to put them on a pedestal, but exercising such power over other people as is described in this book and exploiting it is just wrong. I thought Krishnamurti had something interesting to say, since so people seem to revere him, but after reading Lives in the Shadow by Radha Sloss, the daughter of his long time mistress, I find his writings hypocritical. If you think your guru is out there, read this cautionary tale and beware.

One person found this helpful

"Belgo Geordie"

Jeffery Masson's journey is insightful and thought provoking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

Now I confess, I read this when I still lived in New Zealand over five years ago and greatly enjoyed it. The biography of the author's family is rivetting. Mr Masson is a very gifted story teller. His history as a psychoanalyst, academic and intellectual makes this an exceptionally well constructed narrative. The precision and richness of the writing allows the story to unfold in a way which is both informative and instructive. Anyone who has ever encountered some one who is charasmatic and possibly delusional will appreciate the deconstruction of the guru Paul Brunton. At times uncomfortable reading, there are many people who want to put their trust in someone who to others is obviously a charlatan. And Brunton is possibly a lower level spiritual con master compared to some. But Mr Masson treats his subject with a decency that maybe unwarrented. For anyone setting off on a spiritual journey at the "behest" of a master-this is an essential read. After that it is "buyer beware".

4 people found this helpful

C. Sidney-woollett

great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2013

Verified Purchase

I read it before & enjoyed it so much that decided to order it again. I am now looking forward to reading it again.

One person found this helpful