Reviews of Seeking the Master

This comprehensive guide to the ashrams and spiritual centres of India has been prepared and produced with great care and will undoubtedly be welcomed by serious seekers intending to go there on pilgrimage. The author, Muz Murray, is well qualified to write on the much explored subject of guru hunting. Well known in England as the founder of Gandalf’s Garden Community and Magazine, in 1972 he withdrew from the forefront to undertake a long pilgrimage to the East. He was initiated as a sadhu (Indian monk) and for three years wandered all over India and Nepal with robe and bowl studying in jungle, temple and mountain ashrams under teachers of every kind. This book is one of the fruits of that journey and it is a mine of information about the various gurus and exactly how to find them. The author makes it clear that selecting a genuine guru is no joke; it requires sincerity of heart and discrimination and many are the traps for the unwary. Muz also says that the main thing is to walk with love and allow oneself be guided by the Spirit. The average Westerner will find that he needs plenty of time, patience and above all humility to enable him to adjust to the vastly different rhythm of life in India. But in this guide he is given all the help he may need in the form of sensible advice about diet and general health care, native customs and ashram protocol, as well as a sound commentary on the teachings themselves to clarify doubts and contradictions.”

“This book is an absolute must for anyone undertaking a spiritual journey to India—whatever their degree of commitment or for whatever they seek. It is written in a very descriptive style and takes the earnest seeker through the various geographical regions, pointing out the problems of climate, transport, beauties, advantages and disadvantages of each area. There are hints on food and drink, what to take (and what not to take!) hints on customs and manners and a preparatory description of the traditions of the Ashram and the religions of India. The author’s own deep respect and understanding of India and its people feeds through his words and should ensure that you do not put a foot wrong—or at least, not too often, for as the opening chapter says, “Mother India is a land of absolute extremes and no matter what one says about her, the opposite is also true.” Over 300 ashrams are described in the book with details of Gurus, studies, location and, in most cases ‘impressions’ (of other visitors, not the author). Muz Murray is a well-known English mystic (now living in France) who has been the source of much spiritual power to young people of the West…before he withdrew to undertake his own long pilgrimage to the East and India. This inspiring book is one of the fruits of that journey and in addition to the love of India which emanates from its pages, it will provide a much felt need for many seekers on the road.”

India has always been known as a land of contrasts and this fact stands out even from a quick glance through this book. Details of where to link into present-day offerings of the country’s superb spiritual heritage jostle cheek by jowl with graphic details of some of the illnesses (from cholera to constipation) that visitors may encounter during their stay—although handy hints on how to avoid them are also given. Seeking the Master provides a wealth of detailed information on over three hundred ashrams and centres in every state of India plus Nepal. Some are mentioned in only a line or a paragraph, but a good proportion, especially the larger and more well-known, receive closer attention—for example, six and a half pages are given to Ramana Maharshi’s ashram. Typical information is included under headings like ‘Guru’, ‘Studies’ (any set courses, their cost, etc.), ‘How To Go’, ‘Affiliated Centres.’ In the vein of travel guides like Europe on $10 a Day, the sometimes conflicting impressions of previous visitors are quoted. Opinions range from the terse, such as “Girls had best beware of wandering Sikhs in the night” to the acclaiming—“Here is the answer. What more can I say?” and include many longer and illuminating insights into ashram life for a visitor. Maps and geographical and historical information are all included within the book’s compact handbook, paperback format. Whether you are seriously planning a trip to India to search a Master, or whether you prefer to find your gurus closer to home, this is an extremely entertaining and informative book, compiled with an obvious love for India and with a sense of humour.

Although designed primarily as a guide for foreigners who are coming to India on a spiritual pilgrimage, this book will be of interest to all seekers who are still searching for a teaching, a Guru or an Ashram which will satisfy their temperament and their spiritual inclinations. It is an encyclopaedic compilation of all of India’s major spiritual institutions, along with many of its lesser known ones, which aims to give all the information any prospective visitor or pilgrim might require. …The editor has scrupulously avoided making any assessments of the ashrams he visited, but at the end of each section he often prints comments from visitors which usually give a penetrating insight into the atmosphere of the ashram, the friendliness of the staff and inmates and the attitude of the management to visitors. …Its pages will provide a fascinating afternoon’s entertainment for anyone who wants to contrast the superlative-ridden official accounts which start each section, with the views and impressions of the people who have experienced the ashrams first-hand. The information contained in this book represents the most comprehensive summary of the spiritual facilities available in India today: highly recommended.