Mouni Sadhu

Mouni Sadhu (17 August 1897 – 24 December 1971), was an author born in Poland (Mieczysław Demetriusz Sudowski). He wrote primarily on Western and Eastern spirituality, occultism, Hermeticism and the Yoga traditions of India. He regarded Ramana Maharshi as his greatest personal influence.^[1] The name "Mouni Sadhu" is commonly translated as "silent monk" in Sanskrit.^[2]

Reliable information about Sadhu's early life is sparse due to his reluctance to share details about his background. Different commentators have presented conflicting accounts of his early life, often based on alleged hearsay.^[3][4] In a foreword to In Days of Great Peace, Dr. M. Hafiz Syed described Sadhu as a dedicated speaker who explored various paths of Yoga, occultism and mysticism before becoming a disciple of Ramana Maharshi.^[1]

Mouni Sadhu's books focus on practical teachings and the purpose and message he believed were entrusted to him. On several occasions, he stated that he felt it was his "spiritual master" who was directing his pen and the spiritual messages found in his work.^[5]

Sadhu studied Hermeticism exclusively between 1926 and 1933, drawing largely on the lectures of G. O. Mebes, which he obtained from a Russian refugee, who brought the book with him in 1919.^[6]

At the age of 25, he became interested in Theosophy. He found its theories logical and appealing, and corresponded with key figures such as Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater.^[7][8]

In 1935, Mouni Sadhu visited France.^[9] In Paris, he visited the headquarters of the Association of Spiritual Friendships (Amities Spirituelles),^[10] founded by Paul Sédir. Mouni Sadhu's last book, published in 1967, was an English translation of Paul Sédir's French book Initiations. In the foreword to the translation, Mouni Sadhu stated that the author's descriptions of the mysterious places in north‑eastern France are based on personal experiences.^[11]

On September 19, 1939, Mouni Sadhu was taken as a prisoner of war in the Soviet Union during the Battle of Wilno.^[12] He remained there until November, when he was transferred to Germany, where he stayed until his release in 1945. After his release, he served with the U.S. Army in France until November 1946.

Between 1946 and 1948, he lived in Brazil before emigrating to Australia. During this time he was involved in the Arunachala Group. His booklet Quem Sou Eu is a Portuguese translation of notes typed by him.^[13] He arrived in Sydney, Australia, aboard the SS Bernhard on September 17, 1948 before proceeding to Melbourne where he settled for the remainder of his life. In the spring 1949, he visited India, having received an invitation to stay several months at the ashram of Sri Ramanasramam, founded around the contemporary spiritual master Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950). He described his experiences in the first book of his Mystic Trilogy, In Days of Great Peace. He returned to Australia on 23 September 1949. In 1953, in his "Application for Naturalization as an Australian Citizen", he declared: "Since his return he has resided continuously in Melbourne and is employed as an electrical mechanic by the Melbourne City Council." In the same document he stated that his further occupation was that of "part-time writer".^[14][15]

As a young man in Europe, from 1926 to 1933,^[16] Mouni Sadhu belonged to an order of Rosicrucian Hermetists and published a number of articles on Tarot Hermetic philosophy as well as spirituality.^[17] Some believe that Mouni Sadhu reverted from spirituality back to occultism^[18] and that he was "obsessed with occultism"^[19] in his books, though this assertion is controversial. ^{[20][21][22][23]}

In chapter 3 of Samadhi, entitled "Occult Theories about the Higher Worlds", Mouni Sadhu states: "But the title of this chapter is clear: it speaks about the theories which occultism offers, in order to explain phenomena which otherwise cannot be explained."^[24]

Mouni Sadhu explained his conception of both occultism and spirituality in the Foreword to his book Ways to Self‑Realization: A Modern Evaluation of Occultism and Spiritual Paths, where he wrote: "Occultism is neither a synonymous term nor a substitute for spirituality, and spiritual men do not necessarily come from the ranks of occultists. They are two different things..."^[25]

Mouni Sadhu often used the term "occult psychology", referring to aspects of the developing field of modern psychology. He refers the reader to William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience^[26] a number of times.^[27]

In his preface to Concentration, Mouni Sadhu introduced the works of Yogi Ramacharaka and Yoga,^[28] stating: "More than half a century ago... a gifted and experienced American, William Walker Atkinson, writing under the pen name Yogi Ramacharaka, published a series of very useful books on Eastern philosophy and Yoga..." He dedicates Part I of Ways to Self‑Realization to Atkinson, with subsequent parts dedicated to Sri Ramana Maharshi, Paul Sédir, Dr Brandler‑Pracht and Dr Gérard Encausse (Papus).

Mouni Sadhu's writing often touches on aspects of Indian philosophy and Greek philosophy, which at times could be viewed as esoteric. He indicated that what was formerly considered occult, hidden or secret knowledge restricted to initiates was, by the mid‑twentieth century, becoming accessible to the wider world.

In chapter IX of Concentration, Mouni Sadhu states: "Perhaps in no other subdivision of human knowledge does there reign such disorder or lack of a system as in occult problems."^[29] In chapter XX of Ways to Self‑Realization, entitled "Maha Yoga and Its Value for the World", he wrote that the multiplicity of Yoga teachings demonstrates that none contains the fullness of Truth, and that "The Direct Path, also called Maha Yoga... as taught by the Maharishi" transcends all systems.^[30] He continued that, "It became evident in this time of innumerable sects, religions, and philosophic and occult systems that a synthesis was urgently needed..."^[31]

In 1949, Mouni Sadhu spent several months at the ashram of Ramana Maharshi (Sri Ramanasramam) in Tiruvannamalai, situated at the foot of the sacred mountain Arunachala in South India, worshipped since ancient times as the physical manifestation of Siva. He had spent the years since 1946 earnestly pursuing the quest of the Self (Overself) as taught by the Maharshi. Combined with his earlier inner striving, this prepared him to sit at the feet of the Great Rishi, whose life and teaching he regarded as those of a genuine spiritual master for the modern world. He describes his experiences in In Days of Great Peace, where he recounts attaining nirvikalpa samadhi. In all of his subsequent books, he paid tribute to Ramana Maharshi, describing him as "the last Great Rishis of India"^[32][33] and "the modern Great Rishi of India".^[34]

The first three books widely published by Mouni Sadhu form what he calls his "Mystic Trilogy".^[35] In the foreword to his last book (excluding Initiations, which was a translation), Meditation: An Outline for Practical Study, he notes the relationship of that work to Concentration and Samadhi, stating: "…the present work is like a continuation of the two just mentioned, and I am writing on the assumption that its two forerunners are well known to you. It would be impossible to repeat in Meditation the material previously expounded in other books."

In a letter to Thomas Merton in 1967, requesting him as a spiritual brother to consider writing a foreword to a planned book to be published as Contemplation: An Outline for Practical Study,^[36] one can see both the development of a continuous theme and the intrinsically practical nature of these works dealing with the deeper and inner aspects of spirituality. Thomas Merton was not in a position to accept the offer and the book was not published. It was Mouni Sadhu's translation of Initiations that became his last published work.

A number of reviewers and sources have described Mouni Sadhu's works as self‑promoting. However, he remained completely anonymous, and some of his books are connected like practical manuals, being linked to particular areas of study or levels of development.^[37] For example, in Samadhi: The Superconsciousness of the Future he writes: "I mentioned a 'new' type of consciousness, a wider and brighter one, in two former books, which form the first and second parts of my mystic trilogy, being respectively: In Days of Great Peace and Concentration... This book speaks about the ultimate aim, the achievement of Superconsciousness‑Samadhi, and the way to it."^[38]

In the second book, Concentration: An Outline for Practical Study, specific aspects of the spiritual Christian tradition begin to emerge, especially in Chapter IX, "The Western Tradition (Heart before Mind)", where Mouni Sadhu explains:"As the Eastern occult schools treat concentration as a means for achievement of the highest goal, so the mind takes precedence over the heart. But in the Western spiritual tradition this is reversed..."^[39] He then describes his study of the lives of the early and later Christian saints of the Egyptian desert,^{[40][41][42][43][44]} the caves of Anatolia,^[45] the catacombs of Rome, and the monasteries of Kiev and Western Europe,^[46][47] concluding that Western adepts knew as much—if not more—about the value of a one‑pointed mind in spiritual achievement as their Eastern counterparts.

Mouni Sadhu speaks with an admiration of particular saints, such as St Seraphim of Sarov,^[48] St Jean Vianney^[49] (St John Vianney), the Indian saint Sri Ramakrishna, St Vincent de Paul and St Francis of Assisi. His devotion to Christ and his commitment as a Christian are reflected in his description of Christ as the "Master of Masters", an expression he said was used by both Sri Maharshi and P. Sédir.^[50] This attitude pervades all of his works. In addition, his books express that Ramana Maharshi never advised conversion from one religion to another, but rather a conversion from ignorance to wisdom. The final book in the Mystic Trilogy, Samadhi, bears the dedication: "To the Light which illumines every man who comes into the World".^[51]

Mouni Sadhu highly appreciated The Imitation of Christ and the Vivekachudamani ("Crest Jewel of Wisdom")^[52] of Sri Shankaracharya (Adi Sankara), the classic treatise of Advaita Vedanta, both of which he quoted extensively in his first published booklet Quem Sou Eu ("Who am I?"), published in Curitiba, Brazil, in 1948. He continued to quote both works throughout his books, particularly as themes for meditation. Around this time, he came into contact with the head of the Ramakrishna Mission in Paris,^[53] the eminent Swami Siddheshwarananda,^[54] whom the Ashram of Sri Maharshi recommended him to visit.

His literary estate was left to the Australian Society of Authors, of which he was a member.^[55]

• Quem Sou Eu? (Who am I?) – 1948^[56][57]
• In Days of Great Peace – At the Feet of Sri Ramana Maharshi: Diary Leaves from India – first published 1952, Ramnarayan Press, Bangalore
• In Days of Great Peace – The Highest Yoga as Lived – 2nd ed., revised and enlarged, 1957, George Allen and Unwin
• Concentration – A Guide to Mental Mastery – 1959 (USA), Harper and Brothers, New York; published in Great Britain as Concentration – An Outline for Practical Study – 1959, George Allen and Unwin
• Ways to Self‑Realization – A Modern Evaluation of Occultism and Spiritual Paths – 1962 (USA), The Julian Press; 1963 (Great Britain), George Allen and Unwin
• Samadhi – The Superconsciousness of the Future – 1962, George Allen and Unwin
• The Tarot – A Contemporary Course on the Quintessence of Hermetic Occultism – 1962
• Theurgy – The Art of Effective Worship – 1965
• Meditation – An Outline for Practical Study – 1967
• Initiations by Paul Sédir; translated from the French by Mouni Sadhu – 1967

• Mouni Sadhu – Information
• What Is Meditation by Mouni Sadhu
• Friends of Mouni Sadhu