In 1968, when the famous Trappist monk Thomas Merton journeyed to the Far East on the trip from which he never returned, he took along a book by Arnaud Desjardins called The Message of the Tibetans. Merton quoted from that book frequently throughout his last book, Asian Journals.

Arnaud Desjardins (1925-2011), born in 1925 in Paris, began his career as filmmaker for French television. His highly acclaimed documentaries led him to Japan and India where he recorded the lives and teachings of great men and women sages. His visit to Afghanistan, just prior to the Russian takeover, allowed him to film special ceremonies and initiatory rituals which were soon outlawed in that country. (All of the Sufis filmed in his piece were later executed by the Russian army.)

In 1965 Desjardins met a previously unknown Hindu swami whom he accepted as his teacher and worked with until the teacher's death in 1974. Since then, Arnaud Desjardins has been serving as a guide and teacher for thousands of men and women from all walks of life--in both France and other European countries. He is a highly respected figure, regarded as a sage by a large public as well as by Eastern masters and spiritual authorities such as the Dalai Lama.

Desjardins is the author of dozens of books, all dealing with a simple, straightforward approach to life. Drawing heavily from his own personal experience and years of study in both Eastern and Western spiritual/religious traditions, Desjardins presents a synthesis which is soundly based in psychology, but goes way beyond the limitations of that discipline to include the pristine essence of the human spirit.

Arnaud Desjardins is a much desired guest in the French media, although he still spends most of his time at his work residence in the south of France. His previous books are all in French and other European languages. Hohm Press is proud to be the publisher of his first two English-language books: Toward The Fullness of Life: The Fullness of Love, and The Jump Into Life: Moving Beyond Fear.