The Essential Frithjof Schuon (Library of Perennial Philosophy)

_It is my belief that all serious students of the esoteric will eventually be drawn to the Philosophia Perennis. How could they not? It is the golden thread that runs through every path of real worth- and Frithjof Schuon was its greatest expositor in the modern age. _I mean it when I say that if I could have but one book on a desert island or solitary cell it would be this one. After all, Schuon himself approved this volume as truly representing the core of his essential thought. My next choice would be his entire collected works, but they run to over twenty volumes. He is more easily understood than Guenon, but without sacrificing any of the profound content. _What is the Philosophia Perennis? It is the metaphysical truth which has no beginning, and which remains the same in all expressions of wisdom. It is the esoteric core of all true religious traditions- recognized or not. It hinges on the truths innate in the human spirit and accessible in the pure Intellect. It is the way of the Gnostic, the pneumatic, and the theosopher- it is the way of Pythagoras and Plato. It is jnana. You see, Man's intelligence was made to know the Absolute and it is only the Absolute that man can know absolutely. Metaphysics is this knowledge. It is why we and our intellect exist. We are here to see things as they are- not as they appear (essence over form.) An intellect capable of this, but wasted on materialistic trivia is a cosmic tragedy. _The book itself is divided into nine sections: 1) Religion and Revelation, 2) The Study of Religions, 3) The Nature of Reality, 4) Art and the Spiritual Significance of Beauty, 5) Man, 6) The Spiritual Life, 8) Eschatogy and the Afterlife, 8) Criticism of the Modern World, 9) Spiritual Impressions.

The Traditionalist school is indebted to the lifelong work of Frithjof Schuon, who upheld the profound words of Guenon and Coomaraswamy, adding his own insights and lending them to such modern scholars as Seyyed Nasr, giving the necessary effectiveness to the truth of the philosophia perennis.

To be sure, Mr Scuon is a great fountainhead of knowledge in the esoteric realm. He is also an impeccable analyst of philosophical thought and an erudite connoisseur of the great world religions. He is also a hell of a bore. These essays are among the most tedious writing I have ever come across in my whole, not inconsiderable, life in letters. *sigh*

Eloquient and insightful selections from the author's many essays on the perennialist philosophy. Not easy reading for those who want the simplicity of idealogy or "a dummy's guide" to anything.

Schuon blows me away. He has an incredible insight into most major traditions. There is so much in the book. My favorite was the Shinto chapter. I have decided to study and ordain as a Shinto priest now, as a result of reading Schuon.

This is a valuable collection of material on the great religions and esoteric traditions. It is representative of the 'traditionalist' school and the perennial philosophy. From my point of view it is rather theological; for example, it does not convey the 'white heat' of the Islamic revelation as does Martin Ling's 'Muhammad, his life based on the earliest sources'. The presentation of Buddhism is not strong. The recent translation much Tibetan Buddhist literature into English, and the continuing teaching of that tradition, show Schuon's presentation to be abstract and general. Schuon sometimes imposes philosophical or theological concepts of thought on living traditions, and so limits our perception of them. The 'ecumenic' quality of the traditionalist school is based principally on a recognition the esoteric dimension of Islam and the esoteric dimension of Christianity. Their understanding of the other traditions is uneven, and in this regard they do not transcend their Sufi point of origin. At the same time we must allow that there is no one person qualified to produce an overview of the great religions and the great esoteric traditions, and perhaps there never will be. We still benefit from a sincere and educated attempt, and there is no doubt that Frithjof Shuon is both sincere and educated. Beyond this he has profound understandings of the place of man in the living universe. His attempt is as good as any that I know of, and he has left us with much useful material.

This is great stuff!!

An essential read for anyone interested in the universal, metaphysical teachings.

Many themes touched but never explored to their depth. Instead of wasting yout time getting hasty glimpses of all Schuon's works as presented in this collection, read just one (any!) of his genial books, the impact will be much greater. The same would apply to all 'Essential' series of World Wisdom editions (Guénon, Coomaraswamy, Nasr), quite a disappoining strategy for a publishing house professed to focus on quality and not quantity. 1, if the best, is like 1000 for me (Heraclitus)

Outstanding book

I know he's a legend but I just can`t penetrate this writing.