The Essential Frithjof Schuon (Library of Perennial Philosophy)

Frithjof Schuon had a unique ability to penetrate to the heart if the world's great spiritual traditions, revealing new dimensions that astounded general readers and scholars alike. Schuon's insights on religion, prayer, the spiritual life, aesthetics and philosophy shine throughout this book. Contents 7 Preface to the 2005 Edition 11 Introduction 15 On Some of the Features of His Works 15 The Study of Religion 17 The Multiplicity of Religions and the Method of Their Study 28 Metaphysics 41 Cosmology 44 Epistemology 45 Philosophy 47 Art and Beauty 49 Nature 51 Man 52 The Spiritual Life 55 Eschatology 59 Critic of the Modern World 60 Who is Frithjof Schuon? 64 Schuon as Poet and Artist 66 The Language and Style of Schuon's Writings 68 The Influence of Sdmon 69 The Message of Schuon 70 An Annotated Description of the Writings of .Frithjof Schuon 71 PART 1: RELIGION AND REVELATION 79 The Nature of Religion 81 Religio Perennis 81 The Sense of the Absolute in Religions 83 To Refuse or to Accept Revelation 87 Esotericism and Mysticism 100 Understanding Esotericism 100 Faith, Love, and Knowledge 118 The Nature and Arguments of Faith 118 Understanding and Believing 120 On Faith and Its Object 124 Earthly Concomitances of the Love of God 125 Love and Knowledge 127 The Four Jewels of Human Life 131 Theology and Philosophy 134 Man and Certainty 134 On Miracles as Proofs of God 136 Evidence and Mystery 137 On the Divine Will 145 On Predestination and Free Will 148 Tracing the Notion of Philosophy 150 PART II: THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS 161 Comparative Religion- Methodology 163 Diversity of Revelation 163 The Limitations ofExoterism 167 Contours of the Spirit 176 The Human Margin 180 Archaic Religions 192 The Ancient Worlds in Perspective 192 The Religions of the American Indians 197 The Sacred Pipe of the Red Indians 197 Hinduism 204 The Vedanta 204 Principle of Distinction in the Social Order 210 The Chinese Religions 219 Buddhism 220 Originality of Buddhism 220 Mystery of the Bodhisattva 224 Glimpses into Zen 231 Shintoism 237 Judaism 239 The Torah and the Mischna 239 The Supreme Commandment 240 Christianity 247 The Christian Tradition: Some Thoughts on its Nature 247 Mysteries of Christ and of the Virgin 255 The Problem of Evangelism 259 Islam 276 Islam 276 On the Quran 282 On the Prophet 290 Seeds of a Divergence 293 Islamic Poverty 302 The Quintessential Esoterism of Islam 304 On the Life Cycle of Sufism 315 PART III: THE NATURE OF REALITY 321 Metaphysics 323 Dimensions, Modes and Degrees of the Divine Order -1 The Interplay of the Hypostases 330 The Mystery of the Veil 336 Symbolism and Grace 349 The Science of the Study of Myth 351 Epistemology 358 Consequences Flowing from the Mystery of Subjectivity 358 Cosmology and the Traditional Sciences 365 Hypostases and Cosmic Numbers 365 What Is Matter and Who Is Mara? 373 PART IV: ART AND THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BEAUTY 381 Aesthetics 383 Aesthetics and Symbolism in Art and Nature 383 Foundations of an Integral Aesthetics 390 PART V: MAN 397 The Nature of Man 399 On the Creation of Man 399 Man as Divine Manifestation 401 The Fall ~fMan 405 Man in the Universe 410 Woman 418 Woman and Interiorization 418 Sexuality 422 The Problem of Sexuality 422 PART VI: THE SPIRITUAL LIFE 437 Elements and Goal of the Spiritual Path 439 Nature and Function of the Spiritual Master 439 The Servant and Union 442 Prayer 449 Modes of Prayer 449 Prayer Fashions Man 458 The Spiritual Virtues 462 PART VII: ESCHA1ULOGY AND THE AFTERLIFE 469 Reflections on Eschatological Problems 471 Some Observations on a Problem of the Afterlife 471 Universal Eschatology 475 On the Notion of Hell 478 The Two Paradises 481 PART VIII: CRITICISM OF THE MODERN WORLD 495 Criticism of Modern Philosophy 497 Modern Philosophy, Logic and Intuition -1 Conceptual Dimensions 499 Rationalism, Real and Apparent -1 Letter on Existentialism 506 Criticism of Modern Science 512 Modern Science and the Fall of Man 512 Modern Science and Metaphysical Reality 517 Modern Science-Objectivity-Subjectivity 520 Traditional and Modern Science 523 Criticism of Modern Art 526 Art-Traditional and Modern: Sacred and Profane 526 PART IX: SPIRITUAL IMPRESSIONS 537 Selected Poems 539 Selections from Unpublished Letters 543 The Garden 543 On the Holiness of the Name 544 Two Unequal Heredities 545 Against Subtle Worldliness 546 Sophia Perennis 548 Appendix-The Writings of Schuon 554 Table of Abbreviations 559 Biographical Notes 560 0941532925,9780941532921 World Wisdom,2005