The Essential Frithjof Schuon (Library of Perennial Philosophy) (Paperback)

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Product Description

Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998) was widely acknowledged as the foremost 20th century exponent of the Perennial Philosophy. These selections, chosen under his supervision, were approved by him during his lifetime and confirmed as a representative volume of his magisterial writings. Covering a enormous range of topics on the nature of religion, esotericism and mysticism, love and knowledge of God, theology and philosophy, Schuon’s unique approach to comparative religion, metaphysics, aesthetics, prayer, the spiritual path and criticism of the modern world, this volume opens the way to understanding one of the most influential philosophers and spiritual leaders of our time. There is no better point of entry for the reader seeking to understand the vast intellectual and spiritual world of Frithjof Schuon and the Perennial Philosophy

From the Publisher

"His writings are universal, not only because the formless Essence is universal, but also because even on the level of forms he does not confine himself solely to a particular world, period or region. Schuon's works are also comprehensive and all-embracing in the sense that they include practically the whole mountain of knowledge understood in the traditional sense… From the point of view of sheer scholarly knowledge… it is hardly possible to find a contemporary corpus of writings with the same all-embracing and comprehensive nature combined with incredible depth."—Seyyed Hossein Nasr

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: World Wisdom (September 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941532925
• ISBN-13: 978-0941532921
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Universal Wisdom- the Religion of the Sages, March 19, 2006

By	OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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_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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An presentation of the traditionalist view of religion, April 18, 2008

By	Hugh James (California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.