Articles

…

…

http://www.religioperennis.org/documents/laude/Mortschuon.pdf

…

…

…

http://www.frithjof-schuon.com/esoterism2.htm

Frithjof Schuon’s work can be viewed as explorations of and elaborations upon four essential realities: the “a doctrine of Truth or Reality, and a method of Integration or Realization through Prayer leading to inner beauty or Virtue, or outer goodness or Beauty.” Illustrations of Schuon’s thoughts on these is taken primarily from his didactic poems, adding the element of beauty of expression to the clarity of metaphyical exposition for which he was known.

The theomorphic nature of man is a central theme in the oeuvre of Frithjof Schuon. Scott surveys Schuon’s key theomorphic teachings while touching upon the symbolism of the body and man in the wider context. Scott applies three categories within which he examines Schuon’s teachings on man’s theomorphic form (i.e. the body): (1) man’s divinity and animality, (2) the symbolism of the sexes, and (3) the meaning of sacred nudity.

http://timothyscott.com.au/Assets/pdfs/Schuon-theomorphism.pdf

…

Editor James S. Cutsinger provided this probing “Introduction” to a selection of Schuon’s writings on prayer, Prayer Fashions Man. Cutsinger summarizes the various types of prayer covered by Schuon, as well as Schuon’s overall perspective.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/viewpdf/default.aspx?article-title=Intro_by_James_Cutsinger_to_Prayer_Fashions_Man.pdf

In his “Foreword” to Prayer Fashions Man, Philip Zaleski highlights the central importance of prayer in Schuon’s message, and calls the book “a landmark compendium of writings on prayer.” Regarding the previously unpublished materials in the book, Zaleski notes that in them “we hear Schuon speaking in a new key, more personal and tender, although hardly less authoritative” than in his other, metaphysical, books.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/viewpdf/default.aspx?article-title=Foreword_by_Philip_Zaleski_to_Prayer_Fashions_Man.pdf

The importance of prayer was a fundamental theme in the writings of Frithjof Schuon. This article sets out to “draw attention to the subtlety, depth, and comprehensiveness that characterize Schuon’s elucidation of prayer, an elucidation which renders prayer not only an intelligible necessity for man in his quest for God, but also an irresistible summons and an inestimable gift from God to man.” This is accomplished through a general survey of Schuon’s perspective upon prayer and then a look at “the modes and degrees of prayer, beginning with the most ordinary meaning of prayer—personal petition to God—and culminating in the most exalted form of prayer—methodic invocation of the Name of God.”

http://www.religioperennis.org/documents/kazemi/prayer.pdf

Martin Lings reviews this book by Frithjof Schuon which is a complement to Understanding Islam and which explains in depth some of the problems that Christianity sees in Islam in the sanctity of the Prophet, for example, or the belittling of the human. Schuon explains that to be truly human and thus sanctified is to fit the divine mould which is Origin, Archetype, Norm and Goal. In Sufism this is expressed in a quaternary of divine Names: The First, the Last, the Outward and the Inward. Lings points out that these, “form the basis of this book, whose every chapter flows, as it were, along one or more of these dimensions.” Chapters under review include those on Jesus, Mary, the Archangels and the Five Divine Presences.

Professor Huston Smith wrote the “Foreword” to the 1997 edition of Frithjof Schuon’s “The Eye of the Heart.” In it, Smith states unequivocally that he considers Schuon to be “the most important religious thinker of our century.” He explains this by pointing to Schuon’s solution to the thorniest issue facing those who believe in absolute Truth: Must there be only one valid Truth embodied in one religious tradition, thus excluding all others, or can there be another way in which absolute Truth can take on relative shadings, and still remain the Truth? Although Smith gives only brief attention to the specific contents of the book, he does summarize his thoughts with this: “Again in this book, as everywhere in Schuon’s writing, one is struck by the hierarchical, vertical character of his thinking — his depiction of an absolute and transcendent Reality that deploys itself through All-Possibility and ultimately returns to Itself through human beings ‘made in the image of God.'”

Patrick Laude summarizes “the main ideas presented by Schuon on the topic of esoterism, both in his published works and in some of his unpublished texts.” Laude presents a definintion of “esoterism” as understood by Schuon, how in Schuon’s work esoterism is viewed as connected with the exoteric religions, the religio perennis,” and esoterism in the spiritual life.

http://www.sacredweb.com/online_articles/sw4_laude.pdf

…

…

…

This is the complete “Introduction” to the book — some other articles on this site are excerpted from this piece. It was written by Prof Seyyed Hossein Nasr for one of his most voluminous and important works, The Essential Frithjof Schuon (World Wisdom, 2005). In it, Dr Nasr covers salient features of Schuon’s work; Schuon’s place in the study of comparative religion; his central message or theme; Schuon’s thoughts on the “transcendent unity of religions”; his approach to epistemology and philosophy in general; and Schuon’s contributions to thought on art, beauty, the spiritual life, and many other topics. The “Introduction” ends with brief synopses of Schuon’s individual books. This is among the best summaries of the importance of Frithjof Schuon’s work in many areas of contemporary and traditional thought, written by one of the people best qualified for the task.

This essay by Renaud Fabbri, from Sacred Web 20, explores certain misunderstandings about Schuon’s position: was he a prophet (instituting a new transcendent religion or primordial message), a saint (some have portrayed him as a Muslim saint operating within the structures of Sufism), or, as the author contends, a sage (based on the Platonic or Hindu model)? Emphasizing the Marian foundation of his teachings, the author argues that Schuon is best understood as being a paracletic spokesman of the sophia perennis and a shakta.

Crow Sun Dance Chief and Medicine Man Thomas Yellowtail (1903-1993) wrote this introduction to Frithjof Schuon’s book “The Feathered Sun: Plains Indians in Art and Philosophy” to attest to the authenticity and truthfulness of Schuon’s writings and paintings found in this book. Yellowtail details his long relationship with Schuon and goes on to point out that Schuon captured the spirit of the olden-days Indians in both his paintings and his prose.

This is a transcript of The Prince of Wales’ videotaped introduction to the Sacred Web Conference, “Tradition in the Modern World,” presented on September 23, 2006, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Prince Charles begins his comments with: “In these uprooted times, there is a great need for constancy; a need for those who can rise above the clamour, the din and the sheer pace of our lives to help us to rediscover those truths that are immutable and eternal; a need for those who can speak of that eternal wisdom which is called the perennial philosophy.” The address continues to outline key points of Traditionalism and the Perennial Philosophy, supporting The Prince’s theme that there are real and positive applications of these points in “finding practical solutions to what, at first, seem to be impossible difficulties – and sometimes to speak for those whose voices are unheard amidst the clamour of Modernism.” The Prince’s insights demonstrate his thoughtful consideration of and interest in the worldview offered by the Perennial Philosophy.

http://www.sacredweb.com/conference06/conference_introduction.html

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

This is the text of a talk delivered at the Australasian Association for the Study of Religions Conference on the theme “The End of Religions? Religion in an Age of Globalization”, at Sydney University, in September 1999. The author discusses the traditional views of Schuon’s “transcendent unity of religions” in the context of the modern phenomenon of globalization.

http://www.sacredweb.com/online_articles/sw5_oldmeadow.pdf

In this “Foreword” to author Harry Oldmeadow’s study of the intellectual and spiritual message of Frithjof Schuon, Dr. William Stoddart (a close associate of Schuon’s for many decades) situates Schuon’s writings in the history of human thought, gives suggestions to new readers on how to approach Schuon’s “difficult” expositions, and touches on the esoteric nature and intent of Schuon’s work. Stoddart praises Oldmeadow’s book for its clarity and comprehensiveness.

These observations on the language and stle of Frithjof Schuon’s writing were excerpted from editor Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s “Introducing the Writings of Frithjof Schuon” (the ‘Introduction’) in The Essential Frithjof Schuon. In the piece, Dr. Nasr shares insights on some linguistic and literary aspects of Schuon’s writing, ending with how these aspects may contribute to the impact of Schuon’s prose upon many readers.

Editor Seyyed Hossein Nasr discusses the artistic side of Frithjof Schuon’s body of work, namely his poetry and paintings, and the aesthetic sensibility reflected throughout Schuon’s writings. It should be noted that this was written some years before Schuon’s many volumes of later poetry was published. The piece was excerpted from Dr. Nasr’s “Introducing the Writings of Frithjof Schuon” (the ‘Introduction’) in The Essential Frithjof Schuon.

Whitall Perry recounts his own spiritual journey which brought him to meet the greatest thinkers of the Perennial Philosophy of the 20th century: Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, René Guénon, and Frithjof Schuon. Focusing on the later, Perry gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the remarkable writer, poet, and painter who, to many, represented in himself, and in his writings, the epitome of the traditional man.

…

http://www.cutsinger.net/pdf/colorless_light_and_pure_air.pdf

A. K. Saran’s article appeared in the journal Sophia as part of an issue dedicated to the life and thought of the late Frithjof Schuon. It is a wide-ranging view of some key Schuonian, and thus “Perennialist,” concepts, as Saran focuses on Schuon’s book The Eye of the Heart. A. K. Saran also incorporates much traditional Hindu thought and the words of A. K. Coomaraswamy throughout this exploration of some aspects of Schuon’s thought.

…

V. Raghavan (1908-1979) wrote this “Foreword” to Frithjof Schuon’s book Language of the Self. It appeared in the first edition in India, and then later in World Wisdom’s 1999 edition. The foreword summarizes Schuon’s perspective in a number of areas as divergent as the transcendent unity of religions, the modern world, metaphysics, and his approach to and appreciation of Hinduism.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/viewpdf/default.aspx?article-title=Foreword to Language of the Sel

…

The author of the essay states his purpose thus: “This paper considers the idea of the elite, or elect, with respect to the problems of Predestination and the notion of the exclusivity of esotericism. It is our opinion that the questions raised here can only be resolved in light of the metaphysical knowledge that is the proper subject of esotericism, where, as said, this is understood as the sophia perennis. Frithjof Schuon stands as the pre-eminent voice of the sophia perennis for our day and age and it is thus that this paper is largely a reiteration of what he has said on these points.”

http://religioperennis.org/documents/Scott/elect.pdf

Combining a Socratic and a personal approach, Cutsinger looks to the writings and insights of Frithjof Schuon to examine “how in good conscience can a traditional Christian accept the idea that there is a ‘transcendental unity of religions’?” The author finds answers in a deeper understanding of Christ’s two natures: human and Divine.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/viewpdf/default.aspx?article-title=The_Mystery_of_the_Two_Natures_by_James_Cutsinger.pdf

…

…

…

…

…

Author Prof. Harry Oldmeadow states that the goal of this essay is to “provide a sketch, largely through direct quotation, of a few of the key principles and doctrines which govern Schuon’s understanding of the natural order.” This can assist us, because today we “witness a plethora of writings on the ‘ecological crisis,’ often well-intentioned and sometimes enlivened by partial insights, but fundamentally confused because of an ignorance of timeless metaphysical and cosmological principles. It has been the task of figures such as René Guénon, Ananda Coomaraswamy and Frithjof Schuon, authoritative expositors of the sophia perennis, to remind the modern world of those principles.”

http://www.sacredweb.com/online_articles/sw6_oldmeadow.html

Swedish philosopher Tage Lindbom surveys some central concepts of the thought of Frithjof Schuon regarding: the modern world, ontology, the “pure Absolute” and the “relative Absolute,” secular man’s illusory view of existence, the “hierarchical order of creation,” the Sovereign Good, and man’s place in the universe. Lindbom states, “The unique position of Frithjof Schuon’s message is especially characterized by the fact that he provides an answer to the spiritual misery of our times,” and “Looking back in time, we like to pause before historical figures who have produced a legacy of spiritual work that is characterized by timelessness, the Eternal. We pause before three names: Plato, Shankara, Frithjof Schuon.”

The late Christian traditionalist, Alvin Moore, Jr., highlights the remarkable character of Schuon’s writings in general, noting, in Christian terms, that Schuon “wrote with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” Moore finds that “there is much in this volume that sheds precious light on Christianity,” despite the non-sectarian approach always adopted by Schuon. The reviewer goes into some detail on Schuon’s teachings on non-dualism, particularly how these relate to Christian doctrine.

http://www.sacredweb.com/online_articles/sw14_moore1.pdf

The American Indian Culture and Research Journal summarizes this article by Fitzgerald in this way: “This article provides new information that will oblige scholars to reassess the legacy of Black Elk (1863–1950), including excerpts from recently discovered unpublished letters written by Joseph Epes Brown while he was living with the Lakota holy man (1947–49). The author provides insights into Brown’s personal philosophy and a clearer context for the editorial role he played in recording The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux. Brown’s letters also help to illuminate Black Elk’s role in attempting to restore the sacred “religion of the Pipe” among the Sioux and to clarify controversies that include Black Elk’s dual participation in Catholicism.” For readers of Perennialist writings, it is noteworthy that Fitzgerald’s article also includes important new insight into Frithjof Schuon’s role in the chain of events leading to the recording of Black Elk’s teachings on the Seven Rites.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/viewpdf/default.aspx?article-title=New_Light_on_Black_Elk_and_the_Sacred_Pipe.pdf

Frithjof Schuon was also a noted artist whose paintings and sketches reflected his concern with the spiritual vocation of man, Beauty, virtue, and the reality of creation as a mirror of God. This chapter (number 18) from Michael Oren Fitzgerald’s book Frithjof Schuon: Messenger of the Perennial Philosophy covers how Schuon was led to create his works of art, his choice of subjects, and his sense of aesthetics, and includes some reproductions of his sketches and paintnings.

This biography of Frithjof Schuon by Mark Perry appears on the web site of World Wisdom, the publisher of most of Schuon’s books in English. Mark Perry was a close associate of Frithjof Schuon for many years, as were his parents, Whitall and Barbara. Mark Perry is himself a writer and metaphysician, and this biography of Schuon includes some insights that only a person very famililar with the Perennial Philosophy and with Schuon’s comprehensive perspective could pen.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/authors/Frithjof-Schuon.aspx

This excerpt is taken from “Introducing the Writings of Frithjof Schuon” (the ‘Introduction’) in The Essential Frithjof Schuon. It was written by the editor, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and is a short biography of the preeminent Perennialist philosopher.

The “Introduction” to Frithjof Schuon: Messenger of the Perennial Philosophy covers a summary of the three dimensions of Schuon’s work (comprehension, concentration, conformation), a brief discussion of how his own life was led in the light of these dimensions, and then presents the essential elements of Schuon’s message in some further details. These elements are discussed under sections titles “Metaphysical Truth,” “Life of Prayer,” and “Moral Conformity.” Besides Fitzgerald’s explication, his points are reinforced by extensive quotes from Schuon’s unique prose, and his poetry.

…

…

…

This is the first chapter of the 2010 book Frithjof Schuon and the Perennial Philosophy, by Harry Oldmeadow. The chapter gives a biographical overview of Schuon’s life. Besides a chronology of dates, Oldmeadow delves into important aspects of Schuon’s development as a metaphysician, artist and poet, who would become so closely identified with the school of thought called the Perennial Philosophy.

This chapter from Michael Fitzgerald’s book Frithjof Schuon: Messenger of the Perennial Philosophy (World Wisdom, 2010), is a brief overview of how Frithjof Schuon came to write poetry, his reasons for doing so, and the nature of his work, including some examples of the Perennialist sage’s didactic verses.

…

…

…

Besides a summary of Frithjof Schuon’s role in the school of traditionalist thought, and his groundbreaking work, Oldmeadow’s essay also includes interesting sections on Coomaraswamy and Guénon, the other two seminal authors of this school of thought.

https://themathesontrust.org/papers/biographies/Sage%20for%20the%20Times%20H%20Oldmeadow.pdf

It is generally recognized that Frithjof Schuon had a special interest in the spiritual traditions of the American Indians, but only some aspects of his relationship with them are well known. The online journal Vincit Omnia Veritas, which published six issues between 2005 and 2007, interviewed Michael Fitzgerald on the subject of Schuon’s many decades of interest in, and study of, American Indian spirituality in its many dimensions. This interview, posted on the Religio Perennis website, remains one of the most in-depth explications of Schuon’s frequent focus on many aspects of American Indian traditions. Fitzgerald also gives some important historical context to the life and times of Schuon, to his American Indian contacts and friends, and to the work of Joseph Epes Brown, a scholar of Indian Studies and a friend to both Black Elk and Schuon.

http://religioperennis.org/documents/Fitzgerald/Indian.pdf

Christopher Woodman reviews Frithjof Schuon’s In the Tracks of Buddhism, discussing both the material of the book and the difficult language it is presented in. Woodman calls the book “as difficult as it is important” and “uncompromising”; deeply informative and deeply challenging, the latter due to the terse wording which forces the reader to pay rapt attention. According to Woodman, the book assumes a certain familiarity with Buddhism on the part of the reader, with the exception of the traditions of Jodo and Shinto which are gone into in detail and explained assuming a poorer understanding.

This wide-ranging interview with Frithjof Schuon covers “the transcendent unity of religions,” metaphysics, spiritual practice, virtue, sacred art, beauty, esoterism, the American Indian traditions, sacred nudity, and more.

http://www.frithjof-schuon.com/interview.htm

This essay’s objective is to “enter … into Schuon’s own perspective, to understand him on his own terms, and to see how he envisions certain crucial ideas” and to explore why Schuon’s work is at once both provocative and inviting to so many readers.

Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr uses this “Preface” to explain that Frithjof Schuon’s writings on Islam, in this book as well as in others, is noteworthy for its focus on the “integral message” of the Islamic tradition. Schuon’s analyses are, here as elsewhere, free of academic superficialities, bring to light “the most inward aspect of the Islamic message.”

Author Prof. Harry Oldmeadow states that the goal of this essay is to “provide a sketch, largely through direct quotation, of a few of the key principles and doctrines which govern Schuon’s understanding of the natural order.” This can assist us, because today we “witness a plethora of writings on the ‘ecological crisis,’ often well-intentioned and sometimes enlivened by partial insights, but fundamentally confused because of an ignorance of timeless metaphysical and cosmological principles. It has been the task of figures such as René Guénon, Ananda Coomaraswamy and Frithjof Schuon, authoritative expositors of the sophia perennis, to remind the modern world of those principles.”

http://www.sacredweb.com/online_articles/sw6_oldmeadow.html