Frithjof Schuon Archive

Position in society is one thing,And deepest inward nature is another.Everywhere man can be noble —Birth is often merely name and color.Thus Tiruválluvar, who is honored;And so too the shudra before whom Shankara bowed.

In Islam it is said that hell does not last forever,That a cool wind will one day blow through the fire — And that the damned will finally no longer burn.They will know the grace of forgiveness —Mercy is like an immense ring;The Koran says: “It encompasseth...

In the guilds of earlier timesThere was a general and strict custom:Not only should the work be perfect,Nobility of soul was also required.Virtue added value to the work;Craftsmanship favored inward perfection.

What in Sanskrit is called tamas,In Arabic is called waswas, “whisperer”:The darkness that men carry within themselves —It cannot be otherwise on this low earth.The serpent was present in the first ParadiseWhen our world was in its prime,And Heaven was still joined to...