THE WAY FORWARD FOR PERENNIALISM: After the Antinomianism of Frithjof Schuon - Revised Edition

After accepting some wise criticism from certain followers of Frithjof Schuon, thedecision was made to withdraw the first edition of this book from publication soon after itappeared. The present Revised Edition, published by Divaan e Ishq, includes a numberof changes and additions and makes no mention whatsoever of Schuon’s actions,concentrating entirely on his books and paintings.Perennialism (also known as Traditionalism) may be defined as the certain knowledgethat the reality of God, the truth of Humanity as God’s central manifestation in terrestrialexistence, and the relationship between God and the cosmos He creates, has alwaysbeen known and transmitted by the human race, sometimes esoterically, sometimesopenly. Intimately related to this knowledge is the understanding that God has sentmore than one revealed religion over the course of history to bring Humanity back intounion with Him, and that more than one of these revelations may be in force at thesame time. This doctrine has its roots in the philosophy of Leibnitz, the writings ofRenaissance philosophers like Marcilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, as well as in St.Augustine, the Holy Qur’an and the Hindu concept of the sanatana dharma. In the 20 thand 21 st centuries, however, Perennialism has become perhaps the most interesting anduseful attempt to deal with the fact of religious pluralism in a globalizing world withoutrelativizing the traditional religions and emptying them of their sacred content. In earlierages—apart, perhaps, from the syncretistic religion of Manichaeism—Perennialism wasan arcane dimension of religious understanding, of interest only to a handful of sages.In our own time, however, it has unexpectedly appeared as one of the necessarydefenses of faith in God and the metaphysical order against the assaults of anincreasingly secularized world. The contemporary Traditionalist/Perennialist School isconsidered to have been founded by French metaphysician René Guénon (1886–1951),with significant contributions from the Anglo-Indian writer on traditional art andmetaphysics, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. After Guénon’s death, the most significantfigure in the School was Swiss metaphysician and “unofficial” Sufi Shaykh, FrithjofSchuon (1907–1998), who remains the most provocative figure Perennialism hasproduced in the 20th Century. The Way Forward for Perennialism, which is bothappreciative of his profound insights and critical of his occasional though sometimesserious errors, aspires to be a guide to those attempting to walk the Perennialist roadthrough the darkness and uncertainties of the 21st Century. Read more