It is a way of lifeliving in harmony with oneself, with the world around. To clarify, perennialism suggests that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted for centuries believing the ideas are as relevant and meaningful today as when they were written. It is this source and its nature that is of primary importance to perennialists. The perennial philosophy respects the theologies of the great religious traditions, but points out to us that these all are various colors, to use stoddarts image, derived from the same uncolored source. The perennial philosophy may be classified as a kind of pluralism, though with two important qualifications.
The perennial philosophy is defined by its author as the metaphysic that recognizes a divine reality substantial to the world of things and lives and minds. Students of perennial philosophy, the core mystical teachings that are the same in all religions and forgotten by many or most adherents, might agree that two verses from the hindu bhagavad gita constitute a simple, beautiful and perfect summary of the perennial philosophy teachings. The perennial philosophy is the nonnegotiable hypothesis upon which the lectio mystica is created. Arthur versluis has distilled an immense amount of scholarship to produce a disarmingly accessible, lucid, and deeply penetrating study of the great philosophic traditions that underlie western culture. This wellstructured overview begins with an historical study of philosophy, tracing the. The grand design,1 to be sure, is not simply another physics for the millions production, nor is stephen hawking, its primary author, just another scientist addressing the public at large. It is therefore considered the perennial, true philosophy, and as such the acme of human achievement. A definition of the perennial philosophy the central idea.
It says that there is an unconfined, unqualified, and unqualifiable ultimate ground and that our final end and purpose is to recognize the groundless ground as our true identity. Perennialism is a teachercentered educational philosophy that focuses on everlasting ideas and universal truths. The perennial philosophy as the mystical centre of religious thought is the theory which you will work with while you live in this community alex walker, ed. Aimed at teaching students ways of thinking that will secure individual freedoms, human rights, and responsibilities through the nature. Psychology and the perennial philosophy studies in comparative religion world wisdom samuel sotillos on.
Emerged as an educational philosophy on the soil of america, perennialism decried pragmatic philosophy and its offshoot progressive ideas, for the latter sought to replace the age old, timehonoured practices by the sweeping change as a result of findings of behavioural sciences. Liberation means nonidentification with form, including the form of self. Dec 02, 2008 students of perennial philosophy, the core mystical teachings that are the same in all religions and forgotten by many or most adherents, might agree that two verses from the hindu bhagavad gita constitute a simple, beautiful and perfect summary of the perennial philosophy teachings. The perennial philosophy by aldous huxley, 1946 online. To know the perennial philosophy as divine reality, one has to go there too. The symbol most often used to convey this idea is that of the uncolored light and the many colors of the spectrum which are made visible only when the.
You can remember the word perennialism by remembering that perennial means lasting for many years. Hutchins 1987 presents transpersonal psychology as a contemporary exploration of the perennial philosophy, wittine 1989 defines. In the writings of many contemporary thinkers, the perennial philosophy is essentially the premodern worldviewa philosophical consensus of sorts, featuring a multilevelled universe from matter, through living systems, mind and soul, to spiritgod. But their goal, the ultimate and essential truth, is one and the same. Pdf in order to better cope with the pressures and stresses of the current day, modern psychology is anxiously seeking to find new therapies. The central idea of the perennial philosophy is that divine truth is one, timeless, and universal, and that the different religions are but different languages expressing that one truth. It is obvious to all, including perennialists, that perennial philosophy is completely at odds with orthodox islam. Only in recent years have a few transpersonal authors begun to recognize the tacit. Reviewed by samuel bendeck sotillos there is only one mythology, one iconography, and one truth, that of an uncreated wisdom that has been handed down from time immemorial. Perennialism in education is the belief that schools should teach ideas that are everlasting.
The five elements space akasa, air vayu fire agni, w ater aapa and earth prithvi are a series of progress iv ely more and. Perennial philosophy definition of perennial philosophy by. Philosophia perennis the phrase was coined by leibniz. That is, knowledge of spirit contemplation,gnosis is more true and valuable than knowledge of the mental and. Sullivan is intended for the general reader as well as for the student. An introduction to the perennialist school of comparative religious thought.
Furthermore, i suggest that the religious order of nature consequently has a place in environmental education, and that a task for environmental education is to reclaim a sacred cosmology. Response to stephen hawkings physicsasphilosophy, by. The perennial philosophy is a comparative study of mysticism by the british writer and novelist. Critical comments on perennialist philosophy, kevin r. With great wit and stunning intellectdrawing on a diverse array of faiths, including zen buddhism, hinduism, taoism. And one of the main goals of grofs 1998 latest work is to show that modem consciousness research has generated important data that support the basic tenets of the perennial philosophy p. Beautiful summary of perennial philosophy soul needs. Philosophia perennisthe phrase was coined by leibniz.
Like spiritual realization is theoretically the easiest thing and in practice the most difficult thing there is. Perennial philosophy definition is the philosophical tradition of the worlds great thinkers from plato, aristotle, and aquinas to their modern successors dealing with problems of ultimate reality as the nature of being and sometimes emphasizing mysticism opposed to skepticism. Holman,john the return of the perennial philosophy. Perennialism in education is the idea that school curricula should focus on what is everlasting. In 1945 aldous huxley wrote of a perennial philosophy that recognises a. Versluis concisely explains what perennial philosophy is and what it isnt. To clarify, perennialism suggests that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted for centuries believing the ideas are as relevant and meaningful today as. Nov 10, 2012 perennialism perennialism teaches concepts and focuses on knowledge and the meaning of knowledge. The perennial philosophy, aldous huxley writes, may be found among the traditional lore of peoples in every region of the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a place in every one of the higher religions.
Psychology and the perennial philosophy studies in. Drawing on the perennial philosophy, i assert that a religious understanding of nature is indispensable in the global sust ainability project. It is the most difficult because human nature is forgetfulness of god. Germinated, it grows into the love of wisdom that qualifies each of us to grow to full stature to love the good in all things, and to act providentially. In the first place, by greek wisdom we mean, not just any philosophy of classical antiquity, but essentially platonism with its pythagorean root and its. The perennial philosophy is a worldview that has been embraced by most of the worlds spiritual thinkers and teachers. Gnosis is the perennial philosophy gnosis may be associated most closely with gnostic christianity and the gospels not included in the new testament, including the gospels of mary, thomas, phillip, and judas, collected in the nag hammadi library, the dead sea scrolls, and other sources. M any thinkers have identified common strands in systems of thought and religions through the ages. This site is dedicated to a deeper understanding of the perennial philosophy, primarily through the development and use of a series of lectionary readings called the lectio mystica, a liturgy of liberation. Feb 26, 2012 response to stephen hawkings physicsas philosophy by wolfgang smith sophia. Studies in comparative religion gathers articles by rene guenon, tage lindbom, and others and provides a satisfying. Jun 21, 2010 m any thinkers have identified common strands in systems of thought and religions through the ages.
Perennial philosophy project gutenberg selfpublishing. The term perennial philosophy was coined by leibniz, but popularized by aldous huxley, according to whom it pertains to a primary concern with the one, divine reality substantial to the manifold world of things and lives and minds. Psychology and the perennial philosophy edited by samuel bendeck sotillos bloomington, indiana. It is the easiest because it is enough to think of god.
Quotes tagged as perennialphilosophy showing 114 of 14 the man who wishes to know the that which is thou may set to work in any one of three ways. The journal of traditional studies, volume 16, no 2, 2011, pp. Italics and bold fonts have been added for emphasis. It is not a mishmash or amalgamation of various religions or religious traditions thats known as syncretism. The perennial philosophy or perennialism is not a new age or pseudo religion of its own. Its title derives from the theological tradition of perennial philosophy. Method the seminar will be conducted as a socratic discussion.
Nov 24, 2015 gnosis is the perennial philosophy gnosis may be associated most closely with gnostic christianity and the gospels not included in the new testament, including the gospels of mary, thomas, phillip, and judas, collected in the nag hammadi library, the dead sea scrolls, and other sources. The lectio selections are taken from sacred and secular expressions of the perennial philosophy and are intended to support. The perennial philosophy is a comparative study of mysticism by the british writer and novelist aldous huxley. Beautiful summary of perennial philosophy soul needs one. It does not comprise, for instance, the mixing of dhikr in islam, with buddhist meditations and the occassional going to church. But the nature of this one reality is such that it cannot be directly or immediately apprehended except by those who have chosen to fulfill.
The clarity of his prose makes this deep book a pleasure to read. Response to stephen hawkings physicsasphilosophy by wolfgang smith sophia. A version of this highest common factor in all preceding and subsequent theologies was first committed to writing more than twenty. The perennial philosophy to what, in this context, is the value of greek wisdom, all the more so since it is generally presented as a merely human system of thought. Huxley called the perennial philosophy the metaphysic that recognizes a divine reality substantial to the world of things and lives and minds. He may begin by looking inwards into his own particular thou and, by a process of dying to self self in reasoning, self in willing, self in feeling come at last to knowledge of. Perennial is a leadership development organization with an uncommon approach to social change. The psychology of the perennial philosophy has its source in metaphysics and issues logically in a characteristic way of life and system of ethics. The perennial philosophy 7 self knowledge w e are linked to the most distant planet in the whole of creation through our origins in brahman. Versluis essay is an accomplished account at helping us see the perennial philosophy or alternatively contemplative science, as both embedded in a tradition in this case platonism and a continuously present invitation to discover our deepest meaning, rooted in certain core features of the human and cosmological condition. Perennial philosophy and christianity james cutsinger.
Psychology and the perennial philosophy studies in comparative. However, all these schools of metaphysics are being. Although this philosophy is considered perennial, it was not always easily available to the general public, as it was overshadowed by modern adversarial ideologies mainly in the last century and even up until recent times. Evergreen ideas, which have lasted through many generations, are a major focus of a perennialist. Aldous huxley and the perennial philosophy dalkey archive press.
The perennial philosophy is not a matter of changing the world, but a relentless internal investigation of the self, only to find that nothing is there. The perennial philosophy 5 essential truth differences in the approach towards identifying the nature of truth by sincere and committed seekers has given rise to six principal schools of indian m etaphysics sad darsanas. Its primary purpose is to present the elements of philosophy with simplicity and clarity in order to arouse that sense of wonder which aristotle says is the beginning of the love of wisdom. With great wit and stunning intellect, aldous huxley examines the spiritual beliefs of various religious traditions and explains them in terms that are personally meaningful. This is a collection of articles and chapters selected and edited by the instructor and available on the course blackboard site. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. First, unlike many pluralists, perennial philosophers do not believe that every religious tradition is valid, but distinguish between true religions and their human or. The perennial philosophy is a universal philosophy and holistic perspective within the philosophy of religion which views each of the worlds religions and spiritual traditions as sharing a single, universal truth and a single divine foundation of knowledge. Rudiments of the perennial philosophy may be found among the traditionary lore of primitive peoples in every region of the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a place in every one of the higher religions. Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual self. The american philosopher ken wilber has written about it in his book grace and grit 1991, in which he calls the perennial philosophy universal because it.
In 1945 aldous huxley wrote of a perennial philosophy that recognises a divine reality. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. The perennial philosophy is divine love wisdom and power planted in every human soul as a seed. It empowers each human soul to live with the principles and laws that order the universe.