THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY REVISITED Jorge N. Ferrer Berkeley, California ABSTRACT:This essay critically examines the perennialist metaphysic endorsed in most transpersonal works. The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley, Harper & Brothers, 1945; HarperCollins 2009, 324 ff. "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." The perennial philosophy is a universal philosophy and holistic perspective within the philosophy of religion which views each of the world's religions and spiritual traditions as sharing a single, universal truth and a single divine foundation of knowledge. The Bhagavad-Gita is perhaps the most systematic scriptural statement of the Perennial Philosophy. In my view, this crucial intersection strongly points to what Leibniz called philosophia perennis, or the perennial philosophy (Huxley 1947, 1). Perennial philosophy (Latin: philosophia perennis), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a perspective in spirituality that views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical truth or origin from which all esoteric and exoteric knowledge and doctrine has grown. In the first place, by Greek wisdom we mean, not just any philosophy of Clas-sical Antiquity, but essentially Platonism with its … After a historic overview of the idea of a perennial philosophy, the modern debate between peren­ Absolute Truth is "the perennial wisdom (sophia perennis) that stands as the transcendent source of all the intrinsically orthodox religions of humankind." The perennial philosophy refers to the spiritual truths that underlie human existence in all cultures through all time, transmitted through Jungian archetypes, the `morphic field' and the wisdom philosophies. Aldous Huxley & The Perennial Philosophy . Perennialism is a teacher-centered educational philosophy that focuses on everlasting ideas and universal truths. . 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 By W. T. S. Thackara These teachings are, therefore, no novelties, no inventions of today, but long since stated, if not stressed; our doctrine here is the explanation of an earlier and can show the antiquity of these opinions on the testimony of Plato himself. It is not envisioned as the creator of the world, a deity to be worshipped, appeased, or obeyed; rather, it is what we are. Perennial Philosophy’, in Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, Paths That Lead to the Same Summit: An Annotated Guide to World Spirituality (London: Matheson Trust, 2020), pp. The ground of our being is the formless elemental source of all things. EMBED. The Perennial Philosophy extends that challenge beyond the self (and yet within the self) towards the human infinite. The perennial philosophy refers to the spiritual truths that underlie human existence in all cultures through all time, transmitted through Jungian archetypes, the … Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! This is liberating. To clarify, Perennialism suggests that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted for centuries believing the ideas are as relevant … 1–16. 2 Because “perennial” refers only to time, “primordial” (which includes space) is the better designator, but Washington Post Book World. flag. “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., The Kingdom Within, 1994, p. 36, and cited in Shepherd, Minds and Sociocultures Vol. It is this Source and its nature that is of primary importance to perennialists. Perennial philosophy definition is - the philosophical tradition of the world's 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. “To the exponents of the Perennial Philosophy, the question whether Progress is inevitable or even real is not a matter of primary importance. The perennial philosophy by Aldous Huxley, 2004, Perennial Classics edition, in English - 1st Perennial Classics ed. “The ‘perennial’ philosophy [enlisted] most reputable philosophers of both Europe and Asia up to about A.D. 1450” (Conze, 25). . This is liberating. So instead of the pursuit and capture of wisdom like a trophy to put on your mantle and show off, the Perennial Philosophy explains that this is an attainment of psychic, spiritual as well as intellectual dimensions. The Perennial Philosophy respects the theologies of the great religious traditions, but points out to us that these all are various "colors," to use Stoddart's image, derived from the same uncolored Source. The perennial philosophy is a worldview that has been embraced by most of the world’s spiritual thinkers and teachers. share. 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 can be found in virtually all cultures across the ages. 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. New York Times Liberation means non-identification with form, including the form of self. The perennial philosophy by Aldous Huxley, September 1995, Audio Scholar edition, Audio Cassette in English No_Favorite. An inspired gathering of religious writings that reveals the "divine reality" common to all faiths, collected by Aldous Huxley "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." EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? The central thesis of the Perennial Philosophy claims that there is something hidden from us by the numberless names and forms of manifestation. 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 masterpiece of all anthologies . Not Western philosophy only. It also means non-identification with the formless, which is … The Perennial Philosophy is the core synthesis of religious thought that Huxley drew from mystical thinkers among the world’s great religions. In this commentary of Aldous Huxley's Perennial Philosophy, I discuss the nature of the ground, and get a bit goofy with some ducks. Liberation means non-identification with form, including the form of self. The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley, Harper & Brothers, 1945; HarperCollins 2009, 324 ff. The perennial philosophy may be classified as a kind of pluralism, though with two important qualifications. The Perennial philosophy also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom is a perspective in spirituality that views all of the world’s religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical truth or origin from which all esoteric and exoteric knowledge and doctrine have grown.. The Perennial Philosophy Item Preview > remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Even an agnostic can read this book with joy. philosophy from Plato to Hegel” (63). 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