The Essential Sophia

320 Pages·2006·7.147 MB·English

by  Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Katherine O'Brien

T h e Essential
SOPHIA
The Journal of Traditional Studies
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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY
X004895020
Wo »»Id Wisdom
TKc Libi'ai'y of Perennial PKilosopKy
The Library of Perennial Philosophy is dedicated to the exposition of the timeless
Truth underlying the diverse religions. This Truth, often referred to as the Sophia
Perenttis—or Perennial Wisdom—finds its expression in the revealed Scriptures as
well as the writings of the great sages and the artistic creations of the traditional
worlds.
The Perennial Philosophy provides the intellectual principles capable of explain­
ing both the formal contradictions and the transcendent unity of the great religions.
Ranging from the writings of the great sages of the past, to the perennialist authors
of our time, each series of our Library has a different focus. As a whole, they express
the inner unanimity, transforming radiance, and irreplaceable values of the great
spiritual traditions.
The Essential Sophia appears as one of our selections in the Perennial Philosophy
series.
TKc Perennial PKilosopKy Series
In the beginning of the twentieth century, a school of thought arose which
has focused on the enunciation and explanation of the Perennial Philosophy.
Deeply rooted in the sense of the sacred, the writings of its leading exponents
establish an indispensable foundation for understanding the timeless Truth and
spiritual practices which live in the heart of all religions. Some of these titles
are companion volumes to the Treasures of the World’s Religions series, which
allows a comparison of the writings of the great sages of the past with the
perennialist authors of our time.
Cover. Carpet representing the dome of the
Shaykh Lutfullah Mosque, Isfahan
The Essential
SOPHIA
Edited by
SEYYED HOSSEIN NASR
&
KATHERINE O ’BRIEN
Foreword by
Huston Smith
W ofld W isdom
The Essential Sophia
© 2006 World Wisdom, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission,
except in critical articles and reviews.
For complete bibliographical information on the articles
in this anthology, please see the List of Sources
at the end of the book, pp. 289-290.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The essential Sophia / edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr & Katherine O’Brien ; fore­
word by Huston Smith.
p. cm. — (The perennial philosophy series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-933316-10-9 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-933316-10-1 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Religion. 2. Tradition (Theology)
I. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. II. O’Brien, Katherine, 1954- III. Sophia (Oakton, Va.) IV.
Series.
BL29.E87 2006
200—dc22
1# . 2006004017
ALD The essential
BL Sophia
29
.E87
2006
Printed on acid-free paper in USA.
For information address World Wisdom, Inc.
P.O. Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682
www.worldwisdom.com
CONTENTS
Foreword by Huston Smith tni
Introduction by Seyyed Hossein Nasr ix
I. Tradition and Traditions
1. Rusmir Mahmutcehajic With the Other 3
2. Timothy Scott Withdrawal, Extinction, and Creation: 58
Christ’s Kenosis in Light of the Judaic
Doctrine of Tsimtsum and the Islamic
Doctrine of Fana
3. Seyyed Hossein Nasr The Incantation of the Griffin 78
(Simurgh) and the Cry of the Eagle:
Islam and the Native American Tradi­
tion
4. Huston Smith What They Have That We Lack: A 85
Tribute to the Native Americans Via
Joseph Epes Brown
5. Alvin Moore, Jr. Ut sint unatru Meaning and Goal of the 96
Christian Vocation
6. Jean Borella The Tom Veil 112
7. Frithjof Schuon Christian Gnosis 123
8. William C. Chittick Ibn Arab! on the Benefit of Knowledge 126
II. The Master-Disciple Relationship
9. Huston Smith The Master-Disciple Relationship 147
10. Rama P. Coomaraswamy On Gurus and Spiritual Direction 163
III. Art
11. René Guénon The Symbolism of Theatre 171
12. Seyyed Hossein Nasr Religious Art, Traditional Art, Sacred 175
Art: Some Reflections and Definitions
13. Patrick Laude On the Foundations and Norms of 186
Poetry
IV. Science and the Natural Environment
14. Seyyed Hossein Nasr In the Beginning was Consciousness 199
15. Seyyed Hossein Nasr Spirituality and Science: Convergence 207
or Divergence?
16. Wolfgang Smith Science and Myth: The Hidden 219
Connection
17. Gai Eaton The Earth’s Complaint 233
V. Traditionalists
18. Martin Lings René Guénon 247
19. Seyyed Hossein Nasr Frithjof Schuon and the Islamic 258
Tradition
20. Brian Keeble Ananda K. Coomaraswamy: 274
Scholar of the Spirit
List of Sources 289
Notes on Contributors 291
Notes on Editors 295
Index 297
FOREWORD
In the Introduction that follows this foreword, Professor Seyyed
Hossein Nasr sets forth the aims and accomplishments of Sophia in so
exact and eloquent a manner that there is very little I can add, except
to strongly endorse this volume and to say how much I have personally
learned from the journal in the decade since its founding.
My next step would be to say how important—it would not be going
too far to say “saving”—the traditionalist perspective is for redeeming
our times. By directing our gaze toward the perennial wisdom of the
traditional worlds, these authors show us that what our world most
requires is nothing short of a wholesale reorientation of its outlook, for
“as a man thinks, so he becomes,” said the Buddha.
What do the traditionalist authors have to say to our times? That
neither scientistic humanism nor religious fundamentalism can provide
us with lasting solutions—for both options ultimately lead to ruin,
whether of body or soul.
Scientistic humanism has led, or rather, has fed us to the technological
juggernaut of globalization—a monoculture world economy, fueled by
consumerism and greed, which must inevitably lead to both cultural
and environmental disaster as our planet’s finite resources are plundered
at an alarming rate, leaving countless indigenous peoples and cultures
destitute.
Religious fundamentalism, on the other hand, with its intolerant
exclusivism and militant hatred of the “other,” can likewise find
no viable principle for co-existence with people of other faiths and
cultures. “Let not hatred of a people cause you to transgress the
measure,” says the Koran, in response to those in our times who would
have recourse to terror killings.
Having directed us away from these options, the traditionalists offer
us a world—or better, a Reality—that is more than merely material,
and a view of Religion that is more than merely exclusivist and
literalist. And it is this wisdom-offering—none other than the Perennial
Philosophy—that can become truly “saving” for our times, provided
we have the courage to listen, learn, and truly live its teachings.
But anything more I might say about the traditionalists and their
ideas is said so much better by the authors of this volume themselves,
and the best service I can now perform is to stop standing between the
reader and this important book.
The Essential Sophia
A final word, however, about Hossein Nasr. I never cease to be
amazed by his—and I interrupt myself to say that I could complete
that sentence with a wide choice of words. “Wisdom” and “energy”
are high on the list, but in this case I choose “effectiveness.” He makes
things happen. In the case at hand, he founded Sophia, and as its co­
editor throughout, has built it into the leading journal of traditional
studies.
Huston Smith
INTRODUCTION
Ten years have passed since the first issue of the journal Sophia,
dedicated to traditional studies, appeared. During this decade the
journal has become the premier periodical in the English language
devoted to tradition. We mean here by tradition realities of ultimately
sacred origin which have over the centuries provided meaning for
human life, sources for authentic knowledge, principles for moral
action, and inspiration for artistic creativity in various human societies
throughout the world. In the pages of Sophia one finds access to the
principles and philosophies at the heart of various traditions as well as
their religious practices, arts, sciences, and social structures. Through
compelling and thought-provoking articles the journal makes available
in a contemporary language the extremely rich treasury of traditional
wisdom and thought and provides a forum for examining the appli­
cations of these millennial traditional teachings to the contemporary
situation and in the face of problems created by the advent of
modernism. Sophia publishes articles which draw on traditional
metaphysics, esoterism, and the perennial philosophy as well as
traditional cosmologies, the arts, the sciences, spirituality, and ethics
by contributors who include the most well-known expositors of the
traditional perspective in the world as well as new voices in the field.
Sophia now has readers all over the world, from Australia to Sweden
and of course throughout North America. It is not, however, the first
journal devoted exclusively to tradition. It belongs in fact to a long line
of journals going back to the early 20th century and the appearance of
Le Voile d’Isis, which began publication in the early decades of that
century in French in Paris. That journal was succeeded by Les Etudes
Traditionnelles which ceased publication a couple of decades ago. It
was primarily in these journals that the traditional point of view began
to be first expressed in the West. René Guénon, Frithjof Schuon,
Titus Burckhardt, Leo Schaya, Michel Valsan, Marco Pallis, Martin
Lings, and occasionally Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, as well as a large
number of other authors who had adopted the traditional world view
as expounded by the great masters of this school, namely Guénon,
Coomaraswamy, and Schuon, all wrote for it. Upon its demise, a
number of other journals appeared and continue to appear in France
such as Vers la tradition, Science sacrée and especially Connaissance
des religions, which remains the most important journal of traditional