A Dance of Masks: The Esoteric Ethics of Frithjof Schuon (original) (raw)
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This work examines the theory of the Transcendent Unity of Religions by Frithjof Schuon through a mystical perspective. The primary theme of the work is a philosophical expression of the humanisation, rationalisation and decline of the Sacred. As a result of the latter, the importance of the Perennial Philosophy is largely lost in the modern secular Western world; and as a consequence, the notion of transcendent unity is further obscured. The Exoteric Religious forms which are supposed to be a map or guide to the followers of Religions are further diluted. The dissertation also argues for the notion of mysticism as an underpinning column for a transcendent unity of Religions. Mysticism is a constant reminder of the metaphysical esoteric dimension of an Orthodox Religion , that has certain empirical common pathways which can lead to union with the Absolute: To misunderstand this or to dilute it is to trap each Religion in its own exoteric prism. The Observer will also explore the change of form in sacred art and the role that it has to play in the rationalisation of Religion. The principal argument is that for any sacred art to remain sacred it must conform to the religious form that spawned it; moreover, such sacred works of art are as equally important as, say, scriptures and are vehicles for contemplation towards the Divine. Sacred art is explored from the mediaeval period to the Renaissance, from which point it is argued that the humanisation of Sacred begins. The Observer also looks at some 20th century ‘sacred art’ and argues that, in terms of form, it has largely been reduced to academia. The work also gives a detailed analysis of Schuon’s notions of the Exoteric and the Esoteric. The Observer also argues against Schuon in regards to the exoteric, as Schuon fails to make a distinction between dogma and what has been added or made compulsory. The Observer argues that in some instances the additions may prove harmful. Schuon’s arguments for the Perennial Philosophy will be studied and discussed through his five pillars, Religion, Beauty/Sacred Art, Truth, Prayer and Virtue. In chapter five on mysticism, it will be argued that there is, to some extent, a common pathway across the religious divide. The Observer will conclude this work by asking: is there an alternative way of looking at Religion, other than the Western conceptualisation that is so common place today in modern first world societies?
Hidden and Rejected Knowledge: Frithjof Schuon, Perennialism and the Philosophia Perennis
In 1540 the Augustinian monk, Agostino Steuco published a treatise with the title De Perenni Philosophia which possibly for the first time gave a fixed systematic meaning to an already well developed tradition which had arisen in response to a ‘diabolical dilemma’ within Christianity, namely the presence of ‘pagan’ thought within a culture grounded in revelation. The desire to discover the essential unity of theology and philosophy has always remained strong and is perhaps best represented in the 20th century by Frithjof Schuon who has been called one of the greatest expositors of the philosophia perennis. Unfortunately his work has been neglected within academia, particularly within the emergent discipline of western esotericism whose early pioneers attempted to define themselves in contrast to perennialism and through the rejection of metaphysics. This neglect, I will argue, is a consequence of a fundamental tension which lies at the heart of the divergence between those committed to the scientific method, and those who see scientific enquiry as merely one amongst many means to the acquisition of knowledge, which is that the latter do not intend to discover anything new but to merely restate what is already known. This position can be clearly traced through an analysis of the philosophia perennis, and I believe, establishes Schuon’s thought within a greater historical framework.