Ren Gunon (1[zasłonięte]886-19) is undoubtedly one of the
luminaries of the twentieth century, whose critique of
the modern world has stood fast against the shifting
sands of recent philosophies. His oeuvre of 26 volumes
is providential for the modern seeker: pointing
ceaselessly to the perennial wisdom found in past
cultures ranging from the Shamanistic to the Indian and
Chinese, the Hellenic and Judaic, the Christian and
Islamic, and including also Alchemy, Hermeticism, and
other esoteric currents, at the same time it directs the
reader to the deepest level of religious praxis,
emphasizing the need for affiliation with a revealed
tradition even while acknowledging the final identity of
all spiritual paths as they approach the summit of
spiritual realization. This small volume brings together
a number of Gunon's early articles relating to Sufism
(tasawwuf), or Islamic esoterism. The later article
'Islamic Esoterism' has also been included, since it so
well articulates the particularities of initiation in
Islam by defining the fundamental elements of tasawwuf:
shari'ah, tariqah, haqiqah. The first constitutes the
necessary fundamental exoteric basis; the second, the
Way and its means; the third, the goal or final result.
In the other chapters, Gunon expresses with his usual
synthetic clarity what tawhid and faqr are, and gives
examples of traditional sciences, relating angelology to
the Arabic alphabet, and chirology to the science of
letters ('ilm al-huruf). A number of book and article
reviews give interesting insights into traditional
orthodoxy. The Collected Works of Ren Gunon brings
together the writings of one of the greatest prophets of
our time, whose voice is even more important today than
when he was alive. Huston Smith, author of The World's
Religions, etc. |
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