Additional information
by Charles Upton (Author)
After accepting some wise criticism from certain followers of Frithjof Schuon, the
decision was made to withdraw the first edition of this book from publication soon after it
appeared. The present Revised Edition, published by Divaan e Ishq, includes a number
of changes and additions and makes no mention whatsoever of Schuon's actions,
concentrating entirely on his books and paintings.
Perennialism (also known as Traditionalism) may be defined as the certain knowledge
that the reality of God, the truth of Humanity as God's central manifestation in terrestrial
existence, and the relationship between God and the cosmos He creates, has always
been known and transmitted by the human race, sometimes esoterically, sometimes
openly. Intimately related to this knowledge is the understanding that God has sent
more than one revealed religion over the course of history to bring Humanity back into
union with Him, and that more than one of these revelations may be in force at the
same time. This doctrine has its roots in the philosophy of Leibnitz, the writings of
Renaissance philosophers like Marcilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, as well as in St.
Augustine, the Holy Qur'an and the Hindu concept of the sanatana dharma. In the 20 th
and 21 st centuries, however, Perennialism has become perhaps the most interesting and
useful attempt to deal with the fact of religious pluralism in a globalizing world without
relativizing the traditional religions and emptying them of their sacred content. In earlier
ages-apart, perhaps, from the syncretistic religion of Manichaeism-Perennialism was
an arcane dimension of religious understanding, of interest only to a handful of sages.
In our own time, however, it has unexpectedly appeared as one of the necessary
defenses of faith in God and the metaphysical order against the assaults of an
increasingly secularized world. The contemporary Traditionalist/Perennialist School is
considered to have been founded by French metaphysician Ren? Gu?non (1886-1951),
with significant contributions from the Anglo-Indian writer on traditional art and
metaphysics, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. After Gu?non's death, the most significant
figure in the School was Swiss metaphysician and "unofficial" Sufi Shaykh, Frithjof
Schuon (1907-1998), who remains the most provocative figure Perennialism has
produced in the 20th Century. The Way Forward for Perennialism, which is both
appreciative of his profound insights and critical of his occasional though sometimes
serious errors, aspires to be a guide to those attempting to walk the Perennialist road
through the darkness and uncertainties of the 21st Century.
