The Underlying Religion: An Introduction to the Perennial Philosphy Paperback – 30 September 2007
by Martin Lings (Editor), Clinton Minnaar (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 27
Part of: Perennial Philosophy (47 books)
This is an anthology of 25 essays by the leading exponents of the perennialist school of comparative religious thought. It aims to be the most accessible introduction yet to the perspective of the Perennial Philosophy.
Print length 368 pages
Product details
ASIN : 1933316438
Publisher : World Wisdom (30 September 2007)
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
ISBN-10 : 9781933316437
ISBN-13 : 978-1933316437
Dimensions : 15.52 x 2.67 x 23.24 cmBest Sellers Rank: 661,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)1,733 in Comparative Religion
2,257 in Religious Philosophy (Books)
3,804 in Philosophy of ReligionCustomer Reviews:
4.4 out of 5 stars 27
Top reviews from other countries
Synthic
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of Sophia perennisReviewed in Canada on 2 July 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a well complied look at the aspects of Sophia perennis by some of its chief authors
Report
essam
4.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 May 2015
Verified Purchase
The Underlying Religion attempts to summarize the main tenets of the Perennial Philosophy. This philosophy appeared in an age where religion is treated as the residue of primitivism; and people should or must replace it with modernism and science.In fact, in many parts of the world, many people follow this prescription directly or indirectly. The book is divided into seven parts and they are as follows:
Tradition and Modernity
Traditional Cosmology and Modern Science
Metaphysics
Symbolism
The Perennial Philosophy
Beauty
Virtue and Prayer
The book presents religion in a different way which is might seem strange to some readers. The understanding of perennial philosophers of religion is deep, esoteric and sometimes shocking. They dig deeper into the essence of almost all great religions in order to show us that all religions are from the same source, they are different only exoterically .The book is a heavy read, and I personally skipped two parts, namely Evolution and I don't understand evolution and honestly I'm not interested in the evolution theory. The Symplegades is very dense and contains many of Hindu terms that I don't understand. The book has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this book lie in its ability to tell implicitly the reader, mostly Western reader, that religion is not merely the result of fear or the stupidity of our ancestors, on the contrary; religion is a message from heaven to save humanity. The disadvantage of this lies in difficulty of its language. Its language replete with classical words and sometimes you have to read one passage several times in order to understand it. Furthermore, there is no glossary of terms, which is very significant in this book, instead the editors refer the reader to a web site. They could have included a glossary of terms at the end of every chapter, since this book contains many terms from several languages and religion. Finally, I recommend this book for those who want to deepen his/er knowledge of the esoteric aspect of religions, and I also recommend this book for those who think that religion is only the result of fear and stupidity.
Read less
4 people found this helpfulReport
Samuel Bendeck Sotillos
5.0 out of 5 stars The Underlying Religion: An Introduction to the Perennial PhilosophyReviewed in the United States on 10 December 2009
Verified Purchase
The following summary of the sections in The Underlying Religion were excerpted from a review in the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2009:
"[Section One] describes the hiatus that divides the sacred orientation of the traditional world from that of the secular and progress driven modern and post-modern world.... [Section Two] underscores the implicit limitations of modern science, its failures and destructive tendencies for not receiving its directives from divine principles utilized since time immemorial in both East and West....[Section Three] gives a clear exposition on what is and what is not integral metaphysics according to the perennial philosophy which has nothing to do with `New Age' spiritualities....[Section Four] contextualizes symbols outside the pale of modern psychology or that of the ``unconscious'' from which they are commonly thought to originate rather than that of their true origin in divinis as are `archetypes'....[Section Five] provides a revision and an expansion, mutatis mutandis of what has been commonly attributed and often wrongly so as the perennial philosophy or the `transcendent unity of religions'. It is through the perennial philosophy that true and authentic interfaith dialogue can precede for both the differences and similarities are taken into account without compromising the integrity of each tradition.... [Section Six] makes it clear that it is incumbent upon anyone on a spiritual path to live within a context of beauty for spiritual support vis-á-vis highlighting the inherent the dangers and pitfalls of not having such an integral milieu....[Section Seven] provides important notes on spiritual guidance, complementing the previous chapters dealing predominantly with that of traditional doctrine."
Read less
13 people found this helpfulReport
IJ
4.0 out of 5 stars Must ReadReviewed in Canada on 23 August 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is a collection of essays from some of the most important perennialist authors on some of the most important topics of the Perennial philosophy. Anyone interested in this philosophy must read this book. I would recommend reading it before getting into any other Perennialist works as it will provide a great foundation to tackle the more complex (not complicated) ideas of Guenon, Schuon, Lings, Nasr etc.
Report
David L. Roberts - Servant of All
4.0 out of 5 stars The Common BondReviewed in the United States on 26 February 2008
Verified Purchase
This book is a summary and has emphasis on the common bond that underlies the strength and power of all religions. It also forms the basis of the depth that is found in religion and value of its traditions for all cultures. It has a great depth that shows us how the common virtues of wisdom,justice,compassion, courage, etc. are seen in all religions and that the traditions of all cultures act as a strength and a stabizing force to religious faith. Of course, hatred, irritability, war, rigidity, and lack of acceptance of each other should not be a feature of religion, and such distortions by human nature do not mean that we have to give up the core values of our own religion. It may not be a book for the average reader, because of the verbal excess at times and the theological complexity, but that does not make its topic any less important. It is an important book. It reminds me of the more secular commentary of the Handbook of Character Strengths and Virtues of Martin Seligmen, and books about the truths that are found in mythical symbols by Joseph Campbell. It will also help fervent, faithful thinking Christians, and people of other religions who have an interest in theology and the ultimate reality that(God, Allah, Atman, self-transcendance, Jesus, enlightenment,etc.) is our foundation.
32 people found this helpfulReport
