The Perennial Philosophy: A Study of Universal Mystical Philosophy (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)

This book is nothing short of a masterpiece. Not only because it's content is brilliant, but because Huxley put it together with such brightness, that only a genius mind could do it. The Perennial Philosophy is a manual for anyone interested in Eastern Philosophical and Religious Thought. It goes deep inside the heart and teachings of the most influential Mystics that ever lived. The book is practical, clear and detailed, covering important subjects that would take many students years to collect from several different sources.Huxley proves brilliantly the Unity, Truth and Wisdom behind most religions. They all share a common source and ground that passes from faith, repentance and death to self into a divine nature of pure love and joy. He covers topics such as "Personality, Sanctity, Divine Incarnation, God in the World, Charity, Truth, Grace and Free Will, Good and Evil, Rituals", etc. So many important topics for one interesting in pursuing a divine path with a sincere heart toward God. Here are just a few quotes to inspire you to read this book:"Liberation cannot be achieved except by the perception of the identity of the individual spirit with the universal spirit""The best that can be said for ritualistic legalism is that it improves conduct. It does little , however, to alter character and nothing of itself to modify consciousnesses""What could begin to deny self, if there were not something in man different from self?""Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment.""To the extent that there is attachment to "I", "Me" and "Mine", there is not attachment to, and therefore no unitive knowledge of, the divine ground""Everything is ours, provided that we regard nothing as our property""To find or know God in reality, by any outward proofs, or by anything but by God himself made manifest and self-evident in you, will never be your case either here or hereafter. For neither God, nor heaven, nor hell, nor the devil, nor the world, and the flesh, can be any otherwise knowable in you, or by you, but by their own existence and manifestation in you. And all pretended knowledge of any of these things, beyond or without this self-evident sensibility of their birth within you, is only such knowledge of them, as the blind man hath of that light, that never entered into him.""You are as holy as you wish to be""if most of us remain ignorant of ourselves, it is because self-knowledge is painful and we prefer the pleasures of illusion.""Turning to God without turning from Self"- the formula is absurdly simple; and yet, simple as it is, it explains all the follies and iniquities committed in the name of religion"Enjoy the book!

Huxley’s book is a masterpiece!Despite it being an extensive survey and analysis of the Godhead through encounters with the traditions of both Eastern and Western strains of mysticism, it also contains a prescient warning and criticism of the dark and destructive direction of global politics in relation to humanity’s lack of “unitive knowledge” of the Godhead.Here, readers will encounter a thinker writing in historical proximity with Camus and the metaphysical critique of failed historical manifestations of “rebellion” (The Rebel), and in addition, Huxley’s work precedes, by some sixty years, the well-known, vociferous critique of secular humanism (non-religious eschatological utopian progress-thinking) encountered in the essays of John Gray.My only critique of Huxley: He draws from the same Eastern sources as that inspired Schopenhauer, e.g., the Upanishads. Huxley displays the Schopenhauerian tendency – although I must stress that Huxley does not write like a German metaphysician! - to over-saturate the text with examples contributing to the development of his arguments – “example over-kill,” we’ll call it.Be aware that Huxley incorporates extensive use of original quotations from the primary “religious” writings, which will inspire readers to seek out the original sources that Huxley so liberally and expertly interweaves into the tapestry of this text.The Perennial Philosophy will greatly appeal to all those interested in non-academic sanctioned philosophical thought, because, outside of Hume, Huxley actively avoids mentioning/quoting the greats from the Western philosophical cannon.Dr. James M. MagriniFormer: Philosophy/College of DuPage

I've read this book nine times now. After the first reading, I slowed down, and began reading it, well, almost devotionally. The reason: it's densely woven together, but seamlessly integrated. Each of the 28 chapters stands on its own; but, each one is embellished and clarified by the other chapters. The strands fit together like the threads of a fine Persian rug. The result is a whole that is much, much greater than the sum of its parts, a whole that becomes more axiomatic and present with each subsequent reading.Another reason I read this book slowly and carefully is that it's littered with gems that one might otherwise miss. This book will not only nourish your mind: it will also feed your soul and spirit. If you simply meditate on the contents of this book, it will alter your assumptions, perceptions, and attitudes. What it says is, I have found, true; and, the truth, once perceived and understood, will alter you. And it will challenge the hell out of you, something I especially like. Not only that, but it will comfort you. I mean, here's a line from Fenelon that I have returned to over and over: "It is mere self-love to be inconsolable at seeing one's own imperfections; but to stand face to face with them, neither flattering nor tolerating them, seeking to correct oneself without becoming pettish -- this is to desire what is good for its own sake and for God's." When you're feeling beat up over some personal failure or other, this advice is absolutely spot-on: just stand face to face with your faults, and deal with them. Simply standing face to face with your faults isn't easy. You have to man up to do it. But, it's worth it. You get solid traction that way.This is a spiritual guidebook that I've found to be unerringly true. I am constantly amazed at the depth of understanding that Huxley had. Astounded, really. That man was a genius who used his brilliance in the best possible way.Buy this book, and read it over and over. I promise you, you won't be sorry. The ninth time around, I'm still loving it.