Sacred Web 7
Editorial: “Fundamentalism”: A Metaphysical Perspective
by M. Ali Lakhani
How can we differentiate between the “fundamentals” of a religious tradition and the “fundamentalist” offences committed in its name? How should we understand the term “fundamentalism”? This editorial proposes a definition from the perspective of traditional metaphysics. Read more ...
Frithjof Schuon: Paradoxes and Providence
by Patrick Ringgenberg
Frithjof Schuon, who passed away in 1998, is one of the major figures in the Traditionalist School. This important article reviews some of Schuon’s paradoxical attitudes that have cast a shadow over his message and person, and examines the complex relationship between Schuon’s personality and his teachings.
Tradition as Spiritual Function: A “Perennialist” Perspective
by Reza Shah-Kazemi
This paper, presented at a symposium on “The Meaning of Tradition”, and drawing from various religious traditions, focuses on the spiritual function of tradition, and comprises a useful overview of the aims and teachings of the “Perennialist School”.
Preliminary Remarks on Reclaiming the Meaning of “Religion”
by Timothy Scott
The meaning of the term “religion” is examined in this short essay, which yields some valuable insights about the purpose of religion and its implications for human beings.
The Nembutsu as Great Practice: Recitation of the Divine Name during the Decadent Age of the Dharma
by John Paraskevopoulos
The practice of nembutsu (recitation of the Divine Name) is central to Shin Buddhism. The author reflects on the origin and meaning of this practice and its relevance as a direct response to the exigencies of this current decadent age. The article considers the significance of this practice within the context of the universal doctrine of Divine Invocation as a means of attaining deliverance within all the great religious traditions..
Islamic Cosmological Concepts of Femininity and the Modern Feminist Movement
by Fatima Jane Casewit
This article, by a Muslim woman, approaches the concept of “femininity” from the perspective of its cosmological roots, and contrasts the complementarity of the genders based on Islamic metaphysics, with the egalitarian notions of gender relationships espoused by the modern feminist movement.
Hopkins and the Metaphysics of Modernity
by Peter Milward
This delightful personal essay by one of the great authorities on Gerard Manley Hopkins, is both a commentary on his poem, “God’s Grandeur” and a reflection on Hopkins’ view of metaphysics and its relevance to modernity.
Understanding “Symbol”
by Tim Scott
The language of traditional metaphysics is the language of symbols. This study of traditional symbolism, based on the writings of the great traditionalist commentators of the last century, explains the meaning and purpose of the language that connects the human to the Divine.
The Miracle of Ayurveda: Ancient Treatments for Modern Afflictions
by John Ahmed Herlihy
In this intimate essay, a Muslim describes his sojourn at an Ayurvedic medical center in Kerala, and describes his experience of the ancient treatments and how their holistic approach compares with the medical treatments of modern western medicine. Read more ...
Life, Death and Resurrection
by Robert Bolton
If death is a form of cessation, in what sense can one understand the religious notion of resurrection? This essay ponders these questions in the context of the cosmic role of man.
Letters to the Editor
Notes on Contributors
