The Perennial Philosophy argues that beneath the outer differences of the world's religions lies a single timeless truth: Reality is fundamentally divine, the deepest identity of every being is one with that divine Ground, and the purpose of human life is to awaken from egoic separation into direct union with this eternal Reality through self-transcendence, love, contemplation, purity, humility, and surrender of the personal self. Drawing from Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, and other traditions, Aldous Huxley presents saints, sages, and mystics as witnesses to the same universal insight: that suffering arises from attachment to the isolated ego and the world of appearances, while peace, wisdom, and true freedom arise when consciousness is purified enough to perceive God, Brahman, the Tao, or the Absolute directly, not merely as belief or doctrine, but as living experience.https://archive.org/details/perennialphilosp035505mbp
>>25273052what else is in that book
Either the differences of the world reflect god, or the differences of the world are an accident and therefore an evil (aka a product of the third Fall, Babel). If they're an evil they must be worked against...>globohomo>mass immigration >nationalism is evil mkay>blanda upp>Multiculturalism immanentize Babylon by making everyone the same creole speaking lightskin niggasBasic perennialism is reductionism that always leads to "human diversity is evil".
>>25273156> or the differences of the world are an accident and therefore an evil (aka a product of the third Fall, Babel). This is a laughably stupid non-sequitur
>>25273052Philosophy for retarded fence sitters that don't want to make hard choices between obviously different theological and philosophical systems.
>>25273052>surrender of the personal selfHow is this different from death?
>>25273336When you die, you leave your body behind. When you get Enlightened, you still control the body, but you don't delude yourself thinking you are the body.
>>25273052>living experiencethis is key. if you know, you know.
>>25273052I own the book and tried to read it, but was a little disappointed. At least in the beginning, he seemed to add too little of his own thought. It seemed like he just put up quotes from some mystics and other guys and gave a short explanation of each. Is there any reason to start reading it again, instead of just reading into some of the traditions and thinkers directly?
>>25275672no, reading about awakening will do nothing except being described the taste of something and never realizing the experience of it. you either put the whole idea aside as a curiosity or dismiss it as someone's wishful thinking, or you embark on an actual path (e.g. Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, etc.). Only a handful of people experience awakening without a defined practice, and if they do they won't talk about it publicly. The others will find it after a deep commitment to a single spiritual practice.What doesn't happen is awakening after dipping one's toes in a multitude of different religions or spiritualities and just reading and talking about it.
>>25275672Huxley was great mind, but a poor writer. His books are very boring to read.
>>25273052This nigga fried himself on LSD.
>>25273052>Reality is fundamentally divine, the deepest identity of every being is one with that divine Ground, and the purpose of human life is to awaken from egoic separation into direct union with this eternal Reality through self-transcendence, love, contemplation, purity, humility, and surrender of the personal self.The end result of believing and living that way:
>>25276093that's the caste system in action. not the essence that resides at the heart of multiple world religions.
>>25275921What is awakening? How can you know you've actually reached it?
