Cover......Page 1
About the Author and this Book......Page 2
The Library of Perennial Philosophy......Page 5
Cover Reference......Page 6
The Essential Titus Burckhardt......Page 7
Copyright Page......Page 8
Table of Content......Page 9
Illustrations in Color......Page 12
Black-and-white illustrations in the text......Page 13
Epigraph......Page 14
Preface......Page 15
Photograph of Titus Burckhardt......Page 17
Photograph of Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon......Page 18
Foreword......Page 19
Introduction: Titus Burckhardt and the Perennialist School......Page 23
1. Some Fundamental Doctrines and Principles......Page 31
How to Approach Medieval and Oriental Civilizations......Page 33
Knowledge and Love in Sufism......Page 35
Metaphysics and Virtue in Sufism......Page 38
2. Traditional and Modern Science......Page 43
The Perspective of Traditional Cosmology......Page 45
Traditional Symbolism and Modern Empiricism......Page 48
The Theory of Evolution......Page 50
Contra Teilhard de Chardin......Page 63
Modern Psychology......Page 66
Islamic Science......Page 87
The Cosmology of the Arab Philosophers......Page 100
3. Sacred Art as the Expression of Religious Truth......Page 107
The Universality of Sacred Art......Page 109
The Hindu Temple......Page 116
Hindu Sculpture......Page 120
Buddhist Art......Page 122
Taoist Art......Page 128
The Two Poles of Universal Manufestation......Page 132
The Foundations of Christian Art......Page 134
The Royal Door of Chartres Cathedral......Page 144
Gargoyles......Page 154
The Wooden Chest......Page 155
The Decadence and the Renewal of Christian Art......Page 156
Introduction......Page 172
The Question of Image: Aniconism in Islamic Art......Page 173
The Impact of the Arabic Language on Islamic Art......Page 175
Arabic Compared With Other Languages......Page 177
The Arabic Language and the Koran......Page 178
4. History, the Governance of Men and Nations, and the Modern World......Page 181
The Nature of Kingship......Page 183
The Four Social Stations......Page 187
Chess as a Symbol of Rulership......Page 190
The Monastic Orders......Page 192
St. Catherine......Page 193
The Inner Light......Page 194
Political Dissensions......Page 196
The Pope......Page 197
What is Conservatism?......Page 203
"Riding the Tiger"......Page 209
The Irruption of the Modern World as it Affected Morocco......Page 215
5. Alchemy......Page 225
Insight into Alchemy......Page 227
The Witness of an African Goldsmith......Page 229
"Nature can Overcome Nature"......Page 231
The Story of Nicolas Flamel and his Wife Perrenelle......Page 243
6. Aspects of the Spiritual Life......Page 251
Because Dante is Right......Page 253
St. Bernardino of Siena......Page 267
On marriage......Page 268
The Sacred Monogram......Page 270
From a sermon on the Name of Jesus......Page 271
Concerning the pictorial representation of the Name......Page 275
The Alchemy of Prayer......Page 276
Islamic Mysticism......Page 281
The "Golden Chain" of Sufi Saints......Page 283
A central support of spirituality in Hinduism......Page 301
A symbolic key to Hindu spirituality......Page 302
Meeting with Yellowtail......Page 306
The Sun Dance......Page 307
7. Evocations of Traditional Moroccan Life......Page 313
Return to Fez......Page 315
Ito's Cave......Page 321
The Fools of God......Page 325
The Comb-maker......Page 328
The Life of the Nomad......Page 330
Biographical Notes......Page 332
Bibliography of Titus Burckhardt......Page 333
Books in German......Page 334
Articles in German......Page 335
Articles in French......Page 336
Books in English......Page 338
Articles in English......Page 339
Translations from Arabic into French and then into English......Page 341
Translations from Arabic into French and then into Italian......Page 342
Articles in Spanish......Page 343
Index......Page 345
Illustrations: I......Page 351
Illustrations: II......Page 352
Illustrations: III......Page 353
Illustrations: IV......Page 354
Illustrations: V......Page 355
Illustrations: VI......Page 356
Illustrations: VII......Page 357
Illustrations: VIII......Page 358
Illustrations: IX......Page 359
Illustrations: X......Page 360
Illustrations: XI......Page 361
Illustrations: XII......Page 362
Illustrations: XIII......Page 363
Illustrations: XIV......Page 364
Illustrations: XV......Page 365
Illustrations: XVI......Page 366