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The underlying messages that different religions and denominations use are often in strong agreement, but they use different metaphors to communicate their own experience of union with God. (Sunday) One way to summarize the substance of perennial wisdom (paraphrasing Aldous Huxley) is:
Our goal is to illustrate both the image and the likeness of God by living in conscious loving union with God. (Tuesday) Everything you see, think, feel, and imagine is part of and never apart from the same Source. We call this Source by such names as God, Reality, Brahman, Allah, One, Krishna, the Absolute, and the Nondual. The list of names is long; the reality to which they all point is the same. —Rami Shapiro (Wednesday) Awakening is the expression of that grace in which we see through our apparent separation and notice that we are already one with divine Presence and with all that is. All that is missing is awareness. —David G. Benner (Thursday) What do you want? If it’s union with Love, then listen to that longing and it will be a reliable guide to truth and intimacy. (Friday)
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Category Archives: Perennial Tradition
The Perennial Philosophy
The term “perennial philosophy” . . . refers to a fourfold realization: (1) there is only one Reality (call it, among other names, God, Mother, Tao, Allah, Dharmakaya, Brahman, or Great Spirit) that is the source and substance of all creation; (2) that while each of us is a manifestation of this Reality, most of us identify with something much smaller, that is, our culturally conditioned individual ego; (3) that this identification with the smaller self gives rise to needless anxiety, unnecessary suffering, and cross-cultural competition and violence; and (4) that peace, compassion, and justice naturally replace anxiety, needless suffering, competition, and violence when we realize our true nature as a manifestation of this singular Reality. The great sages and mystics of every civilization throughout human history have taught these truths in the language of their time and culture. —Rami Shapiro
Rami Shapiro, Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent: Sacred Teachings—Annotated & Explained (Skylight Paths Publishing: 2013), xiv.
The Essence of Perennial Wisdom
- There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things;
- There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Divine Reality;
- The final goal of existence is union with this Divine Reality.
Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy (Harper & Brothers: 1945), vii.
Sabiduría Universal
Sabiduría Universal
Domingo, 20 de Noviembre, 2016.
La Tradición de la Sabiduría Perenne…ofrece conocimiento antiguo para la vida contemporánea que es relevante para todo nosotros, y no solo para unos pocos. –David G. Benner [1]
La Tradición Perenne abarca los constantes temas que se repiten recurrentemente en todas las religiones y filosofías que continua diciendo:
- Hay una Realidad Divina por debajo y es intrínsico al mundo de las cosas;
- En el alma del ser humano hay una capacidad natural,una similitud y un anhelo por esta Realidad Divina;
- El objetivo final de la existencia es la unión con esta Realidad Divina.
La “filosofía perenne” o la “tradición perenne” es un termino que ha entrado y salido en popularidad en la historia Occidental y religiosa, pero nunca ha sido desechada por la Iglesia Universal. Yo fui entrenado en teología Católica sistemática, y alternativa ortodoxa Franciscana; esto y la tradición completa Judeo-Cristiana me enseñó a honrar la visibilidad y la revelación de Dios en todas las tradiciones del mundo y no solo la mía propia.
La Tradición Perenne fue afirmada, en muchas formas, en el Concilio Vaticano Segundo (1962–65) con miras al futuro en documentos sobre ecumenismo (Unitatis Redintegratio) y en religions no Cristianas (Nostra Aetate). Estos afirman que hay constantes temas, verdades y repeticiones en todas las religiones del mundo.
En Nostra Aetate, por ejemplo, los Padres del Concilio comienzan por decir “ Todas las personas constituyen una sola comunidad y tiene un solo origen [creado por uno y el mismo Dios Creador]… Y solo un destino final: Dios…La Iglesia Católica rechaza nada que sea verdad y sagrado en estas religiones”. [2] Luego el documento continua alabando las religiones Nativas, Hinduismo, Judaísmo, Budismo e Islam como “un rayo reflector de la verdad que ilumina a todas las personas.”[3] Usted puede darse cuenta el coraje y la brillantez que tomó en escribir esto en 1965, cuando muy poca gente en cualquier religión pensaba de esta manera. De hecho, la mayoría todavía hoy aun no piensa en esta forma.
Una excepción temprana fue la de San Augustin (354–430), un Doctor de la Iglesia, quien escribió: “Precisamente esto que es ahora llamado la religión Cristiana no estaba presente entre los antiguos desde el comienzo de la raza humana hasta la venida de Cristo en la carne. Después de este tiempo, la religión verdadera, la cual ha existido siempre, comenzó a llamarse ‘Cristianismo.’”[4] San Clemente de Alejandría, Origen, San Basil, San Gregorio de Nisa, y San Leo el Grande todos ellos mantuvieron entendimiento similar antes que el Cristianismo se volviese luego defensivo (¡ y ofensivo!) en modos de cazar herejías, de anti-Semitismo, y las varias cruzadas. Cuando cualquier religión se convierte orgullosa, también se torna en dualística y oposicional.
En algunas maneras cruciales, nosotros hemos retrocedido actualmente de los profundos pensadores y escritos de la Tradición Perenne. Como Ken Wilber repite frecuentemente, una buena religión está hecha para ordenar como servicio tal como “una cinta transportadora” hacia adelante a través de todas las etapas de la conciencia humana. Que triste cuando nos quedamos bloqueados en la etapa de servicio personal..
Referencias:
[1] David G. Benner, “Ancient Wisdom for Contemporary Living,” “The Perennial Tradition,” Oneing, Vol. 1, No. 1 (CAC: 2013), 24.
[2] Nostra Aetate, Vatican II, 1965, #1, 2.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Augustine of Hippo, Retractions, 1:13.3, emphasis mine.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, “Introduction,” “The Perennial Tradition,” Oneing, Vol. 1, No. 1 (CAC: 2013), 11-12. (This issue of Oneing, a limited edition publication, is no longer available in print; however, the eBook is available from Amazon and iTunes. Explore additional issues of Oneing at store.cac.org.)
Richard Rhor Daily Meditations
Universal Wisdom
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Universal Wisdom
The Perennial Wisdom Tradition . . . offers ancient wisdom for contemporary living that is relevant to all of us, not just to a few. —David G. Benner [1]
The Perennial Tradition encompasses the constantly recurring themes in all of the world’s religions and philosophies that continue to say:
- There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things;
- There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Divine Reality;
- The final goal of existence is union with this Divine Reality.
The “perennial philosophy” or “perennial tradition” is a term that has come in and out of popularity in Western and religious history, but has never been dismissed by the Universal Church. I was trained in Catholic systematic theology and Franciscan alternative orthodoxy; these and the whole Judeo-Christian tradition taught me to honor the visibility and revelation of God in all the world traditions and not just my own.
In many ways, the Perennial Tradition was affirmed at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) in forward-looking documents on ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) and non-Christian religions (Nostra Aetate). These affirm thatthere are some constant themes, truths, and recurrences in all of the world religions.
In Nostra Aetate, for example, the Council Fathers begin by saying that “All peoples comprise a single community and have a single origin [created by one and the same Creator God]. . . . And one also is their final goal: God. . . . The Catholic Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in these religions.” [2] Then the document goes on to praise Native religions, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam as “reflecting a ray of that truth which enlightens all people.” [3] You have got to realize what courage and brilliance it took to write that in 1965, when very few people in any religion thought that way. In fact, most still don’t think that way today.
One early exception was St. Augustine (354-430), a Doctor of the Church, who wrote: “The very thing which is now called the Christian religion was not wanting among the ancients from the beginning of the human race until Christ came in the flesh. After that time, the true religion, which had always existed, began to be called ‘Christian.’” [4] St. Clement of Alexandria, Origen, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Leo the Great all held similar understandings before Christianity turned to the later defensive (and offensive!) modes of heresy hunting, anti-Semitism, and various crusades. When any religion becomes proud, it also becomes dualistic and oppositional.
Richard Rhor Daily Meditations
Universal Wisdom
Sunday, November 20, 2016