Religion has generally turned into dogma, authority, or vested interest in which discovery of Truth has been set aside for mere belief as a representative of Truth. Such a materialization of the spiritual into particular time-space coordinates is the very denial of its transcendent reality. But such a limited view of truth is easier for the human mind to appreciate, dominated as it is by ego or self-sense which is extremely hard to overcome. 

For this reason individuals seeking the higher Truth have always looked beyond organized religion to various mystical and spiritual paths, which formulate themselves with a greater universal sense than institutionalized creeds. Formulations of an eternal tradition or perennial wisdom most commonly come from two areas. The first is the perennial philosophy of various philosophers. The second is an eternal, often secret, wisdom tradition of humanity.

A perennial philosophy has been looked to as the core of truth behind the thoughts of all great thinkers, who obviously share much in common in their understanding of life. Yet however profound and noble such a philosophical endeavor may be, the Universal Truth is not mere philosophy. It is not a special broad mindedness to be found among various intellectuals. It is not a matter of mere ideas but encompasses the whole of life and consciousness. It is more a matter of feeling or intuition than discursive thought. 

[ Back ] [ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]