The perennial philosophy
by Aldous Huxley · first published 1945
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Surveys mystical teachings from many religious traditions side by side, drawing out a shared core. It serves as an accessible overview of comparative mysticism and a starting point for further reading.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…were ever meant to do so. Or that philosophy is random speculations. You are missing the concept of "plausibility" as opposed to truth, which would help you navigate these topics. I can suggest the book Perennial Philosophy by Huxley to start getting a cursory understanding of what we are talking about here, which ultimately boils down to the inability of language to capture transcendental experiences which every society,…
on “Is Philosophy an Art?” ↗…just wish Hindus actually followed what it said... That being said my additions to the mix are: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Dhammapada Tipitaka (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/index.html) Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault Philosophy in the Flesh by George Lakoff
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗…Many people over millennia have learned that if we make the effort - noone else can do it - there are definite rewards. One place to get an overview of this history (Western perspective) is in Huxley's 'Perennial Philosophy'.
on “Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety” ↗…Daniel J. Boorstin These books make you look at society in a much more critical manner. The first two are difficult reads, but none the less good and referenced quite a bit in the humanities. The Perennial Philosophy - Aldous Huxley Huxley ties up all the different religious views quite nicely into a core set which is common to all of them. I'd advise reading Huxley and God before reading this though.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Take a look at the Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley - pulls together a lot of these historical thoughts but focuses on people/texts that haven't become so popular they've lost meaning or been misappropriated.
on “The Gift” ↗…Giglamesh, Hercules, Samson, Thor, Osiris, Buddha, etc. When Stan Lee was told that the plot of one of his books was weak, he said he ripped it off from the best classic he could find. I like the book "Perennial Philosophy" by Aldous Huxley who finds a common "spiritual technology" used by religionists of all creeds. That is, prayer, meditation, good works and other kinds of "yoga" done by the individual as well as…
on “Ask HN: Any books/talks on cultural conditioning?” ↗I would recommend "the perennial philosophy", by Huxley [1]. Schrödinger recommends it in his "what is life" (another amazing piece).. you'll not be disappointed if you thrive for mind expanding literature! :) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Perennial_Phi...
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗Another of Huxley's books that's shamefully unknown is "The Perennial Philosophy" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061724947?ie=UTF8&linkCod... where fleshes out the teachings of major religious traditions
on “Remembering Huxley's “Brave New World”” ↗…wisdom more than personal insight. And if you are interested in such things, the more recent mystery schools--Theosophy (Blavatsky), Anthroposophy (Steiner), Perennialism (Guenon), Esalen (Huxley, "The Perennial Philosophy")--are all good places to start.
on “Ask HN: What's the Best Book on Religion” ↗…tendencies the common man has about those beliefs/theories presented to them is a whole other topic. I've finally read enough texts from various sources to feel ready to start Aldous Huxley's book on The Perennial Philosophy which I'm finding a refreshingly well researched alternative to, as you say, propaganda from whoever passes by in conversation.
on “Internet Sacred Text Archive” ↗https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perennial_Philosophy Recommended Huxley reading for the committed Materialists of HN.
on “John C. Lilly and the Solid State Entity (2016)” ↗Not a textbook in any way, but I've enjoyed Aldous Huxley's Perennial Philosophy https://www.amazon.com/Perennial-Philosophy-Interpretation-G...
on “The Varieties of Mystical Experience” ↗…want to use astrology to model the inner world then read e.g. "Golden Bough" and Jung's archetype work and his Liber Novus (aka The Red Book), and maybe "The Varieties of Religious Experience" and "The Perennial Philosophy". And then just make up your own system. It will work just as well for prediction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Bough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_%28Jung%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Varieties_of_Religious_Exp...…
on “Ask HN: Help me learn astrology in 2020” ↗…https://archive.org/details/78_house-of-the-rising-sun_josh-... I find myself on Internet Archive a lot during these dog days of summer. Delving into classic texts like Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars or Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy. Discovering a forgotten H. P. Lovecraft story in the Weird Tales archive. Mining old time radio shows like Suspense for story inspiration. And using the Internet Arcade for screen grabs that can be used…
on “The Internet Archive has digitized 25,000 78rpm Gramophone records” ↗…is localized somewhere in space ("Consciousness Isn’t Self-Centered"). Quote: Why do folks present this idea like it's new and radical? It's literally thousands of years old. Aldous Huxley wrote "The Perennial Philosophy" in 1945.
on “Perennial philosophy” ↗