This book is a gem, a must read, for people with even the slightest interest in the esoteric dimension of religions, any religion. It is a lucid presentation of exalting and inspiring quotes from mystics and saints throughout history. I believe it is the most comprehensive book on the subject of Sophia Perennis from the point of view of its practitioners.
Rumi, Meister Eckhart, Augustine, Shankara, etc. are among the many others whose memorable words about the Ground of Being are presented in this book.
It is one of the rare books that I can read many many time. Highly recommended.

Tomaj Javidtash

The more you get down to it, the more it's clear that spirituality is trying to attain a state where we no longer intellectualize. That's something he's made very clear in the book, but it was just super annoying when he started talking about PK and how God could have shaped the world and matter using his mind blah blah. Wasn't he Hindi or something anyway?

I wouldn't describe myself as religious; spiritual, yes. Religious, no. With that being said, this book attempts to establish a sort of underlying message that resonates within the world's "great" religions, and while I ultimately disagree with Huxley's Philosophy materially, it is difficult for me to argue otherwise with possibly one of the most (if not most) comprehensive attempts at finding a universal commonality among seemingly conflicting ideologies. Huxley's understanding of science is a bit lacking, but the way he weaves his narrative, pulling textual evidence from Medieval Germany and juxtaposing it alongside Eastern Philosophies (for instance) is truly magnificent. Even the Agnostic can appreciate Huxley's goodness - his belief that beneath nuanced and sometimes materially conflicting beliefs is a core spiritual essence, a desire to simply know, that unites us all.

Not religious in any way so the book always felt like the outside looking in. However my appreciation for Aldous’ work, including this book, runs deep and I found him to be just as engaging and persuasive in perennial philosophy as his other work. His occasional critiques of society were far ahead of their time and tips for meditative practice were illuminating. I took what I needed from this book and left the rest. Having said that, for more mystical minded/spiritual folks this is a treasure trove of fresh perspectives and intelligent analyses on various aspects of perennial philosophy. Thank you Aldous.

As Wittgenstein said: "If you can think it, then you can say it. If you can say it, then you can say it clearly." I don't find Huxley's prose very clear. If the "interpretation" isn't much clearer than the ideas it's meant to interpret, then what's the point?

Çevirinin ve redaksiyonun ne denlj önemli olduğunu net olarak anlayabilmek açısından ornek mahiyetinde zira bazı kısımlarını anlayabilmek için kıvrım kıvrım kıvranmaniz gerekebilir :)

This is a very noteworthy book, but the author's style is such that I couldn't bear to continue reading it, on several tries; maybe in a few years I'll try yet again. Some writing styles are a total slog for one person, but fine or prefered for another.

Huxley writes in this comparative analysis of all the world's religious traditions how they all possess an underlying common thread. Huxley weaves in and out of teachings found in Buddhism, Advaita Vedana Hinduism, Daoism, Sufism, and Christian Mysticism with stunning clarity. The common thread found in these traditions is that of the illusion of separateness and believing that the ego is, in fact, not an isolated self, but rather a part of the Ground or Geist (that which makes up all of reality). This lays the groundwork for an interconnected view of humanity, inevitably leading one to grow in their capacity to love unconditionally. However, the essence of this religious truth has been watered down over millennia due to taking religious doctrine too seriously and attempting to literalize all of its meaning. This essential teaching, however, had been preserved by the mystics of each tradition and kept from the public in monasteries to prevent the teachings from being distorted. Perenialism also holds that all religious experience is ultimately the same, no matter what tradition you're from and that one can only experience this through contemplative acts such as meditation, contemplative prayer, and engaging in "spiritual exercises." Knowledge is ultimately a function of being. It is only when we gain self-knowledge that we are able to gain knowledge about the Godhead or Brahman or the Dao or the Logos. This is a must read for any spiritual seeker aiming to learn more about the mystery of life, that of conscious experience and awareness.

ألدوس هكسلي الكاتب الانجليزي الشهير في كتابه المهم بيناقش ماهية الديانة الأزلية أو الفكرة المشتركة بين كل الأديان وكل الفلسفات الدينية وهي الماهية الصوفية، بينهيه باقتباس من الغزالي بيتكلم فيه عن ان في كل عصر بينشط فيه التيار الفلسفي (رمز العقلانية في البحث الميتافيزيقي)، بينشط أيضا التيار الصوفي، الي دوره بيكون المحافظة على العالم. بمعنى انه لا يستقيم العالم بالعقلانية وحدها لأنها محدودة فلن تقدم أي إجابة ميتافيزيقية كافية، وهذا ما يفتح الباب دائما أمام الصوفية الروحانية، سواء كانت حدسية أو نفسية تخضع للمشاعر، عشان تملأ الفراغ بين العقل والسؤال. وهذا الكتاب ما هو الا تجميع لاقتباسات وتعليقات لمناقشة الأفكار الصوفية المشتركة بين الهندوسية والبوذية والمسيحية والإسلام، كمحاولة لإحياء الصوفية الروحانية في عصره.

This is an interesting book but the style and the language are pretty difficult (at least for me). I think that who is into philosophy will have less problems than me to understand the language.
It doesn't talk about the dogma of the main religions (Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism), but about the philosophy and the spiritual side that are very similar if not the same. This is what I like the most: to see the points in common of religions, and not the differences.
There are a lot of quotes from different holy scriptures and from the writings of saints and mystics. I found them all very inspiring.
I recommend this book to who is interested in religions and their philosophical side, but be aware that it isn't a fast or easy read.

If you enjoy the opportunity to better understand eastern and western religious traditions as related through philosophical doctrine and their spiritual traditions this is an outstanding place to start. Huxley takes the actual words and quotes from great teachers, saints, and
sages from the eastern and western traditions to educate the reader about the differences and similarities functionally by subject area from, self, silence, good and evil, eternity and time among others equally compelling to enlighten the reader. He inserts some editorial comment that reflects his personal views, but generally this is an opportunity to come to your own conclusions as well as become more fluent in areas allowing for selected and deeper study. There are few authors you will ever find capable of putting in one place the incredible wealth of knowledge in such a succinct yet comprehensive fashion.

Around 1964, when I read this book, and others by Aldous Huxley, he was my teacher about how much more life could be.

His recognition of The Perennial Philosophy brought me intense comfort.

For Perspective on What Aldous Huxley Was Attempting

Goodreaders, I'm going to quote from an article on "Perennial Philosophy" on Wikipedia:

The idea of a perennial philosophy originated with a number of Renaissance theologians who took inspiration from neo-Platonism and from the theory of Forms. Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499) argued that there is an underlying unity to the world, the soul or love, which has a counterpart in the realm of ideas.

According to Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494), a student of Ficino, truth could be found in many, rather than just two, traditions.

According to Agostino Steuco (1497–1548) there is "one principle of all things, of which there has always been one and the same knowledge among all peoples."

[Regarding Aldous Huxley and mystical universalism]

One such universalist was Aldous Huxley, who propagated a universalist interpretation of the world religions, inspired by Vivekananda's neo-Vedanta and his own use of psychedelic drugs.

What Huxley's Book Meant to Me

Quite simply, Aldous Huxley was the first contemporary mystic whose work I encountered. Much as I loved many other books I'd read by then, books that I plan to rate-and-review here on Goodreads on my "spiritual" shelf, this particular book brought me hope in a new way:

* Aldous WAS contemporary
* He WAS a fellow mystic
* And he was such a nerd! Sigh!

Currently I wouldn't find his approach in "Perennial" to be personally helpful, more like a brilliant intellectual exercise. Nonetheless, you could sum up my career as a writer as calling it an attempt to help my readers with experience, bolstered by systematic understanding (supported by rigorous trademarked systems), whereas Aldous Huxley was relentless in his search for understanding. Pure and simple and perennial, philosophical understanding!

As the founder of Energy Spirituality™, my career might never have been possible, if not for this book from my teenage equivalent of a rock star, Aldous Huxley.