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EYE of the HEART a Journal of Traditional Wisdom

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EYE of the HEART a Journal of Traditional Wisdom EYE OF THE HEART A Journal of Traditional Wisdom Issue 1, 2008 This publication has been supported by La Trobe University www.latrobe.edu.au Eye of the Heart is a scholarly journal providing a forum for the exploration of the great philosophical and religious traditions. It addresses the inner meaning of philosophy and religion through elucidations of metaphysical, cosmological, and soteriological principles, and through a penetration of the forms preserved in each religious tradition. Eye of the Heart is published bi-annually. It is an Open Access Journal freely available online. A print version is available at cost value through La Trobe University, Campus Graphics (via the Eye of the Heart website) . Unless otherwise stated all articles are original and have been peer-reviewed in accord with the Higher Education Research Data Collection (Australian Government, Department of Education, Science and Training) 2008 specifications. Editor: Timothy Scott Editorial Board: Rodney Blackhirst, Harry Oldmeadow, John Penwill, Roger Sworder, Algis Uždavinys Advisory Board: Waleed El-Ansary (University of South Carolina), David Burrell, (University of Notre Dame, Indiana), James Cutsinger (University of South Carolina), Renaud Fabbri (Miami University), Alan Godlas (The University of Georgia), Peter Kingsley (Warburg Institute), Klaus Klostermaier (University of Manitoba), Livia Kohn (Boston University), Jean-Pierre Lafouge (Marquette University), Patrick Laude (Georgetown University in Qatar), Joseph Lumbard (Brandeis University), Constant Mews (Monash University), James Morris (Boston College), Philip Novak (Dominican University of California), Patricia Reynaud (Miami University), Eliezer Segal (University of Calgary), Reza Shah-Kazemi (Institute of Ismaili Studies), Arvind Sharma (McGill University), David Tacey (La Trobe University), Arthur Versluis (Michigan State University) Contact: Dr Timothy Scott, Arts Program, La Trobe University P.O. Box 199 Bendigo 3552, Australia Tel: +61 3 5444 7243 Fax: +61 3 5444 7970 email: [email protected] Copyright: Unless otherwise indicated, all materials published in this issue are copyrighted by Eye of the Heart and the respective authors. No reproduction without express written permission, except in critical articles and reviews. Website: www.latrobe.edu.au/eyeoftheheart ISSN: 1835-4416 Table of Contents Editorial 1 Nirukta = Hermeneia 3 by Ananda Coomaraswamy Swami Abhishiktananda: Pilgrim of the Absolute 11 by Harry Oldmeadow Golgotha, Athens, Jerusalem: Patristic intimations of the 47 religio perennis by Graeme Castleman In defiance of natural order: The origins of "transhuman" 81 techno-utopia by David Catherine Voices of the Fire: Ancient theurgy and its tools 105 by Algis Uždavinys Remarks on the universal symbolism of the number 72 119 by Timothy Scott The symbolism of letters and language in the work of 141 Ibn ‘Arabi by Pierre Lory Contributors 151 Notices 153 Editorial Eye of the Heart: A Journal of Traditional Wisdom arises out of the perceived need for an academic journal that recognises traditional approaches to the study of philosophy and religion. There are in fact numerous journals of both philosophy and religion. Those which might be labelled academic tend, on the whole, to approach their subject through the application of contemporary theoretical models and analytical procedures that may well be described as non-traditional, at best. These have their value, but this intellectual weltanschauung does not have exclusive right to academic recognition and worth. The many non-academic publications in this field range from the highly questionable (to say the least) to some of the most exciting and intellectually stimulating works available. Still, even the best of these are rarely allowed the academic recognition they deserve. We hope Eye of the Heart may go some way to addressing this situation. A few words about the name of this new journal will not be out of place. Our first criterion for choosing a name was that it should be universal. The phrase “eye of the heart” fits this as the quotes from the various traditions on each page of the journal website show. We opted for a name in English, eschewing technical or obscure languages as these might suggest emphasis on either a particular tradition or a linguistic approach. So while Oculus Cordis may have lent a certain esoteric panache or even a scholarly credibility it was, in the end, not true to the inclusivity to which we aspire. Similarly there was debate about the subtitle, A Journal of Traditional Wisdom, the issue being the use of the English word “wisdom,” which has been so tainted by New Age abuse. Again, if we had opted for the Greek sophia we would have saved ourselves some angst. But we have chosen wisdom to remain true to our original idea. It remains to explain our use of the term “traditional.” Those who know the work of the Philosophy and Religious Studies department here at La Trobe, Bendigo will know that several members—but not all—of the editorial board are sympathetic to perennialism. However, we are not aiming to make a specifically “perennialist” or “traditionalist” journal. In the first place we feel that this niche is well filled by such publications as Sophia: The Journal of the Foundation of Traditional Studies, Sacred Web: A Journal of Tradition and Modernity, Connaissance des religions, and the recently re- released Studies in Comparative Religion. Secondly, as the editor I am keen to develop the content of Eye of the Heart beyond a purely perennialist current, to move beyond the traditions that perennialism is usually associated with, and to open perennialism itself to a wider dialogue. I am well aware that there are many people sympathetic to a traditional study of philosophy and religion, who, at the same time, may have never heard of perennialism, or who may even be hostile to elements that they perceive therein. Our intention with Eye of the Heart is to facilitate a forum where a variety of perspectives may be expressed. Our fundamental tenet is that the great philosophical and religious traditions of the world are treated with respect in light of the Reality they express. In referring to traditional approaches to the study of philosophy and religion, we have in mind two things. Firstly, a general approach that begins from the context of the traditions considered. The main thing here is the acceptance of a Reality as the essential starting point. We should also note the fundamentally symbolic mentality of traditional peoples. The second thing we have in mind, when talking of traditional approaches, are the various methodologies of the traditions as such. For example, Hermeneia (Greek), Nirukta (Hinduism), Lectio Divina (Christian), Kabbalistic practices such as gematria, notariqon, and temura, and the Islamic science of letters, ilm al- huruf. It is with these in mind that we have decided to republish some seminal works. These, it is hoped, will go some way to providing the methodological justification for original studies that wish to use these traditional approaches, or may serve to inspire further works on these modes of thought. In this first issue the reader will find Ananda Coomaraswamy’s essay, ‘Nirukta=Hermeneia,’ and Professor Pierre Lory’s article on the Islamic science of letters (ilm al-huruf), ‘The Symbolism of Letters and Language in the Work of Ibn ‘Arabi,’ both of which are republished here by kind permission. Our second issue will include a new article by Father Michael Casey on the practice of Lectio Divina. Fr Casey is the internationally acclaimed author of Sacred Reading: The Art of Lectio Divina and Toward God. I will let the other articles herein speak for themselves. Finally may I offer my thanks to all those people who have aided in various ways to getting Eye of the Heart on its feet: the editorial advisors, the contributors, and the reviewers. Special thanks are due to Mr Stephen Williams, Production Director of World Wisdom, Inc., for advice and material support and to Mr Graeme Castleman who helped in the task of transferring the republished articles from print text to electronic format and then undertook the painstaking task of proofreading these texts. ∗ Nirukta = Hermeneia Ananda Coomaraswamy Every student of Vedic literature will be familiar with what are called by modern scholars “folk etymologies.” I cite, for example, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VIII.3.3), “Verily, this Spirit is in the heart1 (eṣa ātmā hṛdi). The hermeneia (niruktam) thereof is this: ‘This is in the heart’ (hṛdayam), and that is why the ‘heart’ is called ‘hṛdayam.’ Whoever is a comprehensor of this reaches Heaven every day.” Specimens, of course, abound in Yāska— for example, Nirukta V.14, “Puṣkaram means ‘mid-world,’ because it ‘fosters’ (poṣati) things that come to be.2 Water is puṣkaram too, because it is a ‘means of worship’ (pūjākaram), and ‘to be worshipped’ (pūjayitavyam). Otherwise, as ‘lotus’ (puṣkaram) the word is of the same origin, being a ‘means of adorning’ (vapuṣkaram); and it is a ‘bloom’ (puṣyam) because it ‘blossoms’ (puṣpate).” Explanations of this kind are commonly dismissed as “etymological triflings” (J. Eggeling), “purely artificial” (A. B. Keith), and “very fanciful” (B. C. Mazumdar), or as “puns.” On the other hand, one feels that they cannot be altogether ignored, for as the last-mentioned author says, “There are in many Upaniṣads very fanciful explanations … disclosing bad grammar and worse idiom, and yet the grammarians who did not accept them as correct, did
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