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The Essential Titus Burckhardt: Awe and Gratitude

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The Essential Titus Burckhardt: Awe and Gratitude About the Author and this Book “One finds new insights on every page, and what is more, finds that these become more profound with each reading.” —Arthur Versluis, University of Michigan “One of the leading authorities of the Perennialist School, Titus Burckhardt brought a unique combination of gifts to the exposition of the world’s great wisdom traditions. Burckhardt was at home in a variety of religious worlds and able to speak with authority on many wide-ranging subjects. His eloquently written and beautifully crafted books are an enduring treasure.” —James Cutsinger, University of South Carolina, author of Paths to the Heart: Sufism and the Christian East “Two words spring to mind on reading The Essential Titus Burckhardt: awe and gratitude. Awe because of the extraordinary perception and beauty of his writing—from his masterly analysis of Christian art and his profound and penetrating understanding of the Renaissance, to short pieces such as ‘The Wooden Chest’ or ‘Bathing in the Ganges’ in which he opens our eyes to the language of sacred symbolism as no other author has succeed- ed in doing. And gratitude, such tremendous gratitude that we now have at our disposal writings of such caliber to guide us through not just sacred and traditional art but through so much else besides (for example, evolu- tion and modern psychology). With the sharp sword of Truth he sees through the illusions of modern art as few other writers have done, as well as giving us such beautiful poetic writing as in, to give one of many exam- ples, his book on Fez. “As a teacher of the principles of traditional art this book will be my pri- mary sourcebook! It is a treasure and should be on the shelves of every teacher of art and every art student today.” —Emma Clark, author of Underneath Which Rivers Flow: The Symbolism of the Islamic Garden “Mr. Burckhardt has attended our Indian ceremonies, including the Sun Dance, and he has learned our legends and our sacred ways around the campfires. He knows and understands the spirit of the olden-day Indians.” —Thomas Yellowtail, Crow Sun Dance Chief “As a writer and thinker on a wide range of topics integral to the sacred tra- ditions, Titus Burckhardt has an unerring ability to reach to the essential truths and to speak persuasively of their relevance and importance to the contemporary mind.” —Brian Keeble, author of Art: For Whom and For What? “René Guénon remarked that it is frequently easier to understand first principles than the countless intermediate degrees which lie between mankind’s ultimate metaphysical Goal and our present existential aware- ness. Otherwise stated, cosmology can be and often is more complex than metaphysic. Nevertheless, it is in the nature of human intelligence to seek a unified and comprehensive world-view in which to situate oneself, take one’s bearing, and follow a saving orientation. Titus Burckhardt, lifelong friend of Frithjof Schuon, certainly did not neglect metaphysic but his predilection was cosmology. The great merit of The Essential Titus Burckhardt is that it provides lucid and salutary insights into many cosmo- logical enigmas and into moot questions of human nature which is so inti- mately related to cosmology. In addition, the reader will find in this book unequivocal refutations of many of the false notions intrinsic to moderni- ty. William Stoddart, the anthologist, has made excellent choices from the extensive Burckhardt oeuvre, and the book is highly recommended for anyone who does or would like to take seriously the human vocation to transcend oneself.” —Alvin Moore, Jr., editor of Selected Letters of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy “Titus Burckhardt has always been a primary inspiration to me. I had the privilege of meeting him in London in the 1970s, with S. H. Nasr. His bear- ing, modesty and natural reticence hid his great stature as an artist, schol- ar, and man of wisdom. I recommend this book to all today.” —Keith Critchlow, author of Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach “Titus Burckhardt was one of the most authoritative exponents of the Perennialist school. His work was centrally concerned with the interrela- tionships of Truth, Beauty and Goodness, with the principles informing traditional arts and sciences, and with the nexus between intellectuality and spirituality. This marvelous compilation of some of his most arresting and significant work will command the attention of anyone seriously inter- ested in the ways of the spirit.” —Kenneth Oldmeadow, La Trobe University, Bendigo, author of Traditionalism: Religion in the Light of the Perennial Philosophy “Burckhardt’s thought is clear and soberly articulated, his argumentation intuitive and profound.” —Victor Danner, Indiana University “The writings of Titus Burckhardt convey in a uniquely faithful and trans- parent way the truths by which he himself lived, which sustained him and which fashioned all aspects of his existence. The total sincerity and clarity of exposition of the author cannot but attract the reader to That Itself from which these truths radiate. No doubt this was what Titus Burckhardt had wished whenever he took his pen and wrote.” —Jean-Claude Petitpierre, colleague of Titus Burckhardt “For anyone who has dreamt that art and architecture is more than a fancy play of aesthetics, Burckhardt’s essays set the stage for the fiat lux of the soul before the miracle of revelational art. To read him is to see form trans- figured into sacred intelligence.” —Mark Perry, author of On Awakening & Remembering “He devoted all his life to the study and exposition of the different aspects of Wisdom and Tradition. In the age of modern science and technocracy, Titus Burckhardt was one of the most remarkable exponents of universal truth.” —William Stoddart, the Editor World Wisdom The Library of Perennial Philosophy The Library of Perennial Philosophy is dedicated to the exposition of the time- less Truth underlying the diverse religions. This Truth, often referred to as the Sophia Perennis—or Perennial Wisdom—finds its expression in the revealed Scriptures as well as the writings of the great sages and the artistic creations of the traditional worlds. The Perennial Philosophy provides the intellectual principles capable of explaining both the formal contradictions and the transcendent unity of the great religions. Ranging from the writings of the great sages of the past, to the perennialist authors of our time, each series of our Library has a different focus. As a whole, they express the inner unanimity, transforming radiance, and irreplaceable values of the great spiritual traditions. The Essential Titus Burckhardt: Reflections on Sacred Art, Faiths, and Civilizations appears as one of our selections in The Perennial Philosophy series. The Perennial Philosophy Series In the beginning of the Twentieth Century, a school of thought arose which has focused on the enunciation and explanation of the Perennial Philosophy. Deeply rooted in the sense of the sacred, the writings of its leading exponents establish an indispensable foundation for understand- ing the timeless Truth and spiritual practices which live in the heart of all religions. Some of these titles are companion volumes to the Treasures of the World’s Religions series, which allows a comparison of the writings of the great sages of the past with the perennialist authors of our time. The illustrations on the front cover are: the Temple at Chidambaram, South India; the Byodoin Temple near Kyoto, Japan; the Cathedral at Chartres, France; and the Mosque of the Andalusians at Fez, Morocco. The Essential Titus Burckhardt Reflections on Sacred Art, Faiths, and Civilizations Edited by William Stoddart Foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr The Essential Titus Burckhardt: Reflections on Sacred Art, Faiths, and Civilizations © 2005 World Wisdom, Inc. in Electronic format All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in critical articles and reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Burckhardt, Titus [Selections. English. 2003] The essential Titus Burckhardt: reflections on sacred art, faiths and civilizations / edited by William Stoddart ; foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. p. cm. — (Perennial philosophy series) Includes bibliographical references (p. 311) and index. ISBN 0-941532-36-4 (alk: paper) ISBN 0-941532-95-X (in Ebook format) 1. Religion. 2. Religious Art. 3. Tradition (Philosophy) I. Stoddart, William. II. Title. III. Series. BL50 .B86513 2003 291-dc21 2002156450 For information address World Wisdom, Inc. P.O. Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682 www.worldwisdom.com Contents List of color illustrations viii List of black-and-white illustrations in the text ix Preface xi Foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr xv Introduction Titus Burckhardt and the Perennialist School 1 1. Some Fundamental Doctrines and Principles How to Approach Medieval and Oriental Civilizations 11 Knowledge and Love in Sufism 13 Metaphysics and Virtue in Sufism 16 2. Traditional and Modern Science The Perspective of Traditional Cosmology 23 Traditional Symbolism and Modern Empiricism 26 The Theory of Evolution 28 Contra Teilhard de Chardin 41 Modern Psychology 44 Islamic Science 65 The Cosmology of the Arab Philosophers 78 3. Sacred Art as the Expression of Religious Truth The Universality of Sacred Art 87 Hindu Art The Hindu Temple 94 Hindu Sculpture 98 Buddhist Art 100 Taoist Art 106 Christian Art The Foundations of Christian Art 112 The Royal Door of Chartres Cathedral 122 Gargoyles 132 The Wooden Chest 133 The Decadence and the Renewal of Christian Art 134 Islamic Art Introduction 150 Characteristic Aspects 151 The Question of Images: Aniconism in Islamic Art 151 The Impact of the Arabic Language on Islamic Art 153 Arabic Compared With Other Languages 155 The Arabic Language and the Koran 156 4. History, the Governance of Men and Nations, and the Modern World The Nature of Kingship 161 The Law of Hierarchy and the Four Social Stations The Law of Hierarchy 165 The Four Social Stations 165 Chess as a Symbol of Rulership 168 St.
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