The Essential Rene Guenon Metaphysical Principles, Traditional Doctrines, and the Crisis of Modernity

A prolific writer and author of over 24 books, Rene Guenon was the founder of the Perennialist/Traditionalist school of comparative religious thought. Known for his discourses on the intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of the modern world, symbolism, tradition, and the inner or spiritual dimension of religion, this book is a compilation of his most important writings. A key component of his thought was the assertion that universal truths manifest themselves in various forms in the world's religions and his writings on Hinduism, Taoism, and Sufism are particularly illuminating in this regard.

Rene Guenon (1886-1951) was one of the founders of the Perennialist or Traditionalist school of comparative religious thought. In a time of unquestioning belief in the dogmas of progress and evolution, Guenon issued a devastating critique of the modern world. A pioneering philosopher and orientalist, he also provided the intellectual keys for a reclamation of the West's spiritual riches through an exposition of the Eastern metaphysical doctrines.