Category Archives: Traditional Metaphysics

This article is used by kind permission from the author Karlo Z.Valois.

Perhaps the most recent texts outlining the kind of war protocol we are now addressing is Budo Shoshinsu, a collection of the most authentic moral teachings of the Japanese knights, written in the 16th Century for young samurais to teach them the foundations of bushido, “the spiritual path of the warrior”.
The teachings concern the appropriate perception of death (as an opportunity for transcendence, which is apparent in everyday behavior, heightened awareness and the importance of the moment), loyalty (towards the superior and everything that is superior), high alert (always prepared to face defining moments), martial arts (control over forces and actualizing the principle of One, thus creating harmony between the “inner world” and the “environment”), weaponry and behavior without excesses (excess is the result of attachment: to wine, women, etc….attachment means being dominated).
To live by the principles outlined in the teachings required to maintain control over all areas of life (thoughts, emotions, actions on the physical plane, higher states of consciousness). Control is analogous with dominance over power(s), a fundamentally solar, male, royal principle.

Regarding the Early Buddhism texts, which J. Evola refers to in his “Doctrine of Awakening,” there is a passage in the beginning of the MAHÂ-PARINIBBÂNA-SUTTANTA, which clearly indicates the concept of “The Doctrine of the Four Ages”, described by J. Evola in his book “Revolt against the Modern World;” i.e. a spiritual degeneration has occurred. All Ancient traditions speak about this concept in one way or the other. […]
As I said in the beginning it is obvious that this is a valuable clue to understanding that the further away from the original core of the Buddhistic doctrine we get with wrong translations or wrong interpretations, the more degenerated, corrupt and false the doctrine will become. If we move away from the core of the early written texts just one inch, then we are on the way downwards. This would suggest that, for instance, the Buddhism of today is not in “concord” with the very words of Buddha; it has become degenerated and corrupt and not better, improved versions, as Science would want you to think.

It is by now well known in most spiritual circles that the quest for the Holy Grail, which Percival undertook in the powerful Grail epic, is not an outer journey but a metaphor for an inner journey; a path to self-realization. The claim, however, that the vessel(s) used in hermetism corresponds to earth, the human body and therefore the symbol of the actual Grail and the stone – Lapidem – being what often is referred to as ‘the spiritual heart’ or ‘the eye of the heart’ is not entirely correct, and even though we may be referring to the same divine knowledge; the different interpretations having the same core of truth, it needs to be adjusted. It is true that ‘the hidden stone’ is what often in various ancient traditions is referred to as ‘The Eye of the Heart or ‘The Spiritual Heart’. The heart is the sanctuary or crypt of the temple, portrayed as beneath the ground in the crypt of ancient temples, but the search for the grail is obviously not the search for the body, because the grail IS ‘The Hidden Stone’; ‘The Eye of the Heart’. [….]

Visualization is the same as projecting something, and what are we projecting? We project what we perceive or believe to be the reality; what we believe to be true or false and in the process of “living” the physical or spiritual knowledge one may have, in spite of on what level of progress one finds oneself; conscious or unconscious, is the process of visualization. Projecting reality is living it and it is a very natural process.

This is a transcript from a lecture given by Martin Lings at the Temenos Academy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll just begin my talk by mentioning – and this refers to the talk is actually called: Metaphysics and the Perennial Philosophy, metaphysics coming first, that is, but that’s not an important detail, but it explains why I begin by mentioning – that René Guénon only once – as far as I know – entered into the academic world, which he did by answering an invitation from the Sorbonne University in Paris, to give a talk on metaphysics and in that talk, which was entitled: La Métaphysique Orientale, he began by saying that it would perhaps be better just to say metaphysics; la métaphysique, without any epithet, because, pure metaphysics; being beyond all form and all contingencies, is neither Eastern, nor Western, it is universal.”
[…]
“Guénon would have accepted – as a partial synonym for metaphysical – the word suprarational, only on condition that suprarational means ‘beyond this world’, and microcosmical speaking beyond body and soul. Frithjof Schuon sometimes speaks of the metacosm, in the meaning ‘the next world’, rather than this world and metacosm – in this sense – is the lowest domain of metaphysics. The highest domain being at the divine level itself, and the summit being the absolute. Metaphysics comprises all these domains from the Absolute Infinite Perfection of the Divine Essence, to the lowest of the Paradises of the Next World. To go back to that summit, which is sometimes called the Divine Essence, Tradition is universal in this. In Hinduism: Brahman, the neuter form, or word and also: Ātmān, which means Self. They denote this absolute, infinite perfection and in Hinduism, both Brahman and Ātmān are expressed by the divine mono syllable: Om (AUM).”