an introduction to the perennial philosophy
About the Presentation
Whether you are a reader of new age literature, a Theosophist, or an academic who studies the history of science, magic, or the Renaissance, you will have encountered the perennial philosophy, although not necessarily having noticed the integrated metaphysic, philosophy, and ethic. It is called perennial because of its age, its universality and its consistency, having existed in an unbroken line since time immemorial; likely to go on long after fads and fashions in philosophy have come and gone.
The first thing you will find if studying the perennial philosophy is that it revolves around unity. There is a unity to the cosmos that is deeply real, although not immediately obvious. This unity exists not only in a spiritual and metaphoric sense, but physically as well; it is the truth of matter as much as it is the truth of spirit. However, it takes training and insight to see it.
Characteristic features of the perennial philosophy include a sense of the sacred, an emphasis on direct intuitive perception and a going beyond the limited self to realise the unity of life. This philosophy is not a constructed syncretism or eclecticism; it seems rather to be the natural outcome of seeing deeply into the nature of Reality. In Western traditions, Platonism is the model of perennial philosophy, and in India it is Vedānta.
About the Speaker
Dara Tatray is the President of the Adelaide Theosophical Society. Previously, she worked at the national headquarters of the TS in Australia in various capacities - National President, National Secretary, Editor of Theosophy in Australia, and national lecturer. A frequent visitor to the international headquarters at Adyar, Dara was the Superintendent of Leadbeater Chambers for 18 months in the 1980s. She holds a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science (UNSW 2006) and has a long-standing love of Advaita Vedānta and the perennial philosophy, especially through the works of Ramana Maharshi, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Patañjali, and Helena Blavatsky.
