It had finally found me. Tucked away in a dusty forgotten corner of Payson Library was a first edition copy of Aldous Huxley’s 1945 masterpiece “The Perennial Philosophy.” Huxley a British intellectual and author renowned for his pacifism and spiritual humanism had long fascinated me as a mysterious figure that fused academia with an open appreciation for mystic experience— though I had never actually read any of his works. This summer I determined to change that and each day after my morning courses I would leave Pepperdine’s sleepy campus and take the book to the beach behind Ralphs cracking the hardcover tome open while puffing lightly on my late great uncle’s old briarwood tobacco pipe.
You might be more familiar with Huxley as the author of “Brave New World” or even “The Doors of Perception a book that describes his use of psychedelic substances with the intent of expanding consciousness and awareness. (The title, taken from a celebrated poem written decades earlier by William Blake, aptly inspired Jim Morrison to name his band The Doors.) Far from a burnt-out hippie or countercultural pop-icon, however, Huxley today is considered one of the foremost intellectuals of the 20th century.
One of the oft-overlooked reasons for his celebrated legacy is the contribution he made to spiritualist thought, eloquently expressed in The Perennial Philosophy.” In the work he elaborates upon a “Highest Common Factor in all preceding and subsequent theologies” that serves as the essential aim of all true religion. He evenhandedly rejects both the worldly materialism and dogmatic ritualism that currently dominate modern society and compiles quotations from authors throughout history from nearly every religious tradition that all essentially communicate the same message: If we surrender our ego to the all-encompassing yet infinitely personal embrace of God we become one with the “Ground” of all things.
According to Huxley this Ground has been termed different names in diverse traditions such as the “Brahman” of Advaita Vedanta Hinduism the transcendent “Absolute” of Christian mystics like St. Bernard of Clairvaux and the “Beloved” of Rumi and other Islamic Sufi poets. Ultimately though they are simply different names for the same spiritual concept— only colored by culture historical context and individual experience. Indeed in all of these traditions unity between the individual and this Ground is considered the highest aim of religion and the apex of human existence.
This all sounds quite wonderful but you may ask (and justifiably so): “How does Huxley’s paradigm affect our daily life?” Let’s break it down. In contrast to the separated view of reality held by dualistic Western Christianity (and also implicit in Pepperdine’s stated mission) Huxley’s monistic thought merges the spiritual and physical realms together into one comprehensive whole. Though on the surface this distinction may seem quite abstract and meaningless the differences are fundamental. For instance would you believe that God is most directly found without or within yourself?
“Both the monist would answer, because both the divine without and within are but reflections and emanations of the same essential Being.”
On a slightly less cosmic note it’s interesting to speculate how Pepperdine could evolve if it adopted some of the principles of “The Perennial Philosophy.” The university would be encouraged to keep its spiritual purpose at the forefront of its mission but would be more freely able to accept students from other diverse traditions that share a common commitment to spiritual growth.
Despite the current relative lack of universal sagacity on Pepperdine’s campus however Huxley offers some hope: “If one is not oneself a sage or saint the best thing one can do in the field of metaphysics is to study the works of those who were.” If you’re up for a little digging you should go on a spiritual hunt in Payson sometime— I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.