"Sacred Web" has been conceived as a journal whose aims will be to identify
Traditional "first principles" and their application to the contingent
circumstances of modernity, and to expose the false premises of modernity
from the perspective of Tradition. The journal will encourage and invite
legitimate debate in this area and will seek to examine the interaction
between Tradition and modernity. It is hoped that the journal will be of
interest to the Traditionalist and general reader alike, concerned about
issues of modernity.

Sacred Web 7: Table of Contents

"Editorial: 'Fundamentalism:' A Metaphysical Perspective"
by M. Ali Lakhani

How can we differentiate between the "fundamentals of a religious tradition
and the "fundamentalist" offences committed in its name? How should we
understand the term "fundamentalism"? This editorial proposes a definition
from the perspective of traditional metaphysics.

"Frithjof Schuon: Paradoxes and Providence"
by Patrick Ringgenberg

Frithjof Schuon, who passed away in 1998, is one of the major figures in the
Traditionalist School. This important article reviews some of Schuon's paradoxical
attitudes that have cast a shadow over his message and person, and examines the
complex relationship between Schuon's personality and his teachings.

"Tradition as Spiritual Function: A 'Perennialist' Perspective"
by Reza Shah-Kazemi

This paper, presented at a symposium on "The Meaning of Tradition," and drawing
from various religious traditions, focuses on the spiritual function of tradition, and
comprises a useful overview of the aims and teachings of the "Perennialist School."

"Preliminary Remarks on Reclaiming the Meaning of 'Religion'"
by Timothy Scott

"The meaning of the term "religion" is examined in this short essay, which yields some
valuable insights about the purpose of religion and its implications for human beings.

"The Nembutsu as Great Practice: Recitation of the Divine Name during the Decadent
Age of the Dharma"
by John Paraskevopoulos

The practice of nembutsu (recitation of the Divine Name) is central to Shin Buddhism.
The author reflects on the origin and meaning of this practice and its relevance as a direct
response to the exigencies of this current decadent age. The article considers the significance
of this practice within the context of the universal doctrine of Divine Invocation as a means of
attaining deliverance within all the great religious traditions.

"Islamic Cosmological Concepts of Femininity and the Modern Feminist Movement"
by Fatima Jane Casewit

This article, by a Muslim woman, approaches the concept of "femininity" from the perspective
of its cosmological roots, and contrasts the complementarity of the genders based on Islamic
metaphysics, with the egalitarian notions of gender relationships espoused by the modern
feminist movement.

"Hopkins and the Metaphysics of Modernity"
by Peter Milward

This delightful personal essay by a leading authority on Gerard Manley Hopkins, is both a
commentary on his poem, "God's Grandeur" and a reflection of Hopkins' view of metaphysics
and its relevance to modernity.

"The Miracle of Ayuverda: Ancient Treatments for Modern Afflictions"
by John Ahmed Herlihy

In this intimate essay, a Muslim describes his sojourn at an Ayurvedic medical center in Kerala,
and describes his experience of the ancient treatments and how their holistic approach compares
with the medical treatments of modern western medicine.

"Life, Death and Resurrection"
by Robert Bolton

If death is a form of cessation, in what sense can one understand the religious notion of resurrection?
This essay ponders this question in the context of the cosmic role of man.

Previous issues include articles by Frithjof Schuon, Ananda K.
Coomaraswamy, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, William Stoddart, Alvin Moore, James
Cutsinger, David Appelbaum, Roger Lipsey, Kenneth Oldmeadow, William Quinn
and others.

Sacred Web (ISSN 1480-6584) is a bi-annual publication devoted to the study
of Tradition and modernity. The journal aims to identify Traditional "first prnciples"
and their application to the contingent circumstances of Modernity. To subscribe,
please mail cheque or money order to "Sacred Web", 147-3300 Capilano Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7R 4H8: Canadian subscriptions: $20 (CD) per issue or $35 (CD) annually; US subscriptions: $15 (US) per issue or $25.00 (US) annually; outside North America, and institutional subscriptions: $20 (US) per issue or $35 (US) annually. Postage prepaid for all subscriptions. Back issues are available at the cost of $20.00 (CD) per issue within Canada, and $20.00 (US) elsewhere.