Gerald Heard - The Perennial Philosopher

The first time these vital Gerald Heard articles have all been assembled in one book.

Gerald Heard: The Perennial Philosopher - Writings on Religion and Spirituality is a collection of 49 previously published religious and spiritual writings - ranging from Christianity to Vedanta to various spiritual practices - by influential author-historian-philosopher Gerald Heard (1889-1971). These writings demonstrate the trailblazing inroads Heard made both in disseminating the interfaith Vedanta movement in the West and in popularizing many leading-edge spiritual approaches and practices that are now commonplace.

Writings include the complete Voice of India and (except for one article) the complete Vedanta and the West series, and selected writings from other sources, including The Aryan Path, Christendom, The Christian Century, Faith and Freedom, Religion in Life, as well as a dynamic new compilation from Heard's three early 1940s spiritual books. Altogether, the articles in this collection span the years 1938 to 1963.

Editor John Roger Barrie writes, "Gerald Heard didn't follow trends; he set them. These visionary writings chart the trajectory of an informed spiritual voyager plotting an interreligious route through largely untraversed terrain, leaving a clearly defined trail for those following after. ...

"In this collection, Gerald's main focus is on Vedanta and Christianity. Moreover, he provides brilliant analyses of the human condition, inspired insights into human nature and the inner workings of the mind, intimate details of many spiritual processes, and he knowledgeably discusses various spiritual disciplines whereby a person may apply the principles of the Philosophia Perennis in order to bring about experiential spiritual realization."

This treasury of writings has been thoroughly edited to render them as clear as possible and, in keeping with contemporary usage conventions and sensibilities, to reflect inclusive, gender-neutral, and sensitive wording wherever possible. Five articles have been abridged to improve their readability. All told, this vital collection of diverse writings underscores Gerald Heard's enormous contributions to the spiritual praxis of the past and amply demonstrates his continuing relevance for today.