In nearly all dimensions of society, the modern rationalist mentality is playing an increasingly greater role in determining how man approaches the various aspects of his life, religion being no exception. This new perspective inevitably leads to a dilemma in the minds of spiritual practitioners: how does one reconcile the apparent conflicts between the religions without simply affirming one and denouncing all others as false? Focusing primarily on the dialogue between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Martin Lings explains how a follower of each of these traditions can recognize the legitimacy of the others. Lings challenges the possibility that God could provide only one path to Salvation while simultaneously allowing such widespread diversity of belief.

Author Schuon begins this brief survey: "The Western mentality has given rise to four metaphysical perspectives which are either perfect or at least satisfactory as the case may be, namely: Platonism, including Neo-Platonism; Aristotelianism; Scholasticism; Palamism." He then suggests where the works of the philosophers Kierkegaard (in particular), as well as Heidegger and Pascal are situated in regard to those four metaphysical perspectives.

In this article, Frithjof Schuon argues against Epicurus’ formulation of the problem of evil. As Schuon explains, the world’s remoteness from God necessarily implies a degree of perversion, making the concept of a world without evil absurd. Although God is all-powerful in relation to the world, Omnipotence does not imply the ability to will the absurd. Schuon’s perspective is presented alongside those of many other prominent philosophers, including Plato, Plotinus, and St. Thomas.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr summarized this essay as describing "the metaphysical significance of mâyâ as both veil and principle of relativization and manifestation of the Absolute." Although the terms Âtmâ and mâyâ come from the Vedantic tradition, the essay includes examples of a number of Christian doctrines considered from the standpoint of these metaphysical principles.

Both Indian Cosmology and modern science constitute attempts to understand the cosmos at its most basic level. However, modern science is essentially materialistic, seeking an explanation of the universe in terms of "basic particles", whereas Hindu Cosmology is concerned with non-substantial, "basic principles." The adoption of science as the ultimate approach to understanding the cosmos is based on the assumption that the universe must be reduceable to physical phenomena alone. Ian Watson offers Hindu Vedānta, which rejects this notion, as an alternative.

Between Platonic philosophy and Christian theology there exists a contrast regarding the role of logic in understanding divine Reality. According to Platonist thought, there is nothing within the structure of divine Reality which does not conform to logical analysis. This led the Platonists to dismiss such doctrines as the Trinity as absurd. Christian theology, while not denying the validity and significance of logic, maintain that metaphysicial Reality is beyond the reach of logic, and as such can only be express in paradoxical terms.

The modern age is one in which error and evil are regarded as having equal standing to that of truth and goodness, and beauty is seen as a frivolous luxury that must be sacrificed for the purposes of economic growth. Lord Northbourne refutes these ideas by demonstrating the metaphysicial link between truth, goodness, and beauty, showing that goodness cannot be found in error or illusion, and that beauty is not a "subjective impression or pleasurable accident," but an "essential aspect of reality itself."

Roger Lipsey discusses the philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy. Lipsey uses Coomaraswamy’s philosophy of each individual being comprised of an outer and an inner man, “man and the Man in this man”, and uses this to examine Coomaraswamy’s life through his search for self-knowledge. Thus in discussing his philosophies and his search for truth, we can better understand him.

Alan Watts considered himself for a time to be among the contemporaries of Schuon, Guénon, and other exponents of the Perennial Philosphy, but later disassociated himself from the movement. In this article, Whitall N. Perry delivers a thorough critique of the perspective outlined in Watts’ book, Beyond Theology, linking his ideas to those of J. Krishnamurti, also known as Alcyone. In the course of this discussions he highlights several key differences between traditional metaphysics and the form of spirituality referred to by Watts as “Godmanship.” He concludes by listing the common characteristics found among all such “spokesmen for a New Religion”.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr examines the Zoroastrian and Islamic traditions within the context of the history of Persia. Nasr notes that "although these traditions are of different nature and structure, they are related most of all by the fact that they are authentic traditions and not something else, that is, they are messages from the world of the spirit differing in their outward form but united in their inner essence." Thus, while many forms will be different in the two traditions, underlying principles will often found to be similar. In this essay, Nasr is primarily concerned with some "basic doctrines and themes which have appeared in one form or another in the religion, mysticism and philosophy of Persia throughout its history and which characterize the intellectual and spiritual life of the Persians in their totality." He surveys those doctrines and themes to show how they have formed an essential part of the overall Persian spiritual worldview.

"The Human Margin" may be one of the most important essays written by the prolific Schuon. It is a detailed, carefully developed explanation of how and why the divine influence "always allows for a 'human margin' [within revealed religious traditions] where it exerts itself only in an indirect fashion, yielding to ethnic or cultural factors." This margin takes into account human limitations and imperfections as well as the best of human qualities, providing a diversity of doctrinal interpretations and spiritual paths that can accommodate the full range of human types and conditions. Schuon surveys many traditions and doctrines, but focuses on Christian forms to illustrate his thesis, which is central to understanding what has been called the underlying unity of religions, as well as theological divergences within a single tradition.

"The Human Margin" may be one of the most important essays written by the prolific Schuon. It is a detailed, carefully developed explanation of how and why the divine influence "always allows for a 'human margin' [within revealed religious traditions] where it exerts itself only in an indirect fashion, yielding to ethnic or cultural factors." This margin takes into account human limitations and imperfections as well as the best of human qualities, providing a diversity of doctrinal interpretations and spiritual paths that can accommodate the full range of human types and conditions. Schuon surveys many traditions and doctrines, but focuses on Christian forms to illustrate his thesis, which is central to understanding what has been called the underlying unity of religions, as well as theological divergences within a single tradition.

In this essay Frithjof Schuon clarifies common misconceptions among Westerners concerning the apparently "absurd" and "paradoxical" nature of the koan in Zen Buddhism. Its essential nature is not its "absurdity" or illogicality. Its role, rather, is to express "the spiritual experience of a given master in a symbolical—and intentionally paradoxical—form, the significance of which is only verifiable by undergoing the selfsame experience" of satori (illumination). The fundamental intention of Zen and the koan is thus the supernatural perception of things in the "Eternal Present", a state wherein the mind "finds itself rooted in the Absolute, both intellectually and existentially". As a corrective to current individualistic and anti-traditional misunderstandings of Zen in the West, Schuon also emphasizes the essential relationship between traditional Zen practice and the use of canonized sacred texts taught and read within the community of Buddhist practitioners.

By first observing the difference in critical faculty between Eastern and Western thought, Frithjof Schuon considers the use of truisms in religious literature as they affect religious thought and action. The hyperbolic nature of religious writings and truisms contain more than moral lessons particular to a certain faith, but also include implications that relate to a wider realm of faith and belief. The impracticalities of religious teachings, in such parables as the camel passing through the eye of a needle or the spiritual man who is perfect to the point of disappearance speak less about spiritual effort then about the Divine existence. The tendency in religious practice to interpret these sayings as literal is derived from a tendency toward intellections and therefore results in religious moralism. Schuon explores the balance between this intellectualism and more typically Eastern thought.

Citing examples from Islamic, Christian, and Buddhist doctrine, Schuon discusses various concepts of Reality, Goodness, Manifestation, the Absolute, Infinity, and All Possibility: “If in our daily experience we are confronted by things that are real at their own level—if ‘such and such’ realities actually exist in the world—this is because before all else there is Reality ‘as such’, which is not the world but by which the world comes to be. And if the world exists, it is because Reality as such, or the Absolute, includes Infinity or All-possibility, from which the world is a consequence and of which it is a content.”

In this article, Lings discusses the idea of the Uncreated Principial Substance in relation to the Christian doctrine of original sin, as well as common 20th century attitudes towards human evolution. The author claims that it is a “sign of the times” that most modern people capitulate unconsciously and blithely to a diminished awareness of the divine presence. Rather than reacting strongly to this critical deprivation, which has been brought about through the actions of some who are not held accountable, instead modern men believe that they are now better than at any time in history.

The importance of belief and the relation between belief and understanding are discussed in this article. Schuon makes the point that it is important to believe in something, even if one doesn’t fully understand it. The distinction between symbol and faith are also discussed here; Schuon argues that faith is akin to love, and that a path of faith or love is often chosen over one of reason. Another distinction examined here is the one between the ‘dry’ and ‘moist’ paths, where the dry is of course one of reason and speculation on Truth, while the moist is focused on love and faith. The article concludes with an examination of some specific paths where these principles of ‘dry’ and ‘moist’, faith-based and reason-based paths are present.

Guénon discusses the symbolism of ‘the language of the birds’, found throughout religious tradition. Citing passages from Christian, Hindu, and Islamic sources, Understanding ‘the language of the birds’ often refers, according to Guénon, to understanding the language of the angels “which is symbolized in the human world by rhythmic language.” Guénon goes on to discuss the meaning of poetry as was originally understood – to be a comprehension of the Divine.

Philosopher Frithjof Schuon examines the “Virgin Mary not solely in her quality as Mother of Jesus, but above all as Prophetess for all the descendants of Abraham.” Schuon discusses her symbolic role as personification of Equilibrium in the Bible and Divine Generosity in the Koran, quoting extensively from both texts. He also expands on the ‘Marian knowledge’ to be gained from both of these texts, providing numerous passages.

Pierre Grison’s article deals with the Taoist spiritual text of the Golden Flower (T'ai-yi kin-hua tsong-che). Grison devotes his article in part to reclaiming the text from its famous commentary by physiatrist Carl Jung; detailing the erroneous conclusions that come from a person who is not a legitimate authority on spiritual matters dissecting a profound religion text. “A Taoist text, probably of late but ambiguous date, together with a commentary of the XVIIIth century whereof the tendencies, when all's said and done, do not always coincide exactly with those of the text thus commented upon.” He continues, giving his own explanation and interpretation of the text, supplying comparisons where valid, and contrasting his deciphering of the text with that of Jung’s.