According to a Findhorn Foundation Press release in 1992:

“We see ourselves as a meeting place for individuals with different spiritual beliefs, not as some form of new religion or cult. Because much of what we do is primarily experiential and to do with inner or subjective experience it is sometimes difficult to describe. We rely heavily on the notion that all spiritual beliefs tend to incorporate a practice of silent meditation or prayer. We believe that it is faith in God, respect for nature and goodwill towards our fellow humans that are important, not the particular form of words used to describe these ideas.”

The Foundation’s Trust Deed also avers that:

“The objects of the trust are the advancement of religion and religious studies and practices in any part of the world by teaching, example and demonstration of the validity of the essential truths of all religions and spiritual teachings and by such means to encourage and help those who sincerely seek by the increase of their Knowledge and the development of their Being to achieve a greater understanding of the purpose and meaning of life and its relationship to God’s universal plan.”

The above statements are not in any way unique. Indeed they are common to many spiritual groups. For example:

“There is one religion and there are many covers. Each of these covers has a name: Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam etc., and when you take off these covers you will find that there is one religion.” (Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of the Sufi tradition in the West)

“Western Europe rejected the perennial philosophy at the Renaissance and has been led step by step to the materialistic philosophy which rejects fundamental human values and exposes humankind to the contrary forces at work in the universe. The only way of recovery is to rediscover the perennial philosophy, the traditional wisdom, which is found in all ancient religions and especially in the great religions of the world. But those religions have in turn become fossilised and have each to be renewed, not only in themselves, but also in relation to one another, so that a cosmic, universal religion can emerge, in which the essential values of Christian religion will be preserved in living relationship with the other religious traditions of the world. This is a task for the coming centuries as the present world order breaks down and a new world order emerges from the ashes of the old.” (Dom Bede Griffiths, Benedictine monk and founder of Shantivanam ashram)

The Foundation thus finds itself in good company and part of a genuine tradition. Nonetheless there are real difficulties with this approach, as Rev. Dr. Frank Whaling has pointed out.

“The thesis of the transcendental unity of all religions also tends to elevate one aspect of religion to supremacy over the others. In the case of the perennial philosophy and the neo-Vedanta the emphasis is placed upon the mystical or metaphysical spirituality. According to them, this is what true religion is really all about. All other aspects, such as community, ritual, ethics, social involvement, sacred text, beliefs, aesthetic awareness, and more outward spiritualities are secondary. Ultimately they may even be non-essential.
Although there is not usually condescension or elitism in the approach based upon mystical spirituality, it is difficult for the imputation of elitism to be completely avoided. Insofar as their hierarchy of interests finds its summit in spirit, it is clear that interior spirituality must be at the height of their concern and that other elements of religious life will be graded lower. Insofar as most religious people are not greatly involved in interior spirituality (for example the Sufi and Hasidic groups in Islam and Judaism are fairly small) the implication must be that they live at a lower level of religious life.
The transcendent unity of all religions therefore is really the transcendent unity of a minority within each religious tradition. And this is achieved by hierarchical weighting of authentic religion in the direction of spirituality.”

There are therefore genuine dangers in what one might call ‘New Age Fundamentalism’. It is common in the Community to hear individuals talking of the metaphorical mountain path to God, and somehow there is often an unspoken assumption that because the perennial philosophy is a pure stream uncluttered with religious iconography that it is therefore to be found close to the summit of the climb[1].

This may be a mistake. The stream may be pure, but your present position on this metaphorical mountain cannot be inferred from this alone. There are surely many individuals bravely battling towards the headwaters of formal traditions who are far above you. Do not underestimate the wisdom they have to offer. To do so can be a glamour – an ego-distortion which will become a distraction rather than a badge of achievement.

The perennial philosophy as the mystical centre of religious thought is the theory which you will work with while you live in this Community. Knowing this is not enough. Embodiment of its teachings is the practice which will take you along and up the path.

 

[1]For example; “Irrevocable commitment to any religion is not only intellectual suicide; it is positive un-faith because it closes the mind to any new vision of the world.” Alan Watts; The Book; Vintage; 1972; page 10.