"...the Imagination (or love, or sympathy, or any other sentiment) induces knowledge, and knowledge of an 'object' which is proper to it..."
Henry Corbin (1903-1978) was a scholar, philosopher and theologian. He was a champion of the transformative power of the Imagination and of the transcendent reality of the individual in a world threatened by totalitarianisms of all kinds. One of the 20th century’s most prolific scholars of Islamic mysticism, Corbin was Professor of Islam & Islamic Philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Teheran. He was a major figure at the Eranos Conferences in Switzerland. He introduced the concept of the mundus imaginalis into contemporary thought. His work has provided a foundation for archetypal psychology as developed by James Hillman and influenced countless poets and artists worldwide. But Corbin’s central project was to provide a framework for understanding the unity of the religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His great work Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi is a classic initiatory text of visionary spirituality that transcends the tragic divisions among the three great monotheisms. Corbin’s life was devoted to the struggle to free the religious imagination from fundamentalisms of every kind. His work marks a watershed in our understanding of the religions of the West and makes a profound contribution to the study of the place of the imagination in human life.

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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Temenos Academy Lectures in March - Islamic Art & Rumi

 

On 12 March at the Royal Asiatic Society Jason Elliott will give a lecture entitled "An Approach to Symbolism in Islamic Art." Jason Elliott is the author of two highly-praised and award-winning books, An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan and Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran. Admission £5 or £3.50.

Later in the month we are delighted to welcome again from Iran Temenos Academy Fellow Dr. Hossein M. Ghomshei, to give a course of four lectures on "The Mystical Teachings and Poetry of Rumi." The dates of the lectures are 19, 21, 26 and 28 March; the venue is the Royal Asiatic Society. Dr. Ghomshei describes the first lecture, Rumi and the Perennial Philosophy, as follows:

"This lecture will open with a brief introduction to the Perennial Philosophy and the rich historical background that supports it. Rumi then enters the scene with his magnum opus the Mathnavi, the most comprehensive expression of the Perennial Philosophy in the East. The lecture will then offer a detailed discussion of each of the basic ingredients of the Perennial Philosophy, supported by delightful illustrative tales from the Mathnavi. The conclusion will focus on how such ideas and ideals can be enhanced to serve the cause of peace and love in the ultra-modern world, raging with war and violence."
Admission £5 or £3.50 per lecture.
Posted by Tom Cheetham at 12:00 AM

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