The Multiple States of the Being

by Samuel D. Fohr and René Guénon

Book Overview

The Multiple States of the Being is the companion to, and the completion of, The Symbolism of the Cross, which, together with Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta, constitute Ren Gu non's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0900588594
• ISBN13: 9780900588594
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Sophia Perennis et Universalis
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Little precious book

When I was a kid, I thought much about existence, and I eventually came to a conclusion. I was very happy, because it seemed to me like a real, very satisfying explanation having nothing to do with religious metaphorical storytelling. I tried to explain it to my grandmother, but she dismissed me with her usual pragmatic tone saying "Beware, because everyone who starts to think too much ends up either crazy or suicidal". Later I forgot that I had been once interested in the problem, decided that "why does anything exist?" wasn't a real question and set to mock everyone else who acted philosophical by mercilessly proving to them that they were just abusing language in order to construct a problem that, while reflecting a normal human desire, had actually no meaning. Many years later I started reading Guenon (I had been delaying this so long because for some reason I considered it just a smug, armchair version of Evola), I eventually came to this book and I was smitten. It was the same "explanation" of which I had been so happy. So, the first thing you have to know about "The multiple states of the being" is that the theory explained in it is not a philosophical system. It is something very natural, something that even a kid could think of, although it takes all the skill of a master to state such an abstract idea in such a clear and concise way. It doesn't require "hard study", acquaintance with philosophy or esoterism, or a knowledge of any kind of jargon. This is a little, precious book which only asks to be read with great attention and respect to unlock its treasure. I could say that "The Multiple States of the Being" expounds the theoretical side of initiation, a rough map of what is possible to the being and why, but that wouldn't give an idea of what to expect from it, so I will first tell you what makes this book special. First of all, it's not based on a particular symbolism or a particular way to interpret "higher" knowledge in terms of familiar human models, like almost all other esoteric works are. Indeed it's so careful in its use of symbols and metaphors, that one would be tempted to say that this must be the more abstract way to explain the subject, the most generalized map, conceding to the structure of human mind just enough to be comprehensible to it. Sometimes you almost have the feeling you are reading a mathematical treatise. Second, and this is a huge difference that puts it in a category in itself, far above other explanations of the being: it completely satisfies human reason. As far as religion is concerned, for example, every question obtains only an incomplete answer. If you keep inquiring and finding holes in that answer it always ends up in some dogma, some "mystery" that can not be grasped by human reason. Ultimately, your question remains without an answer. That doesn't happen with Guenon's exposition. It completely fills the glass of reason up to the brim. It answers all the questions, and even satisfies that bu

Infinity and Possibility

This book has a reputation for being the most difficult of Guenon's purely metaphysical works. Perhaps this is because it is an explanation, or rather introduction, to the totality of Creation- manifest, unmanifest, higher, lower, and probable. Here are described the manifest worlds of the material plane (the least part of creation), the higher planes of more subtle states (touched upon in _The Symbolism of the Cross_ as lying along the vertical axis), and all the possible, but unmanifested worlds on any plane (which sounds remarkably like the modern conception of the "multiverse.") Yet, it is pointed out that all of this still falls far short of true infinity- it is a small included subset of the unlimited Source. The human intersection with creation is also covered. This includes hints of "non-corporeal modalities" of human existence and consciousness. This covers simultaneously existing aspects of human consciousness on higher planes, that ordinary waking consciousness is ordinarily unaware of (yet, which comprise the greater part of consciousness.) Above all, it is emphasized that the human state is in reality only one small state of manifestation among countless others. There are an unlimited number of levels in the hierarchy of degrees of existence. Moreover, the human state occupies no privileged place in the ensemble of universal existence- the human state is in no way "metaphysically distinguished" in relation to other states. It just happens to be the state where most of us find ourselves at the present. That is all it is. If there is anything "special" about the human state, it lies in that spark of the Divine that lies at the heart of all of us, where the divine ray intersects with gross matter. And this intersection can occur at any point on the vertical axis of creation. It is also suggested that nonhuman, never human, entities share this creation with us. All of this is not just idle "New Age" speculation; these are the conclusions of Guenon, the great metaphysician and mathematician.

Infinity and possibility

This book has a reputation for being the most difficult of Guenon's purely metaphysical works. Perhaps this is because it is an explanation, or rather introduction, to the totality of Creation- manifest, unmanifest, higher, lower, and probable. Here are described the manifest worlds of the material plane (the least part of creation), the higher planes of more subtle states (touched upon in _The Symbolism of the Cross_ as lying along the vertical axis), and all the possible, but unmanifested worlds on any plane (which sounds remarkably like the modern conception of the "multiverse.")Yet, it is pointed out that all of this still falls far short of true infinity- it is a small included subset of the unlimited Source.The human intersection with creation is also covered. This includes hints of "non-corporial modalities" of human existence and consciousness. This covers simultaneously existing aspects of human consciousness on higher planes, that ordinary waking consciousness is ordinarily unaware of (yet, which comprise the greater part of consciousness.)Above all, it is emphacised that the human state is in reality only one small state of manifestation among countless others. there are an unlimited number of levels in the hierarchy of degrees of existence. Moreover, the human state occupies no priveleged place in the ensemble of universal existence- the human state is in no way "metaphysically distinguished" in relation to other states. It just happens to be the state where most of us find ourselves at the present. That is all it is. If there is anything "special" about the human state, it lies in that spark of the Divine that lies at the heart of all of us, where the divine ray intersects with gross matter. And this intersection can occur at any point on the vertical axis of creation. It is also suggested that nonhuman, never human, entities share this creation with us. All of this is not just idle "New Age" speculation, these are the conclusions of Guenon, the great metaphysician and mathematician.