Schuon's point of departure - far from being his own personal message - is the Vedantic discernment between the real and the illusory, then concentration upon the real. This collection of essays provides an unusually rich description of what constitutes the prerogatives and fulfilment of the human state. Schuon is indispensable in providing the conceptual framework for the reader who is seeking a perspective that is rooted in tradition, integrally human and above the impasses of confessional theologies.