Temple & Contemplation (Part 1) by Henry Corbin

Temple and Contemplation

brings together for the first time in Englishfive of Professor Corbin's lectures, which were originally delivered atsessions of the

Eranos

Conferences in Ascona, Switzerland. HenryCorbin himself outlined the plan for this book, whose title implies acommon centre for these diverse studies. The two essays that openthis collection might appear out of place in the perspective of theTemple; yet Corbin included them precisely to point out that Shiitehermeneutics necessarily leads to a theosophy of the Temple -just asthe Temple itself has no meaning, if we have not the method andontology to lead us there. From a consideration of the philosophy of colours in Islam, followed by a study of the metaphysical and mysticalfoundation of the science of correspondences, "The Science of theBalance", the author proceeds to reflect on the role of the heavenlyTemple, or the archetype of the Temple, in the spiritual traditions of the Religions of the Book. No other work of Corbin brings out moreclearly the hermeneutic correspondences among spiritual visionsbelonging to these religions. Thus we understand why Corbin wishedto link the themes of "Temple" and "Contemplation": the theory of visionary perception allows for the emergence of the Temple, but theprocesses of visionary knowing are themselves based on the eternalpresence of the

Imago Templi.

The Author

After long periods of research spent in Turkey, Syria, the Lebanonand Egypt, Henry Corbin from 1946 organized the Department of Iranology of the Franco-Iranian Institute in Tehran. There, heestablished and directed the "Bibliotheque Iranienne", an importantcollection of editions of original Persian and Arabic texts togetherwith analytical studies. From 1954 until 1974 he held the position of "directeur d'etudes" at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes,Sorbonne (Religious Studies), as the successor of Louis Massignon.Henry Corbin died on 7 October 1978 at the age of 75. His manypublications illustrate a life spent in studies in comparativephilosophy and Islamic concepts.

The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London

The Institute of Ismaili Studies was established in December 1977 withthe object of promoting scholarship and learning in Islam, and a betterunderstanding of its relationship with other faiths, beliefs and practices.Its programmes are designed to encourage a balanced study of Islam,and the strength and diversity of the Islamic heritage within the funda-mental unity of faith. They also deal with issues of modernity that arise asMuslims seek to relate their heritage to the contemporary situation.In carrying out its programmes, the Institute collaborates with differentuniversities. It has been affiliated to McGill University since April 1980,and also works closely with the University of London Institute of Education.With the co-operation of McGill University, the Institute runs a Depart-ment of Graduate Studies and Research (London and Paris), by whomthe series "Islamic Texts and Contexts" is edited jointly with the Publi-cations Department.The views expressed in this series are those of the respective authors.

"Realisme et Symbolisme des Couleurs en Cosmologie Shi'ite" was de-livered at the Eranos conference of 1972, whose general theme was "LeMonde des Couleurs", and was published in

Eranos-Jahrbuch

XLI (1972);"La Science de la Balance et les Correspondances entre les Mondes enGnose Islamique" was delivered at the Eranos conference of 1973, whosegeneral theme was "Le Monde des Correspondances", and was publishedin

Eranos-Jahrbuch

XLII (1973);"Temple Sabeen et Ismaelisme" was delivered under the title "SabianRitual and Ismaili Exegesis of the Ritual", at the Eranos conference of 1950, whose general theme was

Mensch und Ritas.

The paper was published inEranos-Jahrbuch XIX (1950);"La Configuration du Temple de la Ka'ba commc Secret de la VicSpirituelle" was delivered at the Eranos conference of 1965, whose generaltheme was "Form als Aufgabe des Geistes" and was published in

Eranos-Jahrbuch

XXXIV (1965);

"L'Imago Templi face aux Normes Profanes" was delivered at the Eranosconference of 1974, whose general theme was "Avenir et Devenir desNormes", and was published in

Eranos-Jahrbuch

XLIII (1974).Published as a collection, "Temple et Contemplation", by Flammarion,Paris 1980.

Contents

Editorial Note ix1. The Realism and Symbolism of Colours in Shiite Cosmology 12. The Science of the Balance and the Correspondencesbetween Worlds in Islamic Gnosis 553. Sabian Temple and Ismailism 1324. The Configuration of the Temple of the Ka

c

bah asthe Secret of the Spiritual Life 1835. The

Imago Templi

in Confrontation with Secular Norms 263Index 391

vii