>>24842353 (OP)
René Guénon’s concept of “the Primordial Tradition” (or Tradition primordiale, in French) is one of the central ideas in his metaphysical and esoteric philosophy. It refers to what he believed was the original, universal source of all true spiritual knowledge and wisdom—a divine revelation or supra-human truth that stands behind all authentic religions and sacred traditions.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of what Guénon meant:
1. Definition
The Primordial Tradition is the transcendent and timeless origin of all genuine traditional forms—religions, metaphysics, rites, symbols, and initiatic paths.
It is not a historical tradition, but a metaphysical principle, eternal and outside of time.
For Guénon, this original wisdom:
Comes from a non-human or divine source (i.e., not invented by man).
Contains the complete metaphysical truth about the nature of reality, the cosmos, and the divine.
Was transmitted to humanity at the beginning of the current cycle of manifestation (in Hindu terms, the beginning of the Manvantara).
2. Degeneration and Fragmentation
Over time, according to Guénon, humanity entered into a process of spiritual decline or involution.
The Primordial Tradition fragmented into the various religions and esoteric schools we know today (Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, etc.).
Each of these preserved aspects of the original truth, but few retained it in its full, pure form.
Modernity, in Guénon’s view, represents the complete loss of contact with this primordial wisdom—hence his critique of the “Reign of Quantity” (the modern age dominated by materialism and rationalism).
3. Esoteric Unity
Guénon held that behind the apparent diversity of traditional doctrines, there is a universal metaphysical unity:
All authentic traditions express, in symbolic or doctrinal form, the same underlying truth.
The Primordial Tradition is therefore the common root of the world’s great traditional civilizations.
This idea resonates with the Perennial Philosophy (philosophia perennis), though Guénon insisted that his version was rooted in metaphysical certainty, not syncretism.
