Guardians of the Sundoor: Late Iconographic Essays (Volume 1) (Quinta Essentia series)

When this book was first published in 2004 there was no fanfare to announce it's arrival. There was none of the hoopla like that which accompanied the autobiography of Mark Twain. It was as if a silent bomb had been dropped in our midst, and hardly anyone had noticed it. I bought and read this book when it first came out, but never wrote a review of it until now. The idea of rating and critiquing it seemed absurd. It had also rendered me speechless. However, after years of reflecting on it, I felt the need to offer an account of it for those interested.The essays it contains are the last writings of the late Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, which have languished in obscurity since his death in 1947. Special thanks then to the patron Peter Schroeder for recognizing the value of this material, to the publisher Fons Vitae for rescuing it from oblivion and making it accessible to the public, and last but not least to the editor Robert Strom for accomplishing the formidable task of organizing the texts and illustrations into a coherent whole. There are not many people alive today who are even qualified to handle this material. The footnotes alone of this book can provide a lifetime of study.Chances are, if you're reading this, you are already well acquainted with the work of Dr. Coomaraswamy. If not... Dear reader, you are at the threshold of a world of knowledge that, in the past, one had to be initiated into. In this democratic age, it is readily available to anyone. These writings by Dr. Coomaraswamy, which were written at the height of his intellectual powers, were probably not intended for the general reader. However, for those self-directed readers who found there way to this page, there is much knowledge to be gained from this slender volume.For those who are unfamiliar with the good doctor's work, I will offer a brief explanation. For many years it had been the general consensus among scholars of art, that the mysterious artworks of many ancient civilizations were nothing more than a reflection of the primitive and backward beliefs of barbaric people, and were for the most part, incomprehensible. After many years of close study, Coomaraswamy realized that not only is that assessment incorrect, but that these images and symbols are in fact the articulation of a sophisticated philosophy of metaphysics and ontology. Recognizing that every image, every ritual, every mythology, even every word that we utter, is part of a lineage; he was able to reconstruct and decipher the import of these images, and explain their deeper meaning. There are vestiges of these teachings that permeate our world, only we do not recognize them because their original and true meaning have been forgotten. Dr. Coomaraswamy often used his knowledge of etymology to decipher and explain the meaning of various things. For an example, the word "quintessential", in our modern usage means "a perfect example of something". However, if you take this word apart, "quinta" meaning five, and "essentia" meaning essence or element, the true meaning of this word is "fifth element". The Greeks called the fifth element "ether", which corresponds to the Indian concept of "prana" and the Chinese concept of "Qi". This being not merely another element, it represents the primordial medium which all other elements are a manifestation of. This subject is discussed in more detail in this book in the essay "The Concept of Ether in Greek and Indian Cosmology".Most importantly, what his work made apparent is that, what these artworks reveal are not merely the obscure thoughts of archaic people, but rather, the roots and esoteric core of all the worlds religions.Some contemporaries of Coomaraswamy accused him of reading into the artworks, meaning that was not there. He argued that in fact it was they who were projecting their own modern mentality onto the works and judging them through that lens, which is the reason for their incomprehension and dismissive attitude towards them. The case he makes for the interpretation of these works is far more convincing than those accusations. He also often stressed that what he is expounding is not a philosophy of his invention, he is merely deciphering the meaning of these works and the cosmology they embody. Of course none of this would have any value if it did not relate to us now in the present, and it does. To quote Dr. Coomaraswamy: "all the dragons, walls and inactive doors of the myths are nothing but the symbols of our own inadequacies and failures."On that note, I feel that I can never adequately do justice to this book, or the work of this man as a whole; you just have to read it for yourself. After doing so, if you feel you have derived benefit from it, I also highly recommend the writings of Mircea Eliade, Rene Guenon, and Frithjof Schoun.

This is one of those rare books that takes your mind to other places and has you stepping outside of your comfort zone of speed reading through pages. If you're looking to gain knowledge and hone your thinking skills, buy this book now .

AKC is the greatest aesthete since Aristotle. This follows in the tradition of the seminal CHRISTIAN AND ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY OF ART.

Content is supposed to be great- however, I expected this book to be a little more that about 170 pages- I didn't read the fine print I guess.My assumption (and there you go- never assume) was that a book of this caliber would be a thick, leather-bound, voluminous...maybe this is a shallow review, but I was looking for a lot more reading material from this author as his books are worthy of your time my friends.

Very happy with the book! in excellent shape. Essential in order to understand the way to remember continallywhat is really necessary to the soul!

This is a collection of some of the LAST works by Dr. AK Coomaraswamy which have NEVER before been published, the articles in this book will be a treasure to anyone into Perennial Philosophy/ Gnosticism, and ancient greek and Indian symbolism. I must tell you that I personally own many 1000s of books, the best of the best ever written on the topics of Platonism, Indian Philosophy, and perennial philosophy, and Dr. A.K. Coomaraswamy's works are absolutely THE best and most intelligently written amongst all that I have; I read them over and over. His work is typified by ungodly and amazingly pithyness; Coomaraswamy says more in one page than most people cant spit out in 50 pages. The present work, even though Dr. Coomaraswamy has been dead now for MANY decades, is the first time these specific works have come to light for the reader, and they are incredible. Anyone that has not read the works of Dr. A.K. Coomaraswamy has missed the best of the best that exists on the topic of philosophy, religion, symbolism, and general metaphysics,.....this work "GUARDIANS OF THE SUNDOOR", contain articles written very late in his life, and really represent the maximum brilliance of his works as his already brilliant mind progressed. As a person (myself) that hates most EVERYTHING written on the topics of metaphysics and ontological philosophy, this is the one person that stands out above all else. If youve ever read a book, and most havent, that was so great that you said to yourself: "my Lord, this is it, brilliant...i cant wait to read it again",.......this is that book. This book deserves everyone of five stars... by contrast, most all my book reviews are one stars. Of the hundreds of people ive recommended Dr. Coomaraswamy to, all have greatly thanked me, some have even fallen over themselves in thanks,... youll love this book, its a very rare gem amongst a Mountain of other books which are pure trash on the same subjects.