Frithjof Schuon
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Frithjof Schuon (June 18, 1907 - May 5, 1998) was a metaphysician, poet, painter and a leading figure of traditional metaphysics. Born in Basel to German parents, he received his initial education in German and then in French, when his family moved to Mulhouse. He was interested in Islam in Paris, where he worked vigorously to learn Arabic and consequently, he visited Algeria and Egypt. During 1950s and 1960s, he made contact with Native Americans (Sioux and Crow tribes) and worked on their life and art styles. He died in Bloomington. Some of his major publications are The Transcendent Unity of Religions, Esoterism as Principle and as Way, In the Tracks of Buddhism, Stations of Wisdom, Logic and Transcendence, Spiritual Perspectives and Human Facts, Light on the Ancient Worlds, Survey of Metaphysics and Esoterism (1986), The Feathered Sun: Plains Indians in Art and Philosophy (1990) and Understanding Islam (1994). For a very well informed overview of Frithjof Schuon's life and teachings, see "Frithjof Schuon, Life and Teachings", Jean-Baptiste Aymard and Patrick Laude, SUNY Press, Albany, 2004, and also the website www.frithjof-schuon.com.
Along with René Guénon and Ananda Coomaraswamy, Schuon is regarded as one of the three founders of the Traditionalist School.