Now that the first year is completed for Studies in Comparative Religion, the editor F Clive Ross feels that it is important to acknowledge that the choice of a new title, that better reflects the actual emphasis in topics and articles, was a wise one. According to Mr Ross, the journal has already received wider circulation and they are anticipating a rise in articles about interesting and diverse topics, written by well known thinkers in this field. The editor prepares readers for an expanded edition of 64 pages in the winter season, but which unfortunately includes a higher cost as well. The editor encourages readers to continue their support and to spread the word to their friends regarding this journal.

In this article, Frithjof Schuon examines the issue of disharmony found in the world and in human life, and he makes the point that all the sufferings found in life cannot be eased by worldly things. Physical “progress” according to Schuon has no power to reconcile inward struggles, only spiritual sanctification can. This article also examines how the effects of evil cannot be eliminated without understanding the cause, or the evil itself. This subject is analyzed primarily within the context and terminology of Christianity. Using the concept of ‘sin’ and quotes such as “seek ye first the Kingdom of God”, Schuon delves into the topic of finding cessation from worldly troubles.

The idea of physical objects as tools within Hindu rituals that take humans to the Divine, is the main subject of this article. Sharma examines how the image in Hindu rituals is a focal point for worship, but not the thing worshipped. The actual techniques used in rituals are outlined in this article, and the concentration of these rituals is primarily within villages rather than large temples. The physical depiction of deities, and how they vary depending on the specific god in the village temple or city temple, is also examined here. Sharma concludes his article with the point that images are designed to embody the deities and their presence, but are not actually the deities themselves.

In this article, Kelly outlines some of the problems encountered from a western study of eastern religions. One of these problems is that Christians often perceive the differences of another tradition compared to their own. The author claims that in this study of eastern traditions through the lens of a western one, there must be an interior rather than an exterior approach. Kelly also says that the truth found in Hinduism is ultimately similar to the truth of Christ. Other topics considered here are the possible western responses to ideas found in Hinduism, such as ‘God as Self’, or ‘That art Thou’. The article concludes with some specific ideas and passages taken from western and eastern thinkers like St Thomas Aquinas, Shankara and Ramana Maharshi.

The pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam, and thus is an important sign of an individual’s faith. In this article by Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din we find a firsthand account of this significant journey through the author’s eyes as he made it. Resembling a travel journal this article describes the journey to Mecca, what the people were like during the journey and at the Kaaba, as well as a description of the Kaaba itself. Siraj ad-Din provides the reader with some background history of Mecca as well as some explanation of why the pilgrimage is so important. By tracing his journey from beginning to end, and providing information on such things as the position of the sun, and how this relates to the daily prayers and activities around the Kaaba the author presents a comprehensive account of this significant pilgrimage.

The life and spiritual place of Oda Sessô Rôshi, a Japanese Zen master, is the main topic of this article. The reader is given an account of how this man from an early age became interested in Zen, and then later went to a mountain temple to practice. This article provides a description of some of the work that Oda Sessô Rôshi did in his practice and with his students. Some of this work included his use of words in Zen koans to help people in their practice. According to Schlogel he was a very important Zen master. And after his death in 1966 it was said of him “true teacher that he was, living he had shown how to live, dying he showed how to die…”

In his review of Herbert’s book Shinto the Fountainhead of Japan, Sebastian Swann states that he was initially hopeful that the book would provide an accurate analysis of Japanese Shintoism through western eyes. However, he claims that “the thirty years which the author spent in patient research, in travel, in tireless questioning of priests and professors have resulted in a book that is virtually unreadable”. One of the problems with the book, according to Swann, is the fact that Herbert fails to recognize the historical changes and developments of Shinto. The reviewer concludes that “it seems tragic that so much patient research over so many years should in the end benefit neither the scholar nor the general reader.”

Martin Lings reviews the book The Eastern Key by Kitab al–ifadah wa l-i’tibar of Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, which was translated from the Arabic into English by K Hafuth Zand, John A and Ivy E Videan. According to the reviewer, this combination of original Arabic, and English translation, is an abridged version of a more lengthy work by the author. This book has essentially been divided into two parts, “the first is a general description of Egypt, its fauna and flora, the Egyptians themselves and the food they eat and above all the remains of the civilization of Ancient Egypt”. While the second part “is about the Nile and about the terrible famine which took place at the turn of the century”.

Mr Faust addresses the ideas of Guenon regarding reincarnation with some criticism, he feels that Guenon is confusing the subject. According to Faust “Guenon rather peremptorily dismisses a very human argument for Reincarnation-on the grounds of justice…” Faust claims that Guenon is “confusing identity and equality” because of his argument that “had the individuals been perfectly equal they would have been alive in all respects”. The issue of time and perfection in relation to Guenon’s thinking is the main problem that the writer has with the question of reincarnation. Mr Faust concludes that “we can, I think, fairly easily imagine cases in which two vastly different people receive equal justice.”

In this letter, Lois Lang-Sims lists some “general tendencies” of the Roman Catholic Church with which she is concerned. Her anxiety regarding the deviation from traditional ideas to more modern practices is expressed throughout the letter. This includes the leadership of the Church, as the writer believes the “lay person is more obviously incapable than ever before.”