Frithjof Schuon's interest in the Plains Indians A civilization's value lies in its sense of the Absolute Sacred nudity is the "heart exteriorized" Sacred nudity and underlying Reality

slide 1 of 4 This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998). Question : Your book The Feathered Sun reveals your interest in the American Indians. May I ask you what the stimulus of this interest or affinity is? Frithjof Schuon: The Red Indians—and especially the Indians of the Plains—have much in common with the Japanese samurai, who very often practiced Zen spirituality; morally and aesthetically speaking, the Plains Indians were one of the most fascinating peoples of the world. It was the great mistake of the 19th century to distinguish only between “civilized people” and “savages”; there are distinctions which are far more real and important, for it is obvious that “civilization” in the ordinary sense is not the highest value of mankind, and also that the term “savage” is not suitable to the Indians. Frithjof Schuon's response to this question is continued on the next slide.