Spirituality Studies 11-1 Spring 2025 3 Patrick Laude Patrick Laude, Ph.D. is Professor of Religious Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar. His scholarly work is in comparative religion with a focus on contemplative and metaphysical traditions. Laude has authored a dozen books, including Surrendering to the Self: Ramana Maharshi’s Message for the Present (2021), Keys to the Beyond: Frithjof Schuon’s Cross-traditional Language of Transcendence (2020), and Shimmering Mirrors: Reality and Appearance in Contemplative Metaphysics East and West (2017). He has published over a hundred articles in academic journals and has contributed numerous chapters to books. His email contact is laudep@georgetown.edu. Received November 10, 2024 Revised November 29, 2024 Accepted November 30, 2024 Key words Symbolism, mysticism, eye, non-dualism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam Patrick Laude The symbol of the eye is widespread in mystical writings, and it covers a wide spectrum of meanings and intents. This is due, no doubt, to the fact that visual perception involves a multiplicity of aspects and standpoints. The following study, based on scriptural and mystical excerpts from Christian, Platonic, Hindu, and Islamic sources, is limited to a consideration of the metaphysical and spiritual implications of some of the most salient symbolic orientations of the eye. They are the need to correct one’s visual perception, the capacity of the eye to see reality as it is, the inward vision of the heart, and the shift from human eyewitness to divine eyewitness. The following analytic commentaries aim at providing introductory insights into the ways the eye functions as a medium between duality and non-duality. Mystical Perspectives on the Symbolism of the Eye ←← Andrea di Bonaluto, Via veritas, fresco, 1365–66. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
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