In this work a distinguished scholar of Islamic religion examines the
mysticism and psychological thought of the great eleventh-century
Persian philosopher and physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina), author of over a
hundred works on theology, logic, medicine, and mathematics. Henry
Corbin's discovery in an Istanbul library of the manuscript of a Persian
translation of and commentary on Avicenna's Hayy ibn Yaqzan, written
in Arabic, led him to an analysis of three of Avicenna's mystical
"recitals." These form an initiatory cycle leading the adept along the
path of spiritual progress. In Part I Corbin summarizes the great themes
that show the philosophical situation of Avicennan man in the cosmos and
presents translations of these three great Avicennan recitals. Part II
is a complete translation, with notes, of the Persian commentary.
Originally published in 1960.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand
technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from
the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions
preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting
them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the
Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich
scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by
Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.