- In the Beginning Was Consciousness: Dudleian Lecture, Harvard, May 1, 2003 Dr. Nasr begins by noting the unanimity of the sacred scriptures of the religions of the world in recognizing the ontological and temporal primacy of consciousness, and then traces the consequences of the loss of this understanding.
- The Reality to Serve, Love and Know: Trinity Institute, Oregon State University, February 12, 2000 Dr. Nasr approaches his topic, the nature of the Divine and what it means to serve, love, and know God, both metaphysically and from an experiential point of view, stressing both the complete immanence and the absolute transcendence of God.
- Religious and Theological Consequences of Crossing Religious Frontiers: The Tillich Lectures, Harvard University, sponsored by Harvard Divinity School, April 13, 2000 Dr. Nasr explains the necessity, benefits, challenges, and dangers of seeking true encounters with other religions.
- Whence Evil? To Confront and Overcome Evil in Human Life: 35th National Conference of the Trinity Institute, New York (“Naming Evil: an Interfaith Dialogue”), May 3, 2004 Dr. Nasr begins with a metaphysical explanation for evil in the world and then turns his attention to the dangers of false approaches in our response to this evil.
- The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man: 1986 Dr. Nasr explains modern man’s rebellion against the fundamental principles of life, man’s resulting loss of meaning, the Sacred, and the unity of life, and the devastation caused by these losses.
- The Recovery of the Sacred: Tradition and Perennialism in the Contemporary World: Sacred Web Conference, Edmonton, Canada, September 23, 2006 Dr. Nasr explains the call of Perennialism to help the world rediscover and restore the Sacred in the realms of metaphysics, the cosmos and nature, man himself, history, eschatology, the social order, art and music, religions themselves, and the inner unity of religions.
- Spiritual and Religious Roots of the Environmental Crisis: Temenos Academy, London, May 22, 1988 Dr. Nasr reveals the roots of the environmental crisis, and explains why the only solution is to regain the understanding that all creation bears testimony to the Divine Presence, and that man is nature’s vicegerent.
- God and Man: Religious Views and Scientific Perspectives: Summer Chautauqua Morning Lecture, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York, Summer 2001 Dr. Nasr shows the need for a new cosmological paradigm that does not limit the study of causes to the horizontal, but also includes the transcendent.
- Philosophy, Science and Religion from the Eastern Point of View: March 25, 1989 Dr. Nasr contrasts the West’s understanding of religion with that of the East, which because it sees science, religion, and philosophy as integrated, recognizes the hierarchical orders of reality.
- Sufism and Its Power of Integration: Man’s Inner and Outer Life: Second L. M. Singhvi Lecture, Temenos Academy, London, December 4, 1999 Dr. Nasr explains that since only God can possess absolute Oneness, true integration must have a transcendent dimension: any unity in this world is a reflection of Tawhid, Divine Unity. Sufism aims at the integration of the whole person: body, spirit, and soul.
- Images of Islam in the West: Cornell University, March 30, 1993 Dr. Nasr analyzes the origin and lasting power of the West’s false images of Islam and explains the modern-day consequences of the persistence of these images, emphasizing also the times of respect and understanding between the Christian West and Islam.
- How to be a Muslim in America: Islamic Community of Northern California, San Francisco Although this lecture is addressed to Muslims, Dr. Nasr’s remarks will be enlightening to anyone who wonders how to maintain contact with the Sacred while living in a secular society.
- The Importance of the Shari’ah in Islam: Islamic Community of Northern California, San Francisco Dr. Nasr defines the Shari’ah as the concrete embodiment of the Will of God on the level of action, discussing its source and addressing the question of whether it changes with the circumstances.
- The Universal Roots of Sacred Art: The Prince of Wales Institute for Art and Architecture (The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment), London, January 24, 2002 Dr. Nasr identifies the roots of sacred art, showing how its universality shines through the particularity of its language.
- Spirituality and Islamic Art: Royal College of Art, Center for the Study of Traditional Architecture, London, December 6, 1993 Dr. Nasr discusses the main forms of art in Islam and explains how their symbolism relates the lower level of reality to the higher, illustrating his explanation with specific examples of symbolism in Islamic art.
- Autobiographical Talk: Beacon of Knowledge Conference, November 3, 2001 (with subtitles) In this rare autobiographical lecture, Dr. Nasr speaks to an audience that has gathered for a conference in his honor, always addressing the theme of how one can achieve harmony between the inner and the outward life.