For the remainder of this blog, which has been an impromptu prelude to a much larger project, I have decided to write in English, for the purposes of my own convenience. Should the larger project at hand succeed, then perhaps, certain sections will be provided in different languages, such as French.
The nature of the upcoming project
What is being planned, is a place where those who have assimilated the concepts highlighted primarily by the signature "Rene Guenon" can gather in a serious way and receive and share practical information that can facilitate genuine transformation. This should be done in a manner that is devoid of certain biases or errors that Guenon had himself. Thus the basis and foundation of such a place will be a thorough, yet disillusioned understanding of these concepts, without any trace of "Guenonism".
The bias and manipulations of Rene Guenon
That said, it will be of use to state some of the biases, errors and blatant manipulations that exist within the work of Rene Guenon. Most of Guenon's biases stem from a misunderstanding of what he saw as "power". In fact, this really is his only bias, from which all the rest flow. Regarding his manipulations, he justified this by appealing to the concept of an essential principle that polarizes itself upon manifesting and he who has effectively realized such a principle can then take on any form, for the realization of a much grander plan. Thus in his activities, he manipulated Masons, Catholics, occultists, Muslims and most of all, his readers when it came to certain topics, such as that of effectively realizing one's own nature. The famous document attributed to Jean Reyor (Marcel Clavelle) highlights these manipulative tendencies properly, and I urge all to read it. Further, a novel that Guenon wrote either in his early twenties or his teenage years also possesses the idea of a mysterious group of people who manipulate everyone around them, taking on any form they please. In fact, one reason (not the main or only reason however) Guenon ran away to Egypt, was because he had betrayed nearly everyone that put their trust in him in the French circles he was acquainted with, when they finally got wind of what he was doing to all of them.
Manipulation has been the planet's theme for a while, especially with regards to "orthodox traditions". In fact, it can be said that manipulation has been one of the cornerstones of esoterism thus far. A symbol in itself, to the duped, is something that it is (ultimately) not, but to the initiated reveals higher truths. The intentional obscurity, carried to a maximum degree in Hermeticism, the intentional obfuscation of the doctrines pertinent to cosmic cycles and how they unfold, the impenetrable veil that surrounds the origin of traditions , the appearance of strangers to infuse a certain region with a certain message, before suddenly vanishing (the famous Hadji Sharif being a good example) and so on, all point to the presence of manipulation throughout human history. Manipulation is thus clearly a "traditional tool", that is used in varying degrees (even within initiatic circles themselves, the "elite within the elite" as an example). It would be naive to believe that Guenon did not instrument this tool, even in his books and articles. I'm not saying that it was "good or bad", I personally do not ascribe importance to morality when it comes to such technical things, however, such manipulations can backfire and become harmful and in the end, can create hopeless dupes as was the case with many "Guenonians". These manipulations can even result in furthering the trend that their originators tried to temper, such as the case of "spiritism", which Guenon admitted was as a consequence of the manipulations of legitimate (but truncated) esoteric orders backfiring badly, such as the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, connected to Max Theon, who Guenon respected to a degree (see the "Spiritist Fallacy").
Guenon misunderstands or misrepresents Power
Guenon's misunderstanding or misrepresentation of Power is present in the entirety of his work, in a similar way that his integral, harmonic and idealistic representation of applied traditional principles to the human social order is.
Guenon's perspective can be summed up in this way: the world must supply enough stability to act as a foundation for a suitable point of departure for the realization of pure being (metaphysics). Everything else is an unnecessary excess and thus can be ignored or better yet, intentionally avoided. He carries this attitude to an extreme degree (which can be justified from a certain point of view, since it would be a countering centripetal tendency that mitigates the centrifugal tendencies towards dissipation that characterize the lowest points of the Kali Yuga).
For Guenon "power" is simply some force that is utilized in the "domain of great illusion" and hence is ultimately a hindrance towards metaphysical realization. It irritates him since it is an agitation that prevents stability and concentration, he wants it to go away. This strange attitude is similarly present, in different forms, in different priesthoods and gnostic groups, from the Brahmins to the Alexandrian Gnostics (allegedly, at the very least). It seems to be an inherent trait of a priesthood inasmuch as it streams down from some pact that arose sometime in human history, after a great cataclysm associated with the excessive use of power understood in the way Guenon does. (Some say this averse attitude towards power arose during the Atlantean era and before that, it simply did not exist).
Guenon's misunderstanding/misrepresentation of Power thus causes him to err whenever anything concerning its action is present. Thus he dismisses Buddhism, because it is credited to a caste associated with power and sees it initially as nothing more than usurpation, an action of power that causes agitation and threatens the stability that a world should offer for the purposes of concentration.
When dealing with the Tantra, Guenon showcases a strange, passive-aggressive attitude, blatantly upset at the unapologetic attitude that the Tantra takes and stressing that the Tantra must be assimilated to the Veda (a priestly monopoly) for it to be legitimate, that the freedom given in the Tantra ought to only be directed towards the realization of metaphysical knowledge and that the Tantric path is presented as a quest, which risks failure. He stresses that power is the lowest way towards knowledge and that such a path can only exist in an era as decadent as the Kali Yuga. [See studies in Hinduism, the chapter that deals with the Tantra as the "fifth veda"].
Guenon's attitude towards the Tantra is rather curious, since it is the same Guenon that said this:
...But some will ask, how is it possible that merely contingent means can produce an effect which immeasurably surpasses them and which is of a totally different order from that to which the instruments themselves belong? We should first point out that these means are, in reality, only fortuitous. The results they help to attain are by no means consequential; they place the being in the position requisite for attainment and that is all. If the above-mentioned objections were valid in this case they would be equally so for religious rites, for the sacraments, for example, where the disproportion between the means and the end is no less; some of those who have raised the above objections might have thought of this too...
[Rene Guenon, Oriental Metaphysics]
Further:
...Thus we see no difficulty in recognizing that there is nothing in common between metaphysical realization and the means leading to it, or, if preferred, which prepare for it...[Ibid.]
Guenon unnecessarily went out of his way however, to state that power is a low means of metaphysical realization which risks failure, in spite of his prior statements. To my recollection, he never did this when referencing any other method and this alone is enough to showcase his innate bias towards his understanding of power. If the means of metaphysical realization are inconsequential, why denigrate power as a means of realizing the same? Shouldn't it be insignificant, if there is no common measure between what is being realized and the way instrumented for its realization?
To his credit, Guenon did admit that whatever was known regarding the Tantra was scarce at the time and that it would be imprudent to make hasty conclusions regarding it. He begrudgingly recommended his readers to consult the works of John Woodroffe, even though in private, he thought little of him. The recommendation is given in an almost dismissive, hasty tone, with a certain disdain directed at the fact that Woodroffe wrote in English...
Having seen in brief, the manner in which Guenon understands power and the ensuing conclusions regarding it which characterize his innate bias, it will be most useful to understand what Power actually is, as it is presented in the Tantra.
The Real Meaning of Power, Ungrasped by Guenon
(To start with, the rigid caste-system does not exist within the Tantra. Therefore, from the beginning, associating power with those that have an outward tendency is something that does not exist. The Tantra's entire understanding of power is not as something that is to be contrasted to a priestly-tendency, wherein those endowed with power ought to submit to those endowed with a contemplative tendency.)
Supreme Power is the very being of ParamaShiwa and as such it is inseparable from him. This is the highest meaning of the well-known phrase: "without His Shakti, Shiwa is like a corpse". The same way prana-wayu animates embodied beings within the cosmos and without it they are dead, in a Supreme sense, Supreme Power "sustains" ParamaShiwa in his Infinite, non-dual pure state of being. There is nothing "outward" about this Power, anymore than there is anything "inward" about it, it being Supreme, the Infinite All and hence non-dual.
Supreme Power is All-Possibility and she has various aspects. In her supreme aspect, she is the very being of ParamaShiwa, but in her creative aspect, she possesses the specific power of maya. Maya is negato-positivity, that is, it is the power that makes something "unreal" appear as "real", the power through which a negative thing(in a double sense, as something limited and also negative in the sense of not really existing) appears as a positive thing (that is, though really non-existent to ParamaShiwa, it nonetheless appears as positively existing).
Before the action of maya begins, there is Parabindu (what Guenon calls "Being"). Parabindu is the principle of manifestation as well as manifestation in its unmanifested state. Maya, upon acting, causes a bifurcation of Parabindu and thus emerges Purusha on the one side and Prakriti on the other side (universal essense and substance respectively). Prakriti consists of the sattwa-rajas-tamas secondary bindus, the 3 gunas that will characterize all that is to be manifested. Purusha, endowed with a Will as well as Prana in its unmanifested state will cause Prakriti to undergo evolutionary changes. ("Evolutionary" of course in the cyclic sense of something emerging from unmanifested to manifested in a spiral fashion, the compliment of which would be involution, a return to the unmanifested state. This has absolutely nothing to do with the chaotic conception of evolution, as understood by modernists and post-modernists.)
Another aspect to Supreme Power is a specific power that counteracts the power of Maya. This other specific power is Yoga-Shakti. Just as Maya effects negato-positivity, so Yoga-Shakti effects the destruction of all that is not ParamaShiwa. This means, that Yoga-Shakti is that aspect of Supreme Power which leads to liberation from all limits. Yoga-Shakti ultimately destroys Maya.
The reason I have stated all this in brief, is to highlight already, 3 forms of Power, or, Power in its lower aspect as participating in the evolutionary process of manifestation and in its Supremeness, as beyond all things. Thus we have:
- Supreme Power.
- Maya, a specific aspect of Supreme Power that effects the cosmos.
- Yoga-shakti, a specific aspect of Supreme Power that effects the dissolution of all limits as well as the absorption of the cosmos.
Prana is the principle of prana-wayu and prana-wayu is that which animates all embodied beings. It is prana-wayu that Guenon mostly focused on as "power", ignoring any other perspective regarding power. Prana itself is not manifested, but rather, is the principle of all manifested life, it ultimately proceeds from Purusha, under the direction of his will and flows towards Prakriti to "stir" the dormant gunas, upon which the cosmos begins.
Granted, Guenon did speak of All-Possibility in a manner that alludes to Supreme Shakti, but he mostly did this in passing and even then, it did not cause him to go into further details regarding it.
I will not go into all the intricate details involving the process of manifestation as taught by the Tantra, but I will only note a few things, based on what has been said. In the state of manifestation, there are 2 power-flows, each with a double action. The first flow is connected to Yoga-Shakti and the second flow is connected to Prana as prana-wayu.
In the human being, prana-wayu flows as nadis (immaterial force-motion-lines), of which there are 3 main ones: Sushumna, Ida and Pingala. Sushumna nadi, the chief nadi, in the "ordinary man" is barely functional and thus the flows of Ida and Pingala are chaotic, weakened and incomplete. In the "non-ordinary man" (true man), Sushumna is fully awakened and completely controls the double action of Ida and Pingala. It is here that the double-flow, inner and outer, of the kind of power based on prana-wayu showcases itself: regulated by Sushumna, Ida flows inwards and Pingala flows outwards. This means that those aspects in manifestation which are relatively "inward", such as sleep, anabolism, mental calmness, restfulness, etc are under the control of Ida, whereas those aspects of manifestation which are relatively "outward", such as catabolism, bodily action, thoughts tinged with passion and so on, are under the control of Pingala. We thus see the double-action of the first power-flow, which operates within a diversified cosmic field. This power-flow "goes out" into manifestation and sustains it.
As for the second power-flow, it is based on Yoga-Shakti and has been called, the Shiwa-flow. It destroys (or absorbs) all prana-wayu and comes from the static pole that in fact controls all prana-wayu. This power-flow has two effects: it controls prana completely, during its functioning and it also absorbs it completely. In the human being, this static pole from which Yoga-Shakti arises is Kundalini. Yoga-Shakti is as an aspect of Kundalini which progressively comes into play during her awakening. With regards to the process of evolution (i.e. the cyclic development of a possibility as it moves from the unconditioned to the conditioned), Yoga-Shakti is the power by which the flow of prana is controlled in producing the manifested cosmos. Thus we have a double-action of Yoga-Shakti as well: one that acts in the production of manifestation and one that absorbs the entirety of manifestation, the consequence of which is liberation from all bondage and all suffering.
Having briefly touched upon these two power flows (the teaching of which is very intricate and would take more than a few articles to cover), one can see that far from merely being a "force that operates within the domain of grand illusion", Power has much greater depth than that. Guenon however either refused to go into detail regarding this, or, possessed by a strange bias, was unable to see Power in any other way than the pejorative one that he did.
The Mastery and Control of Power, by Power
Something that one controls cannot cause any harm. Even in an extremely lower level, such as the bodily level, the various powers that men instrument, inasmuch as they control them, are completely harmless. The power of seeing, walking, talking, pre-hension and so on, cannot act on their own, without the volitional instrumentation of their possessor.
If someone can control something, how can it harm him? Conversely, if someone can't fully control something, then how can it be called his "power", even merely in the pejorative sense understood by Guenon? If there is some kind of "force" that a man can somehow invoke without however controlling it, then it cannot in any way be said to be truly his power. In that case, it truly is merely an "accident", as Guenon and the like are fond of saying. It would be akin to a case of semi-paralysis, in which a man can only partially move his limbs, flailing about like a fool, unable to truly claim them as his own...
In his strange understanding of power, Guenon leaves out the aspect of control (yama). He also claims that whatever power is attained during the process of realization is merely an "accident", that is very dangerous (even evil) and thus that must be outright rejected. This strange perspective once again seems to be as a result of his own bias, a bias that is shared by various groups in different eras, such as the priesthoods of certain peoples.
Yama, or, control, is intrinsically connected to power (prana-wayu), here of course, it would be power as Guenon understands it. Yama issues forth from Yoga-Shakti (ultimately). In fact, in the manifestation of the entire universe, Purusha as Ishwara is endowed with Yoga-Shakti and it is this Yoga-Shakti that allows Ishwara to express the highest Yoga-Wibhuti (Yoga-Power), which effects the entire manifested universe. This is because Prana is controlled by Yoga-Shakti and under Ishwara's full control (yama), the universe is manifested. In the absorption of the universe, prana-wayu is absorbed and consciousness increasingly becomes concentrated; the absorption of prana-wayu and rarefaction of consciousness is due to the same Yoga-Shakti that was active during the manifestation of the universe. In man as has been stated, this Yoga-Shakti issues forth from Kundalini.
The Tantra, in its operative technique (laya-yoga), teaches that there are central points within which lay power-consciousness that are themselves ultimately reducible to certain matrika forms and these in turn are reducible to infinitesimal "points" (bindus). As the sadhaka passes through these axial, central points, he does so as Shiwa, experiencing his own being, Kundalini, wrapped in various "coverings". These coverings are the chakras, of which there are 13 (not 7, as is commonly thought) and once they are all absorbed into Kundalini, she alone remains as the very being of Shiwa, uncovered by any of them. Thus at the end of the upward journey, the sadhaka as ParamaShiwa has full knowledge of his own being, Supreme Kundalini, he experiences her directly, not concealed by anything.
When Kundalini pierces into a specific chakra, first, she "illuminates" it and through her light, sadhaka is able to fully know the contents of this chakra. After this illumination, she absorbs the entire chakra and continues upwards. During her descent back from ParamaShiwa, who is beyond the Sahasrara chakra, she does not negatively coil around each chakra, limiting its power and occluding its presence, rather, she enlivens it fully, with a spiritual impression obtained from ParamaShiwa. Thus while these centers remain dark and dormant in the "ordinary man", for the accomplished Tantrika, they are full of both knowledge and power. The consequence of Kundalini's descent after her ascent is a state known as nadi-shuddhi, the purification of the Tantrika's entire expression of prana-wayu. Now, the Sushumna truly has full control over the 2 other chief nadis, which in turn enable the Tantrika's entire nadi-chakra to function effectively, harmoniously and with a full expression of its force.
Even without fully reaching the end-pole of the journey, the Tantrika is endowed with various powers that are under his full control, since in the end, they are part of his cosmic expression as a being. Each specific chakra is the seat of a certain power. Should he acquire this power, it truly is his and is fully under his control and cannot in any way harm him, even if he chose to exercise it a million times. A pertinent example, given the current hysteria over the weakness of the body of an "ordinary man" is one power that is developed when dhyana, coupled with pranayama, is done in the swadhisthana chakra: the body becomes fully diseaseless and long-lived. (Dhyana and pranayama are properly effected upon a genuine awakening of Kundalini).
Going back to the era that has been called Satya, Satya-Yuga-Man was in full, effortless control and possession of all the powers that the Tantrika acquires during his upward and downward journies. The Tantra seeks to restore Man to his true state and this involves the same willful possession of power that Satya-Yuga-Man had, in an extremely remote era, one that even predates the obedience to any and all "gods" or "devils".
The violent prohibitions, warnings and paranoia regarding power showcased by Guenon were thus a display of either misunderstanding, reticence, or flat out manipulation.
Weakness Invites Destruction
In his attack of westerners, Guenon refuses to admit that one reason all the overrated people of the East got defeated was due to their weakness. Even taking power only in the lower and restricted sense it was understood by Guenon, it becomes evident that when one is under attack, if one lacks an effective way of self-defense, one is at the utter mercy of one's attacker. Power is needed at the very least, to defend oneself against evil.
Guenon did recognize this (in his book "East and West") and especially in defense of the-then traditional Chinese (at least in Guenon's view), spoke of the possibility of the intervention of a "power of another order" that would prevent the encroachment of "western ideas" into the Chinese milieu. A very strange and naive thing to say, since nothing happened and the Tao-Confucian tradition of the far-east was soon crushed to dust, ironically, by its own people, the revolutionary Chinese, whose destruction spread to Tibet and snuffed out the same Buddhism that Guenon earlier denied, but then later accepted. In fact, the outlook presented in "East and West" is the most deluded, naive and biased one regarding Guenon's appreciation of different mentalities, eastern and western. The pacifist Chinese turned out to be as aggressive as any other people, given the right circumstances...
Even now, at the close of the kali yuga, as the globalists, inspired by the counter-initiates make ever bolder moves to convert the entirety of the human race, in one way or another, to helpless insects, power is needed to fight back. All need power, even those men who retreat to some inaccessible cave, for if they remain defenseless, the thing they see as valuable, their sadhana, can be interrupted by anyone. In fact, ironically, this interruption of sadhana, or spiritual practice is what irked Guenon the most, as this passage indicates:
..All they ask, in fact, is to be left in peace, but that is just what the people of the West refuse to allow them, and it must be remembered that they went to seek them out in their own home, and have behaved there in a way that might well exasperate the most peaceful of men...
[East and West, chapter 1, Civilization and Progress, page 26.]
And:
...they dread them as a man who loves his quiet dreads everything that shows signs of disturbing it, and above all they despise them...
[Ibid., chapter 4, Imaginary Terrors and Real Dangers, page 74. ]
Guenon's bizarre infatuation with "eastern people", specifically the Chinese, is showcased in these 2 short quoted tracts. Guenon acted as if the bulk of eastern men were immune from corruption, abuse of power and intellectual malaise. Another hilarious thing is how Guenon calls the Chinese authentic and original, whereas the Japanese are the imitators in his eyes! In their degeneration, the Chinese of today as a group have the global reputation of copying everything and anything anyone does, unable to come up with anything on their own.
Another irony is that today, it is China that threatens to destroy the entire world, either through constant threats to those in the South China Sea, or, threatening anyone with nuclear destruction if they dare interfere with affairs pertinent to it! This is the furthest thing from pacifist.
In the end, given their refusal to consider properly defending themselves, the people of India, China and other parts of the world suffered the humiliating fate of defeat that still plagues them to this day. This humiliation is showcased in part, in the ceaseless efforts to model their societies in a way that out-progresses the west. The Indian man wishes to prove his technical prowess by starting space-programs, the Chinese man wishes to pollute the earth with endless mega-projects, the Arab man builds endless sky-scrappers and imports trees and grass into the desert, all in an effort to "modernize" and compete with the western man, showing that he too can be strong, unlike his forefathers...
The refusal of the legitimate yogis, gurus, shamans and lamas, etc. to use their power at that critical era is akin to the refusal of the Knights Templar to do the same, when faced with destruction wrought by Phillip the Fair. It is the very summit of irony that a martial order such as the Knights Templar would not even stand their ground via force, as the counter-initiatic forces at that time brought about their end. How in the world does a literal martial order do nothing when the "biggest crisis" of the time, according to Guenon, was happening right before their very eyes? Was the priestly-hold of "never use power unless we tell you to" so strong in the minds of these hapless men that the very destruction of what was most dear to them did not move them at all? It could not be due to indifference, since we are told by Guenon, that the ensuing Rosicrucian tradition was an attempt to do what the Knights Templar did, except in an invisible way, so as to prevent the destruction that the latter suffered from reoccurring.
The destruction suffered by these so-called elite is manifold: the direct destruction itself, that renders their activity fruitless, second, the abandonment that such men suffer, when their women, driven by hypergamy, choose to mate with the stronger men that conquered them and when their children no longer see their fathers as protectors, but as weaklings, whose ways must be ineffective if they were impotent at the face of such crises and lastly, the gradual disappearance of their traditions, since the incoming generations will doubtlessly show disinterest in them over time. In all their transcendent-wisdom, these powerless elite forgot to consider these basic truths, manifest even to a brute and it cost them everything...
Realizing Concentration in its Increasing Intensity
I do not think it prudent to, at this time, fully state certain things that nonetheless have actually been in the public domain for a few decades now. All I will say is that Rene Guenon's rigorously bureaucratic conception of the means towards achieving real knowledge, viz., incommunicable, immaterial, transcendent, direct knowledge, is utter rubbish inasmuch as he states that this is the only safe and effective way to do so.
The pursuit of a higher reality is usually what draws many readers to the works of Guenon, but ironically, after being exposed to it, these same works become an impassable obstacle for nearly all of them. Frantically trying to adapt themselves to Guenon's impossible standards, they change continents, learn new languages, bow down to different "sheikhs" and "gurus" all in an attempt to get the very precious guenonian-initiation, without which they feel hopeless and incomplete. In the end, an overwhelming majority fail, some having spent decades groping in the darkness, waiting for a light that never came.
This consequent frantic drive towards joining different traditions (according to guenonians, there are only 3 left that a "non-easterner" can join: freemasonry, tasawuff or ironically, buddhism, the hindu tradition being closed off to foreigners, another guenonian myth[1]...) was an endpoint that Guenon wanted to happen. If his action, both theoretical and practical resulted in those who were influenced by him to passionately seek out to satisfy the rigid conditions he set out, then the entire world would be "saved", the rigid traditions, guarded by priests would once again be resuscitated in both their exoteric and esoteric aspects.
His readers and all those he influenced had to invincibly believe that there was no other way for them to attain their spiritual pursuits, that the only way was to seek out this spirit which, even though "it blows where it wills", is nonetheless only locked up in the Catholic church, so long as this church sides with Freemasonry, a spirit that is locked up in the secret recesses of a Taoist society, an Islamic brotherhood, a Buddhist temple. This spirit sounds more like a trapped genie than the Universal Atma that resides in all beings.
In concert with his admonishing writings, Guenon participated in various real-life projects that attempted to satisfy his rigid initiatic-conditions. To name some: the attempt to institute the Order of the Renovated Temple, the attempt to use Catholicism (when he pretended to be against the Freemasons, attempting to dupe a few Catholics who in the end got wind of what he was doing), the attempt to use Freemasonry through his lodge, the Great Triad and finally, the attempt to use Islam under 2 turuq, one connected to Schuon, the other connected to Valsan. Strangely, none of them quite succeeded.
It is difficult to ascertain the exact reason Guenon went out of his way to place immense barriers towards any legitimate spiritual realization. If he admitted that other means were possible, wouldn't that lead his readers away from seeking spiritual realization in the various orthodox traditions, thus contributing to finishing their gradual demise since no new members would bother joining? On the other hand, perhaps he was truly unaware that outside of his double-bureaucratic initiations (the other equally bureaucratic one being the one connected to the "afrads"), there were other means, one of which is rather blatantly obvious, given a bit of introspection.
Kundalini, Supreme Being of ParamaShiwa is already within man. Thus there is no need for any "spiritual seed" to be planted in him (this "spiritual seed" Guenon spoke of in the end is simply the process of enlivening different symbols and rituals, for instance, the process of mantra-chaitanya, life-impartition to a mantra in its waikhari form, in order to rouse the dormant yoga-shakti or prana-wayu within it, depending on the intended use of the mantra). All that is needed, is an intelligent way to rouse her and to utilize that awakening for genuine metaphysical realization, as well as to receive a complete transformation of one's cosmic elements, both mental and corporeal, upon her descent.
This awakening causes laya-yoga, that is, absorption and simultaneous union, control and concentration, in a graduated, increasing manner. The spectrum of concentration starts with dharana, then dhyana, then samprajnata samadhi and finally asamprajnata samadhi. These terms refer to an entrance into the lower mysteries (dharana), a gradual mastery and ascent from those lower mysteries (dhyana), an entrance into the greater mysteries (samprajanata samadhi) and finally, complete deliverance, as one realizes one's own pure being metaphysically (asamprajnata samadhi). I have employed "guenonian language" for the sake of brevity, since it is a guenonian audience that I primarily address here. All these stages are brought about by the increasing action of yoga-shakti, which is but an aspect of Kundalini...
I will not go into more details regarding this at this time...but, to realize this, it is not necessary to grope around the dark labyrinth created by Guenon and his predecessors, as one seeks admission into all sorts of "brotherhoods".
A Failed Unity
One of the most enlightening tragedies of Guenon's influence is the revelation of the intrinsic bias within his own readers. This bias is connected to relegating Guenon's insights to the dust, inasmuch as they seem to contradict formal tenets connected to certain traditions, such as Islam. Guenon in a way foresaw this, which is partly why he wrote:
...moreover, even among those who try to react against modern ‘materialism’, how many are actually capable of conceiving a spirituality free from all special forms—and more particularly from a religious form—and of separating principles from every application to contingent circumstances? Among those who pose as defenders of spiritual authority, how many have even an inkling of what this spiritual authority can be in its pure state? How many truly realize what its essential functions are, and do not stop short at outward appearances, where everything is reduced to mere questions of rites (the profound reasons for which remain moreover totally misunderstood) and even of ‘jurisprudence’, which is quite a temporal thing? Among those who would attempt to restore intellectuality, how many do not debase it to the level of a simple philosophy, understood this time in the usual and profane sense of the word? And who understands that, in their essence and in their profound reality, intellectuality and spirituality are absolutely one and the same thing under two different names? Among those who in spite of all have kept something of the traditional spirit (and we address them because they are the only ones whose thought could have any value in our eyes), how many envisage the truth for its own sake, in a totally disinterested way, independent of every sentimental preoccupation, of every party or ideological passion, of all concern for domination or proselytism?...
[Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power, Chapter 9, the Immutable Law, pages 82-83.]
Various guenonians, or those who, in spite of being acquainted with his work and ought to know better, have nonetheless violently asserted the perceived superiority of their own traditional forms. The worst culprits are his Muslim readers (I've interacted with some who, without any shame, go so far as to claim that Muhammed is the King of the World, that Mecca is the Supreme Center and that Guenon's recognition of other traditions does not negate the doctrine of "abrogation of prior forms" in the Islamic sense). His Christian readers are no better, proclaiming everywhere that what Guenon meant in his works by the coming Golden Age is actually the "Age of the Holy Spirit", as taught especially by Bauris Mouravieff and his Hindu readers too devolve into insane "nationalistic" rants that make no sense at all.
The Supreme Center, The King of the World, The Universal Spirit, all these concepts are misunderstood or rejected by such men. The fact that each of their traditions is only an adaption of the Primordial Tradition, which itself transcends them all and also, that each of these adaptions are not equal, there being a hierarchy within traditions, is something that causes them to froth at the mouth. But why do such people act as they do?
It could be explained as the usual occurrence of the attachment that most people have to their surroundings, or to that which they have committed themselves to for a certain amount of time. Further, it could also be based on the subconscious realization that what Guenon is saying is that a great deal of manipulation was involved in the creation of their particular tradition. If they fully agree with what he wrote regarding the origins of different traditions, it would mean that any expression that stresses the exclusivity of their tradition is simply an outright lie. This is even worse whenever concepts pertinent to cosmology are considered.
Rather than facilitating a proper gathering, beyond specific cultures, races, religions, traditional forms, gender, age, etc., where the one necessary qualification is an aptitude that enables one to participate in the unseen, the restoration of man as Universal Man, beyond all things, the works of Guenon have thus far cemented a schismatic, if not sectarian reaction. What a terrible irony, to see these works used to justify militant racism (especially among the "right-wing" Europeans), radical salafi-wahabbi-esoteric Islam (a true monstrosity, especially among the French and North Africans), a disingenuous, failing Christianity (among the Americans), where works from a vast array of writers are collected haphazardly in a pathetic effort to prove the survival of some chimerical christian esoterism and of course, among the Hindus, who, eager to assimilate modern concepts into their own tradition, similarly create an ugly chimera.
None of these men know the Universal Spirit. Few of them even seem to possess real Power-Knowledge on any level. Curiously, the many divisions and failures connected to Rene Guenon are the same divisions and failures he ascribed to the "counter-initiates"! That because the thing that characterizes the "counter-initiation" is a lack of a principle of unity, they are ever in strife. Can't the same thing be said for those connected to Guenon, past and present? The irony is ceaseless in these affairs...
Conclusion
This article has been a brief attempt at dismantling some of the webs that are wrapped around legitimate seekers of truth, inasmuch as they are acquainted with the works of the signature "Rene Guenon". One should not conclude that I do not hold such works in high esteem, they are useful, but only up to a point. Understanding different traditions, dead and living, from the perspective of the Primordial Tradition, which itself is the creation of the Satya-Yuga-Man of this manvantara is certainly illuminating, but practically useless. Seeing the hammer of Thor, the bolt of Zeus and the Lama's Vajra in the Master Mason's mallet, as a sign of a realization that is beyond life and death is very interesting, but does absolutely nothing for the reader of these things in a practical sense.
The bias of Guenon entwined with the hesitation to look into or admit the vast spectrum of possibilities related to Power rendered him silent regarding many teachings of the Tantra (and probably, other neglected traditions). Those who stop short at what he wrote are afflicted by this limitation and their affliction may also be compounded by an attachment to their race, religion, institutions, culture, etc. (in Tantric terms, these kinds of attachments are due to Varuna's noose, conditioning them in this manner).
The upcoming project is an attempt to thus gather those who are well acquainted with the concepts taught by Guenon, who are open minded and who are free from biases connected to religions, races, histories, societies and so on. Further, it is intended to draw people who are interested in ultimately realizing Universal Man, or to at least try to, using certain techniques that were totally ignored by the likes of Guenon. I thought that this article would be interesting to loosely state some of the things that the project will deal with, before the website is launched.
All techniques that have been developed throughout the ages, inasmuch as they have been necessary, have been tools to aid man in realizing his transcendent state and also radiating it outwards. Some are more explicit than others, but at the core, this is their goal. Approaching the purest of these techniques, devoid of many biases as Guenon himself said, in spite of his own biases, has never been more relevant and necessary than it is today. It is therefore imperative that those with pure hearts and keen minds receive the necessary practical information to aid them to this end.
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[1]. Here is a text from the Yajurveda that discredits this perspective:
"
I have transmitted the auspicious words of the Vedas for people like brāhmaṇas, for kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras and for araṇāyas (foreigners).
"
How will the Guenonians respond to this? This is yet another example of misguidance based either on ignorance or on the desire to manipulate others so as to trigger a specific outcome. It is rather pitiful that through the decades, many Guenonians have been led to reject different possibilities on account of naivety.
It is certainly interesting to see a criricism of Guénon from the point of view of someone that seems to be sympathetic to his works and seems to have read large portions of it - most criricisms I have seen where either people who did not understand or had not read any substantial amount of his works, or people that seem to be inherently unable to grasp the purpose of it, mostly academicians.
ReplyDeleteHaving myself discovered Guénon a few years ago and having been fascinated by it, I cannot yet claim to have a clear enough understanding of most of it to dispute or discuss your doctrinal claims of the power of Action.
Yet, I seem to distinctly remember several things that appear to nuance some of your points - that are, no doubt, legitimate at the very least in some aspects. I believe to remember, for example, that Guénon claimed that 'action' and 'contemplation' are complementary (in the Crisis of the Modern World, I believe ? The chapter named 'Knowledge and Action' talks about this). I also remember Guénon defending the concept of Just War in 'The Symbolism of the Cross', as a legitimate way to resolve a situation of unbalance. I would not dispute that Guénon puts the contemplation at the top and that, in his mind, any action seems to be subordinated to it, maybe even to such an extent to, as you claim, be unreasonably biased against it, but I believe that Guénon is not necessarily against any form of action at all (I believe that he is, mainly at least, against political action in the West especially, because he saw it as simply too unfavorable for real positive change on any scale, the odds being stacked against traditionnalism in such a way that it would be a waste of time).
As for his overestimation of the ability of the East to resist effectively against the West, I cannot help but agree with you, but he did consider plausible that such nations might indeed "Westernize" and be consumed by modernism : I believe he muses on this possibility in 'Crisis of the Modern World' when talking about Western intrusionism. He ponders that the Western-educated people from these countries might indeed bring with them the Modern way of thinking to the East, modernizing them and that maybe the West will corrupt everything, which seems to indeed be what happened : I believe that almost all the 'revolutionnaries' of Asia, most notably the communists, spent quite some time in Western capitals and were sometimes helped directly by Western communists before their endeavors.
Yet, it still is obvious from his writings that he wished from the bottom of his heart that the East will not be hit to the same extent than the West, and it certainly blinded him to a certain extent. But what I mean is, he did seem to envision at least the possibility of this happening.
All in all, I do not claim that this post is a refutation of anything you wrote, but I still wanted to bring some things that I remembered from my readings, in order to nuance a little. I hope I did not make any mistakes, be it of stylistic writing or of doctrine :D
Hello, thank you for your comment.
DeleteI will only like to point out a small misunderstanding in your response. You seem to have missed the explanation given regarding Power. Power is not merely action, action is just an aspect of Power. As explained, Supreme Power is metaphysical and also has various aspects. The aspect of power connected to action would be prana-vayu, but there are other aspects to power, such as yoga-shakti that actually facilitates contemplation. Yoga-shakti is the aspect of Power that absorbs prana-vayu and this absorption causes the cessation of action. When action ceases, contemplation, or better put, concentration, begins and it is here that spiritual realization can be achieved. The whole notion of relegating Power to "action" which is then contrasted to "contemplation" is another one of Guenon's errors. If you are interested, I ask you to kindly re-read those parts of the article that deal with the true meaning of Power. In the future, a fuller exposition of the subject will be provided. Power has multiple aspects, from yoga-shakti, to maya, to prana-vayu. Power is also beyond all aspects and distinctions when it is metaphysical.
As for the overestimation of the East, yes, in subsequent books such as the "Crisis of the Modern world" and even the "Reign of Quantity and the signs of the times", Guenon did admit that the entire earth would end up subsumed by the counter-initiation and it is this counter-initiation that, according to Guenon at least, is behind all the anomalies of our time. It is the counter-initiation that is furthering corruption, not the "West", who are victims of this corruption just as much as all other people are.
I hope that you continue to read Guenon and come to your own conclusions, but also, consider information that does honestly correct some of the biases he had, such as his apparent bias against Power (not action, but Power, especially in the Tantric sense).
It's good to have your own writing style, it shows you're not a parrot!
I read somewhere that Rene Guenon twisted Joseph de Maistre's words in the "King of The World". He took different parts of the thing then wrote it as if it was just one sentence. I can't remember where right now but that's a case of manipulation. Did you know about this?
ReplyDeleteHi, are you referring to this:
Deletehttp://dossierschuonguenonislam.blogspirit.com/archive/2016/09/15/a-propos-d-une-citation-tronquee-de-joseph-de-maistre-dans-l-3079748.html
If so, I am aware of it. I don't fully agree with Mr. Palchine's conclusions and interpretations. However:
1. It is true that the quote Guenon attributed to Maistre wasn't even spoken by Maistre, but by a character in a fictional story.
2. This quote was not continuous. Guenon took one portion of it, skipped an entire paragraph, took another portion and then stuck them together, to give the illusion that it was a continuous phrase, when it wasn't.
3. Maistre was not an orthodox Catholic, nor was he a high-ranking Mason with a deep understanding of the metaphysical. This is at least, based on the evidence Palchine provides. Guenon however painted Maistre as both an orthodox Catholic and a high-ranking Mason.
4. Guenon does not seem to have been familiar with Maistre's work and simply took certain portions of it (out of context) and used it to justify his own convictions, in this case, convictions regarding Agartha and the King of the World. Guenon has done this with different authors too.
For those that do not believe Guenon manipulated even his readers, all this evidence ought to at least give them an occasion for introspection.
In any case, Guenon seemed to need a "lead" to reveal many of things he knew but that were never revealed in any way to the bulk of humanity. Regarding Agartha, the lead presented itself mostly with Saint Y'ves and Ossendowski and he took it as an opportunity to speak publicly about this mystery. Even if he twisted Maistre's words, his intention was to reveal a greater mystery and perhaps he can be excused for that. However, this is still a clear instance of manipulation and not the only one, within Guenon's writings.
The bigger issue for me is that it seems that the inhabitants of Agartha and the King of the World were ultimately upset that Guenon so openly spoke about them and some say that this caused a rift between Guenon and his contacts with Agartha. The parallels between this rift and the rift between Saint Y'ves and "Hadji Sharif" are also interesting and perhaps I will delve into this in an article later on.
Curiously, Ramana Maharshi seemed to make a veiled reference to Agartha when he said this:
"
In visions I have seen caves, cities with streets, etc., and a whole world in it.... All the siddhas [“perfected beings”] are reputed to be there.
"
Agartha is said to be inhabited by perfect beings, in a subterranean setting. Why would Sri Ramana say something like that? It reminds me of similar visions had by people like Anne-Catherine Emmerich which are described using terminology concordant with their environment.
Ah yes, that's the one, but the guy who wrote it writes in a strange way. A bit shocked you say Guenon can be excused about that blatant lie he told in his book though. Are you saying that the end justifies the means? Even if Guenon lied, it doesn't matter since he still revealed a truth via lying?
DeleteThere are different types of manipulation, with different consequences.
DeleteIf Guenon persuades you that the only way to gain any "inner realization" is to go through the almost impossible web spun by "traditional organizations", then that is a harmful kind of manipulation, since it causes you to neglect other possibilities. It directly harms you and your life experience.
On the other hand, a manipulation external to you, such as using de Maistre's work falsely to justify Agartha's existence, is not so harmful in comparison. Even if Agarth exists, you still have to undergo a profound inner transformation, whether or not you will be offered a chance to directly visit it. That part remains a constant.
So I'm not excusing his manipulation regarding that, but it isn't the worst he has done and regarding Agartha, his intentions were to relay and reveal, whereas his manipulations regarding inner realization were to withhold and obscure, do you see the difference?
Peace Friend,
ReplyDeleteEvola-ian Protestant sympathies may be useful from getting caught in Guenonian traps, even as the gems are still able to be picked up. One must see where the modern spirit has a point about Tradition's flaws, however misguided and self defeating any proposed solutions. It is a spirit like any other: it comes because we called it to fill a gap, and it is of benefit to be grateful that it and not something worse came in to take up that vacuum of our own doing.
Evola's "Doctrine of Awakening" is also a clear counter to Guenon's biases, as the early Buddhist did not rely on either caste or "Tradition".
Seeing past religions and the manipulations inherent in their history, ironically very much related to questions of power (eg. The evidence mounting that Petra was the city of the Qur'anic pilgrimage, and Mecca was made so for socio-political reasons), does not need lead us to reject the unity of particular revelations in themselves (eg. the Qur'an itself does not mention Mecca, not does it mention the Shahada but for.it.coming out of the mouths of Al Munifiqun).
Loyalty to manipulated forms tend to leave traces in a kind of puritanism I observe.
Salaam.
I think you missed the gist of the article, even though I tried to be as clear as possible within it.
DeleteFirst of all, there is nothing "Evolian" about this article, since the biases and manipulations of Guenon have been pointed out with evidence from his own life, as well as his own books and articles. Nowhere is Evola mentioned and these facts stand independent of Evola's own conclusions.
As for "protestant sympathies", it makes me laugh that you would say such a thing. Where in the article is there the slightest trace of "protestantism"? Mind you, remember that protestantism is something Christian, related to a schism from the Catholic Church. Yet there is nothing specifically Christian, Catholic or Protestant about this article!
Secondly, like another on this thread, you have misunderstood what is meant by "Power". It is rather tiresome, since the perspective of "Power" has been succinctly explained in the article itself. There is absolutely nothing "socio-political" about Power as explained in this article, did you even bother reading the tract that dealt with it? Power, as in MahaShakti, as in Supreme Being. I also briefly touched on the secondary aspects of Power, one of which Guenon focused on almost entirely (prana-wayu). How you relegate it to a level as profane as "socio-political" is truly strange!
Please, if you wish to make comments about this article, I urge you to at least read it, with an open mind and understand the perspective that is being offered here. If there are points that are unclear, then instead of jumping to conclusions and making different projections, merely ask for clarification. However, if the article and its outlook appear too cryptic for you at this time, then perhaps you ought to simply leave it.
Good day.
Peace Man,
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is as you say. Perhaps I see differently than you think, or at least that which I see allows for more balance and instantiation (eg. physical health transformation arising out of readig R.G.) of Principle of what I do see. A temperance with one's environment, and the qualities arising out of the times.
Well, at least there is entertainment value in it for you... Projection accusing others of projection, to accuse back of projection... the cure to this trap is surely living dialogue.
It is on that note that I take up your offer for guidance. It will be good for me to be able to ask you about certain areas where details matter, and the simple truth is, such guidance on offer is a rare gem indeed - whatever tone it is offered in. I will be back, inshaaAllah.
Salaam.
Mr. Chan, please be sincere with yourself. I know this article is probably quite "heavy" and few will probably resonate with it, but that is to be expected. However, if you see anything of interest in it, then at least approach it with an open mind. I cannot force anyone to accept anything, nor am I interested in doing so. All I am doing is putting out information that certain people may find useful. It is up to them to assimilate it by their own efforts, if they end up being interested enough in it. I can of course aid in clarifying the points raised, as well as the novel information that is provided, but that is all.
DeleteApologies if my tone is harsh, I can assure you, I do not mean you any harm in the slightest.
Regards.
Peace Man,
DeleteSadhu, sadhu, sadhu. Heavy is fine, harsh isnfine. As a successful homeschooling father of five, these are energies I regularly use myself.
There is no question there are many specific areas covered here I do not understand. And yet, the essence of the whole (which is the mode by which I think and navigate the world and people with some success, involving projection inevitably notwithstanding, as projection handled with care and ejected of sentiment seems to function as a vital "sorcery defense") strikes a deep chord.
Let me begin with basics. By Power, do you refer to something different to the "Temporal Power", as opposed to "Spiritual Authority", of that related book title? If the same, please help me to understand the difference between this and say the realm of the sociopolitical stability that the Prophet's death posed for that community.
Salaam.
Alright.
Delete.A.
With "Power", as the article has pointed out, what is referenced is MahaShakti. It has nothing to do with the temporal power that is related to the outlook of Rene Guenon. Please read the relevant parts of the article that explain it, especially the part under this subheading: "The Real Meaning of Power, Ungrasped by Guenon", when you have some time in your busy schedule.
MahaShakti, or Power (since there is no other English term to use when referencing it) is the Supreme Being of ParamaShiwa, who is the Infinite. He and Her are one and it is only under the dualistic mind, that manifested beings possess, that they appear as separate.
Other than that, Power has also different "lesser aspects" that are related to manifestation itself. To name a few: maya, yoga-Shakti and Prana. Maya is the specific power that causes the entire limited manifested cosmos to unfold. Yoga-shakti is the power that however ultimately destroys the effects of maya, thus destroying the limited manifested cosmos and thus leading to deliverance from the cosmos itself. Yoga-Shakti is the "destructive" specific power of Shiwa and it is because of this that Shiwa is called "the destroyer of worlds". Yoga-Shakti destroys all the limits that condition a manifested being, whereas maya causes all the limits that condition a manifested being. They are both specific aspects of Power, one causing bondage, the other causing freedom from that bondage.
Prana is the principle of life itself. From this principle comes prana-wayu. Prana-wayu is that which animates all manifested cosmic beings. Prana-wayu is also that through which "super-powers" are manifested (though there are other causes of super-powers, such as wira-shakti). Therefore, prana-wayu clearly acts within the cosmos. It is this power that Rene Guenon referred to almost exclusively, as the "power that operates in the domain of the grand illusion", which then makes it a temporal kind of power. However, as the article has pointed out, Rene Guenon ignored everything else to do with Power and thus shrunk it down to cover only this perspective, the one of prana-wayu and dismissing all the rest. This is obviously a very big problem, since it ends up misleading and misinforming his readers.
.B.
DeletePower is ultimately the Inifinite, limitless and Supreme, however Power also possesses multiple specific aspects and it is one of these aspects that Rene Guenon focused on almost exclusively. This attitude is also present within "Vedic" Hindus, such as Shankaracharya, the ones that are said to have greatly influenced Rene Guenon.
Note also that Power in the sense just explained is connected to what has been called "Tantra", but in reality, this was probably a concept that was understood and practised widely in the entire southern hemisphere of the planet before it was influenced by a current that came from the north (such as the "Vedic" current for example) at some extremely remote era in our present Manvantara.
Lastly, Traditionally speaking, there is nothing like a "sociopolitical" outlook, there is only a certain type of cosmic model, as ordered by the Divine, that is then applied to the social sphere of some human society, adapted to suit the environment and mentality of that specific society. So the Taoist model, differs from the Scythian model, which differs from the Islamic model, etc., this difference being one of form and not essence, since essentially, they all relate to the Primordial Tradition. This application involves human intermediaries, such as esoteric brotherhoods for example. The ones that wielded "temporal power" in that society were in one way or another instrumenting wira-shakti or prana-wayu, or their equivalents, since operating within the cosmos, they had to instrument powers that also operated within the cosmos. From this arise the "super-powers" connected to different esoteric brotherhoods, those connected to "legendary warriors", such as Emir Abder-Rahman, the healing power connected to Kings, the different sacred sciences and so on. The esoteric brotherhoods were ultimately responsible for ensuring the stability of these communities, including the Islamic community as well and this social stability was maintained to the extent that it remained faithful to the cosmic model it took after. Without these esoteric brotherhoods, everything just falls apart, as can be seen today. However, on its own, this issue is quite complicated as well.
I hope this somewhat clarifies what is meant by these terms.
Regards.
Peace Man,
DeleteIt does, and it deserves deep study on my part. At the same time, what I meant I think by "socio-political" isn't entirely different from this... maybe. Let me unpack carefully here with you, under your watchful eye.
In "Classical" Chinese Medicine, there has long been this dualism between the Scholar-Physicians that emphasis Principle/Li and the "Cold damage" school, and what might be called a pragmatic emphasis as exemplified by clinical results, exemplified by Ye Tian Shi and the "Warm Disease" school. Our lineage believes this conflict to be false, but perhaps a true indication of the weakness in Chinese Tradition, which came out very clearly when Imperial China tried to adapt to threats to it. That which is not Principled will unpragmatically fall apart eventually, that which is not pragmatic in the grand scheme of things in adherence to Principle is but of the image of Principle in fact.
Some say the true "religion" of China, even now, is the cult of "Sky Mandate". The understanding there is thus very deep that the "socio-political" will always rely on one's "Spiritual Authority". This analogy extends everywhere in Chinese thought, so that "Mandate" is the same word for "Life", and it thus becomes a vital concern for those only concerned with their own physical/psychic/spirits health as well. Without "Sky Mandate" of some form, one has no hope of keeping a kingdom together, nor does one have hope of keeping one's own nama-rupa together either. This reflects the other way as well, so that poor health of a certain kind may be a sign that one's "political" authority is swaying too.
In this way the support of these "esoteric brotherhoods" is agreed as essential to keep the kingdom together, but they are just as essential for the sustainable health of the individuals within it. The basically symptom suppressing nature of modern medicine in the end simply makes this relationship easier to pretend does not exist. This resonates with the focus on "stability" that may have arisen for given kingdoms, like for eg. manipulating the original meanings of particular revelations, which in the long term is a deeply self defeating endeavour.
I can only hope that wasn't way off line :D. I do appreciate this attention and support.
Salaam.
Yes, upon further clarification, what you say really does relate to the structure of many traditional societies. I had thought that by "sociopolitical", you meant it in the profane sense whereby the lesser parts of human individuality are what define a proper kingdom, when that is not what you meant. Thank you for clarifying.
DeleteIt is true that the spread of diseases, both psychic and physical, is due to a departure from the Spirit and this can indeed affect the generality of a certain territory (an example is the medieval bubonic plague that spread especially after the murder of Joan of Arc, which was a sort of rejection of the spiritual center she represented, following the destruction of the Knights Templar), but you see, there are possibilities that one can personally invoke to shield oneself from such vicissitudes, instead of depending on the overall social structure for one's well being. An example is the possibility of nadishuddhi, which in short, is the normalization of one's entire nadi-chakra, or pranic expression, as the article has pointed out in passing. If one then achieves such a thing (nadishuddhi for example), even if the entire kingdom or territory collapses, one would be protected from such a tragedy.
Note also that this bifurcated model (Spiritual Authority-Temporal Power) is not the only model that existed and today, it is basically dead worldwide. If there exists somewhere some remnant of it, it is under immense threat from counter-initiatic forces and their profane puppets. For example, does the "Sky Mandate" possess enough influence to counteract something like the CCP? Perhaps regarding this specific matter, you are better acquainted than I.
From my perspective, personal action, based on effective spiritual practice, is the only way that certain men, regardless of their origin, can arise from a world that seems to be on its final leg...
Regards.
Peace Man,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment re:the personal. Shaykh Pallavicini said something similar in his book in Memorandum of Rene Guenon. Royal power in relation to governance of people's is gone.
On the same line, the "Sky Mandate" on levels beyond immediate family is hopelessly corrupt at this point, in my view. The CCP (and my People's as a Peoples) has co-opted it's "magic" for utterly profane and self defeating purposes.
The analogies therein still work though. One can be cured of internal dysharmonies (ancestral, demonic, other) through applied Chinese Medicine symbolic logic regardless of the state of the Empire, even as one is best to take the state of the Empire into account in one's formula prescription. The fact that sovereignty of the country known as Australia was never ceded by its indigenous custodians (unlike say with the native Americans) affects things here in that way, so that it is the native devas here that still hold effective power, and one must thereby practice symbolic medicine here differently.
The best of the Protestant impetus I suspect is to go beyond the Traditional manipulations, even if Protestant Graeco-Christianity did not inherit Principles to carry this through. It is of the call to Return to the Primordial, I feel.
Salaam.
I encourage you to read Rene Guenon's "Reign of Quantity and the signs of the times" for his last assessment on the human social order, if you have not already.
DeletePlease note that this article, as well as the ones that follow it to a degree, is interested in the technical aspect of reality, in a way that is as direct as possible, without any "intermediaries".
I say this because I have noticed that most fail to distinguish reality from Tradition. Remember, what has been called "Tradition" is really just a series of techniques that allow one to approach reality in a certain way. However, is conventional tradition the only way to approach reality? The answer is a resounding no, as this article has shown.
Even outside of tradition as explained by people like Rene Guenon, there were still other possibilities that were utilized for millennia which did not render one completely dependent on rigid traditional structures. One of this is authentic laya-yoga, which does not really require attachment to anything for its success (Rene Guenon even referenced it, albeit poorly, in one of his letters to an acquaintance). I have also explained how and why this works in part in the article, so you'd have to read the relevant parts to get an idea of how that is possible. I cannot however be fully clear on this, since as a Chinese saying goes: he who knows ten should teach only nine.
Another thing to clarify is your repeated allusion to the "protestant" dimension. Once again, there is no specific Abrahamic, let alone Christian outlook in this article. Further, to protest implies to revolt from something that one was once part of. There is nothing like that in the references made here. Therefore what about this article is "protestant" in nature? The point of view and techniques touched upon were never part of any restricted "traditional structure" that they then rebelled against. Moreover, I do not deny the possibility of seeking spiritual development within traditional structures, I only point to a different way. So one can choose to join a conventional tradition and operate within its rigidity, or one can choose to approach spiritual development using different and little-known techniques that are just as effective. There is however nothing "new" about this, since it was always there, the same way the sun or stars were always there; they are techniques that invoke the very nature of things. It is true that these techniques in a way invoke the freedom Satya-Yuga Man had, since just as he was bound by no tradition at the time, so one who follows these techniques is also not bound by anything as well, especially by traditions that have mostly become degenerated and impotent and which are mostly lead by men of little achievement or understanding.
Though referencing the Veda, Rene Guenon made allusion to this in the end of his book, "Man and his becoming according to the Vedanta", that the traditions and their structures are like horses that aid a man to his destination, but that a man can reach his destination without them as well. However, what has been called "Tantra" pushes this attitude to the extreme and offers those with the eyes to see truly interesting possibilities, unbound by so many restrictions and limiting attitudes. If these traditional structures are part of the knot that conditions man at the end of time, making him a "pashu", a sacrificial creature, then he must mercilessly severe them without apology, just as Alexander severed the Gordian Knot...
Regards.
Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu.
ReplyDeleteI have read that book, but clearly need to read many things again with new eyes. Thank you again for your guidance and rigour.
Peace.
PS. I seem to assimilate to what is presented better here when I accept that "knot cutting" may simply not be my path. This is even as a better appreciation of (with less prejudice against) any Shaivic aspect in this highlights my more preserving nature.
ReplyDeleteAlright, that is fine, take what you think will help you in whatever way it will.
DeleteHowever, what is being "cut" is a limitation, which is hardly worth preserving and given the cumulative constricting atmosphere of the world today, this outlook is all the more justified. Further, the world today is full of knots that are being undone, but in a negative sense, unlike the positive sense I reference. For more on this, see "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times", chapter 24, Towards Dissolution.
Severing knots in the "Shaivite" sense is really just an unapologetic realization of Universal Man, both within and radiated without, a prelude to a breaking away from a world that is truly doomed and a gathering with those who would have attained a similar realization before the cycle finally comes to a close. I apologize for a lengthy response to this topic in particular, but it is something that must always be clarified.
Regards.
Peace Man,
ReplyDeleteBy way of bridging an understanding, and no worries at all if this that which you cannot answer, but are you married with children? Raising animals and growing your own food by what is in sync with the locality you live at? At peace with the mixture of strength and weakness inherited from your ancestry, and tempering that in what you pass down the line?
These are the orientations of the preserver, even as it is my experience as an Easterner brought up in the West that the preserver does his job the best by appreciating the transmitter/destroyer. The preserver absent that understanding gets cornered very easily (Guenonians and Easterners in general making no progress?), perhaps the transmuter not seeing how knots can (relatively, for a given nama-rupa with given causes and conditions) potentiate as much as they limit is the flaw of the other side.
The Qur'an's only explicit mention of what (blameworthy) sorcery is in in speaking of that which divides a man from his wife. A form of knot breaking, perhaps. Not appreciating how important projection and veiling is, at least once decoded from any extant sentiment and romantic fantasy, seems to be a major "knot" and limitation in itself, from bringing into the flesh whatever realisations one has. This is in terms of physical vitality, but also things like graceful manners, thriving local community and family, sustainable lines of master/apprentice initiations, etc.
Listening deeply to women, in how they behave and especially in regards to what they don't say, it seems to us that the driver of this Kali Yuga tail end (esp. in its COVID irrationality) is the knots and shame from ancestral traumas disowned. Scars like that cannot be cut with a sword, but they can be dissolved quite quickly with patience and appreciation for the good that knot did for its time. Things could have been much worse.
Peace.
From reading your response, I can see that we once more have a misunderstanding, especially as pertains to the term "knots". Destroying and preserving are a simultaneous act: it is the poison that is destroyed and once destroyed, life is preserved.
DeleteThe clarification involved is more a technical one and I do not wish to reveal too many technical realities at this time. Further they relate to a point of view that may not bode well with many, since they are "Tantric" in nature without apology to anyone.
However, I will point out that the knots in question are the very things that step by step, throughout the course of the 4 yugas of our Manvantara, have come to negatively condition man. I meant it more in a direct sense that relates to the cumulative state of man on earth. The state of his material elements(sharira, tamas), his force field(prana-wayu, rajas) and his mind(mahan and antahkarana, sattwa) and more importantly, his ignorance or possession of the Supreme State(Turiya). For what is considered the "ordinary man" today, his body is not really his, it is his prison, prone to disease, that he cannot control. His force-field is weak and flows chaotically. His mind is dull and his ignorance is almost incurable. He can no longer awaken whatever rarefied possibilities lie within him nor those that lie within the world he was born in. These are knots. The various institutions, be they governments, schools, religions, traditions and so on are similarly dead weights that only compound this pathetic state he finds himself in. They further tighten this weakness and render him susceptible to any malefic entity that discover him this way. Worse still, since the majority everywhere are like this, they can only stand in the way as obstacles of those who in spite of all these difficulties, still retain legitimate possibilities within them that make non-corporeal knowledge attainable. Thus the majority are a further knot that condition the minority that doesn't really belong with them anymore. Look how far man has fallen, bound by so many things, tied up as a sacrificial creature.
It is in this sense that I spoke of "knots", a sense that Rene Guenon shares in a way, if you read the chapter my earlier response to you referenced. The "cutting of knots" then is really just a return to what man really is. The Tantra teaches that this return is only possible when Kundalini, Supreme Power, who is still within man, awakens and this awakening is twofold: in her ascent to her true upper abode, she destroys all knots that condition him personally and as Shiwa, man is liberated by his Shakti, Kundalini. Secondly, when she descends back to her lower abode, she illuminates man's entire elements: his mind is fully restored, as is his force-field and body and this restoration is as the return of Satya-Yuga Man, bound by nothing, unapologetically free, both within and without. This restoration also destroys all the hereditary defects you mention. This is both "ascending and descending realization" (something that is quite common among Tantrikas and not as exceptional as Guenon makes it out to be), to use Guenonian language.
I hope this further clarifies things. As for being a householder, it is evident that the global environment in general is toxic towards bringing up children, especially in the west, where they are being confused about things as simple as their gender, for example. Is it still possible to give them the stability and safety a traditional environment could at least offer them? Aren't all sorts of external forces, governments, schools, media, etc., interfering with a parent's role in bringing up his own kin? You know your life better than I do. But the things I seek to expose here are purely technical, so I cannot really enter into anyone's personal affairs.
Regards.
Peace Man,
ReplyDeletePrecisely because of these factors that you detail thoroughly, the appearance of a householder and family that has found a way to not be affected is not to be passed by too lightly. The potential transcendence/return to origin of the preserver/transmuter duality will inevitably be in play, thereby being of (at least closer to) a true "cutting of the knot". An order that is the sum of all disorders, or a freedom that is a sum of all knots.
Qur'an 2:104:
Say not: comply thou with us.
But say: examine thou us,
And listen.
The technical discussion should not be interrupted unduly by that of the personal affairs, we agree. Also it should not run roughshod over domestic/private affair considerations (however discreet), lest it represents an attempt to artificially delineate (via projection, or the manipulation of one's own perceptions) where Principle has rightful domain. This surely is part of "Universal Man", which contains in tantric union both man and woman.
This resonates with this article's critique of Guenon and his reported betrayal of everyone around him, combined with what appears is own insistence in his writing that personal affairs are completely irrelevant to discussions of Principle.
Peace.
I'm sorry, but it seems the misunderstandings are simply too many to tackle too quickly. Further, it seems there is still a certain "traditionalism" within you that makes it difficult to digest new information. Please approach things with an open mind.
DeleteI will however try and clarify certain things, one more time. Firstly, the basis of this outlook is connected to what has been called "Tantric". The operative technique in question is known as laya-yoga, which means, dissolution of limits, dissolution of knots. Cutting of the knot. This is inseparable from the outlook of this article and to the Tantra as a whole. Looking at what Rene Guenon wrote about this as well, for instance in the articles, "The eye of the needle", "Bonds and Knots" among others in his book on Sacred Science, the knot is that which limits and conditions the being that must thenceforth free itself from such limits. Freeing itself, it passes through the Solar-Door, beyond the Centre of the Sun itself and thus realizes that it was always Immortal. You are here mixing different symbolisms, the sum of all orders being the total order cannot in any way be equated to the sum of all knots being freedom! There is nowhere such a symbolism nor conception. You can read those articles yourself to get better insight on this, though independent of them, the notion of liberating man from conditioning knots and bonds has always existed. So these are 2 different concepts you are mixing and I hope me pointing it out clarifies it. A knot in terms of freedom is always something negative and limiting that must be transcended definitively.
Another thing I will clarify is the term "Universal Man". Universal Man as used here does not mean the union of anything, it is far beyond that. In the Tantra, there are, for want of a better expression, the "Five Metaphysicals", that is, the entry into the metaphysical state, beyond the 4 worlds (spiritual world, psychic world, bodily world and infra-psychic world) which constitute nature in its totality (physical=nature, Meta=beyond, therefore, Meta-physical= beyond nature, beyond the 4 worlds). Universal Man is the last of these Five Metaphysicals and is known by various qualitative terms, such as Nishkala Shiwa. Nishkala being different from Sakala. Nishkala meaning, "with no pronounced power", that is, non-dual, Sakala meaning "with pronounced power", that is, with slightly pronounced power. Universal Man is Nishkala Shiwa and as such is not the union of anything. The 5 Metaphysicals are: Nishakala Shiwa, Sakala Shiwa, Shiwa-Shakti, ParaNada and ParaBindu. It is ParaBindu the first and "lowest Metaphysical" that would best symbolize the idea of union or Unity as Rene Guenon expressed it. Here, you would have to read and ponder on the difference between Unity and the "Metaphysical Zero". Universal Man, Nishkala Shiwa is the True Metaphysical Zero, beyond even the idea of union or unity. ParaBindu, or "Being" is where the idea of Unity or union lies.
I hope you will take what you will from it regardless, if anything. I am sorry that I had to make all these clarifications, but you yourself have admitted that there is still much you do not know and thus must assimilate if you are so inclined. Perhaps you should first read a little more, assimilate a little more, consult the relevant materials, gain more information and then see what happens from there.
Regards.
Peace Man,
DeleteThere is no need to apologise for the extra efforts that from your point of view you are putting in on my behalf. This is only credit to you, from my point of view, as there is no question of my not understanding you completely, nor of my being held back by "traditional" mindsets. This is quite simply indeed the case.
To go further, without getting too personal, I am strong in the Feminine and seek communion. There is imbalance in this, but also a useful sensitivity to incompleteness in regards to the coherence of word and action. This has been bridged by your efforts here. So to express here my gratitude, and yes perhaps a deep re-reading of relevant articles will help me be less imbalanced in my approach.
Salaam.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteOnce again, there is a big misunderstanding here. Nowhere have I, or more importantly, the Tantra, recommended living as an ascetic! That is part of a degenerated perspective, as these articles have pointed out. That has nothing to do with severing the "bonds" I reference. If anything, with regards to the worldly experience, it (severing the bonds) would mean taking control over it(the "worldly" aspect of man) and having it positively, as opposed to negatively. This is connected to the concept of "nadishuddhi". I have stressed in the English articles of this blog, the serious ones, that an internal realization must be projected outwardly, to transform oneself and the world around oneself as well. Haven't you seen that? I will give an example. Take the sexual act. Most men have zero control over it, it usually overpowers them and they cannot explore it to its fullest capacity. One who has however undergone nadishuddhi or mastered vajroli-mudra, can experience sex to immense heights, maintaining full control over his mind and body, for hours on end. It can no longer harm him, nor does it diminish his virility, if anything, it increases it. Further, it can now be directed towards spiritual ends as well since the roused sexual-energies can be directed towards concentration. This is the same for every other sphere in life. It's even more potent when it comes to the possession and use of "super-powers" that stress man's transcendence even within nature. This is why I urge you to carefully go through this article, so as not to miss the point I am conveying. It seems you've misunderstood certain things...
DeleteAs for the December article, I have deleted your comment referencing it, not out of censorship, but because I think it's best you express yourself under the comments-section there, to avoid confusion. I apologize for this inconvenience, but it would clearly be better that way. So I kindly ask you to visit it and write whatever you have to write under it.
Regards.
Peace Man,
DeleteI repeat the fruitlessness of projecting against projection. I know I don't understand you completely. How certain are you, and on what basis, do you believe you aren't misunderstanding me? As skilled as you are at narrowing down R. G. biases, whatever his authentic realisations, what would you say of your own?
To be clear, I am not on the edge of leaving behind my wife and children in the middle of the night, like Buddhist mythology reports of the historical Buddha. Further, after a certain experience of certainty of an in inherent immortality somewhere within, the first thing I did once that being passed was enroll to further study economics in order to further dive into the world, and my life as a householder began soon after. I am not like my early Buddhist monk brother.
At the same time, what a deep dive into your articles (on our 25th of December no less) has awakened is an awareness that I must let certain "Chinese-ness"es die. There is no point having nostalgia for that which was clearly so weak and flawed, living in the mountains alone whilst the people are taken over by colonial powers and Christian medical proselytism with virtually no resistance. That "quietism" and ascetic urge is a dead end. So in that I am indeed somewhat like my brother, who was very much a "rebel monk" in his search for early Buddhist ways, and his search in a way (though one he could not admit to himself) was one for Shakti-Power, by way of defeating or at least resiliently living past the disorder of modernity, via his "Enlightenment or bust" attitude. He had a lot of Alexander in him.
Abrahamically, the way Shakti-Power would manifest in the current world order may look something like what is recounted in Qur'an Surah 20, traditionally titled "Ta-Ha" (reverse of Ha-Tha perhaps). The story of Musa calling for Firawn to basically leave his people alone - to stop holding them but also to stop feeding and housing them, and let them go off into the desert as they wish, parallels a solution to the tyrannical world order of this time. Shakti-Power may more safely manifest as punishments from the Unmoved Centre, rather than any sort of channeling through individuals (even if those individuals so connected to the Centre are integral), enough for the worldly powers that be to be terrified to further mess with any such community released. Even as this community has no interest in proslytising to the "insects" content to be reduced to that state. To walk away as a way to cut the knot.
The "Puritan" aversion to sex, "magic", vengeance/good manners and living side by side with gods and devils, is a large part of the "knot" (at certain levels at least) on things today I believe, and your clarification of your position vis-a-vis such things is invaluable and reassuring. I am in no way in disagreement. One of the noteworthy aspects of the post-colonial East is how pruned up it became about such matters. The Qur'an's guidance in regards to relations with women and women servants is that which contemporary Islam seems quite embarrassed to explore for eg., even as our experience is that this is at the core of modernity's wrong view on how to solve the anxiety driving whatever flavour of feminist movements.
Perhaps to leave further dialogue for when you are ready to talk more openly about what has been revealed to you. Again, my gratitude for you attention and engagement.
Salaam.
The reason I am a bit exasperated, is because this particular article has dealt with all the questions and protests you direct to me. Like now for instance, under the sub-title, "Weakness invites destruction", you can see how the problems with abandoning the world is pointed out. Yet you act as though it is encouraged.
DeleteAs for the rest, I have already pointed it out, multiple times now. It is also fruitless to try and reconcile the Islamic perspective with the Tantric one, they are as water and oil. As for Buddhism, there isn't anything within it that particularly stresses Shakti.
Inner realization to the highest point, is reflected on the outside as nadishuddhi, that is the last thing I will say. Once again, there are relevant parts in the article that address this. This is taught within the Tantra. This is a purely technical thing, akin to going to the gym. Do you get that? It's an exercise that once done brings forth direct results: Kundalini awakens, illuminates and absorbs all your central points, goes up beyond, to the Supreme Polar point, then returns back, when she returns, she vivifies your entire cosmic expression. That's it. All the traditional, religious, political, moral and similar viewpoints are useless when it comes to this, but it seems to me that you keep bringing them up for whatever reason. There are no opinions, beliefs or even ideologies, there is just that simple truth that directly returns man to his original state. No revealed books to read, no prophets, messiahs or leaders to follow, no movements to be part of, no gods or devils to fear, nothing. Just that, man as he is, free from all things.
It is fine if this doesn't go well with you, but that is ultimately what is being said here.
Regards.
One thing that I forgot to add, when I urged you to read a little more, I didn't mean these articles, I meant primarily the entire corpus of Rene Guenon, since that is the basis for understanding anything else that is written here. You can get it on archive:
Deletehttps://archive.org/details/reneguenon/1921%20-%20Introduction%20to%20the%20Study%20of%20the%20Hindu%20Doctrines%20/page/n0/mode/2up
This is also another valuable resource:
https://www.index-rene-guenon.org/
Though it is in French.
Regards.
Peace Man,
ReplyDeleteYour projected exasperation is fine and to be expected, as again it is far from certain you do not operate under unearned certainty about where I come from. This may thus extend thereby to (early) Buddhism and the Qur'an (if not Islam). A blindness in technical emphasis potentially, like Mr D'Arcy needing Elisabeth Bennet's guidance.
I am glad to be here to learn what I can nevertheless, as our family has benefitted already. Perhaps this falls under what you perceive as "it does not go well with me" aegis.. that's fine too. Until your next articles, inshaaAllah.
Salaam.