Conservatives and Liberals
Posted on May 17th, 2008
by 
bobyu
bobyu
I don't know how true this is, but I am inspired to write this.
Best religions for helping us get in direct touch with the Infinite/Verticality: Buddhism, Hinduism (or Vedanta?)
Even though there is only a tiny, tiny number of truly illumined beings in history, Eastern religions seem to produce a little bit of them more through hard, systematic, spiritual disciplines (or maybe Western religions suffer from p.r. problem or they were better at persecuting them).
Best religions for translating adequately what comes/arises from Verticality into Horizontality: Christianity, Judaism.
The main proof is that the best things of modernism all come from science which is rooted in Christianity.
Conservative philosophy is biased towards vertical evolution (how to get in touch with Verticality); liberal philosophy is biased towards horizontal evolution (how to continuously better express Verticality into Horizontality, thus enabling progress and increasing individual human freedom).
This may also explain two well-known archetypes of mystics: either they go into the hiding into their caves (conservative) or they come into the world and shake it to its core and create a new world legacy (liberal). Ramana Maharshi vs Sri Aurobindo.
The problem is that modern conservatives are clueless about the origin of conservative principles and virtues, namely the Nameless One. Hence what they conserve is NOT the perenial root of All and the tried-and-true way to re-unite with it, but its temporary and impermanent form that is rooted in long gone culture.
The problem with modern liberals is that instead of going back to the Source and finding a better and progressive way to express and manifest that Verticality to complement what has come before, they reject and throw out everything in the past and then use purely horizontally inspired ideas that lead us all into hell. This is an empty change for the sake of empty change.
I believe this is why a true integral religion is one that is simultaneously deeply conservative and liberal. Before the Absolute one can only utterly submit and obey unquestionly; to carry out the mission of the Absolute one has to work ceasely to improve and progress to manifest the Will of Divine, to make heaven on earth, primarily through sheer inner work, followed by non-recognition seeking public work.
McCain might be a conservative, but without being aware of the Verticality, he is conserving a hallowed out seashell, lacking the meat and juice. Obama and Clinton might be liberal, in that they are willing to change from a dead past, but what they propose to come up with is another empty change, rooted in ever-changing, impermanent world of Form. That's why their campaigns are primarily designed to appeal to the emotions, not to the intellect.
It seems to me that Masculine principle is the desire to re-unite with the Emptiness. Hence Buddha's injunction to leave one's family behind to seek nirvana is one example of that.
However, once rooted in Emptiness, one sees the world of Form and Compassion arises - hence Christ's injunction of loving our neighbours.
The conservative principles serve two functions: how to live in the world ethically and morally; and how to increase the chance of re-uniting with the Emptiness.
The liberal principles come after: once rooted in Emptiness, now come back to the world to emancipate others and to increase freedom in the world.
In both cases, God is the center of it all. Too bad that politcal conservatives and liberals have totally excluded God/Nirvana/Absolute in their politcal foundations.
Best religions for helping us get in direct touch with the Infinite/Verticality: Buddhism, Hinduism (or Vedanta?)
Even though there is only a tiny, tiny number of truly illumined beings in history, Eastern religions seem to produce a little bit of them more through hard, systematic, spiritual disciplines (or maybe Western religions suffer from p.r. problem or they were better at persecuting them).
Best religions for translating adequately what comes/arises from Verticality into Horizontality: Christianity, Judaism.
The main proof is that the best things of modernism all come from science which is rooted in Christianity.
Conservative philosophy is biased towards vertical evolution (how to get in touch with Verticality); liberal philosophy is biased towards horizontal evolution (how to continuously better express Verticality into Horizontality, thus enabling progress and increasing individual human freedom).
This may also explain two well-known archetypes of mystics: either they go into the hiding into their caves (conservative) or they come into the world and shake it to its core and create a new world legacy (liberal). Ramana Maharshi vs Sri Aurobindo.
The problem is that modern conservatives are clueless about the origin of conservative principles and virtues, namely the Nameless One. Hence what they conserve is NOT the perenial root of All and the tried-and-true way to re-unite with it, but its temporary and impermanent form that is rooted in long gone culture.
The problem with modern liberals is that instead of going back to the Source and finding a better and progressive way to express and manifest that Verticality to complement what has come before, they reject and throw out everything in the past and then use purely horizontally inspired ideas that lead us all into hell. This is an empty change for the sake of empty change.
I believe this is why a true integral religion is one that is simultaneously deeply conservative and liberal. Before the Absolute one can only utterly submit and obey unquestionly; to carry out the mission of the Absolute one has to work ceasely to improve and progress to manifest the Will of Divine, to make heaven on earth, primarily through sheer inner work, followed by non-recognition seeking public work.
McCain might be a conservative, but without being aware of the Verticality, he is conserving a hallowed out seashell, lacking the meat and juice. Obama and Clinton might be liberal, in that they are willing to change from a dead past, but what they propose to come up with is another empty change, rooted in ever-changing, impermanent world of Form. That's why their campaigns are primarily designed to appeal to the emotions, not to the intellect.
It seems to me that Masculine principle is the desire to re-unite with the Emptiness. Hence Buddha's injunction to leave one's family behind to seek nirvana is one example of that.
However, once rooted in Emptiness, one sees the world of Form and Compassion arises - hence Christ's injunction of loving our neighbours.
The conservative principles serve two functions: how to live in the world ethically and morally; and how to increase the chance of re-uniting with the Emptiness.
The liberal principles come after: once rooted in Emptiness, now come back to the world to emancipate others and to increase freedom in the world.
In both cases, God is the center of it all. Too bad that politcal conservatives and liberals have totally excluded God/Nirvana/Absolute in their politcal foundations.
Access: Public
August 2008 