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    Immorality and the Immortal Conservative
    Immorality and the Immortal Conservative
    Immorality and the Immortal Conservative
    Ebook158 pages1 hour

    Immorality and the Immortal Conservative

    By Matthew McManus

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    About this ebook

    Immorality and the Immortal Conservative bridges the gap between modern day politics, philosophy, and yoga.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateAug 19, 2016
    ISBN9781483579276
    Immorality and the Immortal Conservative
    Author

    Matthew McManus

    Matthew McManus is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Tec de Monterrey.

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      Immorality and the Immortal Conservative - Matthew McManus

      in-between.

      INTRODUCTION

      For the purpose of this book, I aim to reach two audiences: the Westerner, with his modern heuristics and industrialized lifestyle, and the Eastern religionist who is acclimated to orthodoxy and Hindu tradition.

      Analyzing the cover, one might suspect that Immorality and the Immortal Conservative is about government and politics. This is correct; however, it deals with these issues not from a detailed, policy perspective but primarily from an ideological and philosophical point of view. The main ideologies discussed are conservative, liberal, and the Eastern orthodoxy of the Vedas.

      Conservative and liberal ideologies are much more practical to one’s life than originally imagined. Just as the river is the source for so many tributaries, maintaining lands far beyond its source; similarly, these ideologies encompass the social, economic, and political spectrums that affects our lives every day as a member of the state.

      In speaking to my Western audience, one purpose of Immorality and the Immortal Conservative is to explore the original intent behind conservatism. In today’s time, conservatism has been grossly watered down and misconstrued to be yet another secular philosophy with partisan interests. This is dangerous because the ideology risks losing its defining qualities that make it an important and unique contributor to society. Specifically, when the religious aspect is left out, what’s left is simply another transformation of secular and atheistic philosophy that I will show to be unbeneficial for the ultimate good of the people; although, insidiously appearing to be benign. It is my hope that the reader will come away understanding the predominant position of the conservative philosophy, what is true conservatism, how insidious is the liberal agenda, and to hopefully inspire a libertarian revolution in your heart – the highest realization of which culminates in the Vedic paradigm.

      ti was studied by the non-intellectual class.

      Vedic culture, as the original culture, automatically means conservative. It is the foundation for all human understanding, the benchmark for spirituality, and reservoir of all truth. For those reasons of authenticity and infallibility, to call the Vedas conservative is redundant since pure conservatism and Vedic culture are one in the same – original, untouched, primordial. For the purpose of this dialectic, Vedic conservatism is used to partition it from modern conservatism. In reality, modern day conservatism is radically liberal compared to Vedic culture but is a benchmark nonetheless to differentiate from the even more radical progressives of today.

      Panentheism is the philosophy detailed in the Vedas, which describes Krishna as God or the Absolute Truth. Vedic knowledge is designed to help one understand one’s position as an eternal servant of Krishna and develop a relationship with Him. In other words, the culmination of the Vedas is designed to teach one how to become Krishna conscious.

      Furthermore, in talking about Vedic culture, one must pay tribute to the spiritual masters who are able to deliver the Vedic teachings in the modern age. I therefore give much attention to the teachings of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who translated and brought these teachings to the West for the world’s benefit, teaching how to practically apply these eternal teachings in a contemporary context.

      There are many ways liberalism and conservatism can be defined. All of them have validity in so much as they are ideologies that hold varying degrees of truth. Nonetheless, contemporary conservatism and liberalism lack foundational principles because the people in the world today have all but forgotten the original conservative guideline, namely the Vedas and the teachings of the previous perfected spiritual masters, which are synonymous with the Vedic teachings. This book therefore is very important because it connects the dots where others, who could not reference Vedic culture, fell short in explaining how to see conservatism and liberalism in the broader context of truth and reality.

      Although it is obvious this book is meant to expose liberal nonsense, I still present both sides. Oftentimes when there are two conflicting sides to an issue, one thinks that a compromise is the best approach. This is not always true, however. Sometimes one side is clearly right and to compromise would be a step backwards.

      Another major point must be mentioned. The language used in this book was carefully chosen in order to appeal to different sections of people. In using the words ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ I plainly admit to talking in generalities for the purpose of educating others on patterns and tendencies self-evident in today’s world. These terms could be changed into more technical words, which appeal to a more eclectic audience. I use these technical words intermittently when I employ Sanskrit, which from an epistemological perspective, is the root word that most specifically describes certain concepts I mention.

      Below you will find a brief Sanskrit pronunciation guide for the diacritical marks you will encounter in the text:

      •   Pronounce every letter. So Bud-d-ha, c-handa.

      •   C is always soft as in lurch.

      which you can treat as though English with no dots.

      •   A dash over a vowel makes it longer, e.g. the a sound in ‘mutt’, vs the ā sound in saunter.

      pronounce it ‘sh’.

      pronounce it ‘n’.

      On a different note, Immorality and the Immortal Conservative is divided into four main sections.

      Part one, Western Politics & Ideology, is geared towards secular society and how modern society understands philosophy and politics.

      The second section, Illusion & Knowledge, introduces the art of logic and reasoning to deduce truth and validity.

      Section three, Vedic Culture & the History of Tradition, introduces the Vedic culture known as varnāśrama. In this section we discuss what conservatism traditionally looked like in India. Also we begin to enter the realm of spiritual ideology by discussing the role of the spiritual master and the dissemination of spiritual knowledge.

      The final section, Spiritual Technology & the Conservative Warrior, focuses primarily on spiritual secrets to transcend materialism, to preach boldly, and live a spiritual lifestyle despite being surrounded by a materialistic culture.

      In this way, each layer becomes increasingly esoteric by moving from conservative and liberal material ideology, to the ideology of conservative purity or Vedic culture, and finally to spiritual ideology.

      Furthermore, I outlined the book to mirror the progression of consciousness of the living entity. To briefly explain, there are five levels of consciousness possible in the living entity, according to the Vedas. The five levels of consciousness are:

      a-maya: conscious of the living symptoms of others. 3.) Jñāna-maya: philosophical inquiry 4.) Vijñāna-maya: Understanding one is a soul 5.) Ănanda maya: Pure devotion to God.

      Therefore, each section is geared towards a different level of consciousness and understanding that begins in the material realm and ascends to the spiritual realm, culminating in the ultimate goal of ānanda-maya. It is my hope that everyone reading Immorality and the Immortal Conservative, whether they are spiritually inclined or not, will derive some practical benefit.

      PART I

      WESTERN POLITICS AND IDEOLOGY

      ONE

      THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

      These are the two loves: the first is holy, the second foul; the first is social, the second selfish; the first consults the common welfare for the sake of a celestial society, the second grasps at a selfish control of social affairs for the sake of arrogant domination; the first is submissive to God, the second tries to rival God; the first is quiet, the second restless; the first is peaceful, the second trouble-making; the first prefers truth to the praises of those who are in error, the second is greedy for praise, however it may be obtained; the first is friendly, the second envious; the first desires for its neighbor what it wishes for itself, the second desires to subjugate its neighbor; the first rules its neighbor for the good of its neighbor, the second for its own advantage; and these two loves produce a distinction among the angels: the first love belongs to the good angels, the second to the bad angels; and they also separate the two cities founded among the race of men, under the wonderful and ineffable Providence of God, administering and ordering all things that have been created: the first city is that of the just, the second is that of the wicked. Although they are now, during the course of time, intermingled, they shall be divided at the last judgment; the first, being joined by the good angels under its King, shall attain eternal life; the second, in union with the bad angels under its king, shall be sent into eternal fire. Perhaps, we shall treat, God willing, of these two cities more fully in another place. – St. Augustine: The Two Cities

      Conservatism as Ideology

      Ideology means a doctrine, belief, myth, et cetera which guides an individual, social group, society, or any other social structure.¹ In a society or civilization, ideology defines its

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