Volume 3 Numbers 11-12

ORIENS

November 2006

The function of Ren Gunon and the fate of the West (IV)
Michel VLSAN
(followed by the French version)

We have to limit our quotes to the essential, and the reader will have to refer himself to the integral text of the chapters were quoting here, as well as to The Crisis of the Modern World and The Reign of Quantity, to have the other aspects that would come with the realization of one or the other of these three hypothesis. What should be remembered for our subject, is that the idea of an intellectual elite brings back the very question of the future fate of the West. It is up to such a spiritual and human entity to accomplish the return of the West to Tradition one way or another as well as to establish the agreement on the principles with the traditional East. This is what, shall we say, links the spiritual, and, in general, traditional perspectives of the West with Ren Gunons teaching because in fact in his work is found the starting point of an intellectual awakening and the inspiration for all the work to be accomplished next. The statement of certain ideas will first allow the possible elements of the elite to become aware of themselves and of what was necessary for them. The mental formation must start with the acquisition of a theoretical knowledge about the metaphysical principles: this is the study of the Eastern doctrines which should have allowed that, and Ren Gunon, with the series of his essays, mainly about the Hindu doctrines, came to give light and provoke this study from which could result the assimilation by the elite in training of the essential modes of the Eastern way of thinking. We shall also remind the reader that the Western elite, to be indeed such an elite, had to remain tied to the Western traditional forms: this is why the elite could only do what Gunon called an assimilation to the second degree of the Eastern teaching. 1 Thus, this is how the first mode of the support the East was offering to the West was manifesting itself; this is the period that Ren Gunon designated as being the one of the indirect help or of the inspirations: these inspirations, he was saying, can only be transmitted
1

Those among Westerners who will have directly joined some Eastern traditional forms therefore do not enter in this notion of a Western elite, even if they live in the West; such people, because of their traditional tie, directly linked to the East in the intellectual aspect, properly do a first degree assimilation of this teaching. We will have to come back later over the role that such people can play in the development of the relationships in between the Western elite and the Eastern elites.

The function of Ren Gunon and the fate of the West (IV) by some individual influences serving as intermediaries, not by a direct action of some organizations which, unless an unexpected upheaval, will never engage their responsibility in the business of the Western world (East and West, p. 179). And he added this statement that concerned him before anybody else: those who directly assimilated the Eastern intellectuality can only aspire to play this role of intermediaries we were mentioning about earlier; they are, because of this assimilation, too close to the East to do more; they can suggest and expose some ideas, point out what would be advisable to do, but not take upon themselves the initiative of an organization which, coming from them, would not really be Western. (ibid.) We shall stress, when the chance occurs, this distinctive aspect of Ren Gunons function, because some could be tempted to only see in him a simple author of theoretical books: first of all, the fact that his writings precisely correspond, at any degree, to some inspirations originating from some Eastern spiritual forces and expressing themselves though his possibilities and his personal influence, shows that those inspirations have, not only in their doctrinal substance, but also in their primary intention, a starting point which is not located in the simple intellectual understanding and in the individual desire to make others participate to this understanding, nor in the mere requests of the milieu and the pressure of the circumstances; next, his role was not only to make some doctrinal talks, but also, as he was saying himself, to suggest some ideas and to point out what would be advisable to do, and we know very well that, indeed, he has practiced in this way a very widespread activity which is only revealed indirectly and partially by his books when he noted down the elements that could interest his readers in general. To come back to the relations of the elite with the East, the second period of support it was going to receive is called by Ren Gunon direct support: it implies that the elite is already constituted as an organization able to enter into a relationship with the Eastern organizations which work in the pure intellectual order, and to receive from them, for its action, the help that can be procured by some forces that have been accumulating since an unmemorable time. (ibid., p. 201) When a first work of assimilation will have been accomplished this way, nothing will be against the idea that the elite itself (since the initiative had to come from it) would have recourse, in a more immediate way, to the representatives of the Eastern traditions; and those, being interested with the fate of the West because of the presence of this elite, would not be short of answering this call, because the only condition they demand, is the understanding this is in the second period that the support from the East could manifest itself effectively. (ibid., p. 203) During this period, which is the one of the effective action, the elite must realize some adaptations toward the Western condition; thus, it is out of the question to consider the substitution of a tradition for another, and regarding the religious tradition of the West, it is only about the addition of the internal element which is currently lacking, but which can very well superpose itself to it without anything being changed externally. (ibid., p. 195) Only if the West ended up being definitively powerless in its efforts to come back to a normal civilization could a foreign tradition be imposed upon them; but then there would not be any fusion, since nothing specifically Western would subsist; and there would not be any substitution either, because, to reach such an end, the West would have to have lost every single vestige of the traditional mind, with the exception of a small elite without who, since the West is not able to receive this foreign tradition, it would inevitably fall into the worse barbarity. (ibid., p. 199)

The function of Ren Gunon and the fate of the West (IV) To summarize the possible relationships in the most favorable hypothesis between the East and the West, Ren Gunon specified again: therefore it is a matter of not imposing to the West an Eastern tradition, whose forms do not correspond to its mentality, but to restore a Western tradition with the help of the East, indirect help first, then direct.: or, inspiration in the first period, effective support in the second one When the West will be in possession again of a regular and traditional civilization, the elites role will have to continue: the elite will then be what the Western civilization will utilize to communicate with the other civilizations, because such a communication can only be established and maintained by what is the highest among each of them... In other words, the West would have to finally have representatives in what is symbolically designated as the centre of the world or any other equivalent expression (which should not be understood literally as the indication of a determined location, whatever it could be); but, here, we are talking about things way too far, way too inaccessible for the time being and probably for a very long time still, to justify insisting about it more. (ibid., p. 202)

Volume 3 Numbers 11-12

ORIENS

November 2006

La fonction de Ren Gunon et le sort de lOccident (IV)

Michel VALSAN

Nous sommes obligs de limiter lessentiel nos citations, et il faudra se reporter au texte intgral des chapitres que nous rappelons ici, ainsi qu La Crise du Monde moderne et au Rgne de la Quantit, pour avoir les autres aspects que comporte encore la ralisation de lune ou de lautre de ces trois hypothses. Ce quil y a en retenir pour notre propos, cest que cest autour de lide dune lite intellectuelle que toute la question du sort futur de lOccident se trouve ramene. Cest une telle entit spirituelle et humaine quincombe de raliser le retour de lOccident la Tradition dans une mesure ou dans une autre ainsi que dtablir laccord sur les principes avec lOrient traditionnel. Cest cela mme, dirons-nous, qui relie les perspectives spirituelles, et en gnral traditionnelles, de lOccident lenseignement de Ren Gunon car en fait cest en son uvre que se trouve le point de dpart dun rveil intellectuel et linspiration de tout le travail accomplir par la suite. Lexposition de certaines conceptions doit permettre tout dabord, aux lments possibles de llite de prendre conscience deux-mmes et de ce qui leur tait ncessaire. La formation mentale proprement dite doit commencer par lacquisition dune connaissance thorique des principes mtaphysiques : cest ltude des doctrines orientales qui devait permettre cela, et Ren Gunon venait, avec toute la srie de ses exposs, principalement des doctrines hindoues, susciter et clairer cette tude dont pouvait rsulter lassimilation par llite en formation des modes essentiels de la pense orientale. Nous rappellerons aussi que llite occidentale, pour tre telle, devait rester attache aux formes traditionnelles occidentales : cest ainsi quelle ne pouvait faire que ce quil appelait une assimilation au second degr de lenseignement oriental1 . Cest ainsi que se manifestait le premier mode de lappui que lOrient offrait lOccident ; cest la priode que Ren Gunon dsignait comme tant celle de l aide indirecte ou des inspirations : Ces inspirations, disait-il, ne peuvent tre transmises que par des influences individuelles servant dintermdiaires, non par une action directe dorganisations qui, moins de bouleversements imprvus, nengageront jamais leur responsabilit dans les affaires du monde occidental (Orient et Occident, p. 179). Et il ajoutait ceci qui le concernait lui-mme avant tout autre:
1

Ceux d'entre les Occidentaux qui auront adhr directement des formes traditionnelles de l'Orient, n'entrent donc pas dans cette notion d'lite occidentale mme sils vivent en Occident ; ceux-ci, de par leur rattachement traditionnel, devant sassimiler directement l'Orient sous le rapport intellectuel, font proprement une assimilation au premier degr de cet enseignement. Nous aurons revenir plus loin sur le rle que peuvent jouer ceux-ci dans le dveloppement des relations entre l'lite occidentale et les lites orientales.

La fonction de Ren Gunon et le sort de lOccident (II) Ceux qui se sont assimil directement lintellectualit orientale ne peuvent prtendre qu jouer ce rle dintermdiaires dont nous parlions tout lheure ; ils sont du fait de cette assimilation, trop prs de lOrient pour faire plus ; ils peuvent suggrer des ides, exposer des conceptions, indiquer ce quil conviendrait de faire, mais non pas prendre par eux-mmes linitiative dune organisation qui, venant deux, ne serait pas vraiment occidentale (ibid.). Nous soulignerons loccasion cet aspect caractristique de la fonction de Ren Gunon, car certains pourraient tre tents de ne voir en lui quun simple auteur de livres thoriques: tout dabord, le fait que ses crits correspondent prcisment, un degr quelconque, des inspirations manant des forces spirituelles de lOrient et sexprimant travers ses possibilits et son influence personnelle, montre que ceux-ci ont, non seulement dans leur substance doctrinale, mais encore dans leur intention premire, un point de dpart qui nest pas situ dans la simple comprhension intellectuelle et dans le dsir individuel de faire participer les autres cette comprhension, ni dans les seules sollicitations du milieu et la pression des circonstances ; ensuite, son rle ntait pas seulement de faire des exposs doctrinaux, mais aussi, comme il le disait lui-mme, de suggrer des ides et dindiquer ce quil conviendrait de faire , et nous savons trs bien que, de fait, il a exerc en ce sens une activit trs tendue qui nest rvle quindirectement et partiellement par ses livres quand il y notait les lments qui pouvaient intresser ses lecteurs en gnral. Pour en revenir ce qui concerne les rapports de llite avec lOrient, la deuxime priode de lappui quelle devait en recevoir est appele par Ren Gunon celle de lappui direct : elle suppose llite dj constitue en une organisation capable dentrer en relation avec les organisations orientales qui travaillent dans lordre intellectuel pur, et de recevoir de celles-ci, pour son action, laide que peuvent procurer des forces accumules depuis un temps immmorial (op. cit., p. 201). Quand un premier travail dassimilation aura t ainsi accompli, rien ne sopposerait ce que llite ellemme (puisque cest delle que devait venir linitiative) fit appel, dune faon plus immdiate, aux reprsentants des traditions orientales ; et ceux-ci, se trouvant intresss au sort de lOccident par la prsence de cette lite, ne manqueraient pas de rpondre cet appel, car la seule condition quils exigent, cest la comprhension... Cest dans la seconde priode que lappui des Orientaux pourrait se manifester effectivement (op. cit., p. 203). Dans cette priode qui est celle de l action effective , llite doit raliser des adaptations la condition occidentale ; il nest pas question denvisager ainsi la substitution dune tradition une autre, et pour ce qui est de la tradition religieuse de lOccident, il sagit seulement de l adjonction de llment intrieur qui lui fait actuellement dfaut, mais qui peut fort bien sy superposer sans que rien soit chang extrieurement (op. cit., p. 195). Ce nest que si lOccident se montrait dfinitivement impuissant revenir une civilisation normale quune tradition trangre pourrait lui tre impose ; mais alors il ny aurait pas fusion, puisque rien de spcifiquement occidental ne subsisterait plus; et il ny aurait pas substitution non plus, car, pour en arriver une telle extrmit, il faudrait que lOccident et perdu jusquaux derniers vestiges de lesprit traditionnel, lexception dune petite lite sans laquelle, ne pouvant mme recevoir cette tradition trangre, il senfoncerait invitablement dans la pire barbarie (op. cit., p. 199).

La fonction de Ren Gunon et le sort de lOccident (II) En rsumant les rapports possibles ainsi dans la meilleure hypothse entre Orient et Occident, Ren Gunon prcisait encore : Il sagit donc, non dimposer lOccident une tradition orientale, dont les formes ne correspondent pas sa mentalit, mais de restaurer une tradition occidentale avec laide de lOrient, aide indirecte dabord, directe ensuite : ou, si lon veut, inspiration dans la premire priode, appui effectif dans la seconde... Lorsque lOccident sera de nouveau en possession dune civilisation rgulire et traditionnelle, le rle de llite devra se poursuivre : elle sera alors ce par quoi la civilisation occidentale communiquera dune faon permanente avec les autres civilisations, car une telle communication ne peut stablir et se maintenir que par ce quil y a de plus lev en chacune delles... En dautres termes, il faudrait que lOccident parvint finalement avoir des reprsentants dans ce qui est dsign symboliquement comme le centre du monde ou par toute autre expression quivalente (ce qui ne doit pas tre entendu littralement comme indiquant un lieu dtermin, quel quil puisse tre); mais, ici, il sagit de choses trop lointaines, trop inaccessibles prsentement et sans doute pour bien longtemps encore, pour quil puisse tre vraiment utile dy insister (op. cit., p. 202).