From: khoo hock aun (hockaun@pc.jaring.my)
Date: Wed Dec 24 2003 - 14:44:51 GMT
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a
miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-Albert Einstein
Dear Wim and all,
Wim:
> According to you (17 Dec 2003 20:56:39 +0800) and Pirsig ('Lila' chapter 32)
> Buddhism seems to be an intellectual pattern of value that motivates one to
> dismantle all intellectual patterns of value (all patterns constituting
> 'self'). Including itself, I wonder? Does enlightenment imply dismantling
> even the 4 truths, 8-fold path and 5/10/227 precepts? I guess so.
> You also wrote: 'migration towards Dynamic Quality involves dissolving the static patterns
> of value'.> That implies: all static patterns of value, not only the intellectual
> ones... It is a logical consequence of that Buddhist train of thought, but
> unacceptable to me. It implies that static quality is all bad and Dynamic
> Quality all good and that the latter can exist without the former.
Khoo:
When I first read Lila I was not comfortable with the introduction of
the Static Quality and Dynamic Quality division:
As far as I understand Static Quality to be persistent patterns at the
inorganic, biological, social and intellectual levels as perceived by
Pirsig, I can correlate this to the physical, bio-chemical, biological,
social and intellectual patterns that arise as manifestations from time
to time, exist and interact with each other. The human "self" itself one
of these manifestations, evolved from enfolded and implicate patterns
in a universe of interdependent origination, is set on an unconscious
course to persistently and ceaselessly recreate itself and in countless
manifestations (dissipative structures, morphogenetic fields and memes
are but some aspects).
Because this cosmic drama (samsara) is precisely where humans and all
beings are caught in, enjoying its pleasures and suffering its pain as
well, the only release is to consciously no longer take part by leaving
this cycle. Static Quality in itself is therefore neutral, neither good
nor bad, as patterns go - however the clinging and the desire to persist
as patterns is not good in any form. In buddhistic terms the karmic
vector of attachment, the driving force of the patterns, does not lead
to Good.
Pirsig's introduction of an undefined Dynamic Quality in Lila serves to
illustrate, in my view, the residual, underlying fundamental nature of
an uncreated and unmanifested universe that cannot be measured,
perceived and identified by the senses. In Buddhism, the letting go of a
pattern, of any pattern, is considered good, and each step in this
direction is a step taken towards realising nirvana or in my view,
Dynamic Quality. Dynamic Quality here is, as Static Quality is -
neutral. The morality of our actions hence is determined by the degree
with which we cling on to static quality (patterns of any value) or
release a static quality (patterns of any value) of its hold on our
imagined "selves".
Upon achieving Enlightenment or the total release from the hold of
Static Quality, the "self" has indeed no more use for the 4 noble
truths, 8-fold path and 5/10/227 precepts. As far as the "self" is
concerned, when enlightened, buddhism as an intellectual pattern
disappears and dissolves with it. There is no need for a buddha
himself/herself to maintain buddhism as an intellectual pattern, because
while he lives, he is IT, a living role model and example for attaining
enlightnement. For the rest of humanity, buddhism remains an
intellectual pattern - a proven approach and practice to dissolve all
patterns, including itself - and will still exist; bequeathed as a gift
from the buddha of the time. The teachings of the this epoch's Buddha-
more precisely called the Dhamma, may flourish or wane with the times.
However, it does not matter - as there is and nor should there be any
clinging to any intellectual pattern, idea nor institution. Dynamic
Quality is always there, available for any aspirant to experience.
The problems always begin when "selves" unconsciously cling to the
Static Quality of intellectual patterns and these lead to the age-old
Metaphysicians' Lament: of how to explain to mere mortals the futility
of attachment to fleeting patterns. Moses, Christ, Mohammad and others
who have discerned Dynamic Quality sought to explain this futility in
the language and context of their times - only to have their followers
latch on to these patterns as if they were the only route to their
salvation. Over time, their words became entrenched as dogma when
ironically the essence of all religions derived from metaphysical
insight are all the same.
Having perceived Dynamic Quality, it is also Pirsig's Lament to have to
explain its metaphysics to western civilisation, built on the foundation
of a subject-object metaphysics, with the placement of the individual at
the centre of its hierarchical universe. The attachment of the
individual to the "self" - a pattern of Static Quality - if you must,
is at karmic tension with the detachment of Dynamic Quality. The greater
the degree of attachment, the greater the karmic tension, the greater
the karmic trajectory of the respective patterns. Moral value comes from
letting go, release from the karmic tension. The greatest good is
served, when the behaviour of "selves" are minimised as "selves" and
diminished to nothing and in this way achieving the ultimate freedom.
Wim:
> For me sq and DQ are both necessary. 'Migration towards Dynamic Quality'
> does NOT involve dissolving of static patterns of value but (in line with
> what Pirsig wrote in chapter 11 of 'Lila', see my posting of 19 Dec 2003
> 21:16:38 +0100) cumulation of more static patterns of value with both more
> stability (more static quality) and increasing versatility ('directed toward
> Dynamic Quality' in Pirsig's words).
> Beyond a certain level of human development the sense of an individual
> 'self' is 'a static pattern [that] becomes so powerful [that] it prohibits any
> Dynamic moves forward' (Pirsig's words from chapter 11).
> My solution would NOT be to dismantle all patterns that
> constitute that individual 'self', but to create intellectual patterns of
> value that constitute a more collective 'self': identification with humanity
> and 'creation' as a whole.
The folly of the intellectual level is that it promises what it cannot
deliver. The mind is extremely adept at building up intellectual
patterns, one of which is the subject-object divide and subsequent
subject-object metaphysics, arguing that the only reality is the reality
perieved by its limited senses. In Richard Bach's words : "Argue for
your limitations and they are yours"
The accumulation of more static patterns will lead to more static
patterns, all transcient and never permanent. In the longer term, it may
be possible to evolve a "collective self identified with humanity and
creation as a whole", but the same problems of attachment and
persistence will remain; eventually disillusionment and disappointment
if the basic issue of diminishing karmic momentum and tension is not
resolved and which can come only from migration towards Dynamic
Quality.
Peter Russell in The Global Brain observed the transition from one level
to the other at the magical number of 10 billion (10 to the power of 10)
; the quantity of units needed for a new order of existence to emerge.
To briefly paraphrase and summarise :" while complex cells such as a
muscle cell may contain 10 to the power of 12 atoms, and some large
amoeba may contain as many as 10 to the power of 15 atoms, in the other
direction, there are very few cells containing less than 100 million (10
to the power of eight) atoms. In terms of sheer numbers, there would
seem a threshold below which life does not readily emerge.
"Similarly, a threshold also seems to exist for the emergence of
self-reflective consciousness from life. The average human brain
contains about 100 billion nerve cells, of which 10 billion are in the
cortex, the area associated with conscious thought processes. Brains
with cortices containing 1 billion (10 to the power of 8) or fewer
neurons, such as the brains of dogs, do not appear to show the
phenomenon of self-reflective consciousness.
At each of the levels, the units attain complexity in terms of
diversity, organisation and connectivity to collectively transcend to a
new order of existence. With humanity about to attain a population of 10
billion by around mid-21st century and becoming increasingly organised
in terms of specialisation and connectivity, we can only speculate that
a new global consciousness might arise, resembling Teilhard de Chardin's
Omega Point, James Lovelock's Gaia or Sri Aurobindo's SuperMind. Perhaps
this is what you might have in mind.
All beings in Buddhist cosmology are contained in the 31 planes of
existence - mortal gods of great intellect that also live and die,
albiet far longer life spans than ordinary humans. But no one lives
forever. Then there are those planes, including the animal and
non-conscious ones where life-spans are much shorter. It is entirely
possible that the respective inorganic, organic, social and intellectual
levels are embedded and represented in some of these 31 planes of
existence, and including a prospective Gaia plane as well. Patterns of
all manner emerge and evolve; they persist and remain static for as long
as the karmic momentum carries them. If the patterns themselves, no
matter how transcient and fleeting, contribute towards detachment from
patterns or Static Quality, then and only then do we have "migration
towards Dynamic Quality"
Since I began with Einstein, I shall end with Einstein: " A human being
is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time
and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as
something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his
consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us
to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to
us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our
circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of
nature in its beauty."
Merry Xmas to All Who Value This Time
Best Regards
Khoo Hock Aun
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