dear squad:
i would like to bring your attention to the letter quoted below. i wasn't the only person to make the same connection to zen and the articles on the zombie within. it makes me happy to see validation for my thoughts.
lithien
now and zen
as an artist and potter, I was fascinated by the recent scientific studies on "unconscious awareness" skills ("Irresistible illusions", 5 September, p 32). The "instinctive feel" aspect of perception plays a very important role in areas that are often attributed, falsely, to some mysterious "talent" that artists are credited with possessing. In fact, artistic "talent" may simply be an ability to let the Zombie get on with the job.
For example, several hours of my working week are spent drawing a figure from life. There are good days, when every mark on the paper goes just where it should, and bad days when the simplest drawing seems laboured and clumsy. I put this down to being in or out of "the flow".
Significantly, "blind" drawing (where one looks only at the model, not at the paper, while drawing) helps get one in "the flow". Now we know why.
Similarly, on a more modest level, when throwing a production run of pots, in order to ensure consistent size, the clay must be weighed for every bowl. A long cylinder is roughly rolled out, and the necessary amount is twisted off for weighing. Again, there are good days and bad days in terms of accurately estimating the desired amount of clay per twist.
Since reading the article on Zombie mind, I've experimented by averting my gaze at the moment of twisting off the clay. Result: immediate improvement. The clay pieces were within a gram or so of the target weight each time, accurate enough for a pot.
Doubtless athletes and sportsmen can give similar examples. So let's dignify our "Zombie" with the title it was given in a culture which understood its importance long ago--namely, "Zen mind".
ANTHONY O'BRIEN
http://members.tripod.com/~lithien/Lila2.html
-----Original Message-----
From: Lithien <Lithien@ix.netcom.com>
To: lila <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Date: Friday, December 11, 1998 8:00 AM
Subject: MD the zombie within
dear glove, gene, fintan, bodvar and squad:
i don't know how many of you took the time to read and explore the articles that diana sited. for those who didn't, here is a second chance:
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/980905.intro.html
they are very much worth studying since they bring a totally new perspective on this month's topic.
the running metaphor of the articles is "the zombie within" and they explore in four parts this new concept of the mind which has been backed up by scientific experiments. from the very beginning it is stated that, #1) the zombie is a metaphor to illustrate "a division in our mental life that is on one level mundane, an at another, deeply strange" and #2) that when researchers speak of the strange part, ie the unconscious, "they are referring to perceptual and information processing skills rather than anything darkly Freudian". i state this to stop early on any attacks on this concept being anything mystical or spiritual, god forbid!
the four parts are:
1. The Zombie Within - an overall look which defines the concept and explores its general ramifications. one of its most interesting assertions is that although "we have this assumption about ourselves that mind and consciousness are synonymous" nothing could be further from the truth. the next three parts explain and substantiate this concept.
2. Irresistible Illusions - this section explains how the unconscious brain and body know things about the world that you don't. What you see "out there" is often illusion (this would parallel SOM thinking) not reality. and worse of all, you yourself are not in control of your own perceptions and actions.
3. Out of sight, into mind - this part shows how scientists's experiments have determined this unconscious side and redefined what the nature of consciousness is.
4. I had a hunch... - this is the part which i found irresistible in connecting it to instinct and my discussion that was categorized as spiritual and mystical. it explores "the underlying notion that the brain has two distinct modes of thinking: one verbal, logical and conscious, the other nonverbal, and unconscious'. now this may not sound new to some but there is very different research in this respect today. according to this new research, non-verbal thinking, or nonconscious thinking "is rooted in mechanisms that enable the brain to soak up and ruminate on information, looking for subtle patterns and connections, behind your back--without the aid of words, and in many cases without your being conscious of what's going on". additionally, it states that "verbalization...impairs judgment based on intuition". which to me, explains why it is so hard for people like me to sometimes elucidate my experiences so that others may understand. it also goes hand in had with zen's many allusions to non-verbal understanding.
please read these articles. they are worth your attention. i love to explore new avenues of thought and do not deter from doing so even though some may threaten some of my cherished long-held beliefs. but, i do recognize that all of us are a world upon themselves and it is hard sometimes to do so.
i welcome any input to discuss these articles in depth for it is in the discussion that we teach each other.
Lithien
http://members.tripod.com/~lithien/Lila2.html
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