Hello Malbin and squad
mysticism is not understood by talking about it and like i told donny once
about zen, it cant be defined by a dictionary or a book. i do not believe
mysticism is something that can be consciously sought after, and if it is,
it is not mysticism. this leads to clues as to what it is.
for instance, Malbin writes:
Hello to ALL, my name is Malbin, (nice to meet you!)
Another new member here. I subscribe to the philosophical model of what
you might call Wilber-Pirsig-Zen Buddhism. I think D. Buchanan is right on
the money.
I read a lot of interesting stuff about DQ, mysticism, Zen, brain, mind,
life, consciousness, etc, on this site. But one thing is strangely silent.
It could be because Pirsig has not made much about, but he definitely did
it. And this thing is PRACTICE. SPIRITUAL TRAINING. Without this, without
practice, all this talk, philosophizing, is a big waste of time. Its just
more attachment, namely to static intellectual patterns.
Glove:
i would say it is to static social patterns we become attached. but all in
all i agree with you to a point. see my comments below.
Malbin:
Pirsigs practice
was the koan: 'What's Quality?" For years he practiced with this koan, until
that night, after sitting in his bedroom for 3 days, after detaching himself
even from the consciousness of himself (mind and body dropped), Quality
revealed itself to him. That's what its all about. Everything else, every
static pattern, is in an evolutionary, developmental drive towards that end,
that goal: Enlightenment.
Glove:
here is the essence of the problem that most westerners have in forming
agreements with mysticism. there is no goal at all. no striving for
enlightenment. in fact the striving will only impede. if you read Zen in the
Art of Archery you may get a glimmer of what i mean. but its so very
difficult to perceive from the work-a-day prospective of our goal-oriented
society.
i would have to go back and re read Lila to be sure, but i think this is not
exactly how Pirsig describes his Quality inspiration. he said he was maniac
for three days after conceiving of it, but i do not remember anything about
him sitting detached for three days in his bedroom. are you thinking of Zen
and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance perhaps? and his "breakdown"?
Malbin:
So yes, let us discuss, clarify, engage ourselves in intellectual
matters, that helps see them for what they are, models, static models of
reality, not reality itself, not Dynamic Quality. So don't forget about
practice, whether it be meditation, or contemplation, or yoga, because it
accelerates the evolutionary currents, it galvanizes you to the luminosity
of the Dynamic Ground and Goal, to the Spirit-Itself, to Radical Emptiness,
to God, to Dynamic Quality Itself.
Glove:
when a person is ready, the way will open. i have found in my own life that
it is more advantageous to save my preaching for myself as it is all i can
do to force "me" to sit some days. i simply dont have the power to waste on
others.
many best wishes
glove
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