Glove,
In ZAMM, page 358-359, is the text concerning the experience of Quality
directly by the author. "For three days and three nights, Phaedrus stares at the
wall of the bedroom, his thoughts moving neither forward nor backward, staying
only at the instant. ...He crosses a lonesome valley, out of the mythos, and
emerges as if from a dream, seeing that his whole consciousness, the mythos, has
been a dream and no one's dream but his own, a dream he must now sustain of his
own efforts. Then even "he" disappears and only the dream of himself remains
with himself in it. And the Quality, the arete he has fought so hard for, has
sacrificed for, has never betrayed, but in all that time has never once
understood, now makes itself clear to him and his soul is at rest" In a letter
to Robert Redford, Pirsig states that this experience from a Western point of
view is considered "madness", but from an Eastern one it's considered
"enlightenment."
I have "faith", as it sounds you have too, that we already, always are
enlightened, and that there is no goal, nothing lacking that needs gaining. But
as one Roshi told his student, show me this enlightenment, show me your
buddha-nature. I think you would answer, as he answered, as I would answer, that
I can't, that I have not, by my own knowing, by my own experience, realized this
enlightenment, this buddha-nature, this Dynamic Quality. The medicine for this
ailment, this ignorant condition, is practice, by whatever name or
form...Peace...Malbin.
glove wrote:
> 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
>
> homepage - http://www.moq.org
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-- Malbin Mendoza Mechanical Design EngineerPH: 217/438-2256 FAX: 217/438-6157
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