i like this a lot: "To look at or scrutinize rice does not mean to view rice as the object, to observe or think about rice. One should essentially "put oneself " in the place of the rice. In so doing, the self looking upon the rice plant vanishes. This is what it means to "see and not examine and in *not*examining to know."
thanks john --- On Tue, 23/6/09, John Carl <[email protected]> wrote: > From: John Carl <[email protected]> > Subject: [MD] An Old Reactionary Speaks > To: [email protected] > Received: Tuesday, 23 June, 2009, 3:42 AM > Reading Gav's posting about old > artists, a true reactionary came to mind - > a man who influenced my life a great deal and died last > year at the > too-young age of 95. > > > I'd read Masanobu Fukuoka's Natural Way of Farming years > ago, and the > incredible quality of his thinking caused me to change the > way I thought > about farming and relate to my little acre and half. > But I hadn't read his > book in years and so I thought I'd pick it up and start > reading it again. > > > Here's a blurb from the back, just to give you an intro to > the man: > > > "Even rarer in this age of fragmented specialization is his > grasp on the > interrelatedness of all aspects of human society and > nature. Acclaimed as > "modern day Lao Tzu" by fellow Japanese for his > paradoxical wisdom, he > reaches back to the source of agrarian traditions to emerge > at the vanguard > of post-industrial civilization. He stands on the > direct realization that > culture is agriculture, and overturns preconceptions and > rational reductions > of the world to show us the roots of a healthy and whole > way of life -- and > the proof is in his farming!" > > > Health and whole way of life! Sounds good, doesn't > it. But what really > suprised me was how much of his thought was directly > harmonious with the > MoQ. By this, I mean the way he attacks reductionism, > science and SOM are > profound and comprehensive. > > > How does a farmer make the philosophical connection Pirsig > made? > > > Observe his thinking: > > > To look at or scrutinize rice does not mean to view rice as > the object, to > observe or think about rice. One should essentially > "put oneself " in the > place of the rice. In so doing, the self looking upon > the rice plant > vanishes. This is what it means to "see and not > examine and in > *not*examining to know." > > > Although what I am saying here may seem as intangible and > difficult to > undersand as the words of a Zen priest, I am not borrowing > philosophical and > Buddhist terms to spout empty theories and > principles. I am speaking from > raw personal experience of things grounded in reality. > > > > Now that last sentence really grabbed me,being profoundly > empirical. Here > are some more passages I cherry-picked for you all. > > > The state of Quality apprehension in infants: > > > "An infant sees things intuitively. When observed > without intellectual > discrimination, nature is entire and complete -- a > unity. In this > non-discriminating view of creation, there is no cause for > the slightest > doubt or discontent. A baby is satisfied and enjoys > peace of mind without > having to do anything." > > > Scientific reductionism and SOM: > > > "When man observes and judges, there is only the thing > called "man" and the > thing being observed. It is this thing called man > that verifies and > believes in the reality of an object, and it is man who > verifies and > believes in the existence of this thing called "man" > Everything in this > world derives from man and he draws all the > conclusions. In which case, he > need not worry about being God's puppet. But he does > run the risk of acting > out a drunken role on the stage supported by the crazed > subjectivity of his > own despotic existence. > > > But who is it that is dreaming? Who is it that is > seeing illusions? And the > answer to this, can we enjoy true peace of mind? No matter > how dep his > understanding of the universe, it is man's subjectivity > that holds up the > stage upon which his knowledge performs. But > just what if his subjective > view were all wrong? > > > Before laughing at blind faith in God, man should take note > of his blind > faith in himself." > > > And here where he answers the critics who proclaim the > scientific method as > the ultimate saviour of mankind: > > > "Yes", persists the scientist, "man observes and makes > judgements, so one > cannot deny that subjectivity may be at work here. > Yet his ability to > reason enables man to divest himself of subjectivity and > see things > objectively as well. Through repeated inductive > experimentation and > reasoning, man has resolved all things into patterns of > association and > interaction. The proof that this was no mistake lies about > us, in the > airplane, automobile, and all the other trappings of modern > civilization. > > > But if, on taking a better look at this modern civilization > of ours, we find > it to be insane, we must conclude that the human intellect > which engendered > it is also insane. It is the perversity of human > subjectivity that gave > rise to our ailing modern age." > > > > Masanobu Fukuoka <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka>, my > guru. > > > Here from the introduction to Natural Way of Farming: > > > > "My greatest fear today is that of nature being made the > plaything of human > intellect. There is also the danger that man will > attempt to protect nature > through the medium of human knowledge, without noticing > that nature can be > restored only by abandoning our preoccupation with > knowledge and action that > has driven it to the wall. > > > All begins by relinquishing human knowledge. > > > Although perhaps just the empty dream of a farmer who has > sought in vain to > return to nature and the side of God, I wish to become the > sower of seed. > Nothing would give me more joy than to meet others of the > same mind." > > > Thanks Gav, for triggering so much discovery. Thank > Henry Valentino Miller, > for pointing out the beauty in old men. > > -- > ------------ > Doing Good IS Being > ------------ > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > Access Yahoo!7 Mail on your mobile. Anytime. Anywhere. Show me how: http://au.mobile.yahoo.com/mail Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
