Cheers, thanks dmb. My opinion is that once a book is written in the fictional realm, the author releases himself from the character. The reader then interprets the character as he sees fit. In this way, a character continues to grow. So, I suppose it doesn't really matter what RMP meant, he has no control over what the character becomes. The character takes on a life of its own which is neither correct or incorrect. One can read a book many different ways, I wish there weren't so many books to read! I have returned to ZMM over the years for a reread, and find something new which jibes with what I have learned over that time. Intentional or not, it doesn't really matter. I love poetry for that reason, it always seems to fit the mood.
Thanks again, Mark On Mon, Oct 18, 2010 at 10:10 PM, david buchanan <[email protected]>wrote: > > Hey Mark > Somebody asked Pirsig that same question. He said he was just going for a > name that suited the character and he thought of a lilac bush because of > it's aggressive beauty and unsubtle perfume. But he probably was exposed to > the concept of Lila as a cosmic dance or play when he studied in India and > words are just kind of magic sometimes. So even though the author did not > have a conscious intention to invoke that deeper meaning, I think it's there > anyway. People certainly WANT to read it that way and it makes a certain > amount of sense. On the other hand, that chick was total mess so maybe she's > mostly just Lila the bar lady, the one who wears too much bad perfume. > > dmb > > > > > Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 22:24:49 -0700 > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [MD] Step One > > > > Hi dmb, > > > > Perhaps you can answer this question I have been wondering about. Does > the > > use of the name Lila have anything to do with the sanskrit Lila? This > would > > be like the playground, or even Reality. Sometimes I have likened Lila > to > > Maya in a general way. I tried reading the book once with that in mind, > but > > perhaps I am on the wrong track and over reading. > > > > I will not dispute or follow up on any answer you give, I am just really > > interested in your input on this. You may have answered this in the > past. > > > > Thanks, > > Mark > > > > On Sun, Oct 17, 2010 at 2:55 PM, david buchanan <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > > > > > Dan said: > > > ... I recall Mary getting upset that he would have an affair with a bar > > > lady while he was still married. And yet he told me himself that he was > > > Lila, and the boat, and the rest of the story as well. That's what I am > > > driving at. You are the story. How does your life pertain the MOQ. You. > Not > > > the people or places in your life. Do you see what I mean? I know I am > > > explaining myself poorly but it is a difficult subject. > > > > > > > > > dmb says: > > > > > > The same principle applies in dreams and fiction. Everyone in your > dreams > > > is you and everyone in the movie is an aspect of the hero. > > > > > > > > > Lila's breakdown is very much like Pirsig's. In those final scenes, > after > > > Lila slashes Jamie across the face with a knife and they have to make a > > > quick escape before the police arrive, he was telling us what what > > > "insanity" is like from the inside. It's not just autobiographical, of > > > course, because "Lila's battle is everybody's battle" and her status > serves > > > as the book's central koan. > > > > > > > > > These final chapters are also where we find the discussion of William > > > James, beginning with the question about that squirrel. His discussion > of > > > plural truths and pragmatic truths is intertwined with his discussions > about > > > the relation between insanity and truth and the similarities between > > > insanity and mysticism. And he brings all of this together to answer > the > > > riddle of Lila. > > > > > > > > > "What he thought was, that in addition to the usual solutions to > insanity - > > > stay locked up or learn to conform - there is a third one, to reject > ALL > > > movies, private and cultural, and head for Dynamic Quality itself, > which is > > > no movie at all. ...evolution doesn't take place only within > societies, it > > > takes place within individuals too." (Lila, p. 360) > > > > > > > > > "Just as mystics traditionally seek monasteries and ashrams and > hermitages > > > as retreats into isolation and silence, so are the insane treated by > > > isolation in places of relative calm and austerity and silence. > Sometimes, > > > as a result of this monastic retreat into silence and isolation the > patient > > > arrives at a stat Karl Menninger has described as 'better than cured.' > He is > > > actually in better condition than he was before the insanity started. > > > Phaedrus guessed that in many of the 'accidental' cases, the patient > had > > > learned by himself not to cling to any static patterns of ideas - > cultural, > > > private or other." (Lila, p 375) > > > > > > > > > "That's what Lila's involved in now, a huge VACATION, an emptying out > of > > > the junk of her life. She's clinging to some new pattern because she > thinks > > > it holds back the old pattern. But what she has to do is take a > vacation > > > from ALL patterns, old and new, and just settle into a kind of > emptiness for > > > a while. And if she does, the culture has a moral obligation not to > bother > > > her. The most moral activity of all is the creation of space for life > to > > > move onward." (Lila, p 376) > > > > > > > > > > > > Her also talks about the Dharmakaya light all through these last > chapters > > > and he remarks that he'd seen that light around Lila, way back in the > > > beginning. The "quality" he saw was her dynamic nature, she was already > > > beginning to break up, the static patterns of her life were already > > > beginning to unravel. At the end of such a process one can come out the > > > other side better than before. Or you can remain a culture of one and > be > > > locked up forever, like common criminal without the respect. Regenerate > or > > > degenerate. It goes both ways. > > > > > > > > > Or you can go with Rigel and become a church lady. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 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/md/archives.html > > > > > 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/md/archives.html > > 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/md/archives.html > 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/md/archives.html
