Agreed - You miss my point - he didn't dismiss it entirely - but he did give up (for a time).
On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 10:43 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > Ian, > > When he returned from Korea and before he went to India he was studying > philosophy in Minnesota. Metaphysics can get under your skin. I am not > saying that Eastern philosophy was the only influence, but it's too easy to > say that he dismissed it entirely and forever at the tender age of > twenty-three. I don't buy it. Besides it is my favorite part of the story. > I, too, became very disillusioned with Eastern studies and went back to > college to study Western philosophy. > > Finally, helping to setup a Zen Center is a bit of 'actions speak louder than > words'. > > > Marsha > > > > On Jan 24, 2013, at 5:22 AM, Ian Glendinning <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Ah yes, >> >> That's true, but that was before he started on science (biology) and >> originally became dissatisfied with the received wisdom of scientific >> premises. >> >> I doubt attachment to that narrow kind of rationality was the cause of >> his subsequent giving up on his first foray into Eastern philosophy. >> >> Although - it is not at all clear what did cause this - it's something >> I've pointed out he (or Wendy) needs to elaborate on in his own story. >> Hence my interest. >> >> (My guess is that he probably found a superficial hippy / new-agey >> interest in those visiting India at the time, and didn't find it deep >> enough philosophically that time around.) >> >> Ian >> >> On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 10:09 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Ian, >>> >>> I came to this conclusion from the last dvd (all packed away at the moment) >>> where Mr. Pirsig talks about having to give his father rational reasons for >>> _everything_ (exp. using the car). I'm sure his father had good >>> intensions; maybe to train him to be a lawyer. But of course this is what >>> I intuited, it's speculation and not fact. His helping establish a Zen >>> Center is not the action of someone who "gave up" an Eastern interest. I >>> cannot believe that his trip to India did not have an influence despite not >>> providing easy palatable answers. Realization is not something that is >>> Hindu, or Zen or Buddhist. It is a personal experience beyonds words and >>> labels. >>> >>> >>> Marsha >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Jan 24, 2013, at 4:04 AM, Ian Glendinning <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi Marsha, >>>> >>>> Not sure it was "hyper-rational" parental influence specifically, he >>>> was already dissatisfied with "science" and looking for something - >>>> but Pirsig does strongly emphasise that he gave up any Eastern >>>> interest after this earlier unsatisfactory experience. "Gave up" - his >>>> words. >>>> >>>> It was only after the "seed crystal" in Bozeman, that the story >>>> started to fall into place, and the rest is history. >>>> >>>> Ian >>>> >>>> On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 8:48 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> When RMP fled India and the University of Benares, he was twenty-three >>>>> years-old. That was at the beginning of his journey, long before his >>>>> awakening and while he was still under the influence of a hyper-rational >>>>> reality gifted to him by his father. imho That he later helped >>>>> establish a Zen Center points to a reconsidering of Eastern philosophy. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> 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 > 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
