[x] Most of the emphisis of native belief rests strongly with connections to the ancestors. The elderly are valued and revered and play an Active role in the society. The deceased ancestors are every bit as real. I see the connection Of Zen bhuddism and "Amerindian" Culture is that they both value the idea that all things are sacred, everything is holy so therefore there is no one thing which Is holier than another or "no thing is holy", the "Indian giver" analogy Pirsig was fascinated by how "Indian" culture treated the S/O distinction which is quite differently. They really did'nt see things as "mine" and "yours" they had a more communal sense of belongings.
[Case] Reverence for ancestors would make Native Americans a bit more like Confucians than Zenners wouldn't it? The modern era is unique in that it is possibly the first to be able to disregard the wisdom of the elders, I think. In that last bit you are not hinting at communism are you? You are not suggesting that the Red Men were Reds, are you? Hope Platt doesn't see this. But what you are pointing here does seem to have been common to many native peoples. The chief was often the poorest member of the tribe since he was honor bound to provide for any who sought his aid. The potlatch of the northwestern tribes comes to mind. [x] I think Lila was the Amerindian in the story, in spirit, she represented a wild dynamic passionate element untameable, she relied on her ancestor Her uncle and her deceased dog from the spirit world for power..she was kinda a 20th century urban metaphor for the Indian element "Intellect is slave to the passions". The "Brujo" in the story if you will. If you read it in this frame it changes the "floosy" perception of the character and you see Pirsig playing out the static-dynamic flux between the characters of "the captin" And "lila". The "Male/female" and you see the caution in the message too. [Case] I don't think I ever really considered the story in the light but it is worth thinking about. I tend to see Lila as the Amerindian story that might have been. 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/
