Ciona and all MOQers:
I think Richard's question about "mediatating" through the levels is
kind of sad and funny at the same time. First, there is no such word as
mediatating. Secondly, he has confused mediate, which means "to convey
as an intermediary", with meditate which means "to think or reflect
deeply". Perhaps Richard is some kind of genius who has invented a new
word? Here's what I think happened to cause confusion...
I'd recently written some stuff about the MEDIATION of perception thru
the levels in reference to Bohr's philosophy. I'm guessing Richard read
it as MEDITATION. Seeing the two words side by side shows how easily
that could be done. It must have been frustrating and confusing to have
mixed up such completely different words. I wonder who else read it that
way? Sad because of the waste of time and energy. Funny for the same
reason that people slipping on banana peels is funny. Oh well. No
serious injuries, I hope? clank! bonk! crash!
Be careful as you proceed. I'm going to be using both words in this
discussion of Zen and Dynamic Quality. Ciona's Feb 5 post expresses a
view of both DQ and Zen that corresponds, almost entirely, with my
understanding of them. What I hope to do is add to it, not contradict
Ciona's explaination. (Thanks!)
You could say that 'normal self-consciousness' or 'common-sense
thinking' is mediated awareness. It is a mode of awareness that is at
least one step removed from reality itself. Regualr ego consciousness is
composed mostly of static intellectual patterns and is hardly open to
direct experience. Its part of the mode of operation for the intellect.
It will pay attention only long enough to put the perception into some
mental file or category and then it wants to move on. Its a time-saving
efficient machine and has a certain necessary quality. Our experience is
mediated by these intellectual patterns to such a large extent that most
people just assume that their 'idea' of a thing resembles the
'thing-in-itself' exactly. Most people don't see the mediation at all
when in fact its ALL they see. See?
MEDITATION is that whole other thing. Deep thinking or reflection, the
dictionary definition, is a little too Western for our purposes. In the
Buddhist sense it isn't thinking at all. You could say the purpose AND
method of their meditation is to let go of static intellectual patterns.
This leaves one open to experience reality directly, open to Dynamic
Quality. In such a state of awareness the world is not mediated by
intellectual patterns. Experience is im-mediate. See? This is what is
meant by no-mind, no self and the loss of ego consciousness.
S'cuse me while I kiss this guy.
David
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