MD "Mystical Experience" and static interpretations.

From: David Buchanan (DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org)
Date: Sun Dec 01 2002 - 02:23:42 GMT

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    Sam, Mari and all:

    About the mystical experience Sam said:
    ............................... I don't think there's a lot I would want to
    add, given everything else that I've said about this in my discussions with
    David. They were very important for me, but I think the 'experience' element
    in them is largely epiphenomenal, and hence I'm reluctant to focus on
    'mystical experience' rather than, say, 'journeying into God' or 'growing in
    faith'.

    Pirsig said:
    He thought some more about Lila's insanity and how it was related to
    religious mysticism and how both were integrated into reason by the
    Metaphysics of Quality. He thought about bow once this integration occurs
    and Dynamic Quality is identified with religious mysticism it produces an
    avalanche of information as to what Dynamic Quality is. A lot of this
    religious mysticism is just low-grade "yelping about God" of course, but if
    you search for the sources of it and don't take the yelps too literally a
    lot of interesting things turn up.'

    DMB says:
    Epiphenomenal? This is certainly where we disagree. It seems to me, and I
    think this is what Pirsig is saying in the quote, that religion is
    secondary. It seems pretty clear to me that religions and churches follow
    from the mystical experience. They've grown out of it and refer back to it.

    Pirsig again:
    In all religions bishops tend to gild Dynamic Quality with all sorts of
    static interpretations because their cultures require it. But these
    interpretations become like golden vines that cling to a tree, shut out its
    sunlight and eventually strangle it.

    DMB says:
    Its only logical. DQ preceeds the static interpretations. DQ precceds the
    gilding. The tree has to be there before the golden vines can grow and
    strangle it. And like Pirsig, I think this more or less applies to all
    religions, not just Christianity.

    Thanks.

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