From: Ian Glendinning (ian@psybertron.org)
Date: Wed Dec 08 2004 - 13:54:15 GMT
MoQ'ers all, and Kurt, if you're still lurking ...
Some of you may be aware I've been corresponding with Robert Pirsig over
biographical details, and he's been very very helpful so far as his
memory and documentary records permit. I have a much more detailed [and
personal] biographical timeline almost ready for publication, but given
the nature of the additional detail, I'm ensuring Bob's blessing before
I republish.
One of the most intriguing aspects is to trace his mental cycles from
"being in pursuit" of something through "giving up the ghost" of reason
etc. One of the relevant aspects was in this older thread.
His EST was real enough, but the hospitalisation episode in ZMM is a
pastiche of several episodes over three years, where the EST event was
actually towards the end of that period. The point to note, concerning
the development of his ideas is that the two periods from being in
pursuit of writing a book (after Korea) to Sarah's "Seed Crystal"
moment, and the period of Archaeology of Phaedrus (after the breakdown)
up to publishing ZMM is very much longer than the very brief interlude
between the seed crystal in Bozeman through the whole of Chicago to the
breakdown.
My speculation would be that the EST did not itself enable him to "see
things clearly", like some instant Zazen meditation and enlightenment.
What it did was re-set his brain, so that in the peace that followed he
was better able for synthesis and expression of ideas that had
undoubtedly arisen in a previously inspired, creative but frustrated
mind.
Kurt's curiosity would seem well directed.
(States of consciousness are a subject I'm researching at the moment,
and I'm sure Dr Jame Austin whose study of meditative, traumatic and
chemical induced states of brain / mind is part of that, would have
something to say about Bob's states of mind, if he asked him.)
Ian
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