Re: MD illusions

From: David MOREY (us@divadeus.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Sun Apr 04 2004 - 22:42:44 BST

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    DMB said: First, the illusion of dividedness is not created by
    or exclusive to SOM. All languages divide and create this illusion

    DM: Sure, but the hope of MOQ for me is that we can
    use langaunge, do lots of SQ analysis without losing sight of the
    human/conscious construction of these patterns, and not think
    that we have finally tapped into some underlying substance/pattern
    that explains everything. This links to my anti-postmodern assertions
    that science involves a conversational partner called nature. Yet we
    construct the langauge (and the interpretation of what nature replies) in
    which nature replies/.

    regards
    David M
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "David Buchanan" <DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org>
    To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
    Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 11:35 PM
    Subject: MD illusions

    > DM and all MOQers:
    >
    > dmb said:
    > In an ultimate sense, say the mystics, reality is undivided. And yet the
    > task is to realize that. Prior to the completion of that task we are all
    > cursed with the belief in a world of separate objects, of dividedness.
    This
    > illusory world is the static world, and normally we don't think of that as
    > God. That's why neither intellectual speculations nor theological dogmas
    can
    > be adequate substitutes for the actual experience. They're part of what
    > needs to be let go of in order to shatter that illusion.
    >
    > DM replied:
    > I think that what you and Sam say can be tied together. The whole point of
    > MOQ
    > is to replace SOM, what SOM does is to forget DQ aspects of experience and
    > try to understand the cosmos in terms of SQ aspects of experience. There
    is
    > therefore a falling away to the pole of SQ in SOM that takes us away from
    > the underlying unity of experience. To re-discover DQ is therefore to move
    > back towards unity. But the whole is quality or SQ & DQ. SQ is not an
    > illusion, SQ without DQ is the illusion, or SQ as the totality/whole. The
    > genuine wholeness of experience underlies of includes SQ/DQ. Does that
    makes
    > sense?
    >
    > dmb says:
    > I think it makes sense, but I don't entirely agree. As I see it there are
    > two distinctly different but interconnected things going on here. On one
    > hand we have the undivided mystical reality and the illusion of
    dividedness
    > that language imposes. On the other hand we have the MOQ with its DQ/sq
    > split. Its pretty easy to see that the MOQ's sq refers to the divided
    world,
    > the world of definitions and definable things and that DQ refers to the
    > undivided mystical reality. There are at least two problems with your
    > explanation, however. First, the illusion of dividedness is not created by
    > or exclusive to SOM. All languages divide and create this illusion. That's
    > why both kinds of Indians, the ones with the dots and the ones with the
    > feathers, have had to develop ways to overcome this illusion...
    >
    > Pirsig wrote:
    > "They (mystics) share a common belief that the fundamental nature of
    reality
    > is outside language; that language splits things up into parts while the
    > true nature of reality is undivided. Zen, which is a mystic religion,
    argues
    > that the illusion of dividedness can be overcome by meditation. The Native
    > American Church argues that peyote can force-feed a mystic understanding
    > upon those who were normally resistant to it,..." LILA (ch 5)
    >
    > dmb continues:
    > Don't get me wrong. I think there is some truth in your view because SOM
    > basically insists that this illusory world of dividedness is not only
    real,
    > it tells us its the ONLY thing that's really real. It sort of culturally
    > locks in the illusion and makes it very difficult to overcome. But I don't
    > think we can overcome this age-old dream by switching from one
    metaphysical
    > system to even a much better one. As much of an improvment as it may be,
    > both SOM and the MOQ are both linguistic divisions of that undivided
    > reality. They are both static and are part of that divided reality.
    >
    >
    > In chapter nine Pirsig says:
    > "Actually the issue before him was not whether there should be a
    metaphysics
    > of Quality or not. There already IS a metaphysics of Quality. A
    > subject-object metaphysics is in fact a metaphysics in which the first
    > division of Quality - the first slice of undivided experience - is into
    > subjects and objects."
    >
    > dmb concludes:
    > Its worth pointing out that Pirsig does not make the static/Dynamic split
    > until the middle of chapter nine. Prior to that he is still talking about
    > everything in terms of "Quality", his one-word metaphysical system left
    over
    > from ZAMM. Don't let that confuse you. It doesn't matter if the divisions
    > are SOM, MOQ or consist of just one word. They all violate the mystic
    unity
    > of reality.
    >
    > In chapter nine Pirsig says:
    > "Its alright to condemn somebody else's bad metaphysics but you can't
    > replace it with a metaphysics that consists of just one word. By even
    using
    > the term 'Quality' he had already violated the nothingness of mystic
    > reality."
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    >
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