[MD] dharma, the way, zazen, path, the morning fog, etc...

[Heather Perella]

Hello,

     dmb, our discussion with Kevin went into a 'What
is static?' and 'What is Dynamic?' questionaire, at
least that's what I saw.  I wish he was still in this
forum for clarity's sake.  Here's what I noticed.  For
Kevin meaning became that which must have static
quality.  DQ is usually defined, yes it is defined
with undefinition, as something/nothing that is
experienced and can be understood.  To understand DQ
is to not be confused by it, but to notice DQ for what
it is.  For example, I notice a situation, DQ is
present, and I understand this because the situation
offered or had present within it something I can't
really put my finger on, yet, I really know it is
happening.  Something I readily can't define.  I would
call this experience, also, the Awe of an experience,
such as in Japanese Shinto.  Their spirituality has
held so strong, probably because of this Aweness
experience.  This Aweness puts the experience not in
what we might come up with (SQ), but the Aweness of
the experience happens, we are struck by it, and may
try to put labels on the experience, such as it was
beautiful; but what is the Aweness?  Sure it is
beautiful, but when those moments happen again, and
again we can't attribute the experience to just
beauty.  Sure the experience is beautiful, but is it
some entity we can call Beauty?  I think not.  The
Aweness can come from anywhere and anytime.  Walking
on a path, the wind blows, and just the way the leaves
moved on the branches something strikes us on the spot
and we have this feeling of awe.  This experience is
in my wife being pregnant.  Sometimes I look at her
stomach and have this awe-inspiring moment that allows
me to experience all the pleasures of life all at
once.  They seem to pass through my mind and heart
from no particular location, yet, could I say the
location involves my wife and baby?  Yes, but the
aweness opens me up to the colors in the leaves, the
birds singing became clear and refreshing.  The event
seems to involve everything, thus, everything is tied
into the event.  The sense of awe opens this up for me
and I experience something that surely must be here,
but where does it go when I no longer have this moment
of clarity, awe, and creative inspiration.  
     Notice how I intertwined static patterns of
trying to identify the DQ event.  I could call it
clarity, aweness, creative inspiration, and even DQ,
but even as Pirsig mentioned calling it anything could
distract people from the true experience that has no
words.  
     Now does that experience have meaning, as Kevin
was putting SQ and meaning together in one boat
leaving DQ out?  I would say the DQ event has meaning,
because it will mean something to us.  We will hold
onto the experience in a way that is similar to a hug
or a good memory.  We will not chase the DQ event
away, unless, our culture has no place for it.  DQ
will happen, but will we not only notice DQ, will we
be able to accept it.  I think DQ also has meaning in
the sense that once DQ happens and if we are capable
of putting DQ into words, we have defined something
that was not defined before - we have given it an even
larger meaning, one with added words and concepts.  We
may even paint it.  Does this mean that we have
changed DQ into SQ?  No, we have only been provided
with inspiration to put something into static
patterns.  Will DQ still be present?  Yes, and we
haven't even taken anything away from DQ when we
create social or intellectual static patterns.  DQ is
still present.
     Meaning in DQ - yes.  Meaning in SQ - yes.  How
does DQ have meaning, because we SQ say so.  The
question really could be to Kevin - what is meaning? 
If it is in the aweness that I mentioned that would be
meaningful, yet, not staticly defined.  If we go ahead
and keep trying to define the undefinable then we
would still have meaning, but if we keep stacking
rituals, upon rituals, and forgot the DQ, then we lose
out on the meaningful experience that DQ would have to
offer.  Meaning could be SQ or DQ applied.

SA  

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