[MD] guidebook/primer

[Ant McWatt]

Ian G stated to DMB and Marsha October 12th:

>Clearly Bob has been consulted by those in contact with him

Ant McWatt comments:

Well, I haven't spoken with Pirsig about a “Guidebook to LILA” or anything 
like it for a few months (at least).

MarshaV asked October 11th:

>Has anyone asked RMP what he thinks of this group creating a
>guidebook or primer??????

Marsha, I remember discussing a “Primer” with Pirsig about ten years ago.  I 
think he's up for anything like that _as long as_ it is a Quality piece of 
work.  BTW, I always saw the MOQ Textbook as basically the result of this 
late 1990s conversation (see the 2001 letter from Daniel Colonnese of MOQ 
Discuss quoted at the front of the Textbook!).

This recent “Guidebook to LILA” idea arose from Gavin and my recent video 
interviewing of Ronald Di Santo (the co-author of the “Guidebook to ZMM”).  
Di Santo was enthusiastic about the MOQ (which he understood very well) and 
related how he used it (and ZMM) in philosophy classes at undergraduate 
level for a number of years.  Very encouraging.  Di Santo would have 
compiled/written the LILA guidebook himself except Thomas Steele (the other 
co-author of the “Guidebook to ZMM”) moved away to New Mexico in the early 
1990s.

Ian G stated to Marsha in one of his eleven (!) Discuss posts of October 
11th:

>We have already acknowledged
>some great sources of material for such a summary, clearly Ant's is a
>great resource, but it was aimed at a philosophically intellectual
>audience, and like most stuff at hand, would benefit from some editing
>for general public consumption.

Ian, as the MOQ Textbook is already meant “for general public consumption”, 
where exactly do you think it would benefit from editing?  It would be 
helpful to know as I can always alter future editions to take account of 
your suggestions.


Ian G also wrote in another of his eleven Discuss posts of October 11th:

>“Thou Art That” is indeed a succinct summary ... but it needs “wisdom”
>... of the kind you obviously have ... to appreciate that fact.

Ant McWatt comments:

Of course, psychedelics come to mind here as being helpful to appreciate 
this particular pearl of “wisdom” and, in general, breaking through the 
static doors of (mis-)perception that the typical Western upbringing 
imposes.

I’m just reading an interesting book on the subject titled “Sacred Mushrooms 
of Visions: Teonanacatl” edited by Ralph Metzner (a college buddy of Tim 
Leary’s) and published by Park Street Press (see www.InnerTraditions.com for 
more details of this book and similar).  The second half of the text include 
various accounts of psilocybin mushroom users titled, amongst others, “I 
felt the vitality of what it is like to be primitive” (possibly one for 
those Owen Barfield fans out there), “I Saw my Entire Worldview and Value 
system Realign” (which sounds like one for Ian) and “Pondering the 
separation What I Experience and What Actually is” (possibly one for Ham and 
others still stuck in SOM).

Maybe we can put a few similar accounts in the “Guidebook to LILA”?

Best wishes,

Anthony



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