[MD] Mind-body practice

[Dwaipayan Lahiri]

On Dec 29, 2007, at 8:51 PM, Krimel wrote:

> I do not live in the east and while I find eastern philosophy  
> interesting I
> am not much interested in the evolution of doctrine there. I spend  
> quite a
> bit of time on Jewish and Christian doctrinal evolution because it is
> interesting to me personally as it informs the views of my friends and
> neighbors. I do think people should be acquainted with all aspects  
> of their
> culture. I find the degree of religious illiteracy in the west  
> appalling but
> I would not put say the Apostle Paul on any list of profound thinkers.
> Influential, yes but profound, no. Nor would I expect you to be  
> interested
> in Arias, or Valentinus.

Krimel,

Shankara isn't just part of the evolutionary landscape when it comes  
to Vedanta -- he is one of the most brilliant shining beacons.
I understand the need to understand things that affect one's natural  
habitat. Indeed I might not be interested in Arias or Valentinus,  
since I'm not interested in Christianity or the Abrahamic religions  
in general.

But Vedanta is not a religion per se, as is the case with most things  
Eastern, there is no demarcation between religion, spirituality and  
philosophy. The goal of philosophy in the East (can't say I'm a valid  
spokesperson, but this is my take on the subject) is to ensure  
spiritual succor -- that is it's ultimate goal. Everything else that  
comes is a by-product. Religion is yet another tool that aids in  
delivering the philosophy in a practical manner. These systems don't  
care about canon too much, with emphasis on experiential knowledge  
over what someone thought someone else wrote about what someone else  
said somewhere, sometime.

At this point, religion, philosophy, spirituality all become a  
personal adventure for the seeker in the East (don't think it works  
quite the same way with the Abrahamic religions).

The reason I found Pirsig so interesting is because of his  
refreshingly different view (from the general Western perspective),  
much in alignment with Vedantic and Taoist thought. In fact, I would  
even say that if he were to use the term Consciousness instead of  
"Quality", he would be simply re-iterating what Shankara or Lao Tzu  
had said several thousand years ago...

Regards,

Dwai