[MD] Reet and the Weakest Link

[Ham Priday]

Marsha, Platt, Ron --

[Ron]:
> The truth is only known to you.  It's about developing that within 
> yourself,
> not a concrete definition that is universally agreed upon.

[Platt]:
> But as you know, Buddhists and others here and elsewhere
> claim the "self" is just an illusion.  I guess this means anything
> you-the-illusion believe to be true is also just an illusion.

[Marsha]:
> Not an illusion.  Self is empty of inherent existence.
> That the self is an independent entity is an illusion.

The truth is that the individual is being-aware.
The "being" of the individual is dependent on existence.
The "knower" of existence is the Self.
That "Self is empty of inherent existence" suggests that it IS an 
independent entity.

Where the "illusion" lies depends on what you consider to be "real".
If Existence is real to you, then the Self (knower) is the illusion.
If the Knower is your reality, Existence (being) is the illusion.
In either case, an entity that is only "part real" does not qualify as the 
fundamental reality.

Now, dear Pirsig fans, here comes the $25,000 question ...

Is Quality (Value) inherent to Existence, or to the Knower?
Does its existence depend on being, or is its reality dependent on the 
Knower?
If Value is dependent on being, then the Knower (self) cannot be moral.
If Value is dependent on the Knower, Existence (being) cannot be moral.
If it is independent of both, Value cannot be known or realized.

Essentially yours,
Ham