[MD] A fly in the MOQ ointment

[David Thomas]

Platt 
> The other day I happened across what appears to be a contradiction in
> the MOQ as presented in Lila. In chapter 7 Pirsig says, "The world is
> primarily a moral order" and supports his contention by describing all the
> moral choices toward betterness that were made during the course of
> evolution. But then in chapter 11 he wrote: "He let himself get caught in
> the kind of 'picking and choosing' situation that Zen avoids and now he
> was stuck."
For me, like most here I guess and RMP prior to ZaMM for that matter, all
our information comes "book learn'n" which Zen doesn't put much stock in.

Most recently I've read James Austin's "Zen and the Brain" series of three
books by a neurologist and brain researcher who has practiced Zen for 30
years and studied it affects on the brain. When he first started Zen in
Japan his Zen master told him it would be most difficult for him to make
much progress because scientists with highly trained intellects have the
most difficulty shutting their "thinking" down. This proved to be true in 30
years of lay practice he has only reached the lower level altered mental
states, the "first steps" of Zen for a brief moment 2 or 3 times.

But that was enough to convince him that the whole enchilada is possible.
His research on monks with years of experience has indicated that they can
indeed alter their brain and other physiological patterns significantly
during meditation. And those with the longest and most advanced progress do
have permanent changes in brain activity compared to non practicing
subjects. For me the question is still open is, Just because with years of
practice one can alter the way the brain normally works how is it that this
altered state can be claimed to be in touch with "reality" as it really is?

>From an MoQ standpoint this seems about right.

> "In Zen there is reference to 'big self' and 'small self.' Small self is the
> patterns. Big self is Dynamic Quality. (LC, note 29)
 
Zen seems to stay that with practice one can achieve brief moments when DQ
is directly perceived as if it was a stable pattern like normal reality and
that this gives one great insight into "everything as it really is." And if
you reach Buddha level this IS your normal reality. For the rest of us mere
mortals we may with much self induced suffering get a taste now and again.
Of the "small self" though Zen suggest one should bring back from these
experiences something that I do not find a obvious place for in the MoQ.
That is wisdom. Zen claims its' insight transcends intellect. The
intellectual level seems to be all about knowledge, Where might wisdom as a
stable pattern lie?

Dave
 
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