[MD] self

[Ant McWatt]

Many thanks for expanding on a couple of points there, Arlo.  I think your post here is a vignette of clarity of thought which is the type of post that makes this Discussion group worth reading.  Anyway, without Platt to give a good kicking to, any more (metaphorically speaking of course; as Craig carefully observed in 2011, Mr Holden does indeed have a heart!), I'm glad to hear your e-version of "East & West" is still being worked on.  Northrop's clarity of thought is - again - second to none.  

Likewise, talking of ongoing projects, I need to upload the various MSU material (such as Dave Buchanan's and my lecture) at robertpirsig.org sooner rather than later.  David and I are still both writing-up our respective speeches but I think you'll enjoy them when they are finally published - hopefully in the next couple of weeks.  I do know that you (and Ian Glendinning) were asking about this in December.  I haven't forgotten about the last installment of the AHP lecture either (just in case Andre is reading this too).

Best wishes,

Ant


Arlo Bensinger stated February 5th 2013:  

[Ant]
Isn't the primary use of the MOQ to improve the Quality of your life?  There's just a certain limit that pondering from the Dynamic perspective of the World of Buddhas is going to take you.  It ain't going to fix yer bike!
 
[Arlo]
I think this is spot on, Ant. Holding static patterns in the MOQ as, well, "static" isn't about giving them metaphysical primacy but about how, as such, they can improve your life. If the MOQ was just an updated Heraclitian "flux" philosophy, I don't think it would have near the strength as it does to actually improve the human condition. It may be that you can never step into the same river twice, but holding the river's patterns as "static" affords us the ability to generate navigational strategies, to build ships to explore and transport people and goods, to build dams to generate electricity, to improve our ability to fish and find sustenance in the river's bounty, to avoid dangers such as flooding or back currents, to irrigate fields and plan for vacations. I may never sit on the same motorcycle twice, but holding it as a constant (in the MOQ sense) gives me the ability to travel across the country, to diagnose and repair problems, to know that when I need my brakes they
  are there. This is, of course, not the same thing as saying something has an objective, or metaphysical firstness, as some seem to struggle with.
 
[Ant]
(Isn't Arlo finishing a project on an e-version of Northrop's "The Meeting of East & West", btw?)
 
[Arlo]
He is, and he's a bit behind, but working slow and steady. But its good this type of bridging is foregrounded, because I do not think Pirsig was simply advocating Buddhism any more than Northrop was saying every one in the West should become like everyone in the East. There are certainly important bridge points (on both sides), and their philosophies are about a way of building something better from the best parts of each. I certainly admire Buddhism, but I think there is more to Pirsig's ideas than restating that philosophy. Its as much about bringing Zen into motorcycle repair as it is about bringing motorcycle repair into Zen. And I think that gets lost sometimes.