| Sajha.com Archives | |
| Username | Post |
| SITARA | Posted
on 12-Apr-04 08:24 PM
Going from irrational fears to ghosts, I am testing the waters here; I, myself may have stepped into depths greater than my height. Thanks to Isolated Freak who mentioned the book "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Rober M. Pirsig, I re-visited the cherished volume with great trepidation; I have had chills run down my spine reading the protagonist's monologues, an inquiry/ies into rational thought in ghosts, Laws of Physics, Logic .....everything and motorcycle maintenance ofcourse. In one of the most memorable earlier chapters, the protagonist and his 9year old son who are one a long bike trip across the country to Montana stop at an inn where the boy asks his father if ghosts exist. To this, the father goes into an interesting monologue of ghosts and the concepts of ghosts. He explains ghosts to be a figment of the mind as is the mind itself.The mind has no matter, no substance and neither do the Laws of physics, the number system, space... they "existed" before the mind gave it characteristics/attributes. Like ghosts, they all pass the laws of non-existence and yet it is "common sense" to believe their existence. He goes on to say like the "Mind", it has no matter or energy and yet, it dominates our perception. The perception which is just a figment of the mind becomes our reality. Logic itself only exists in the mind...so if the scientists can do away with the existence of ghosts as being "all in the mind", the same rule of rational reasoning can apply to all of the so called Laws of Physics/Science as existing only in the mind. On another instance, Pirsig's protagonist goes on to explain the rational mind which builds the system, the governments, mindset we live in. With what he calls the "intellectual scalpel" he slices every institution so thinly and yet builds up a structure of reason about why the system fails despites attacks on the Governments, educational institutions, factories, schools, hospitals... and so on. He expounds that as long as the attack is only on the effects, and not the causes, no change is possible. The true system is the systematic thought that put the factories there! Even if the factory is torn down, the rationality that put the factory there will, if not destroyed, will put another factory there. And here is what I found most profound, and I quote, "If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves in the succeeding government. There is so much to talk about the government and so little to understand." Can we apply this to Nepal, I muse aloud. I could go on and on... but there is so much to understand from every word, every sentence and logical breakdown of what he calls the nonexistence of rational thought, it would take me a lifetime to comepletely understand the nuances of the book. It is a fabulous book for those who like to explore thought and the thoughtless of philosophy, of reason, logic, empiricism and the breakdown of scientific rationale.... all this in a readable, yet profound narration, against the backdrop of a somber motorbike trip across the US countryside. The book is haunting and at times chilling, as he explores his own mental ghost! OK, for those who have advocated KISS (Keep it simple sajhaites), read my thoughts at your own risk (again) as I myself struggle to express what lies in my mind. |
| Gokul | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 04:41 AM
Sitara, You showed us tintara :) Ghosts are real. That's why Chris was murdered. |
| OU812 | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 04:55 AM
"I am not afraid of the dark, But I am afraid of what is in the dark" - Dennis the Menace KISS |
| SITARA | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 09:44 AM
Gokul ji: Thank you for responding. HIS other self whom he calls Phaedre is actually his own brilliant yet mentally obsessive ghost. There is much to be guessed or speculated upon about Chris; his thoughts, what he thought about his father's rationalization/s about even the simplest thing which is always tied up with the motorcycle maintenance. Anyways, more later. OU812: And a KISS to you too; Dennis the Menace, Garfield and Peanuts ... tell it like it is!! Have you read the philosophy of Pooh? :)) |
| TilKumari_Ko_Poi | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 10:21 AM
Sitara ji bahoot khoob aba talako link ma click garnush ta :) - http://www.msnusers.com/nepaliputi/shoebox.msnw?Page=1 |
| SITARA | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 11:03 AM
Tilkumari ko Poi, sir: Bahut khoob ta hajurlai! You are indeed resourceful, a little misplaced perhaps?! Indeed you must be a Godsend to those who use your resources! :) |
| OU812 | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 11:11 AM
Sitara Ji, Was about to coin the term "Sandbox Philosophy", Pooh's already beaten me to it.Blimey!! Will definately look into ithough t. |
| Gokul | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 11:24 AM
Sitaraji, I was saying it literally. Chris was murdered in California after a few of years of the book's publication. |
| the other one | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 11:53 AM
"I am not afraid of the dark, But I am afraid of what is in the dark" - Dennis the Menace If you take Dennis's quote and bend it a bit and say, "I am not afraid of the dark, But I am afraid of deing in the dark", and try to superimpose it into what What Sitaraji has written (see <>), i dont think it adds up, if your mind is a ghost, why are you only afraid of it in the dark?, why are you even afraid? Why isnt matter ghost like, why dont gost and ghostly matter sublime rather than collide? Couldnt you turn that around and say.... They did not exist until "mind" gave it characterestics and that like mind they all pass the laws of EXISTANCE...mind is not a ghost, mind is a machine and the thing to prove is, if there is a ghost in the machine. |
| dyamn | Posted
on 13-Apr-04 09:00 PM
.. don't be scared of bhuuts.. i 'm here ,your bhakta to protect you fro bhuts ... i will bhagayeeen sabai bhut.. sitara ji, lemme know if you want me to come do "satho -satho" for you. also, make sure you wear some kinda black tika when you go out, it keeps the evil spirit away from you. Make sure you have garlic and red peppers hanging on a thread at your door. and call me at 1800-bhut-bhagau if you need me anytime(any tyme ;) ).. btw, sitara ji- any idea why i'm so attracted to you? i mean, it's kina weird.. take care, oh ya, hajur ko pujari dyamn bahadurrrrr... |