The Value of Outside Input

"The principle involved is similar to what in go is called 'the advantage is to the onlooker.'  One speaks of 'learning one's faults through contemplation,' but this too is best done by talking with others.  The reason is that when one learns by listening to what others have to say and by reading books, one transcends the limitations of one's own powers of discernment and follows the teachings of the ancients."

Jocho Yamamoto in
Yukio Mishima
The Way of the Samurai

To some degree, this is the raison d'etre of this blog

Labels

“Cliches and stereotypes such as ‘beatniks’ and ‘hippie’ have been invented for the antitechnologists, the antisystem people, and will continue to be.  But one does not convert individuals into mass people with the simple coining of a mass term.”

Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Reality and Selection

“We take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world.”

Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Clashes of Faith

"When you're talking birth control, what blocks it and freezes it out is that it's not a matter of more or fewer babies being argued.  That's just on the surface.  What's underneath is a conflict of faith, of faith in empirical social planning versus faith in the authority of God as revealed by the teachings of the Catholic Church."

Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

People who live along the side roads - small town and country life

"The whole pace of life and personality of the people who live along them are different.  They're not going anywhere.  They're not too busy to be courteous.  The hereness and the nowness of things is something they know all about.  It's the others, the ones who moved to the cities years ago and their lost offspring, who have all but forgotten it."

Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Simplicity

It's thoughts - and just One Heart -
And Old Sunshine - about -
Make frugal - Ones - content
And two or three - for Company -
Opon a Holiday -
Crowded - as Sacrament -

Books - when the Unit -
Spare the Tenant - long eno' -
A Picture - if it Care -
Itself - a Gallery too rare -
For needing more -

Flowers - to keep the eyes - from going awkward -
When it snows -
A Bird - if they - prefer -
Though winter fire - sing clear as power -
To our - ear -

A Landscape - not so great
To suffocate the eye -
A Hill - perhaps -
Perhaps - the profile of a Mill
Turned by the wind -
Tho' such - are luxuries -

It's thoughts - and just two Heart -
And Heaven - about -
At least - a Counterfeit -
We would not have Correct -
And Immortality - can be almost -
Not quite - Content -



Emily Dickinson
The Poems of Emily Dickinson (Franklin), 362

Surprised by Grace

Like Flowers, that heard the news of Dews,
But never deemed the dripping prize
Awaited their - low brows -

Or Bees - that thought the Summer's name
Some rumor of Delirium,
No Summer - could - for Them -

Or Arctic Creatures, dimly stirred -
By Tropic Hint - some Traveled Bird
Imported to the Wood -

Or Wind's bright signal to the Ear -
Making that homely and severe,
Contented, known, before -

The Heaven - unexpected come,
To lives that thought the Worshipping
A too pretentious Psalm.


Emily Dickinson
The Poems of Emily Dickinson (Franklin), 361