Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - The Reconciliation of Western and Eastern Philosophy
The differences in Western and Eastern philosophy are marked. Eastern thinking has slowly become “discovered” by the West; meanwhile, the development of Western thought and philosophy has come under close scrutiny by modern and postmodern philosophers and thinkers as being flawed at its core. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger came to the conclusion that “Western philosophy is a great error” (Barrett xi). The manner in which Western thought was founded, the course of its development, and its incursion into every facet of life in the Western world has been and is now being questioned on all fronts by leading critics and thinkers.
Robert Pirsig, in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, describes in detail the development of the Western philosophical tradition, and how it has shaped Western society. In doing so, he offers a critique of certain aspects of Western thought that resulted from a momentous battle for the “mind of man” (Pirsig 381). What came about was a fragmenting of the mind from matter, of perception from experience. In addition to outlining the history and philosophy behind Western thinking, he offers a rediscovery of the very concept that got buried under the “rubble of declining Athens” and Rome, buried deeply under the new champions of Western man: Reason, Intellect, Knowledge (Pirsig 391). Pirsig cites Thoreau in writing, “You never gain something but that you lose something” (387). This applies with direct impact to Western development. In understanding the world through “dialectic truths” man lost the ability to understand how to be part of the world, and “not an enemy of it” (Pirsig 3...
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...not a divisive knife. It offers the ultimate solution to a fragmented mind, the dualistic world in which we live.
Works Cited
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Participants in all situations, could be judged on their individual actions, not on the economic status of their parents or ancestors alone. The German 1936 Summer Olympic Team did not let Hitler down. The German team, consisting completely of White Nordic Christian members, came in first place during the 1936 Summer Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany.
The controversy in the Munich Olympic games was that there was a terrorist attack.During the Munich Games,security guards ignored what they thought were maintance works, but the eight men in warm-up suits were members of Black September, a terrorist group linked to the Palestine Liberation Organization. They entered the suite of the Israeli quarters in the Olympic Village and killed a coach and weight lifter and then took nine other Israelis hostage.The terrorists demanded the release of 200 Arabs from Israeli prisons and a
Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. Trans. Norman Kempsmith. New York: The Humanities P, 1950.
The western worldview grew out of ideas that were brought about by the Black Death, the humanist movement, and religious reform. The Black Death killed most of Europe’s population, opening spots for jobs and spots to move in the feudal system. This caused people to think out of the box, it also helped people see that everyone had something in common king or serf. The humanist movement also had a key role that helped people see the bigger picture. Last but no least the religious reform also played a key role. After new ideas came from the humanisms people questioned things they hadn’t before. These are the three main topics for the growth of the western worldview.
Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel describes the ritualistic arts of discipline and focus that the Zen religion focuses around. In this book, Herrigel describes many aspects of how archery is, in fact, not a sport, but an art form, and is very spiritual to those in the east. The process he describes shows how he overcame his initial inhibitions and began to look toward new ways of seeing and understanding. In the beginning of the book Herrigel tells us that he is writing about a ritual and religious practice, “whose aim consists in hitting a spiritual goal, so that fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.” (Herrigel p. 4) Through his studies, the author discovers that within the Zen ritual actions, archery in this case, there lies a deeper meaning. Herrigel explains throughout this book that it is not through the actual physical aspect of shooting arrows at targets that archery is Zen, but through the art and spirituality through which it is performed. It is not merely shooting an arrow to hit a target, but becoming the target yourself and then, in turn, hitting yourself spiritually. By meeting this spiritual goal, you will then meet the physical goal. The struggle then is, therefore not with the arrow or the target but within oneself.
Zen or Japanese Buddhism is one of the quintessential eastern spiritually intertwined religions that changed the perspective on reality and ultimately life. One of the main historical thinkers responsible for the manifestation of Zen is Dogen Zenju. He established the importance of meditation, as the principle vehicle for mindfulness. Furthermore, Dogen established that, “the Buddhist practice is simply the meditational practice of realizing enlightenment”, or also referred to as zazen (Koller, 278). This practice provides an individual with the knowhow to release all aversion in the world, which leads to suffering. Dogen ‘s most famous work the Shobogenzo, was explained by his writings in the Genjo-Koan which aids in the uncovering of his main philosophical teachings of Zen. Zen Buddhism has lived through the time and today is prominent globally. The ideals that originated early in Japan through the teachings of Dogen would have great effect on the contemporary individual, because it provides a new philosophical lens through which to view the world’s processes. Through the storied history, unique philosophy, Zen Buddhism has established itself as a quintessential religion that has immensely valuable globally.
Capsule: In 1931, the International Olympic Committee awarded the 1936 Summer Olympics to Berlin. The choice signaled Germany’s return to the world community after its isolation in the aftermath of defeat in World War I. Two years later, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and quickly turned the nation’s fragile democracy into a one-party dictatorship that persecuted Jews, Gypsies, and all political opponents. The Nazis’ claimed to control all aspects of German life which also extended to sports. In August 1936, the Nazi regime tried to camouflage its violent racist policies while the country hosted the Summer Olympics. Most anti-Jewish signs were temporarily removed and newspapers toned down their harsh rhetoric. Movements towards the boycott of the Nazi Olympics surfaced in the United States, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, and the Netherlands. Debate over participation in the 1936 Olympics was more intense throughout the United States, which traditionally sent one of the largest teams to the Games.
Hoadley, Johanna. “’36 Olympic Hopefuls Remember Nazi Past” Scripps Howard News Service,as provided by SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE 19 July 1996
The Accidental Buddhist: Mindfulness, Enlightenment, and Sitting Still by Dinty M. Moore is a personal memoir about Moore’s journey into the world of American Buddhism. Although Moore is an Irish-American who lives in central Pennsylvania, was raised in a Catholic family, and attended Catholic school, he decided at a young age that God had let him down, he gave up religion. However, later on in his adult life he came across the book Being Peace by Thich Naht Hanh, and desired to know what the “Buddhists had discovered” and what he was “missing” (19). Moore thought that the most effective way of finding out how to incorporate Buddhism into his own life would be to find out how other Americans are accomplishing this; He wanted to uncover how this old Asian-practice fits into modern American culture, essentially, what is American Buddhism? To answer this question, Moore visited Monasteries, read books, attended meditation sessions, and talked to multiple revered monks. By the end of his exploration Moore cannot define exactly what American Buddhism is, but he suggests that there is a place for Buddhism in American culture, and as long as the basic practices and teachings are followed, Buddhism can be altered in many ways to fit into all types of modern American lives.
Immanuel Kant (2007). Critique of pure reason. In Elizabeth Schmidt Radcliffe, Richard McCarty, Fritz Allhoff & Anand Vaidya (eds.), Late Modern Philosophy: Essential Readings with Commentary. Blackwell Pub. Ltd..
As modern people who don’t know too deeply about the culture of Samurais, we tend to look at them in a superficial way. We look at them as just a person who carries a sword and knows martial arts. They are usually depicted as Japanese warriors who are either heroes or perhaps a ruthless villain. Some of these assumptions are in fact partly true, however it does not entirely define a samurai. There is a lot more to a samurai than just combat. These swordsmen had a culture, principles, beliefs, philosophies and religion. One philosophical religion in particular that heavily influenced Samurai culture was Zen Buddhism. It played a major role in their lives. It shaped the samurai’s way of life, mentally and psychologically, which in return aided them in their combat and martial arts.
Throughout the early years in many East Asian countries, there were many people who were looking for answers to this world’s, and otherworldly, questions. When Gotama became enlightened, and began preaching the practices of Buddhism, it came at such a time when the Han dynasty was collapsing, citizens were tired of Confucianism and looking for a new ideology that they could put there hearts and souls into. Over the years, Buddhism proved to be much more than just a religion; it became a way of life. But over time, the powerful orthodoxy transformed, and many different Buddhist sects emerged. One of the more popular sects, Ch’an, or Zen, Buddhism, has become one of the most influential religions in China and Japan, and is still flourishing today.
Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance offers an extensive look into the author’s concept of reason in relation to discovering an ultimate truth. Pirsig, the implied narrator of the novel, wrestles with his memories of his past life as Phaedrus and must rediscover who he is and what he truly believes. One of his most recurring issues is his search for an eternal and absolute truth in the conglomeration of logic, philosophy, quality, and classics which he refers to as Reason. Reason, to Pirsig, is the most paramount aspect of his university. Pirsig, however, does not define a university in the most familiar and traditional terms. A university, like a church, is not the bricks and mortar that make up the building. It
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