Jan Svoboda's nine-year-old son, David, doing homework set by his teacher, Mr Tse, practices elementary attunement to the Ineffable All by sitting cross-legged on the floor and swaying with half-closed eyes. According to Mr Tse, as quoted by David:
this kind of exercise will lead not only to apprehension of the All but also to becoming it;
attunement is "'...fact...'" (p. 29) and "'A higher truth than science.'" (p. 30);
it is real whereas science is not;
logic, semantics, words and defintions are on the material plane.
Jan acknowledges that human experience is more than scientific discoveries but insists that "facts" are either empirical data or well-confirmed theories whereas:
"'This Ineffable All is an obvious metaphor.'" (p. 29)
He wants David either to define "All" and "Attunement" or to:
"'...show me where definitions fail and ostensive experience tales over.'" (p. 30)
Where to start? What is David practicing inwardly while he sits and sways? Why not just sit? Is he focusing attention on his breaths, an image or a mantra or neither trying to think nor trying not to think? That last practice can (not always) dissolve feelings of separation, generating a sense of oneness with all things, while at the same time it need not be associated with the denigration of logic, semantics, science or the material plane.
Jan's response is to go and beat up Mr Tse.
(After meditating today, I decided to post about Buddhism here.)
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
While I hope I would react with the violence shown by Jan Svoboda, my sympathies lies with him. And this "mysticism" being taught by Mr. Tse was simply part of Commissioner Svoboda's devious maneuverings to goad both the Federation and the Constitutionalists in ways that would lead the latter to leaving Earth for Rustum.
Sean
I meant to say "While I hope I would NOT react with the violence shown by Jan Svovoda,..."
Sean
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