Douglas Tooley
As I understand it the historical farming methods of both Europe and China are sustainable. I am not an agronomist but as I understand both historical systems are distinguished as small farms with diversified crops and animal husbandry.
As such these farms are in fact healthy ecologies unto themselves.
I found Zenbao’s Yin Yang interpretation fascinating. The Yin, stability, as the father; the yang, change, as the son and the resulting chi, energy, as spirit.
I had this same question, but you have spoken it better than I.
I look forward to Jay’s response.
In practice I have seen each school develop dogma, ‘misplaced concreteness’ if you will.
Overall the distinction is relevant to a full understanding Buddhism. I do though think that Zen merits further mention, especially with the evolution that is occurring since the 60’s in the US.
Being one leaning to the objective I find this poetical approach to the material adding so much ‘life’ to my understanding.
Thank you.
I was skeptical at first, H Smith’s description sounding like a white colonial male’s take. But as I read on I most certainly found that richness.
Most notably I have significant interaction with each school mentioned but knew little of the context let alone the translation of each name.
Thanks.
There is an interesting question about that ‘frozen energy’ – does space time exist before matter. Some say yes, but the folks I follow speculate no.
Daniel Matt is also the translator of the Kabbalah primary text, the Zohar. That book has made my reading list.
If you can speak to the Science and Spirituality book, that would be great.
Reiterating the point about the notion of India as a nation state is a colonial creation started by the raj and completed by the British is crucial context. The roots of religious practice on the sub-continent are as varied as the peoples, a history as complex as that of Europe with deeper historical roots.
I do wonder what Dr Long would make of Mohendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism.
This reading has similarly focused my attention on the relation between fundamentalism and Whitehead’s concept of ‘misplaced concreteness’.
There is thankfully still much to be learned from these traditions.
Exclusivity is an interesting perspective and metric on the Whiteheadian concept of misplaced concreteness.
The dynamic geometrical concept of mono polarity expanded my understanding more misplaced concreteness as it applies to monotheism.
The passage from Cobb where you begin caught my attention as well. Thank you very much for this further exploration, especially bringing in the concept of ‘dwelling’ expanding upon the concept of centering.
The translator of Chinese Poetry David Hinton organizes his book on Chinese language and philosophy, ‘Hunger Mountain’, that includes ‘dwelling’ centrally, if you will.
Hinton claims that Chinese writings and landscape painting have intertwined relational roots that can be seen in Chinese script itself. Further, the central word referring to becoming distinct from the western ‘to be’ is a graphical reference to the huts of wilderness sages, their dwellings.
Lokking at the same question from the perspective of monotheism one finds common ‘decentered’ ground in Christian mysticism, the Jewish Kabbalah and I believe also Muslim Sufism.
The distinction Cobb focuses on I believe is an exposition of the Whitehead term ‘misplaced concreteness’ in early historical dogmatic consciousness.
I have done a group read of Rudolph Steiner in the last year. Although initially I was very skeptical I did takeaway a much deeper awareness of how religion relates to consciousness over the ages – maybe even a subjective methodology.
My meditation path has been irregular, but now relatively long. I look forward to hearing more of your work.