4 ms·

Not a fan of the book (it calls to mind an acid trip - the author sounds like he understands something deeper, but there's no clarity to it), but the author und

by cm2012 10y ago

Not a fan of the book (it calls to mind an acid trip - the author sounds like he understands something deeper, but there's no clarity to it), but the author undeniably had a thought process different than the mainstream, which is always valuable.

rfrank 10y ago
I totally get you on your critique, but I think the ambiguity is somewhat intentional - think koans in Zen Buddhism. Haven't read it in over 10 years now, so if I were to read it again I might not think the same, however. He probably directly mentions the koans thing himself haha. Around the same time I read Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman [1], and Illusions by Richard Bach [2], and felt they were both better than Zen. At the end of the day I think the real value of any of those texts is the introduction to philosophy/self-discovery in general, in a really accessible form. "A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion... this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons." - Illusions 1. https://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp/0915811898 https://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp... 2. https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Messiah-published/dp/B00E31NEB4/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493083015&sr=1-2&keywords=illusions https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Messia...
alexpetralia 10y ago
This is exactly the same impression I had. While I appreciated his radical and unique perspective, I can't say I completely comprehended it.
jdietrich 10y ago
To my mind, the concept of upāya (skillful means) is essential. A particular teaching might not be literally true, but it's not necessarily false either. It might not make sense to you, but that might simply be because it's meant for someone else. There are core truths in Buddhist thought, but the route to understanding and internalising those truths is not necessarily straightforward or logical. I also dislike Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but I can see that many other people found value in it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upaya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upaya

by cm2012 10y ago

rfrank 10y ago

I totally get you on your critique, but I think the ambiguity is somewhat intentional - think koans in Zen Buddhism. Haven't read it in over 10 years now, so if I were to read it again I might not think the same, however. He probably directly mentions the koans thing himself haha. Around the same time I read Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman [1], and Illusions by Richard Bach [2], and felt they were both better than Zen. At the end of the day I think the real value of any of those texts is the introduction to philosophy/self-discovery in general, in a really accessible form. "A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion... this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons." - Illusions 1. https://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp/0915811898 https://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp... 2. https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Messiah-published/dp/B00E31NEB4/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493083015&sr=1-2&keywords=illusions https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Messia...

alexpetralia 10y ago

This is exactly the same impression I had. While I appreciated his radical and unique perspective, I can't say I completely comprehended it.

jdietrich 10y ago

To my mind, the concept of upāya (skillful means) is essential. A particular teaching might not be literally true, but it's not necessarily false either. It might not make sense to you, but that might simply be because it's meant for someone else. There are core truths in Buddhist thought, but the route to understanding and internalising those truths is not necessarily straightforward or logical. I also dislike Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but I can see that many other people found value in it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upaya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upaya