Traversing the Postmodern Landscape

It's been a few months since the last installment of Zen Corner. For those of you not aware, Zen Corner is my measly attempt to throw some high-brow (and low-brow) philosophy into the mix here at Agitprop. I figured that we should start out the month of August with a reflective piece on the being and nothingness of Postmodernity.

You could call me an amateur philosophy enthusiast. From the little reading I have done about the following two subjects, I have noticed a particular commonality between Zen Buddhism and postmodern philosophy. Zen claims to have no dogma. Postmodern philosophy is in itself an oxymoron--a system of thought which claims to have no system of thought. Thus, both sets of philosophies seem to contradict themselves and just exist for what they are.

What is real? Can I taste reality? What is the Matrix?

These are the questions that sometimes occupy my mind. Philosophically I would define myself as an anti-fundamentalist. I am not a full-fledged relativist although I think black and white views of the world are overly-simplistic and can pose harm to oneself and others. I scored as a postmodernist on the What Is Your Worldview? quiz. It's a quick and easy survey. Take it and leave your results in the comments if you like . . .

And now, allow me to introduce our philosophers. The format is a little different but the message (or lack of message) is the same . . .

What is Real?

Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there. –- Miles Davis

Just ‘cause you feel it, doesn’t mean it’s there. –- from the song "There There" by Radiohead

I don't do numbers. -- Donald Rumsfeld

Each second is a universe of time. -– Henry Miller

Reality is not protected or defended by laws, proclamations, ukases, cannons and armadas. Reality is that which is sprouting all the time out of death and disintegration. -- Henry Miller

Reality is Absurd, So Just Be

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. -- from the song "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon

My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate—that’s my philosophy. –- Thornton Wilder

To find perfect composure in the midst of change is to find nirvana. –- Shunryu Suzuki

The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh. I sure hope he makes the finals. – the character "The Stranger" from The Big Lebowski

I used to fly for United Airlines then I got fired for reading High Times. My license expired in almost no time. Now I'm retired and I think that's fine. – from the song “Mexican Wine” by Fountains of Wayne

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. -- the character "Steve McCroskey" from Airplane

Let Go of the Unknown Unknowns

I must confess that I don’t have the faintest idea what my purpose is or what’s going on, and I never have. I became comfortable with that mystery a long time ago—that I would never know how any of these things fit together in any explicit way. – Gary Synder

I have to let go of the need to know so much. What we can know is so small—the holiness around is so large. Now I trust in simplicity, simplicity and love. – Hindu Sage

Reality is the beginning not the end,
Naked Alpha, not the hierophant Omega,
Of dense investiture, with luminous vassals.
-- Wallace Stevens

Think. Reflect. Think again. Take the quiz.

technorati: philosophy zen postmodernism

Comments

[Kate]

Hey, Agit, I'm a postmodernist too. Who knew?! I thought postmodernism was actually just a period of history, one that is often interpreted as a philosophy because of Foucault et al, but it turns out it's much much more -- it's a whole worldview! This is rather upsetting to me because I'm troubled by the philosophy we call postmodernism since it seems to me there sometimes is truth, hidden though it may be, and there are facts, regardless of what our postmodernist "leaders" assert. I guess that's what's most upsetting about my Quizfarm prognosis -- our "leaders" have worked so hard to obliterate "truth" and "fact" that they seem to revel in the dangerous side of postmodernism philosophy, the nihilistic side, while at the same time cloaking themselves in the righteousness of Christian fundamentalism. I don't want to be like them at all. I wish I could find a new answer to the quiz, but alas, I'm no fundamentalist and I'm no existentialist either, though I think I could be comfortable as a "cultural creative" if it's anything like it sounds. What fun!

Luckily we are in the age of philosophical eclecticism, finally, where we acknowledge complexity and understand the interconnected nature of things. It's just too bad our backward-looking leadership are stuck in the 80s with Julian Schnabel's broken plates and Brett Eaton Ellis' cocaine-striped nights. Damn Reagan and his voodoo economics. I hate living in their Groundhog Day reality! I want to wake up in the 21st century. Is that too much to ask?

Your quotes lead to the ultimate question: "What Would Lennon Do?" I can answer in confidence that he would yell out a huge "Fuck You" to the powers that be with their fundamentalist, postmodernist, materialist(ic) worldview. Hear hear!!

[Agi T. Prop]

Hello Kate. Yes, postmodernism taken to the extreme can in fact border on nihilism. I do however value it's analytical ability in explaining society. I like Jean Baudrillard's writings on simulacra and simulation--how everything in our culture is artificial and everything is a copy of a copy. I think we have lost a sense of originality due to mass media and consumer culture.

Despite what postmodernism asserts, I believe there is a truth. However, we are limited by our system of thought (language and culture) from fully experiencing it. I like what Zen says, about discovering it for oneself without organized religion, dogma or ideologies.

I'm a huge Beatles/John Lennon fan. I could only imagine what Lennon would be saying about our current regime. Nixon had the FBI trying to kick Lennon out of NY in the 1970s. I bet Bush do the same or worse...

[Kate]

I was first introduced to Baudrillard with his art criticism, particularly an introductory essay he wrote for a book by photographer Sophie Calle, "Suite Venitienne/Please Follow Me". Yes, he's quite interesting. I was actually just joking about the limited number of choices Quiz Farm offered. Sticking us all into a dozen or so categories is funny.

As for zen, I'm a practitioner myself. Do you have a regular practice or are you more interested in the writings? There's such a variety out there.

Great post, BTW!

[Agi T. Prop]

Kate, I've never actually practiced Zen. I've read a few books that's all. But I'm interested in learning more about the practice. Do you have anything to recommend?

[Kate]

Thich Nhat Hanh's books finally got me to start sitting and meditating, which I suppose is the whole point. I was reading his "Zen Keys" when it dawned on me that he was repeating the same material over and over again, book after book, to get me to put the damn books down and sit! I know...I'm a slow learner.

I went to a zen temple in Chicago and took a class, which helped me a lot. Hanh has a monastery (Deer Park) near you in Escondido. I don't know if they have regular services or classes or if it's just a retreat center. I'd probably start there if I lived in Southern Cal. I have a fantasy of spending a weekend there just to clear my mind. It sounds like a wonderful place!

I found Katsuki Sekida's books to be quite good, too, and if you are okay with listening to CDs, then "The Art of Mindful Living" (again, Thich Nhat Hanh) is an excellent introductory seminar. His lectures are free of the mumbo jumbo some of the japanese zen masters are into, like "mind transmission" blah blah. I found zen through japanese martial arts. They are really into structure! I didn't want that anymore, which probably explains why I like Hanh's teachings, who's Vietnamese, and the temple I go to sometimes in Chicago is Korean. I went to weekend class at a japanese-style temple in New Orleans and the whole thing creeped me out. They had no balance: one room was filled with junk, literally, and the rest of the place was spotless. They would meditate for three days straight and then go on drinking binges. Whaaa?!

Let me know what you think about it all. I can honestly say that the practice of zen changed my life. It led to a massive philosophical shift that I think saved me, frankly. And it has nothing to do with "belief," "faith" or the supernatural. Pretty cool!!

[zencomix]

Check out "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" by Gary Zukav. It relates Buddhism to quantum physics, in laymen's terms. Verrry interesting!