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A review by madigubba_nivedita
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
5.0
It breaks my heart to see one star reviews for this book. But, that’s meant to be, since Quality, Buddha or The One can never be expressed in words, it can only be experienced. This read is a precious experience.
Don't stop if his words are elusive and don't make sense. Pause and let his words grow on you before you move on to the next.What you need, to go on this journey(as a reader) is patience, an open mind and strength to face the shock of being introduced to a new concept. Let it in and it is yours forever. Give up on it and it will wait for you to come back to it but, will never become irrelevant.
****SPOILER ALERT****
Have you ever experienced happiness that makes you calm and at peace with yourself?An experience most of us have when we listen to music we love, watch movies or look at art that inspires. Have you lost yourself performing one task, absent to the world, focused on what is in front of you? It is an experience we cannot express in words. A herculean task, but the author takes them on and creates this fantastic book.
QUALITY=BUDDHA=THE ONE
He seeks to understand these three concepts and attempts to express them using tools of reason, and soon comes to realize that these terms cannot be expressed in words. Quality, Buddha and The One need to be experienced. Meaning of these concepts is in the story as a whole. What you need, to go on this journey(as a reader) is patience, an open mind and strength to face the shock of being introduced to a new concept. In my opinion this book is a piece of art. Fantastically structured to come together beautifully.Robert.M.Pirsig refers to Chinese Tao Te Ching, Zen Buddhism, Greek Philosophers, and Vedanta to find answers for his existential questions. Vedantic 'tat tvam asi', and other similar concepts from Buddhism(Zen),Chinese,Japanese(mu) and Greek philosophies(One Truth) make the core of his narration.Since my understanding of philosophy comes from Vedanta alone. I am going to talk about this book from a Vedantic perspective.
The author defines Vedantic “ tat tvam asi “ as : ‘That which you think you are and that which you think you perceive is undivided.’ A term that needs contemplation. Which is the central theme of this book. The author invites us to witness his contemplation or chautauqua as he likes to call it. This book has three main characters Phaedrus, author’s son Chris and the Author himself. As we embark on this journey with them,Robert tries to explain to us the meaning of Quality=Buddha=The One. His ability to describe these concepts, in this story as a whole and not in a single sentence, paragraph or chapter is commendable. If you persist in reading this book you will come to realize that the essence of Quality=Buddha=The One, lies in the journey of these three main characters(Phaedrus, Chris and Robert) which eventually merge together to become one at the end. True to the Vedantic term ‘tat tvam asi’.
If there is anything that is threatened in today's world it is Quality. Examples for a world without Quality in 21st century are North Korea and the Trump Administration to name a few. A quality-less world is what we could be heading towards if we do not pay attention to it. Importance of which Robert. M. Pirsig does not fail to stress in his book.
It breaks my heart to see one star reviews for this book. But, that’s meant to be, since Quality, Buddha or The One can never be expressed in words, it can only be experienced. This read is a precious experience. Let it in and it is yours forever. Give up on it and it will wait for you to come back to it but will never become irrelevant.
Don't stop if his words are elusive and don't make sense. Pause and let his words grow on you before you move on to the next.What you need, to go on this journey(as a reader) is patience, an open mind and strength to face the shock of being introduced to a new concept. Let it in and it is yours forever. Give up on it and it will wait for you to come back to it but, will never become irrelevant.
****SPOILER ALERT****
Have you ever experienced happiness that makes you calm and at peace with yourself?An experience most of us have when we listen to music we love, watch movies or look at art that inspires. Have you lost yourself performing one task, absent to the world, focused on what is in front of you? It is an experience we cannot express in words. A herculean task, but the author takes them on and creates this fantastic book.
QUALITY=BUDDHA=THE ONE
He seeks to understand these three concepts and attempts to express them using tools of reason, and soon comes to realize that these terms cannot be expressed in words. Quality, Buddha and The One need to be experienced. Meaning of these concepts is in the story as a whole. What you need, to go on this journey(as a reader) is patience, an open mind and strength to face the shock of being introduced to a new concept. In my opinion this book is a piece of art. Fantastically structured to come together beautifully.Robert.M.Pirsig refers to Chinese Tao Te Ching, Zen Buddhism, Greek Philosophers, and Vedanta to find answers for his existential questions. Vedantic 'tat tvam asi', and other similar concepts from Buddhism(Zen),Chinese,Japanese(mu) and Greek philosophies(One Truth) make the core of his narration.Since my understanding of philosophy comes from Vedanta alone. I am going to talk about this book from a Vedantic perspective.
The author defines Vedantic “ tat tvam asi “ as : ‘That which you think you are and that which you think you perceive is undivided.’ A term that needs contemplation. Which is the central theme of this book. The author invites us to witness his contemplation or chautauqua as he likes to call it. This book has three main characters Phaedrus, author’s son Chris and the Author himself. As we embark on this journey with them,Robert tries to explain to us the meaning of Quality=Buddha=The One. His ability to describe these concepts, in this story as a whole and not in a single sentence, paragraph or chapter is commendable. If you persist in reading this book you will come to realize that the essence of Quality=Buddha=The One, lies in the journey of these three main characters(Phaedrus, Chris and Robert) which eventually merge together to become one at the end. True to the Vedantic term ‘tat tvam asi’.
If there is anything that is threatened in today's world it is Quality. Examples for a world without Quality in 21st century are North Korea and the Trump Administration to name a few. A quality-less world is what we could be heading towards if we do not pay attention to it. Importance of which Robert. M. Pirsig does not fail to stress in his book.
It breaks my heart to see one star reviews for this book. But, that’s meant to be, since Quality, Buddha or The One can never be expressed in words, it can only be experienced. This read is a precious experience. Let it in and it is yours forever. Give up on it and it will wait for you to come back to it but will never become irrelevant.