The RAW Semantics book club [UPDATED] [UPDATED AGAIN]

 

Brian directs our attention to a book on sale for practically nothing as a Kindle: "Chris Niebauer's 192-page 'No Self, No Problem Workbook' - going for £0.79 or $0.99 on Amazon Kindle format. He uses a left/right brain model, has lots of fun head "exercises", and, like RAW, deconstructs abstract generalisations and group fictions, etc." [UPDATE] Note that he's actually talking about the workbook version of the title. There are actually two very similar titles, and I bought both; both are dirt cheap. 

It sounded interesting so I bought it. Certainly the doctrine of "no self" is important to Buddhism, and I'm pretty sure Alan Watts wrote a book on it, e.g. The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

Here is some of the publisher's description for Niebauer's book: 

"While in grad school in the early 1990s, Chris Niebauer began to notice striking parallels between the latest discoveries in psychology, neuroscience, and the teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and other schools of Eastern thought. When he presented his findings to a professor, his ideas were quickly dismissed as “pure coincidence, nothing more.”

"Fast-forward 20 years later and Niebauer is a PhD and a tenured professor, and the Buddhist-neuroscience connection he found as a student is practically its own genre in the bookstore. But according to Niebauer, we are just beginning to understand the link between Eastern philosophy and the latest findings in psychology and neuroscience and what these assimilated ideas mean for the human experience."

Update: The idea of an online book club has been floated on Twitter.  If you aren't on Twitter and you want to indicate that you would take part, perhaps leave a comment here. 

A few more words on 'RAW Memes'

 

I have finished RAW Memes, the collection of Robert Anton Wilson quotes selected and illustrated by Rasa. Here's part of what I wrote in a note to Rasa after I finished the book: 

"Wanted to drop you a note after finishing RAW Memes. (I have been reading a few pages at a time, which I would argue is as good a way as any to read it.) 

"The essay at the back, "Bob and Rasa," is really good and adds some genuine additional value for people who buy the book. As you point out, RAW really knew quite a bit about Buddhism. (He was more of Mahayana guy and I have been more on the Theravada side when I study it, but I know enough about all variations of Buddhism to know that RAW knew his stuff.) I'm glad I bought the book."

Wilson's books are laced with references to Buddhism; does anyone know of any place where he wrote an entire article about it? 

A book about Buddhism

Robert Anton Wilson was interested in Buddhism and familiar with Buddhist philosophy, so perhaps a notable book about the topic that came out a few months ago would be interesting news for some of you. Robert Wright, who has studied Buddhist meditation of the Vipassana school (i.e., a relatively secular version of Theravada) argues that humans are "programmed" to think and act a certain way by natural selection, and meditation helps us become aware of the programming and to at least some extant set it aside. ("Programmed" is my term, not his, but I hope I don't mar his point). It's a quite interesting book; I listened to the audiobook version.

Meditation lowers violence at Alabama prison

In an earlier blog posting, I noted that many of the teachings in RAW's Prometheus Rising resemble what I had learned studying Theravada Buddhism. A knowledge of Buddhism is one of the features of RAW's writing.

Here is an interesting story from the Associated Press about how Vipassana meditation has been used at an Alabama prison to reduce violence.

More on RAW and Buddhism

As I mentioned recently, Robert Anton Wilson's essay "Left and Right: A Non-Euclidean Perspective" (reprinted in Email to the Universe) is a particularly interesting guide to Wilson's thought.

Wilson writes that after experimenting with psychedelics during the 1960s, "I began serious study of other conciousness-altering systems, including techniques of yoga, Zen, Sufism and Cabala. I, alas, became a 'mystic' of some sort, although still within the framework of existentialism-phenomology-operationalism. But, then, Buddhism -- the organized mystic movement I find least objectionable -- is also existentialist, phenomenologist and operationalist ... "

Earlier in the essay, Wilson cites existentialsm, phenomelogy and operational logic as important influences upon him, along with Nietzsche and General Semantics.

I could not find a Wikipedia article that explains operational logic, but in his essay, Wilson explains that "Operational logic (as formulated by the American physicist Percy Bridgman and recreated by the Danish physicist Niels Bohr as the Copenhagen interpretation of science) seemed the approach to modern science that appealed to me ... The Bridgman-Bohr meta-modern rejects as 'meaningless' any statements that do not refer to concrete experiences of human beings. (Bridgman was influenced by Pragmatism, Bohr by Existentialism). Operationalism also regards all proposed 'laws' only as maps or models that are useful for a certain time. Thus, Operationalism seems the one 'philosophy of science' that warns us, like Nietzsche and Husserl, only to use models where they're useful and never to elevate them into Idols or dogmas."

Compare Wilson's warning to "only use models where they're useful" to the Buddhist parable, which I referenced here, that a raft is for "getting across," not for carrying on one's back.

Here is the Buddhist Parable of the Raft:

13. “I shall show you, monks, the Teaching’s similitude to a raft: as having the purpose ofcrossing over, not the purpose of being clung to. Listen, monks, and heed well what I shallsay”—“Yes, Lord,” replied the monks. And the Blessed One spoke thus:

“Suppose, monks, there is a man journeying on a road and he sees a vast expanse of water, ofwhich this shore is perilous and fearful, while the other shore is safe and free from danger. Butthere is no boat for crossing nor is there a bridge for going over from this side to the other. Sothe man thinks: ‘This is a vast expanse of water; and this shore is perilous and fearful, but theother shore is safe and free from danger. There is, however, no boat here for crossing, nor abridge for going over from this side to the other. Suppose I gather reeds, sticks, branches andfoliage, and bind them into a raft.’ Now, that man collects reeds, sticks, branches and foliage,and binds them into a raft. Carried by that raft, laboring with hands and feet, he safely crossesover to the other shore. Having crossed and arrived at the other shore, he thinks: ‘This raft,indeed, has been very helpful to me. Carried by it, laboring with hands and feet, I got safelyacross to the other shore. Should I not lift this raft on my head or put it on my shoulders, and gowhere I like?’

“What do you think about it, O monks? Will this man by acting thus, do what should be donewith a raft?”—“No, Lord”—“How then, monks, would he be doing what should be done with araft? Here, monks, having got across and arrived at the other shore, the man thinks: ‘This raft,indeed, has been very helpful to me. Carried by it, and laboring with hands and feet, I got safelyacross to the other shore. Should I not pull it up now to the dry land or let it float in the water,and then go as I please?’ By acting thus, monks, would that man do what should be done with a raft?

“In the same way, monks, have I shown to you the Teaching’s similitude to a raft: as havingthe purpose of crossing over, not the purpose of being clung to."

Citation: Nyanaponika Thera's translation of the Alagaddūpama Sutta.

And Insight Meditation, too, perhaps?

PROMETHEUS RISING, a must-read for Wilson fans, has a final chapter that shows have various forms of brain change and/or meditative practices are similar to each other. Throughout the book, Wilson makes references to traditions as diverse as Zen Buddhism, Christian Science, Hinduism and Sufi Islam.

He doesn't mention the school of Buddhism I am most familiar with, known as Theravada in southern Asian and generally referred to as Insight Meditation in the U.S. In a sense, that fits with the fact that Insight Meditation is almost an "underground" school of Buddhism. It doesn't get the endless press inspired by Tibetan Buddhism or Zen Buddhism, although it is home to a rich collection of Buddhist scriptures and philosophy. But when I read the book, I related many of its teachings to what I have learned through Buddhism. In fact, the book has helped inspire me to resume my practice.

Information about Insight Meditation is available here.

Wilson the bodhisattva

In COSMIC TRIGGER, VOLUME TWO: Down to Earth," Robert Anton Wilson discusses his Buddhist wedding (in the chapter "The Sangha ... Light in Manifestation," and his interest in Amida Buddhism. He explains that Amida Buddhism is "based on faith in Amida, the Buddha of compassion. Amida refused to accept Nirvana until every sentient being could enter the blessed quenched state along with him."

This is correct, but also a little bit incorrect, a little bit like saying that Methodists don't accept the authority of the Pope. That would be true, too, of course, but it leaves out the fact that Methodists are Protestants, none of whom accept the authority of the Pope.

Broadly speaking, Buddhism tends to divide into two main groups -- Theravada, the "old school" Buddhism mainly practiced in the south of Asia, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma, and Mahayana, the later developments such as Zen, which are practiced in northern countries such as China and Japan. In Mahayana, a bodhisattva is someone who has attained enlightenment, or at least is pretty far along, and who dedicates his life to sharing what he has learned to help others attain liberation. In some cases, this is depicted as renouncing nirvana in favor of compassionately helping others. (More here.) Amida Buddhism is a form of Mahayana.

(Rock music fans of a certain age may remember the term from the Steely Dan song, "Bodhisattva," from the band's second album, 1973's "Countdown to Ecstacy.")

I ran across a posting on the San Francisco Bay Craiglist's a few weeks ago that referred to Wilson, Krishnamurti and Terence McKenna as "Buddhas." (It's expired, so I can't link to it.) I don't know what to think about that, but couldn't Wilson be termed a bodhisattva? He gain some measure of enlightenment, and spent much of his life sharing what he learned.

More on RAW and Buddhism

I liked Bobby Campbell's comment in the recent "Insufficiently Elitist" post: "Kinda funny how RAW worked it out that since he recommended not accepting all his B.S., that disagreeing w/ him on one hand amounts to agreeing w/ him on the other."

Wilson's frequent pronouncements that everyone has a responsibility to question their own B.S. along with everyone else's, and his suggestions that agnosticism should be applied to every belief system, may have been inspired, in part, by his study of Buddhism, which has many teachings about taking responsibility for yourself or thinking for yourself.

For example, there is a story in one of the sutras about the parable of the raft. A monk has to cross a river, so he builds a raft and uses it to cross. When he is finished, he beaches it and goes on his way. He doesn't carry it the raft on his back when he reaches dry land. Similarly, the doctrine of the Buddha is a useful vehicle, but not something to carry on one's back, the Buddha explained.

Another example is a verse from the 12th chapter of the Dhammapada, No. 160, essentially a collection of Buddhist aphorisms. The verse is translated in different ways, so here are some of the translations, with the name of the translator in parenthesis: "One is one own's refuge, who else could be the refuge?" (Walpola Rahula); "Only a man can be the master of himself: Who else from outside could be his master?" (Juan Mascaro); "Self is the lord of self, who else could be the master?" (Max Mueller).

Wilson on karma

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of Robert Anton Wilson’s areas of expertise that doesn’t get mentioned very often is Buddhism. To me, it seems quite obvious that he must have read many books on the subject, as he seems quite conversant with the various strains of Buddhism thought (and not just the trendy schools such as Zen.)

For example, here is Wilson discussing the Buddhist concept of karma:

“We should all try to give out as much good energy to other human beings as we possibly can. I honestly believe that every bit of bad energy we put out has adverse effects that go on forever. This is the Buddhist doctrine of karma. The Buddhists believe that every bit of anger, resentment, hate, and so on that goes out passes from one person to another, without stopping. The same is true of good energy: every bit of good energy one puts out makes someone else feel a little bit better. I think if people were really conscious of this psychological fact, they would try very, very hard to put out nothing but good energy, no matter what happened to them. They would certainly not be so casual about passing on bad energy. All the bad energy in the world builds up like a giant snowfall, until we have a huge war. Nowadays, it can mean a total nuclear Armageddon. This is traditional Buddhism, as I say, but I think it's materialistic common sense, too. One only needs to study human behavior to realize it. I regard those people who make a career out of being nasty as emotional plague carriers.”

This is from one of the many interviews collected at the excellent Robert Anton Wilson Fans site.

Wilson and Buddhism

I've been interested in Buddhism for many years, and I mention this because RAW also was very interested in Buddhism, peppering his writings with references to it.

Many examples could be offered. For example, Wilson said that COSMIC TRIGGER 2: DOWN TO EARTH was a Buddhist book that gives different sides to his personality (citation, the chapter "Books by Robert Anton Wilson" in AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO ROBERT ANTON WILSON by Eric Wagner).

The last chapter of CT 2 discusses Shinran Buddhism and explains that Wilson's marriage to his wife, Arlen, was performed in 1959 in Brooklyn in a Shinryan Buddhist ceremony.

Buddhists in all traditions often recite a vow in which they express their allegiance to the Buddha, in the Dharma (i.e., the Buddhist teachings) and the Sangha (a word that means "community." In Asian countries, the Sangha usually means Buddhist monks. In the more lay-oriented U.S., it sometimes means the community of believers).

Wilson's marriage ceremony asked his wife and himself to place their trust in these three pillars of Buddhism. Wilson knew who the Buddha was and the Dharma, but he admits that the couple asked each other later afterward, "What the hell is the Sangha?" He later learned.