Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park — Image by kenne
— from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Mushrooms on Mt. Lemmon — Photo-Artistry by kenne
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Dragonfly Glow — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
Black Mountains Highway Into The Sunset In Northwest Arizona — Image by kenne
— from Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Window Reflection at The Getty Museum in Los Angeles (June 17, 2004) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— kenne
Robert M. Pirsig
Political signs were a common sight on our August road trip, especially in Texas and the southeast.— Image by kenne
“You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun
is going to rise tomorrow. They know it’s going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political
or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.”
— from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Looking South from Tanuri Ridge — Image by kenne
Over The Rooftop Sunset — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— Robert M. Pirsig
Greater Roadrunner Stalking A Tree Lizard In A Mesquite Tree — Image by kenne
Quality is a direct experience independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions.
— Robert M. Pirsig
Mexican Fritillary Butterfly on Mahogany Milkweed — Image by kenne
The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.
Utah Couple Riding the Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico — Images by kenne
Our April 27, 2017, SCVN Friday Hike was trail #39 (Part of the Arizona Trail) out of the Gordon Hirabayashi Camp Grounds to the Sycamore Reservoir. The trail head is near the horse corral where we met a couple from Utah who spent the night at the campgrounds before continuing on the Arizona Trail to Mexico. Now, that’s a real adventure!
— kenne
We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk.
The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness,
a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later
where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.
— Robert Pirsig
Source: William Morrow/HarperCollins
It’s just a little after midnight in Tucson, and I’m having trouble sleeping. It could be that Joy is having surgery later today. It could be that in this age of hand-held technology, it was several hours ago I received a news alert on the passage of Robert M. Pirsig at age 88.
In the 1970’s I was interested in motorcycles — own a couple. It was a time in which I loved reading about technology and philosophy. So, in 1974 when I read a review of a recently published book, “Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values,” I went out and bought a copy.
The inside cover jacket begins with a quote from the book:
“ The study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon.”
What better way to write about the conflict between science and religion, and the nature of Quality in art than to have it as part of a motorcycle narrative of a trip Pirsig, his eleven-year-old son, and two friends took from Minnesota to California? As it turns out, the real journey was not a motorcycle trip, but a philosophic trip that centers on an insane passion for truth.
In February of this year, I posted a blog entitled, The Zen of Visual Imagery – Balancing Passion and Obsession, in which I reference the novel I have worshiped over the years. Whether in my own teaching of educational philosophy or photography, I can’t talk about life without referencing Pirsig for the truth. It is time for a Chautauqua.
–kenne
West Fork Trail Leaving Hutch’s Pool — Panorama Image by kenne
“Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you’re no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn’t just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here’s where things grow.
But of course, without the top, you can’t have any sides. It’s the top that defines the sides. So on we go—we have a long way—no hurry—just one step after the next—with a little Chautauqua for entertainment. Mental reflection is so much more interesting than TV it’s a shame more people don’t switch over to it. They probably think what they hear is unimportant, but it never is.”
― from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
Zion-Mount Carmel Highway Panorama (Zion National Park, September 15, 2016) — Image by kenne
— Robert M. Pirsig
