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SOME NOTES TOWARDS A PARADIGM CONNECTED TO CONTEMPLATION

[Copyright by Peter Montgomery, August, 1993. Further re-
 production in any form must be accompanied with this state-
 ment and the identification information listed at the end
 of the passage.]

The current boiling cultural vortex demands of us who
wish to live an examined life, the investigation and use
of any and all thought and living models that are helpful.
No one structure or system has all the answers. In fact,
given the cultural chaos with which we have to deal, the
foundations of ALL available models seem to be almost
irrelevant. They simply do not speak clearly, coherently
and directly to the conditions we find ourselves in.

Some models may work for some people to some extent, but there
is no coherence that serves a common awareness, interest, desire
or need. Is such commonality important? The assumption here
is that it is, but it is also acknowledged that a whole different
discussion is needed to justify that assumption.

It is doubtful that the need for commonality in the area
of spiritual awareness can be satisfied by an eclectic
synthesis of different models from the past. A foundation
must be built that speaks directly to current conditions,
and that starts not on an epistemological level, but a sensory
one, because modern sensory conditions are so unique. An
important part of Marshall McLuhan's work was the examination
of sensory bias. Each new form of communication alters the
sensory balance of the society into which it is introduced.
When the balance is upset, a new balance is sought. The rad-
ically new kinds of focus on the eyes and ears brought by electronic
media such as television and radio, created a vacuum for the
sense of touch which was answered by the intense preoccupation
with sexuality, drugs and mysticism (external and internal
touch or feeling).

Unless we are determined to pull the plug, we are committed
to living with these sensory tensions in all kinds of ways.
The first step, then, in developing a paradigm for the spirit-
ual life, is establishing sensory integrity. What form that
integrity should take is open to discovery, but obviously
the arts have a crucial role to play. An important outcome,
what ever it might be, would have something of the character
of the kinds of thing seen in plain chant. The resonances of
plain chant are in very striking harmony with the frequencies
of the human nervous system. Similarly a Tibetan meditation
bell has a slight variation in tone that is supposedly hard to
perceive outside of a state of mediatation. An important
dimension of research into contemplation, then, would be
artistic exploration of an effective sensory life and environment.
Viritual reality experiments may be VERY important for this
purpose.

Let us learn a lesson from Buddhism. Meditation is not allowed
until sometime after one learns how to close doors and pour tea
(reported by Merton to his fellow monks after a meeting with
Thic Nyat Han).

Peter
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*  Peter Montgomery               Montgomery@camosun.bc.ca  *
*  Professor                                                *
*  Dept of English                 ph (604) 370-3342 (o)    *
*  Camosun College                    (604) 370-3346 (fax)  *
*  3100 Foul Bay Road                                       *
*  Victoria, BC                       Off. Paul Bldg 326    *
*  CANADA   V8P 5J2                                         *
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