> Let us so institute a postmodern libertarian techno zen !!!!! :-)
> With a lot of "chemicals"... in the sky with diamonds...
Sounds like it might become quite popular. Unfortunately, it might
become rather useless: the postmodern eclecticism ("let's mix
everything, it is just cultural constructs anyway") goes well with the
a-rational aspects of zen, and the drugs and techno will of course
make it a hit with the ravers.
Before trying to come up with a modern form of zen, we might ponder
what we want to achieve instead.
I think the old systems for mental training have a lot going for
them. Unfortunately they are filled with plenty of junk
(i.e. ideas/settings that are unsupported, but passed down as great
revelation or dogma since nobody has dared question them) and
non-scientific thinking. Science is the organized search for
knowledge, many of these systems actually try to reach knowledge
through fairly formalized structures, but they lack the interest in
making the results accessible, replicable and useful. A modern mental
system ought to include that.
As for myself, I have begun thinking a bit on "The Way of Science", in
analogy to budo ("The Way of the Warrior"; what would the TWoS become
in japanese?). Nothing solid yet, but I think it is a worthwhile
exercise.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y