Book of Mercy #1-5

[Simon]

We could start by at least trying to entice some women to join the discussion.

You’re right, Jack, it is somewhat disappointing that so far participants in this thread had been exclusively male. Why is that? Maybe we are just too boring?

We’re such a hip age. Nobody wants to affirm those realities. It doesn’t go with your sunglasses.

LC himself seemed to imply that Book of Mercy wasn't exactly "sexy", nor in the spirit of "Fin Amor". BoM is not my favorite of his work either. But still. the thread attracks good readership, with over 800 views in its first week alone.

Women are like the bubbles in the beer, without them life tastes flat.

[DBCohen]

But still. the thread attracks good readership, with over 800 views in its first week alone.

Well, I don’t know about that. My impression is that whenever any of us reenters the thread, it is counted as a visit. The 5 or 6 regular participants must have entered dozens of times each already, so the actual number of people viewing this thread is probably much smaller than it seems. Am I wrong?

[lazariuk]

As for the Percival story, it does seem a wee bit apocryphal, although I did find a place where those words could fit in, had they used such language at the time. Here it is, from Le Morte Darthur, in the Oxford World’s Classic edition, p. 338:

And then he awoke and saw before him a woman which said unto him right fiercely, ‘Sir Percival, what dost thou here?’
‘I do neither good nor great ill.’
‘If thou wilt assure me’, said she, ‘that thou wilt fulfil my will when I summon thee, I shall land thee mine own horse which shall bear thee whither thou wilt.’
Sir Percival was glad of her proffer, and assured her to fulfil all her desire.

Is this the very “knight from some old-fashioned book”?

Wow !! I am so impressed that you found that. I am at a complete loss as to where I saw the reference that I wrote about. I have read a lot of Joseph Campbell and so it was probably in one of his books. I do remember very well that it was a wild woman on a horse and the reply being "I'm your man" Could very well be that we have stumbled upon the knight from some old fashioned book.

Jack

Sometimes I think we're alone. Sometimes I think we're not. In either
case, the thought is staggering. -- R. Buckminster Fuller

[lazariuk]

Women are like the bubbles in the beer, without them life tastes flat.

Here is a sample of the kind of beauty a woman can bring to a discussion about Mercy. Julie first wrote about the song "Sister's of Mercy" by saying

Zimmy's first 'Thought of the Night' got me thinking, for most of the
night about the song 'Sisters of Mercy' and how it moved when I
poked at it. Turns out, it wasn't asleep after all. It wanted to
play. So, that's how 'that poem' was conceived (down below).
I read a bit (a very little bit) about the 'inspiration' for the song...
the traveling ladies, and such... which at first led me to think that
'sisters' referred to two females. Which it may. But when I removed
the lyrics from their own context and applied them to my own, I thought
of 'sisters of mercy' as exemplifying those comforts that are gentler
and less pharisaic than mercy. Mercy is hailed as divine grace, but it
can be overwhelmingly cruel. Mercy tells you that your poverty is
obscene, and obliges you to gleefully, righteously censure your brothers
and sisters. Sisters of mercy might shamelessly romance your naked
nobility with kind brushstrokes of light, thaw your numbed sensitivity
with self-immolating praise, and fade again willowy as ghosts. And
though they did not leave you very much, you find yourself wanting to
strip down once more to nothing, to see if you can see what they loved
so nicely.
Then it is a matter of courage and revealing of truth.
There is so so much more in that song that I want to talk about.... but
I'm stopping here because I've probably already killed the poem for the
people who thought they liked it, and I'm afraid of what other damage
I'll do before I'm done!
Love,
Julie
When you found me I was naked in the corner
You blushed and offered me a cloak of light
I let your mercy drape me in your uniform
I don't remember promising I'd fight

You taught me how to stare into the morning
I practiced till I couldn't see the stars
We burned the shadows growing on the pavement
And trapped the fireflies in pickle jars

I waged your private war against the corners
Who hid in angles from your charities
I lit them all on fire to kill their secrets
I heard their last confessions on my knees

Oh yes, I was your vicious little soldier
Marching for your brilliant scrutiny
Until the day I glanced into a looking glass
And scorched my eyes in private mutiny

You scowled when I returned, then you dismissed me
And turned in pity from my dimming stare
But I indulged in memories of embers
And folded up the smile you'd had me wear.

Then she went on to write about Mercy itself with these words:

o me, showing mercy is a way of saying 'You are in a poorly state. For some
reason you are unable to pull yourself out of it. Because I am compassionate,
I will help you.' There's nothing wrong with this if both parties are in
agreement as to what constitutes a 'poorly state,' and the recipient is humble
enough to accept defeat without bruising his or her pride. However, the
problems occur when there is no concurrence as to quality of situation in
question... as in, who defines pathos? In accepting mercy, in this case, the
recipient is forced to accept the terms of the pact -- the definition of
pathos, in this case -- of the compassionate Other. This puts the merciful
one in a position of power -- as the benevolent savior -- and the recipient in
a more submissive posture. In order to 'earn' his or her own dignified
standing, the saved one must become, in his or her own right, a sort of
savior, (according to the fabric of a contemporary 'moralistic' society) by
demonstrating compassion through such merciful acts as he or she was saved.
(Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, &c).. To do this, he or
she must judge others using the same terms by which he or she was judged, or
else betray the trust of -- or deny gratitude to -- the original benefactor.
I think this would be clearer in a hypothetical.
Imagine that you're a yellow-eyed child in a village of green-eyed people.
They stare at you and mark you with a stigma of silence. You know you're
different, but you don't know why -- the world is a mystery to you. A
stranger approaches you and senses your loneliness. He offers you green
contact lenses. You hesitate, then say yes, please. And so, you have green
eyes. Everything is so much clearer! You live your life -- finally able to
fit in, and happy for the first time -- when you hear rumors of another
yellow-eyed child. The ladies tsk, and say 'what a shame,' and the men run
home to their wives. You go to catch a glimpse. A solemn, lonely little
boy. Your heart reaches out to this young thing... and your first instinct is
to help him -- the way you'd been helped so many years ago. You take off your
contact lenses to give to the boy, when suddenly.... (The rest is up to your
imagination.)
Do you see how I might regard censure as a projection of self esteem... or,
judging others by opinions that you hold about yourself, or your past
experiences? Like fathers who want their sons to go to college because they
were never able to.. And mothers who don't understand why their daughters
don't want to get married at 20?
Can you imagine what would happen if they all began to judge their past
decisions based on the new perspectives offered by the changing times?
Have you witnessed this happening?

Definitely the discussion needs the perspective of women.

Jack

[lizzytysh]

Parenthetical explanation from this woman regarding absence.

Well, to the men who have been participating in this thread, thank you for doing that very thing. It's a pleasure to just be able to read [listen], without feeling compelled to write [speak]. I wish you, Jack, were able to summon Julie, from wherever she's drifted off to since your last virtual meeting. Really great and excellent stuff in her postings. Of course, I found now the other thread I'd wanted to comment in regarding her contribution, via you, there.

Life has managed to get in the way. Have all I can do to read here, much less write. Six-days-and-growing behind at work. Between the holidays and one additional day off for it; two days out for training; and 1/2 day on another project adds to the stack that was already there. Another person was fired several weeks ago; another left a couple days ago [debatable by some as to whether or not 't'was by choice]; the most humourous man in the office left, clearly by choice, to move back up to the northeast to be near his daughter, but did so without prior notice, as even that represents a danger in its own right; and still another one is about to leave. The latter arrived at the same time as I did on a Monday morning a week ago and 'jokingly' asked, "Is the door [lock] code still the same or has someone else been fired ~ after all, we've had three days off." I'm still managing to hang in there. The dynamics continue to shift in the daily environment... and, now, not nearly enough humour to get us through. With a new [computer] 'system' coming into place, more things will be changing, with possibly fewer people needed in such a way that it could affect my position. The place doesn't excel in the concept of job security... so, even though I've managed to hang in there so far, who knows what the future may bring... and already being severely behind doesn't lend to getting involved in the discussions here, little other than brief comments here and there.

Personal life has me going different directions, too... so home time for participation is almost-prohibitively limited, too. I'm staying up late just to write this; after two hours sleep on Monday night, and little recovery, bed sure is looking good. For awhile, I've been feeling like a pile of broken promises, even though none are actually broken... yet, so severely delayed they no doubt seem it, and I can confirm, feel it. As a result, spending the lengths of time and concentration necessary to duly participate in this thread would result in guilt extraordinaire, and I have excesses of that already. Have all I can do to check my own email without imploding with it.

I don't know what the ratio of male, Cohen scholars to female, Cohen scholars would be... but at least here, it seems favoured in the male direction, and you guys have it going on when it comes to that. If Alexis/Judith were around, that would be tremendous for discussing Book of Mercy. I have it, but as I began to read it, I quickly realized that it was 'over my head' in the kinds of background stuff you guys are going into here.

Hopefully, some other women will answer your beckoning and join in. I have all I can do to read. If the female perspective doesn't surface, please don't think you're boring... au contraire. Meanwhile, if you're looking for representation par excellence, keep that Search engine active for Julie's postings.

Highest regards to the men here devoted to the works of Cohen.


~ Lizzy

[DBCohen]

Lizzy,

Sorry to hear your life is so complicated now, but it's good to know you are following what we do even if you can't participate.

Meanwhile, I found the following text from Death of a Lady’s Man, which seems relevant to our recent discussion of psalm I.2:

Roshi Again
I saw Roshi early this morning. His room was warm and fragrant. Soon he was hanging from a branch by his teeth. That made me laugh. But I didn’t want to laugh. Then he was playing my guitar. From above he looked old and tired. From below he looked fresh and strong. Destroy particular self and absolute appears. He spoke to me gently. I waited for the rebuke. It didn’t come. I waited because there is a rebuke in every other voice but his. He rang his bell. I bowed and left.
I visited him again after several disagreeable hours in the mirror. He hung from the branch again. He looked down fearfully. He was afraid of falling. He was afraid of dying. He was depending on the branch an on his teeth. This is the particular self. This is the particular trance. He played my guitar. He copied my own fingering. He invented someone to interrupt him. He demonstrated the particular trance being broken by the question: What is the source of this world? He asked me to answer. His voice was calm and serious. I was so hungry for his seriousness after the moronic frivolity and despair of hours in the mirror. I could not answer. Difficult, he said, reaching for his bell. I bowed and left.

It seems than that Roshi may be not only the king, but also the ape… When I read this, I thought that this piece is a report on dreams (based, of course, on the actual daily meeting with the master at the monastery). Note also what he says in the psalm about the ape:

He clowns behind his bars, imitating our hands in the dream.

And here about Roshi (in what I believe is a dream):

He copied my own fingering.

Well, one thing leads to another, or so it seems.

D. B. Cohen

[DBCohen]

Apart from the interviews that Simon had quoted above, there is also a longer one with LC about his Jewish life, and also Zen and other experiences. Not much new there in principle, but more details:

http://www.serve.com/cpage/LCohen/interview.html

[tomsakic]

I am also very glad to note that this thread is attracting so much visitors (or short viewers) and that it's becoming one of most opened threads in recent period. I guess that level of involvement of Torah studies and religion studies and Kabbalah in some moments frightened other possible contributors (at least I was frightened few last pages:-) Anyhow, I think that we would get much if we involve some people known for their great contribution to previous discussions. Like Joe Way; and I particularly wonder where is ~greg recently. Maybe we should alarm them (with blue alert:-)


As for women's involvement, I don't make difference between woman and a man. If contrary, we could get the situation here, I think that was Ursula Le Guin who told that, that women are writing like honorary men. I mean, that their presence would be just informal or honorary. If there's someone who would like to join the discussion, she (or he) will join. Otherwise it's the infamous situation where we could ask also for one Afroamerican, one gay, one woman, one immigrant, one representative of Post-colonial or some ethnic group, and beyond that political correctness actually just keep white male power going on. ("And white man dancing", as Leonard would say /sing/.)

[DBCohen]

You are right, of course, Tom, only that it became sort of conspicuous that only men were participating here, while on other threads, as far as I could see, it is fairly mixed. We don’t want to feel locked up in a monastery now, do we? In any case, I hope anyone who can contribute will join us, regardless of gender.

[tomsakic]

Yeah, even Leonard run away from monastery, and in any case spent much of his time there thinking of Sahara

Yesterday I got the book which made my month better; recent Serbian translation of Alain Robbe-Grillet's La maison de rendez-vous from 1965. First two sentences (my lousy re-translation): "Without any doubt, the woman's body always has had an important place in my dreams. Actually, those pictures are haunting me even in my periods of awakeness."

So (for Simon:-), he also is bewildered by the beauty there.

[lazariuk]

Apart from the interviews that Simon had quoted above, there is also a longer one with LC about his Jewish life, and also Zen and other experiences. Not much new there in principle, but more details:

I'm so surprised that you would say that there was not much there because I always felt that this was one of the most interesting interviews he has ever given.

It certainly establishes that he sees the primary focus of his life to be experiencing a relationship with the Absolute.

That central to that relationship it is on a Biblical landscape as a Jew

That he felt the jewish tradition has betrayed the tradition and the way it was betrayed was by operating within the confines of an exclusive vision that affirms one element of humanity and scorns the rest. i.e. Hillel teaching not to treat other jews in a way that you would not like to be treated but setting a different standard for treating non jews "tarnish the golden rule"

He suggests that in most part the literature of the tradition is not pointing to the kind of experience that people need then goes on to say "and we pick up a book by Buber or a hasidic tale and these things are hinted at"

The fact that he sees in Buber what he feels is missing from other jewish writing might be very important in this discussion when we get to the part of "Book of Mercy" that is titled Israel. Buber was amoung the Jews who fought against the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. He pleaded with the represenatives of the United Nations not to make Jews become "thieves of holiness"
I came to think one time that the words beautiful loser had no better person to describe than Judah Magnus who stood with Buber on this issue. He fought so very hard to stop Israel from becoming a jewish state and many say that when he died the year that Israel was established it was from a broken heart.

Also I should point out that when I see Leonard suggesting that Buber and tales of the hasidim are pointing to what he sees as essential it gives me a little confidence that I am probably not completely off tract in how I am understanding him. For the past forty years books by Buber and tales of the Hasidim have gotten their pages worn by sitting on my bedside table. I have read them more than any other books that I have ever owned.

Another thing I found interesting is when he mentions the Shemoneh Esrai. What caught my eye was the word really in the same sentence as the eighteen steps. Why that caught my eye was that when I saw the Shemoneh Esrai mentioned in a lot of jewish literature often I saw mentioned that it was really ninteen. One had been added on - namely a pleading with God to destroy Israel's enemies. Seems to me that Leonard is leaving that one out.

Much more I would like to write about that interview but other things call for my attention.

Jack

" By some miracle we wander into a place for healing. And though we do not notice anything out of the ordinary.... we come to discover that we are too crippled to leave. " -- Julie

[lizzytysh]

Thanks, DBC. Along with all the possibilities for lay-off here, a manufacturing plant in this town closed a week ago, and that's affecting stores, as well... threatening more retail closures. So, downsizing is not a remote idea for any agency or company.

My and Tchocolatl's enthusiastic responses to the idea of this thread may easily have been misinterpreted as intents to actively participate or to participate at all. Tchocolatl may yet do so, though she appears to be really busy, too, these days. With me, my enthusiasm had nothing to do with my participation, but rather as a golden opportunity to glean understanding of this book from the perspectives in which it was written. Sorta like a eureka Cliff Notes , written here by people with qualifications. I've found my own beauty in the book, of course, but it deserves to be understood according to its original intention.

I understand the want of 'the female perspective' [and love Simon's analogy ] and certainly appreciate the samples Jack has given. Yet, what Tom says is true regarding joining in just for the sake of... It's ironic that one of the things I thought each time I've read one of the men's postings was that I could make a comment on someone's input, concurring or not/finding interesting or reasonable, or whatever; yet, couldn't speak with any level of expertise or authority on the matter, so just let it be and let the thread run continuously, similar to an uninterrupted panel discussion, where audience questions or comments are held for the Q&A session at the end. In the meantime, just let it flow. Now, with the female issue surfacing, that continuity's been interrupted... and with that acknowledgement, my role in that will cease as I return to the Read Only mode.

So, carry on, all who are able . I agree, too, that Joe Way's and Greg's participation would add a whole lot~!! It would be great if HumanPony would show up, too .

I meant to mention before that you're right, too, DBC, on the 'hits' ~ however, even allowing for the repeats, the number remains significant !

Super 'Julie quote,' Jack .


~ Lizzy

[DBCohen]

Lizzy,
Anyway, it’s good to see your avatar on this thread!

Jack,
Well, you’re right that this interview has a lot of important stuff, although we’re probably going to disagree about its interpretation, and, like you, I can’t get into it at length now (this week I found myself in danger of forgetting that there are some other important obligations out there; I still need to learn the right measure). Just one quick point. You say:

He suggests that in most part the literature of the tradition is not pointing to the kind of experience that people need then goes on to say "and we pick up a book by Buber or a hasidic tale and these things are hinted at"

I don’t think LC says what you put in his mouth. He never says that “the tradition is not pointing to the kind of experience that people need”. He says that many people are atheists and agnostics, and are ignorant of the tradition. Once they get to know the tradition, such as, for example Buber etc., they may realize that what they are looking for can be found there. He says that “many of our brightest and best looked for it but simply couldn’t find it.” But he never says that it wasn’t there to find.

[Joe Way]

Hello all,

I'm very much enjoying reading this discussion. If I have remained quiet, it is merely because I don't feel that I have any expertise on either Judaism or Zen-areas that appear crucial to the understanding of the text. I have been trying to do a little research particularly in regard to the Psalm cycle but really don't have anything significant to add at this point.

I have just a couple of minor observations to what you have already discussed. I think that the angel and the ape represent creations along the line that Northrop Frye called "Axis Mundi"-the verticle line running from the top to the bottom of the cosmos where the earth is sandwiched between heaven and hell and mankind sandwiched between the angels and the lower beasts. I'm sure we all remember the line from "Master Song"-"An ape with angel glands" and the mixture of the higher consciousness and the lower animalistic urges. These, of course, can be represented in psychological terminology as well.

I am hoping that someone can bring a comparison to the shape and argument of the original 150 psalms and Leonard's reduction to 50.

Simon, I have to say that your substitution of Roshi for king, he etc. was very enlightening and added much to the beginnings of my understanding for the deeper meanings of this work. DB, I very much look forward to your bringing your expertise in the Kabbalistic aspects to this also.

I have read most of the interviews before, but it is always good to read them again as new things become manifest. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that Arthur Kurzweil who conducted part of the Jewish book club interview attended our New York event and I found it a deep pleasure to meet him. He volunteered to help with registrations and made himself very helpful. He also refrained from taking part in some of the more personally pleasurable aspects of the event such as the Friday night concert at the Knitting Factory because it fell on the Sabbath. I find that devotion very touching and admirable.

Carry on.

Joe

[DBCohen]

Joe,

This was a wonderful observation. Thank you very much! And also for the Kurzweil story.

Keep them coming,

DBC