Forgive me, I am delving into a topic I know little about.
Anyway…
If reason is all the thinking woman has to rely on (faith involves something else) then she is entirely dependent on the division of reality into subject and object. She, the subject does the perceiving of the object, which is perceived. From this distinction reality is released and reason can begin to understand it.
It’s a separation that is fundamental to western enlightenment thinking, instinctive even in language. (That language has always placed the male as subject and female as object is a source of annoyance and oppression – I believe Euny may have some thoughts)
Eastern philosophy however, by which I broadly mean Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism and Vedic Hinduism, is slightly different. Whilst recognizing the division it stresses that the role of the woman seeking a true understanding of reality, is to remove her ego (self-awareness) and abandon this split. They argue that subject and object are actually a mutually constitutive whole. To see reality in its true light, this must be acknowledged and understood (enlightenment).
The implication of this unity is that the subject perceiver can project itself onto the perceived object, and vies versa. Both can affect their relationship with each other – mind (subject) can affect matter (object). This a western eye this notion seems the rhetoric of self-help guides, yet further reasoned analysis would suggest otherwise. Mind relates to matter by injecting it with meaning – this shapes what we consider to be reality.
Language, a creation of the subject projects meaning into a matter, and changes the relationship and shape of reality.
Perhaps that is as far as it goes, but basic experimental quantum physics has demonstrated that, at any one time matter can be both a particle and a wave, depending on the decision of the perceiver. That is an example of mind deciding the very make up of matter – and implies that subject and object are entangled.
For me, it’s an interesting theoretical notion but far too abstract to apply to my everyday life. However, in the spirit of self help guides (which I despise) I shall depart with ‘an (un)inspiring personal story’
I recently hired a moped. As a naturally clumsy and gawky person this was a decision of immence fun and stupidity. To get out of my place, I had to ride through a fairly narrow gate. Initially I was fine but a couple of days later I drove my leg straight into the wall. Ever since, when approaching the gate, I panicked and the gap seemed narrower. Inevetably I crashed into repeatedly after that and each time it became more difficult. If I had measured the gap with a ruler it would have always been the same. But under the context of driving my mind projected a meaning into that gate which made it become narrower in its relation to me. I know my mind had not affected the matter, but it completely changed my relationship with it, which turned out to be more important, and painful.
