Apology for Quietism

APOLOGY FOR QUIETISM

A Sotto Voce Symposium Part 2

Jeffrey M. Perl, Mita Choudhury, Lesley Chamberlain, Andrea R. Jain, Jeffrey J. Kripal

Introduction: “The Need for Repose”

I, for one, do not doubt that the sane view of the world is the true one. But is that what is always wanted, truth? The need for truth is not constant; no more than is the need for repose. — Susan Sontag, “Simone Weil” (1963)

Everything about the sociology of quietism is strange, not least its having a sociology at all. Given what quietists are said to believe, it would seem that non- quietists, said to be poor listeners, should never have heard of it. Much of what we know, or think we know, about quietism comes from eavesdropping, from listening “in” rather than listening. A quietist like Simone Weil writes mostly for herself, or else for God:

To be what the pencil is for me when, blindfold, I feel the table by means of its point — to be that for Christ. It is possible for us to be mediators Common Knowledge 15:2 DOI 10.1215/0961754X-2008-055 © 2009 by Duke University Press

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on 26 September 2021 by guest Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/common-knowledge/article-pdf/15/2/157/233867/CK152_01_Perl.pdf it, argued that argued it, Buddha’sThe God. Empson’s in sermon, of“tyrant” its and explication tianity (a version of it opens his his opens it(aof version predominantly Buddhist cultures for a pace of what he called “fantastic” slow “fantastic” called he what of pace a for cultures Buddhist predominantly Cameron’sstudy Sharon invaluable from for refuge and repose. Of Empson’s fascination with Buddhist quietism, I learned lectuals of his time, but in the Buddhist “version of a death wish” he found a place Essays Cameron, Sharon in materials on 4 ( shadow” their in grow which values the with comparison by “trivial held, son good. did they came words these where history, of question a As damage. no did they fact in But Christ. of words the than words, simple the at looking are you if son, much more for much reason hate more burning, of poi living, common more much gave that things said Buddha the But Buddha. of name in the burned so been has man no probably and Jesus, of name the in living effects. good were Sermon Fire the of of For of men still hundreds thousands have while example, been burned effects the all almost [Yet] clearly. very that itsaid and death,” but thing good possible other no is “there time in whatever terms” ( terms” whatever in time “thereforeand satisfaction, .. . we mustwith work ings outside existence for an life whatever thespirit,” human satisfy can Empson glossed the Buddha’s teach in the the in Eliot’s criticism of Romantic poetry. Still, Empson, who lived in China and Japan as a term enfold modernist,ity” can from Weil’s almost anything death to wish and ad nations to which in enfold hoc “Impersonal groupings and protect them. denomi outunprovocative seek who those mentioned, just I ofquietism friends existence” darins in volumes: is two iconography, published Buddhist in and Buddha the in interest his treats which as parenthetically Press, Iowa of University Empson’s of edition his to introduction Haffenden’s John see lost, was manuscript the how of story For the University. Harvard Library, Houghton of Papers Empson William the in are monograph of completion that led his toward that ments manuscript, lost to about Empson’s Cameron’s remarks especially indebted sity Press, Press, sity A . With the author’s generous consent, I draw freely here here freely I draw consent, generous author’s the With , 544 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Press, Chicago of University (Chicago: and and Furthermore, the death wishes evident in Buddhist teaching are, Emp are, teaching Buddhist in evident wishes death the Furthermore, 1930 ). Those values include, at the level of phenomenology, the preference in 2005 Against the Christians (Iowa City: City: (Iowa Works Other and Beasts Royal The

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a position not assimilable to “impersonality.” to assimilable not position a Asymmetry in Buddha Faces in Buddha Asymmetry 6 ). R . Haffenden’s biography of Empson, Empson, of biography Haffenden’s . 1986 6

(Oxford: Oxford Univer Oxford (Oxford: ), ), Collected Poems Collected A 45 , – Impersonality:Seven 537 46 ; hereafter cited cited hereafter ; Among the Man the Among ). Empson’s fascination with the Fire Sermon Sermon Fire the with Empson’sfascination ). . Extant docu Extant . 2007 ). I am ).am I ) is explicable by his loathing of Chris of loathing his by explicable is ) Impersonality - - - 5 liam Empson, Empson, liam hereafter cited parenthetically as parenthetically cited hereafter 6 of Buddha.” Faces 1987 Press, of Iowa University City: (Iowa Haffenden John ed. 150 Florida, of Press University (Gainesville: den son’s essays on East Asia, including his his including Asia, East on son’sessays Emp volume this in things, other among collected, has . .

“Denunciation of existence”: Cameron, of Cameron, existence”: “Denunciation The Complete Poems of William Empson William of Poems Complete The – ), ), 51 600 ; hereafter cited parenthetically as as parenthetically cited ; hereafter . 4 ; hereafter cited parenthetically as cited parenthetically ; hereafter Cameron is among the the among is Cameron 5 “No sort of temporal Argufying: Essays on Literature and Culture and Literature on Essays Argufying: - C - . position”: Wil “Basic - - - - - , ed. John Haffen John ed. , 1936

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Common Knowledge 160 slow pace for terms, fraught less of or personal even control. social The best reason newfor terms, not substituting “based on rhythms slower than the heartbeat” and hence do not promote illusions ment of Buddhist iconography: iconography: Buddhist of ment story may well be the other half of the truth about the world” ( the about truth of the half other the be well may story [of ‘the Far East’] seriously as something that fitsin withthe whole story,and the tocontrast his of two: the “I only want to say here thatyou musicmust the take added Empson another, over European, or Asian art, of tradition one endorse to ( words” the in . . . death of ideal “the against set are stage life, which opposes it, tends to be violent: “violent forces of life in the action” on able being enough.”dieto “ideal”is (orverbal Death and poetic),even whereas not is . . . thing tragic “the for inadequate, be to always complete, ever appears go lives how Noh plays, in closure because dramatic story,” notedthat Empson a and on; unstoppably so finishes “never dance Japanese suffered. be will rebirths make make the illusion of control. weakness, and therefore the pathos, of her way of getting into Nirvana” ( Nirvana” into getting of way her of pathos, the therefore and weakness, that if, on stage, a “woman becomes violent, it it means nothing; only shows the observed Empson Kabuki, for As purposeless. or uncalculated seem may tures ges movement” that casual actual to “so near be Nohcan plays in Action heart. healthy a through ofblood pace the slower is than ofBuddhism, wish death the person” ( person” than oneisyou heartbeat that seem the tocontrol, controlledseems or that bysome quicker rhythm A . . . heartbeat. a than nearly faster and goes music heartbeat, European a all than faster or slower is it as according rhythm about ently differ “feel beings human that wrote, agree,”he to seem scientists “The ness. universe as an unwise dream. ( dream. unwise an as universe light that all present gives the away brush moment any at that will which wood, tenderness and ness smooth the in ripples of couple a with and . [Buddha] . . it is the older rather for convention toned the mouth, down Chuguji the] of given [example the In . . . understanding. complete of goodwill humorous the of and peace and strength on hold secure of both effect and . character, an . extraordinary simple means, . these with ends the to or to only into itcheeks the give sink complacent an ironical . . . But you have alert. willful, conscious, socially look a statue make to itat thus others the rest; is way an easy leaving control, under conscious it that most muscle the would be made by zygomatic, a on pull main the is elsewhere, or Buddhas on smile, fixed archaic the about point The Nirv a ¯ n That “other half of the truth” Empson detailed with precision in his assess his in precision with detailed Empson truth” the of half “other That Empson, at any rate, assessed the varieties of Japanese in drama terms that quietistic . a , which in meansSanskrit “blowing out,” is a death sothat final no more A

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on 26 September 2021 by guest Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/common-knowledge/article-pdf/15/2/157/233867/CK152_01_Perl.pdf ity,” he wrote in a piece about Kant, “haunts us like the prayers of childhood.” of prayers the like us “haunts Kant, about piece a in wrote he ity,” real “Ultimate Eliot. to metaphor evocative an suggested “life,” term us of most which behavior, This escalation. is tendency their and repose; to unconducive shrill, are claims Those claim. a stake to noto ofone. course, want, Mostof us beliefs and notions sensations, and adeptsBuddhaThe feelings to regard urged own. their they until have emotions, thoughts, beliefs while others dig and build, decline and rise, around the clock without repose, conductneedif tice, tobe, becomeexperiments andflat quiet, of mind,” “equal prac must One notcruel. and compassionate be to is depths, and heights know Wuzzoo all suggest, the point of upgiving ontology, of dropping our pretense to of andin him China Japan. what a skeptic who lived his skepticism might look like and know collected to wanted Empson view.photographsof point adept’s own the of extinction requires adept then wail even louder. out for someone we can trust out to forsay someone wetrust can a dark room, at night, when our day of has toclaiming turned disquiet, we reach even whether, the skeptic lives seems trivial. What how,mattersof or question is enough,”the fordie to able the being not skeptic is . . . thing tragic “the since thought, Buddhist in Whereas skeptics. best the make men dead that or “Can the skeptic live?” might be read to imply that a good skeptic is a dead man, not go away, for a tone right is and implied answer in choiceits knowing of verbs. showed also to be self-different. ( self-different. be to also showed he halves) its duplicating and (splitting which face, Buddha another of identical fact not in are face Buddha the in identical to be assume we might sides Then them. between commonness no have asto unlike so figures from countenances, different from to derive also but expressions” to different wear seem notfaces two “constructed only the left and right sides of the face identical. Placed side by side,with these symmetrical, each other, each from different quite now images, two produced he thus photograph, Fromoriginal a single image. single a formed halves mirror the that so halves matching the arranged and skeptic live his skepticism?” his live skeptic lookingfor answer an to question a standing of European philosophy: “Can the was Empson photographs, these with room dark the in that, venture would I University of California Press, Press, of California University in ticism?” 10 . See Myles Burnyeat, “Can the Skeptic Live His Skep His Live Skeptic the “Can See Myles Burnyeat,

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to concernextinguish for what does not matter, and this accomplishment , ed Burnyeat (Berkeley: (Berkeley: Tradition, Burnyeat ed The Skeptical Empson repeated this procedure with a second photograph photograph second a with procedure this repeated Empson meteorologically 1983 , as if kinds of weather, passing through, belonging belonging through, passing weather, of kinds if as , 10 ), ), C 117 The question stands only in the sense that it will it will that sense the in only stands question The , 14 – 48 – 15 shhh . ) — . And when she or he reliably does so, we illustrating that the two two the that illustrating

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Perl • Apology for Quietism: Part 2 163