There are three threads weaving through this book (none of which, as is pointed out, has much to do with either eastern philosophy or with motorcycle maintenance.) But this one pivotal thought for him - as Auden said so wisely - “opens a lane to the Land of the Dead.” The Royal Enfield rider community has always been known for its incredible creative energy, which finds expression both on and off their motorcycles - their canvases range from custom projects, photography, film, and music to name a few. We are constantly looking for ways to enable these journeys of creative exploration and self expression via platforms that push the boundaries of possibility. The Art of Motorcycling is one of the foremost examples of this phenomenon. It mixes artists, designers and motorcycling enthusiasts together on a single platform - and the results are always mind-blowing. The response to the last two seasons has been excellent, and with season 3 we are super excited to see what emerges next from this inspiring creative movement," said Mr Mohit Dhar Jayal, Chief Brand Officer at Royal Enfield. The last thread is where the book just falls apart. Through the narrator's dialogue with himself, Pirsig puts forward his ludicrous "philosophy of quality," which essentially holds that "quality," whatever that might be, is somehow the fundamental reality of the universe. If that sounds like nonsense then you understand it perfectly. An award-winning Shovelhead built in Dubai by Lycan Customs pictured at last year’s event. Photo: Cafe Racers Middle East

My first bike was a 2006 Triumph that I built myself, which won lots of awards,” he says. “My second was a 1961 Matchless that was my grandfather’s, then it went to my uncle and then it got passed to me. But I’ll try again, by fleshing in some of the details… you see, Robert took his young son on a cross-country trek many years ago. So, in an important segue from his prized motorbike and its constantly watchful maintenance, he strives to arrive at the ROOT of his generation’s anxiety over our current drift into meaninglessness.

The first is a straightforward narration by a man riding across the country with his young son and two friends (a married couple). This evocative travelogue is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the novel. The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”

Romantic reality adds the dimension of time—it is the cutting edge of the experience, the moment in time. The doctrinal differences between Hinduism and Buddhism and Taoism are not anywhere near as important as doctrinal differences among Christianity and Islam and Judaism. Holy wars are not fought over them because verbalized statements about reality are never presumed to be reality itself.” I must start by saying that this is one of my favorite books ever. Although it is deep and complicated and takes a lot of focus to read, I feel that there are a lot of great messages here in the author’s search for Quality. This was my second time reading this book, and I liked it more this time. Quality is just the focal point around which a lot of intellectual furniture is getting rearranged.” Quotes About ReligionWe take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world." If the machine produces tranquility, it’s right. If it disturbs you it’s wrong until either the machine or your mind is changed.” This is also about quality and what that means. Pirsig’s meandering quest for quality, and / or Tau, or Buddhism, is central to his narrative and is a focus for his thoughts on truth.

Each machine has its own, unique personality which probably could be defined as the intuitive sum total of everything you know and feel about it.”If the purpose of scientific method is to select from among a multitude of hypotheses, and if the number of hypotheses grows faster than experimental method can handle, then it is clear that all hypotheses can never be tested. If all hypotheses cannot be tested, then the results of any experiment are inconclusive and the entire scientific method falls short of its goal of establishing proven knowledge.” People spend their entire lives at those lower altitudes without any awareness that this high country exists.” The book is a fictionalized autobiography of a 17-day journey that Pirsig made on his Honda CB77 motorcycle from Minnesota to Northern California along with his son Chris in 1968. [1] The story of this journey is recounted in a first-person narrative, although the author is not identified. Father and son are also accompanied, for the first nine days of the trip, by close friends John and Sylvia Sutherland, with whom they part ways in Montana. There's some fabulous philosophical reflections here, and some great one-liners, but I've hit the halfway mark, and I must be done. Nobody is concerned anymore about tidily conserving space. The land isn’t valuable anymore. We are in a Western town.”

When a shepherd goes to kill a wolf, and takes his dog to see the sport, he should take care to avoid mistakes. The dog has certain relationships to the wolf the shepherd may have forgotten.” In clear, relaxed language, Krugman offers complete understanding of the bike itself and riding fundamentals (the Craft), with concepts, strategies, and insights that lead to mastery on the road (the Art). I have never heard of Krugman before, but he’s billed as “Hollywood’s go-to riding guru,” so I guess celebrities trust him, for whatever that is worth. Looking through this book, it’s definitely aimed at noobs, not so much for experienced riders. If you know the basics, you should invest in a copy of something like Twist of the Wrist or Proficient Motorcycling or one of a dozen other books that teaches advanced techniques. However, I think even veteran motorcyclists will enjoy looking through the book (before wrapping it up for their nephew for Christmas?).Creative energy is “gumption” or enthusiasm ( enthousiasmos means literally “filled with theos” or God—appropriate since God is the inspiration of creativity). The relationship between Pirsig and his son is a focal point of this book and poignant without faltering towards the pathetic. There was a very great tragedy in Pirsig's life when his son was killed some years later, and naturally, Pirsig's already feeble mental state was shattered again. This book takes place during the son's adolescence and it is striking to see how these two communicate and how Pirsig is eventually able to connect with him. I wasn't that keen on the author's exploration of his mental breakdown either. I find when other people tell me the dreams they had last night, or I have to read them in a book I turn off as well. I really don't know why, nor do I know if others also feel this way. When telling last night's major really interesting dream to someone else, I've never said, "Do you find this as boring as I would if it was you telling me?" Actually that's a load of guff, I don't tell other people my dreams because I suspect they would be bored rigid and neither do I tell them about my mental breakdown when I saw three rainbows in the sky and didn't kill myself because I couldn't find a nightie that was suitable. See, boring!