Book Summary: Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Who would have thought that a book rejected 126 times would turn out to be a staple in western thought and philosophy? Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZAMM) is neither a guide to zen nor motorcycles. It’s about life!

ZAMM is essentially a narration about a nation-wide bike trip that the narrator takes along with this 11-year-old son and some friends. Sounds simple at first, but soon enough, the pages reveal a seamless tapestry of duality, identity, hypocrisy, and the pursuit for reason.

Experiencing the road on a bike allows you to be really present. You’ll feel the vibration from the engine, the wind in your hair and be more connected to life around you. In contrast with a car where you’re just a passive viewer. This is what you should strive to be.

“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth."

If you overlook the journey in favour of the destination you defeat the purpose itself, don’t neglect the experiences which matter in favour of an expectation.

Open your eyes, open your mind

Change isn’t the enemy. Technology is not a magical language accessible only by a cult. It is simply a purveyor of comfort. Those who reject it are actually rejecting comfort, which seems very counterintuitive. Embrace change! This epiphany struck the narrator when he observed the behaviour of his friends — the Sutherlands. He realised that they were so stuck with this romantic idea that they ended up rejecting the solutions right in front of them!

The human urge to draw arbitrary lines to abstract concepts leads to dichotomies that are misleading. Classics and romantics can co-exist. Pragmatics and Dreamers can find their middle ground.

Putting yourself in a box can lead to insanity. Here emerges a central theme of ZAMM — identity. At one point, the narrator is forced to reconcile with his past self — Phaedrus. A stickler for strict logic and a savant of reason, he excluded all instincts and other methods of wisdom

But that’s not the narrator we know.

The narrator we know stops and appreciates blackbirds, follows by-lanes and gives in to his instincts. Phaedrus’ pursuit of the logical all-prevailing truth changed once he realised that middle ground can be met. It all starts with our attitude. The inherent barometer for liking we all possess. If we can use it to mould ourselves into an uninhibited outlook on life, the world will certainly be a better place!

Celebrate your differences

Once you understand that dichotomies exist and you can rise above them, you can start to empathise with people who don’t hold the same beliefs as you do. You don’t have to subscribe to their beliefs, but understand where they’re coming from! In your journey, life may offer some traps: Setbacks and Hang-ups! The former comes from the external world and the latter from within. The ability to recognise and differentiate between them is instrumental in getting over them!

Egotism messes with the accuracy of our perceptions. It is very important that we start seeing things independent from our own esteem and expectations. This is one of the mistakes that Phaedrus committed. Beware!
Every goal emerges from a doubt. People put all their confidence in something which has a texture of doubt. There’s always a question that needs answering. So keep on asking the right questions. The world isn’t only made up of yes/no conundrums.

Complacency and Passiveness are some of the most potent enemies of thought. We cannot state this enough:

Become the protagonist of your life! Perceive things in a way that only you could!

Accepting the fact that there will always be a whole realm barred from our perception is imperative for sensible thinking. Always question everything!

“We take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world.”

Lastly, don’t forget — you are your motorcycle. Its maintenance, its compartmentalisation, and its function is all in your hands. How you chose to use it and where you want to take it is entirely your call.

Yodaa is a smart money app and card for the entire family. Join the club of the smartest financially empowered teens in India and SE Asia. Get Yodaa today.