Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.1
This article originally appeared (under the same title) in the journal,Postmodern
Culture, 24:1 (September 2013), publishedby JohnsHopkinsUniversity Press. In
responsetoqueriesaboutmakingaprintableversionavailable,completewiththe
beautiful images by Ricardo Bessa, the author gratefully acknowledges the
permissionofthejournaltoreprintthearticleinthisopenaccessform.
Copyright is retained by the author (2015), but this work is licensed under the
CreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial4.0InternationalLicense.Toviewa
copyofthislicense,visithttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
The author also acknowledges the support of the Netherlands Organization for
ScientificResearch(NWO),whichsupportedtheresearchaspartofalarger,5-year
VICIproject,BeyondUtopia(Goto-Jones).
Citations:pleasereferenceChrisGoto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypseasMindfulness
Manifesto (after Žižek),’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013) – pages
unnumbered.
Abouttheauthor:
EducatedinCambridge(BA,MA)andOxfordUniversities(MPhil,DPhil),Chrisisthe
inaugural professor of Comparative Philosophy & Political Thought at Leiden
University in TheNetherlands. He is also a professorial research fellow of SOAS,
Universityof London,anda senior research fellow inDPIR,OxfordUniversity. He
waspreviouslyprofessorofModernJapanStudies,directoroftheModernEastAsia
ResearchCentre,LeidenUniversity,andfoundingdeanofLeidenUniversityCollege
inTheHague.Heisatrainedandexperiencedmindfulnesstherapist,anddirector
oftheMindfulnessPhilosophyprojectatLeiden.
Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.3
ZombieApocalypse
asMindfulnessManifesto (afterŽižek)
ChrisGoto-Jones,LeidenUniversity*
Abstract
Aniconofhorror,thezombieblunderswithapparentmindlessness,bringingonly
contagionandchaos. Ithas lost itsego, its individuality, itsreasoningself. It isa
repellent vision of posthumanity.Mindfulness is a therapeutic practice rooted in
themeditativetraditionsofBuddhism.Liberatedfromthestressesandanxietiesof
capitalistsociety,practitionersescapethedemandsofanegodriventoexhaustion
byinstrumentalrationality.Thisessayexploresthegrowinginterestinmindfulness
meditation and flourishing portrayals of the zombie apocalypse in contemporary
societiestosuggestapossibleconnectionbetweenthesemodelsof(post)selfhood.
Keywords:mindfulness,meditation,zombie,emancipation,capitalism
Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.4
Manifesto:don’tjustdosomething,sitthere!
There is a “quiet revolution” sweeping theWestern world. It is not the
revolution of the desperate or disenfranchised in society, nor is it the
impassioned conflict of religious fundamentalism, but rather a “peaceful
revolution” being led by white, middle-class Americans. The revolution
doesn’t require any particular change in values or economic systems, but
simply involvesbecomingable to relate to thosevaluesdifferently–with
morepatience,gentleness,andcompassion.InthewordsofCongressman
TimRyan,“themindfulnessmovementisnotquiteasdramaticasthemoon
shotorthecivilrightsmovement,butIbelieveinthelongrunitcanhave
justasgreatanimpact”(xvii,xxi).
For a revolution, this movement shows remarkable conservatism. The
leading voices make no demands on followers. They need not become
activistsorparticipateinpoliticalstruggle.Therearenomillenariancultsor
mass suicides. There is nothing to televise. Instead, in general, the
literature suggests that capitalism is not really theproblem– indeed, the
literature’sarchitecturalembraceofliberalismisentirelyconsistentwitha
futuresocietyofpeaceandprosperityforall.Theproblemisthatpeoplein
contemporary societies are suffering from a “thinking disease” (Wilson
164). Thecrisis is in theheadsof individualpeople,not in the structures
and institutionsof societyper se. In thewordsofoneof the foundersof
modern secular mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, it’s as though capitalist
societiesthemselvesaresufferingfromaformofADD,“bigtime–andfrom
itsmostprevalentvariant,attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder.Anditis
gettingworsebytheday”(ComingtoOurSenses153).
Inotherwords,society’ssicknessisnotamaterialconditionthatshouldbe
treatedbyphysicalinterventionsatthebarricades.Theproblemisnotthe
distributionofwealthorjusticeperse.Rather,societyisailingpsychically–
it needs therapy. In the language of Thomas Szasz and Ronald Laing,
progenitorsofanti-psychiatry,thepatientrequiresa“moraleducation”to
Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.5
dealwith“problems in living,”not theviolenceofbiomedicalprocedures.
However, it is not even that the revolution requires an ideological
intervention to transform societal values. Instead, it is focussed on the
impactofchangesinindividualpsychology:themindfulnessrevolutiondoes
notaimat ideologicalchangeasmuchasateachofusbecomingmore in
touchwith (andmorecompassionateabout)ourauthentic selvesandour
genuine relationshipwith these superstructural features. The idea is that
mindfulnesswill reinvigorateexisting value structuresbyenabling amore
authentic engagementwith them.1 As JeffWilsonnotes, themindfulness
literatureisconsistentlyconservative:“mindfulnessauthorsexpectchange
tocomeaboutslowly,peacefully,throughtheestablishedpoliticalsystem.
Theyalsorarelycallforwholesaleshiftstoatotallynewformofeconomic
organization. A mindful America will still be a consumerist, capitalist
nation”(184).Inconcreteterms,changeistobeaccomplishedatthelevel
oftheindividual:socialchangewillbethenatural,incrementalresultwhen
individuals reachmore authentic and healthy understandings of the way
theyfeelandthinkabouttheir(unchanging)placeinsociety.
For Kabat-Zinn, this revolution approximates anevolution: hemaintains a
loosely teleological vision of human history in which the development of
the mindful society is a natural outcome (or the culmination) of the
developmentofdemocraticsocieties:“Inasocietyfoundedondemocratic
principlesandaloveoffreedom,soonerorlatermeditativepractices,what
aresometimescalledconsciousnessdisciplines,areboundtocometo the
fore….Itispartoftheongoingevolutionaryprocessonthisplanet”(Coming
toOurSenses553).Thisevolutionaryprocessissupposedtomovetowards
maximalindividualself-understandingandfreedom.2Therationalebehind
1Ryanclaims,“Wedon’tneedanewsetofvalues.Ireallybelievethatwecanreinvigorateourtraditional,commonlyheldAmericanvalues–suchasself-reliance,perseverence,pragmatism,andtakingcareofeachother–byaddingalittlemoremindfulnesstoourlives”(xviii).2Kabat-Zinndoesnotseektodevelopateleologicalmodel,sohemakesnoargumentaboutdevelopmentalstagesinhumanhistory.AnargumentaboutsuchstageswouldhavetocontendwiththesuppositionthattechnologiesofmindfulnesshaveexistedforhundredsorthousandsofyearsinseveralAsian
Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.6
this diagnosis is that modern citizens have their authentic freedom
compromisedbybeingtooattachedtothinkingitself:theyspendtoomuch
of their time “lost in thought,” ruminatingabout thepast and the future,
worrying, dreaming, riddled with anxieties about things that are not
happening (and might never happen), depressed and stressed and
unhappy.Themodernindividualspendsmoreofherlifeentrappedinher
ownabstractionsthanshedoesactuallyexperiencingtheworldaroundher.
Peopletodayhavelearnedthoughtpatternsthatdisconnectthemfromthe
world and the people around them – we are self-alienated by our own
cognitive patterns. Themindfulness revolution seeks to pathologize and
politicize certain patterns of thought, suggesting that liberating ourselves
fromtheseschemawillalsoemancipateourcommunities.
Ofcourse,itisnotthecasethatthemindfulnessmovementdemonizesall
thought, only certain types of thought that involve cycles of rumination.
Mindfulness traininggenerally takesthe formof therapeutic interventions
designed to transform our patterns of thought. While the idea that
particular stylesof thinking canbepathologizedwithpolitical significance
evokes the controversial anti-psychiatrymovement, one of the particular
characteristics of themindfulnessmovement is that it doesnot target an
ostensiblydeviantminorityofindividualsfor“correction”byauthority,but
insteadassertsthatitisthemajoritythatissomehowmuddle-headedand
sick.3 The hegemonic discourse is the source of toxicity rather than the
basis for rectification. In this case, the political relations implied by the
therapeuticmodel arenot thepersonalisedpower-relationsof the centre
societieswithoutthosesocietiesapparentlyhavingaccomplished,asfarasthemindfulnessmovementisconcerned,maximalindividualauthenticityorfreedom.3Anti-psychiatrywasoriginallyassociatedwiththeworkofThomasSzazs(LawLiberty,andPsychiatry;TheManufactureofMadness;andothers),RonaldLaing,andDavidCooper(ReasonandViolence;ThePoliticsofExperience;PsychiatryandAnti-Psychiatry).ItwasextendedbytheemergenceofschizoanalysisinDeleuzeandGuattari.Morerecently,theconcernshavebeendiscussedundertheumbrellaofcriticalpsychiatry,whichiscloselyassociatedwiththeworkofFoucaultonmadness(HistoryofMadness;PsychiatricPower),andthenpost-psychiatry(BrackenandThomas).Eachofthesefieldsisconcernedwiththecontestationofthemeaningofsanityandmentalhealth,andthuswiththepossibilitythatdissentwouldbemedicalized.
Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.7
andperipheryof society (or even relationsbetween state and society) as
suggested by the anti-psychiatrists, but rather the disjunction is between
the material conditions of capitalism and the psychic conditions of
humanity in general: with a few exceptions, we are all muddle-headed
about how to live in capitalism in a healthy way. The mindfulness
movement seeks to reveal and resolve a kind of false-consciousness
generatedbythedynamicsofcapitalismitself.
One of the difficulties of this situation which has not been adequately
addressed by the “movement” concerns the political meaning and
significance of this (r)evolutionary, therapeutic agenda. To some extent,
thisquestionhassimplynotbeenaskedbecauseofthemovement’sfocus
on therapeutic efficacy for individuals. At the very least, themovement
suggeststwopoliticalpositions:thefirstisthatmindfulnessenablesaform
of genuinely healthy authenticity that emancipates people from the
sufferingfoisteduponthembycapitalism(evenwhileleavingthestructures
and institutions of capitalism materially untouched); the second is that
mindfulness functions as a form of secular religion within capitalism – a
contemporaryopiateforthepeople–servingasanewformofideological
domination that enables people to endure the alienating conditions of
capitalism without calling for material revolution, redistribution, or
institutionalchange.
Thisessayisaplayfulattempttoexploretheterrainoutlinedbythesetwo
interpretations, utilizing the imaginary contrast between the mindful
meditatorandthemindlesszombie. In theend, the imageof thezombie
apocalypseemergesasanironicmanifestoforthemindfulnessmovement
incapitalistsocieties.
Image1:‘mindfulnessmeditation’(Goto-Jones&Bessa)*
TheMindfulnessMovement
Whenwespeakofmeditation,itisimportantforyoutoknowthat
thisisnotsomeweirdcrypticactivity,asourpopularculturemight
haveit.Itdoesnotinvolvebecomingsomekindofzombie.(Kabat-
Zinn,WhereverYouGo9)
Eventhoughtheliteratureandteachersofmindfulnessareverycarefulto
makeitclearthatmindfulnessisanelusiveconditioninthemodernworld,
“mindfulness” appears to be everywhere. Meditation and mindfulness
practices have emerged recently out of the provenance of religion or
spiritualityandintotheculturalmainstreamofEuropeandNorthAmerica.
Wefindmindfulnesstraining inhighschools,universities,workplaces,and
homesfortheelderly.It’sintheciviliansectorandinthemilitary.Wesee
mindfulnessclinics for stress reduction (MBSR), cognitive therapy (MBCT),
andtherapeuticinterventions(MBI);andtherearemindfulnesscoursesfor
corporate leadership, creativity, combat effectiveness, and life skills. The
growth of interest in mindfulness-related practices has been called the
“attention revolution” (Wallace 2006), the “mindfulness revolution”
(Boyce),andeventhe“dharmaevolution”(Michaelson).4
TheculturalimportanceofmindfulnessincontemporaryWesternsocieties
seemstohavereachedalevelatwhichitrequiresconsiderationasasocial
movement. In theUSA alone, it is estimated thatmore than tenmillion
people meditate on a regular basis, with perhaps 20 million having
4Thedataontheriseinscholarlyinterestinmeditationandmindfulnessiswidelyavailableandoftenquoted.Indeed,itisfrequentlyusedinself-helpguidebookstomindfulnesspracticeasawaytoconvincereadersofthescientific(andnon-religious)credentialsofthepractice.FollowingDavidBlack,Michaelsonnotes:“In1983,therehadbeenonlythreepeer-reviewedscientificstudiesofmeditation;by2013,therehadbeenmorethan1,300”(ix).Twoofthegreatinnovatorsofmindfulness-basedtherapeuticapproaches(MBA),MarkWilliamsandJonKabat-Zinn(2),providecomparabledatashowinganexponentialriseinthenumberscholarlypublicationseachyear(inEnglish)aboutmindfulnessbetween1980(zeropublications)and2011(397publications).
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.10
meditated at least occasionally within the last year (Michaelson 10). 5
Meditation is no longer the preserve of alternative, new-age, or hippie
culture,butrepresentsasignificantmainstreammovement.Aswewillsee,
despite the therapeutic and well-being-oriented context in which it has
developed, in some quarters it has even been seen as a plague or a
menace. Mostcontroversially,Žižek,acentral interlocutor in thisdebate,
argues thatmindfulness is already insinuating itself as an element of the
“hegemonicideologyofglobalcapitalism”(“FromWesternMarxism”). He
suggests that wereMaxWeber alive today, “he would definitely write a
second, supplementaryvolumetohisProtestantEthic,entitledTheTaoist
EthicandtheSpiritofGlobalCapitalism.”6
The development of mindfulness in Western societies can be mapped
throughanumberofstages:itbeginswithearlyencounterswithBuddhism
andHinduismaspartofOriental Studies inEurope; itmoves through the
influenceofZentotheUSA,asitemergedfromJapanintheearlypostwar
of the twentieth century (in thework of pioneers such as DT Suzuki and
then the more eclectic Alan Watts); it then moves through the
revolutionary 1960s (and the growth of transcendentalism) into a more
widespreadandmaturegrowthofBuddhismintheUSA(andsomewhatin
Europe);andfinallythepracticeofmindfulnessbeginstoemergeas(also)a
universalizingandsecularizeddiscourseinaclinicalandtherapeuticframe
inthe1990s(McCownet.al.31-58).However,whileinterestinmeditation
andmindfulnesshasgrownrapidly,bothinsocietygenerallyandwithinthe
academy, transforming it into an issue of social, political and cultural
urgency, there has been relatively little serious engagement with these
5ThegrowthofmindfulnessmeditatationoverthelastfewdecadeshasbeenalargelyWesternphenomenon.Whythisishasnotbeenadequatelystudied.Arguably,contemporaryJapanesesocietyremainsdeeplyskepticalaboutthesocialimplicationsofintensemeditationfollowingthedubiousrecordofZenBuddhisminWorldWarIIand,morerecently,theAumShinrikyogasattacksof1995.6ŽižektreatsTaoismhereasanaspectofanoverallmovementthathecalls“WesternBuddhism.”Forhim,thiscategoryrepresentsa“distorted”versionofBuddhismthatfocussesexclusivelyonthepracticeofmeditation.Hence,ittendstowardssecularmindfulnessratherthanBuddhismperse.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.11
aspects of the phenomenon.7 Instead, scholarship has focused on the
clinical,therapeutic,andpsychologicalvalueofmeditationandmindfulness
practices – the most pressing research question appears to have been
whetherornotmindfulness“works”(whatsoeverthatturnsouttomean).8
Indeed, it is precisely this focus onmindfulness as a “remedy against the
stressful tensionof capitalistdynamics” thatenablesus to “uncoupleand
retain inner peace and Gelassenheit” while continuing to live in the
capitalist system that provides the context for Žižek’s controversial
interventions(“FromWesternMarxism”).
Thatsaid,inrecentyearswehaveseenthegradualemergenceofconcerns
about the intersectionsbetweenmindfulness,wisdom, andethics. These
issues cut to the core of the social significance of mindfulness as a
movement,buttheyalsoexposeadeliberatestrategyamongtheadvocates
ofsecularmindfulnesstoavoidquestionsofethics intheirteachings. The
chief reason for this has been theperceived importanceofmaintaining a
distancebetween secularmindfulnessandBuddhism. Whilenobody says
thatmindfulnesspracticesdonotfindtheirrootsinBuddhisttraditions,the
secularizationofmindfulnessasakindof“technologyoftheself”9hasbeen
seen as vital to its acceptance as a clinical or therapeutic tool in
predominantly Christian societies. 10 Secular mindfulness has self-
7Thisreflectsthehistoryofmeditationandself-cultivationasinternally(ratherthansocially)focusedpractices.Theanti/non-socialZenmasterorTaoistsageisanarchetypalimageinEastAsiancultures.Inrecentyearsinthe“West”somepeopleprominentinthemindfulnessmovementhavemadeattemptstotracethepoliticalpotentialsofmindfulnesspractice,buttheresults(whichremainframedinatherapeuticmode)haveseemedpoliticallynaïve.AninterestingexamplemightbeJonKabat-Zinn(ComingtoOurSenses).8Ihavebeenpresentatanumberofmindfulnessconferencesandworkshopsatwhichresearchershavestatedexplicitlythattheyareuninterestedinthequestionofpolitical,ethical,orreligioussignificanceofmindfulness.9IamusingFoucault’stermhereinarestrictedsensetorefertothemechanismsthroughwhichpeopleadvancetheir“selves”insocietyandespeciallytothewaysinwhichvariousdiscourseseitherenableorcircumscribethesame.AlthoughmyprincipalconcernisnotwithFoucault,hisconcernsabouttheinteractionsbetweenstructuresofpowerandthedevelopmentoftechnologiesoftheselfareimportanttomyargument.10BooksaboutmindfulnessoftenbeginbyacknowledgingthedebttoBuddhism,followedimmediatelybyadisclaimerthatengaginginmindfulnessshouldnotbeseenasinanywayBuddhist.Kabat-Zinn(WhereverYouGo)istypicalinthisregard.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.12
consciouslydistanced itself from theethical traditions that accompany its
historicalevolutionpreciselysothatitdoesnotriskcausingethicaloffense
inWesternsocieties,wherethehistoryofethicsisdistinctlyother. Thisis
oneofthesignificantchangesfollowingtheNewAgeismofthe1960sand
theHippiemovement. Ironically, asmindfulness develops into a secular,
social movement, it is now this absence of a coherent ethical theory
accompanyingthepracticethatisseenbysomeofitscriticsasachallenge
topublicmorality.Isitthecasethatmindfulnesspromotesethicalvacuity?
Does it, to paraphrase the assurances of the influential Jon Kabat-Zinn,
transformpractitionersintozombies?
Themovement’ssecularizationstrategyrevealsaclusteroffearsregarding
the likely reactionofmainstreamWesterncultureswhenconfrontedwith
other ethical traditions that are undergirded by deep and sophisticated
philosophicalfoundations. Žižekreferstoa“threat”beingexperiencedby
the “Judeo-Christain legacy” even while European technology and
capitalism seem triumphant across the globe (“FromWesternMarxism”).
Thethreatfrom“NewAge,‘Asiatic’thought”is,hesuggests,“atthelevelof
the ‘ideological superstructure’” of the European space. In some ways,
then, the strategic choices regarding the development of secular
mindfulness (which have been extraordinarily successful) represent an
awarenessofsociety’sfearoftransnationalculturalflowsandanemerging
globalism more generally.11 We might speak, for instance, of a type of
“enlightenmentperil”thatechoesthemoreracialized“yellowperil”ofthe
latenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies.12
Inthefirstlinesofthechapter“WhatisMindfulness,”hewrites:“MindfulnessisanancientBuddhistpracticewhichhasprofoundrelevanceforourpresent-daylives.ThisrelevancehasnothingtodowithBuddhismperseorwithbecomingaBuddhist,butithaseverythingtodowithwakingupandlivinginharmonywithoneselfandwiththeworld”(3).11Žižekiskeentopointoutthefalseoppositionbetweenglobalizationandthesurvivaloflocaltraditions;gloablizationrecuscitatesandthrivesinlocaltraditions–itsoppositeisuniversality.SeeŽižek,“FromWesternMarxism”andTheTicklishSubject(especiallychapter4).12Orperhapsamoregeneralized“religiousperil”insocietiesthatseethemselvesasincreasinglyinhabitingasecularmodernity(andhencefearthesmuggling-inofnewreligionsintheguiseofclinicaltechnologies).
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.13
Themovetosidestepthisperilhasinadvertentlyprovidedaspacefornew
fears to emerge regarding the effects of mindfulness meditation on its
practitioners. In the absence of sophisticated Buddhist discourses on
questions of agency and morality that emerge from the (often
transformative) experience of meditation, many practitioners are left to
confrontdeepfearsaboutthemselvesandtheirplaceintheworld;theyare
staring into an abyss. 13 Not only do they not have answers to their
questions(indeed,it’sconceivablethatanswersareactuallyimpossible,as
we’llsee),buttheyalsohaveawholerealmofpossible“Buddhist”answers
negated for themby thevery frameworkwithinwhich theyarepracticing
(which was designed tomitigate xenophobia and cultural essentialism).14
Perhapsunsurprisingly,fearofwhatwemightdiscoverindeepmeditation
isalsocommontoBuddhists(whichiswhythereisarichtraditionoftexts
dealingwiththisfearinvariousBuddhisttraditions).InthewordsofJoseph
Goldstein,theco-founderoftheInsightMeditationSocietyintheUSA:
Meditators sometimes report that fear of liberation holds them
backintheirpractice;astheyproceedintounchartedterritory,fear
13RecentstudiessuchasWilloughbyBritton’s“DarkNightProject”atBrownUniversity(seeRocha)addresstheso-called“darkside”ofmindfulnesspracticeforindividualpractitionerswhofindthemselvesencounteringdifficultiesinunusuallystarkandpowerfulwayswhilemeditating.Suchstoriesarejustbeginningtomakeitintothebroadsheetpress(e.g.,Booth).14Conversely,mindfulnesspractitionerstalkaboutmindfulnessasaformof“secularBuddhism,”asthoughitcontainsthekeyteachingsofBuddhisminasecularform(ratherthansimplybeingameditationpracticeinitsownright).ThisdiscourseseekstotransformthepracticesofBuddhismintotherapeutictechnologies;insodoing,theBuddhahimselfissometimestranformedfromareligiousiconintothefounderofaschoolofpsychotherapy–indeed,heissometimescalledthe“world’sfirstpsychotherapist.”Thiscanseemanoutrageousformofimperialviolenceandappropriation.Inthisrespect,theworkofStephenBatchelor(BuddhismwithoutBeliefs;Confessions)hasbeenprovocativeandcontroversial;theexchangebetweenBatchelorandB.AlanWallaceintheonlineBuddhistjournal,Mandala,givesasenseofthestakesandthepassionsinvolved(Wallace).Therehavebeennumerous“dialogues”betweenmindfulnesspractitionersandleadingBuddhistfigures.InonesuchdialogueattheInternationalCongressonMindfulnessinHamburg,Germany(21August2011),theDalaiLamaapplaudedthetherapeuticmeritsofthepracticeofmindfulnessbutmadeitclearthatitwasnotinitselfareligiousorBuddhistpractice.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.14
oftheunknownbecomesanobstacletosurrender. Butthis isnot
really fear of enlightenment. It is rather fear of ideas about
enlightenment….Themindmightinventmanydifferentimagesof
theexperienceofliberation.Sometimesouregocreatesimagesof
itsowndeaththatfrightenus(5,emphasisadded).
Image2:‘zombieoblivion’(Goto-Jones&Bessa)*
ZombieApocalypseasEnlightenmentPeril
Theideathatthe“egocreatesimagesofitsowndeaththatfrightenus”is
conventionally linked to the activity of maya (illusion/delusion) or
sometimesmara(thedaemonwhotricksusintofailingonourpaths)–the
kinds of tricks played on our minds (and by them) to prevent our
liberation.15TheBuddhistpantheonisrepletewithdaemonsandmonsters
thateffectively stand-in for thisnotion, literally scaringpeopleaway from
their salvation until their courage, resolve, and discipline are sufficient to
overcome thesebeasts,or their insight isdeveloped so that they can see
thedaemonsfortheillusionstheytrulyare.16Inthiscontext,itisintriguing
thatcontemporary societiesare seeingaconcomitantboom in zombies.17
The marketplace is flooded with zombie movies, TV shows, books, and
videogames.18 Towhat feardoes this zombieexplosion speak? Does the
zombie apocalypse stand-in for our fear of enlightenment – is this an
instance of the “enlightenment peril”? To what extent is the thrill of
“survival horror” the excitement of the righteous violenceof slaying such
daemons?
For some, the fear is simple enough: “Zombies embody the great
contemporaryfear−and,forsomepeople,thegreatcontemporaryfantasy
15ThetermsmayaandmaraareSanskrit.InJapanesetheseareōandmarespectively.Inthisessay,IusetheSanskritforthesetwoterms(aswellassamsaraandnirvana)becausetheyarebetterknown.ForotherconceptsIprefertheJapanesereadings,becausemuchofthecontemporarytheoryaboutMahayanaandZenBuddhismcomesoutofJapanandbecauseIaccesstheprimaryresourcesusuallythroughJapanesetexts.16Foranexcellentrecenttreatmentoftheconnectionsbetweenviolenceandtaming/slayingthesekindsofdaemonsinTibetanBuddhism,seeDalton.17Atleast223zombiemovieshavebeenreleasedsince1996,whichwasthedateofthereleaseofthefirst“ResidentEvil”videogameforthePlaystation,whichiscreditedbysome(includingSimonPegg,theco-writer/starof“ShaunoftheDead,”oneofthemostsusccessfulzombie-comediesofrecentyears)askick-startingtherecentvogue.“ResidentEvil”wasdevelopedbyMikamiShinjiforCapcom;itwasreleasedinJapanas“Biohazard.”Pegg’sviewonthesignificanceofResidentEvilwascitedbytheBBC(Barber).18Evenasketchofsomeoftheblockbusterswillbeindictative:WorldWarZ(Film:MarkForster.Book:MaxBrooks);ResidentEvil(5films,2animatedfilms,11novels,4comicseries,andperhaps20videogamessellingmorethan50millionunits);TheWalkingDead(multiawardwinningTVseriesforAMCstartingin2010,nowinitsfifthseason;Comicbook:RobertKirkman,2003-present,122issues).
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.17
−thatwe’llsoonbesurroundedbyravenousstrangers,withonlyashotgun
todefendourselves” (Barber). Yet the idea that the zombie isanalien is
underminedbythefactthatazombieisnotanalienatall;thehorrorofthe
zombie is rather that, in anuncannyway, it is us.19 The zombie is a self-
alienated human. The terror of the zombie apocalypse is not the
xenophobic fear of alien invasion, but the horror of our own radical (and
contagious) dehumanization (perhaps resulting from foreign
contamination);itispreciselyourimaginationofthehumanconditionafter
thedeathoftheego.
Whetherornotweagreethatscarecrowsarealsofrightening,Žižekseems
to be correct when he says: “what makes scarecrows terrifying is the
minimaldifferencewhichmakesthemin-human:thereis‘nobodyathome’
behind themask–aswithahumanwhohas turned intoa zombie” (Less
thanNothing44-45):
This is why a zombie par excellence is always someonewe knew
before,whenhewasstillnormallyalive–theshockforacharacter
inazombiemoviecomeswhentheyrecognizetheformerlyfriendly
neighborinthecreepingfigurerelentlesslystalkingthem….[A]tthe
mostelementarylevelofhumanidentity,weareallzombies….The
shockofmeetingazombieisthusnottheshockofencounteringa
foreignentity,buttheshockofbeingconfrontedbythedisavowed
foundationofourownhumanity.(341)
While for Žižek this “zero-level of humanity” is reached when we are
reduced to our mechanical, purely habitual core, stripped of all
19Thecategoryof“zombie”isnotuncontestedinliterature,film,andothermedia.ThemostcommonusagearguablyreferstothecharacterfromHaitianfolklore,whereazombieisare-animatedcorpse,broughtbackintolifebymagicalmeans.ContemporaryusageislargelyinspiredbytheworkofGeorgeRomero,despitethefactthattheterm“zombie”wasnotexplicitlyusedinhisseminalfilm,NightoftheLivingDead.Thezombieisseenasare-animatedbody,divorcedfromitshumanpersonality,itsmemories,andrationalthoughtprocess.Itisoftenblood-thirstyandcontagious–passingalongitsconditionwithabite.Romero’szombiesappeartooweadebttothoseofRichardMatheson’sclassicnovel,IamLegend.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.18
“intelligence (language, consciousness, and thinking),” it is by no means
certain that we need to understand the zombie as representing this
regression.Intheirfascinatingandprovocative“ZombieManifesto,”Lauro
and Embry present the zombie as a radical form of post-capitalist
posthumanity; they argue that it is an “antisubject” for whom the
foundational subject-object distinction on which the rationality of
capitalismdepends isdestroyedand,with it, theconventionalselforego.
“[T]hezombii[sic]illustratesourdoubtsabouthumanityinanerainwhich
thehumanconditionmaybeexperiencingacrisisofconscienceaswellasa
crisis of consciousness” (91-92). In such an era, the zombie need not
representaregressiontoapre-conscious,zero-levelofhumanity,inwhich
weareripeforexploitation likeanimals inthemaster/slavenarrative,but
serves as an ironic (and deeply pessimistic) enactment of negative
dialectics.FollowingHorkheimerandAdorno,LauroandEmbryarguethat
thezombiestands-inforthepost-capitalistagentwhohasescapedthekind
of subjectivity thatenables the ideological controlof capitalism. Inother
words,thezombie isthedepressinganswertothequestion: ifthehuman
condition is trapped into capitalism by the mechanisms of its very
consciousness,thenwhatkindofposthumanitycanbefreeofit?
While Lauro and Embry’s provocations about enlightenment are deeply
depressing,itisinterestingtoreflectthatthisispreciselywhythezombieis
a figure of horror, and is not aspirational. The Zombie Manifesto is as
repellent as Haraway’s “CyborgManifesto” is attractive. Taking the extra
step,then,mightwenotaskwhetherthezombieisactuallyakindofmara
– a monster generated by the subject/object rationality of capitalism
preciselytoscareusawayfromresolvingtoattainatypeofconsciousness
freefromthatrationality?Istheimageofthezombieawayforcapitalism
tothwartourattemptstoescapetheclutchesofitsinstrumentalrationality
by making our liberation appear as repellent and alien as possible? As
Goldsteinnotes,“thisisnotreallyfearofenlightenment.Itisratherfearof
ideasaboutenlightenment….Sometimesouregocreatesimagesofitsown
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.19
death that frighten us” (5).20 The zombie apocalypse is the vision of the
horrorofthedeathofegoparexcellence.
LauroandEmbryarequicktonotethattheirmanifestoisfarfromutopian:
“this essay is not a utopic fantasy in which man is liberated from the
subject/objectconundrum,norisitariotouscelebrationoftheapocalypse
thatwould ensue if humanitywere able to get freeof the subject/object
bind”(91).Instead,theyofferadystopia:
The zombii [sic] thus suggests how we might truly move
posthuman: the individualmust be destroyed. With this rupture,
wewouldundotherepressiveforcesofcapitalistservitude.Butat
whatcost?Thezombii’sdystopicpromiseisthatitcanonlyassure
the destruction of a corrupt system without imagining a
replacement–forthezombiicanoffernoresolution.(96)
It is certainly true that it is almost impossible to imagine away inwhich
zombiescouldformandsustainaworkablesocietyofanykind,21letalone
presentthisinawaythatwouldseemutopiantoustoday.However,ifwe
takeastepbackfromzombiesforamoment(sincetheyrepresentourfears
about enlightenment, not enlightenment itself) and focus on the salient
quality of the posthuman that has broken free of capitalism – the20Whiletheuseofthisquotationhereseemstoforcetheequivalenceoftworadicallydifferentmeaningsof“enlightenment,”thiswasnotmyintention.Rather,Iseektoobserveparallelsbetweentheliberationfromcapitalism(asakindofenlightenment)andtheliberationfromsamasara(whichisalsocapitalistatpresent):bothappeartorestontheovercomingofsubject/objectrationalityandinstrumentalism.Itseemsbothfortunateandunfortunate(yes,whynotboth!)thatHorkheimerandAdornouse“theConceptofEnlightenment”asthebestlanguageforthisdiscussion(1-34).21AlthoughInotethatthisfeatofimaginationhasbeentried,atleastasanadditionalelementofhorror,forinstancebyRichardMathesoninhisclassicnovel,IamLegend,attheendofwhichthestill-humanherodiscoversthathe’sbecomethefreak(legend)inanewsocietyofnon-humans.ThisbrilliantendingwasevidentlytoodarkforHollywood,whichinverteditentirelyfortheoriginalreleaseoftheFrancisLawrencedramatization–asubsequentre-releaseonDVDwithanalternativeendingthatrecoverssomeofthesocietalradicalismofMatheson’snovel.Interestingly,ŽižekisalsocriticalofLawrence’sfilm,whichhearguesmissesthemulticulturalistpointofthenovelandreplacesitwithaformofreligiousfundamentalism(EndTimes64).
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.20
establishment of a consciousness that is not encaged by subject/object
rationality – it stands to reason that we are not able to envision this
posthuman society. 22 All of our imaginations (and fears) of such an
organizationarethemselvesgeneratedbyexactlythekindofthinkingthat
willnotbeafactor in itsprinciples. Boththeutopiaandthedystopiaare
featuresofourcurrentcapitalistsociety,notofthisposthumanfuture.
In other words, our inability properly to imagine a posthuman, post-
capitalistsocietyisafeatureoftheepistemiccageofcapitalism.Wemight
goevenfurthertosuggestthattheveryconceptoftheutopia/dystopia is
tainted with the kind of thinking that needs to be overcome. In
mindfulness-basedcognitivetherapy(MBCT),thiskindofthinking iscalled
“discrepancy-basedprocessing,”becauseitisbaseduponourperceptionof
a disjunction between how things are for us now and howwe hope/fear
theywillbeinthefuture(Segalet.al.178).23Suchthinkingtypicallyleads
to stress-based reactions, suchas attachmentor aversion,hopeand fear.
Such reactions trigger our brains intowhat Segal,Williams, and Teasdale
calla“doingmode,”inwhichweseektoinstrumentalisetheworldaround
usintotoolsthatwillhelpustoreach/avoidthatfuture.Thisiscontrasted
with“beingmode,”inwhichpeoplearefullyaliveinthepresentmoment:
“beingmode” is the state ofmind cultivated inmindfulness practice and
meditation(63-77).Wemightcallthistheauthentic,zero-levelofhuman
consciousness.
22ForLauroandEmbry,thezombii(whichistheirontic/haunticversionofthezombie)isalsodistinguishedbyitsimmortal/deadbodyanditsapparentlyswarm-basedbehaviour.However,itisthezombii’sradicalconsciousnessthatgeneratestherupturewithcapitalism.23ForSegaletal.,suchruminativethoughtpatternsareespeciallytobeavoidedinpeoplepronetodepression.ItisalsoworthconsideringtheambiguousplaceoftheutopiainsometraditionsofBuddhism,especiallythoseorientedtowardssuddenenlightenmentandthedoctrineoforiginalenlightenment(includingthenon-dualityoftheabsolutethetherelative).WhilePureLandBuddhismmaintainsaconceptionofthePureLandintheWest,ingeneraltheidealworldisdepictedasthepresentworldtransformedbyourawakeningtoouralreadyenlightenedconsciousness,ratherthananalienutopiatowhichweshouldaspire.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.21
Ernst Bloch might have recognised this rendition of the utopia as an
unimaginablespaceforwhichwecanhopebutnotplan;forhim,utopiais
properlyakindof“not-yet-become”ofwhichweare“not-yet-conscious.”
He sees a difference between the “partial enlightenment” that enables
critique of present societies in their own terms and the “genuine
enlightenment” that liberates us into the unimaginable. Our hope for
emancipation is real,even ifweacceptthat itmustremain impossible for
us to envision it. 24 Horkheimer and Adorno similiarly hold that
instrumentalizationisafeatureofthecapitalistcageofreasonthatmustbe
defeatedbeforeenlightenment:incapitalism“reasonservesasauniversal
tool for the fabrication of all other tools, rigidly purpose-directed and as
calamitous as the precisely calculated operations of material production,
theresultsofwhichforhumanbeingsescapeallcalculation. Reason’sold
ambitiontobepurelyaninstrumentofpurposeshasfinallybeenfulfilled”
(23).Here,“purpose-directedthinking”and“doingmode”tendtogetheras
ethical and therapeutic critiques of human consciousness in capitalist
societies.25
Inthisway,wemightunderstandamindfulnessmanifestoasradicallynon-
utopian, even anti-utopian, and deeply critical. It calls for people to see
past theways inwhich their consciousness itself causes them to see the
world(asaconstellationofsensationsandobjectsonwhichtoenactone’s
willtowardsapurposiveend),andseekstoprovidethemwiththemeansto
accomplish this kind of thinking. 26 In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn:
“Meditation is not about trying to become a nobody, or a contemplative
zombie, incapableof livingintherealworldandfacingrealproblems. It’s
24Blochdevelopstheseideasinhismagnumopus,ThePrincipleofHope.Hisdistinctionbetweenpartialandgenuineenlightenmentissometimesrenderedashalfandfullenlightenment,wheretheformerinvolvesthedeploymentofreasontochallengeideogicalclaims,andthelatterrepresentstheinterrogrationandovercomingofideologyitselfinthesearchforemancipation.25Whilesomeanti-psychiatristssuggestthatanindividualwhodivergesfrom“instrumentalthinking”or“doingmode”wouldbepulledbackintolinebyprofessionalpsychiatry,mindfulnesstherapyembracesthisdivergence.26Goalessnessisnotconsideredagoalbut,conventionally,simplyaneffectofauthenticbeing(mode).
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.22
aboutseeingthingsastheyare,withoutthedistortionsofourownthought
processes”(WhereverYouGo239,emphasisadded).
Thisnon-utopianvisioncallsforpeopletotransformtheirsocietieswithout
necessarily calling on them to make any material changes to those
societies; the transformation is entirely in the consciousness, provoking
rupture from capitalism through freedom from the purpose-directed
rationality that fuels it. This raises the possibility that the post-capitalist
societylooksremarkablysimilartothecapitalistone,butthatpeoplelivein
it in freedom rather than in servitude to it. This visionof thenon-utopia
seems to subvert the conventions of radical or critical science fictional
utopias, in which “cognitive estrangement” organized around a pseudo-
rationalnovumprovidestherupturewiththeextant.27 Inthisnon-utopia,
however, the rupture is occasioned by the estrangement of cognition (as
we know it) itself. Thus, becauseof itsmissionary investment in rational
cognition,evenso-called“criticalsciencefiction”isrevealedascomplicitin
theideologicaltrappingsofcapitalism:itisnotfreeofthedistortionsofour
ownthroughtprocesses,butratherseekstoutilisetheseprocessestoaffect
change. In other words, counter-intuitively, the zombie apocalypse as a
sciencefictionaldystopiccritiqueactuallyactstobolterthecapitaliststatus
quo.
27TheideaofsciencefictionascognitiveestrangementispromotedbyDarkoSuvin,whoseessciencefictionasapotentiallyradicalandsubversivegenre,albeitgroundedinscienceandrationalcognition.ForSuvin,fictionthatsucceededinaffectingestrangementbututilizednon-scientificnovatoaccomplishthisisfantasy,notsciencefiction.Famously,thisledsometocharacteriseStarWarsasafantasyfranchisebecauseitscentralnovum(theForce)isscientificallyinexplicable.TheradicalpoliticalpotentialofsciencefictionhasbeenexploredbyCarlFreedmanandFredricJameson.
Image3:‘seeingfreely’(Goto-Jones&Bessa)*
‘WesternBuddhism’andthePost-Self
Inhisrecentprovocationsaboutso-called“WesternBuddhism,”Žižekpicks
upontheideaofchangeless-change.28Heseemstornbetweenfascination
and skepticism, which (to be fair) appears to be a fairly characteristic
response to this particular ethical dilemma in Buddhism. Indeed, the
integrity (even if not necessarily the authenticity) of this form of
transformational experience cuts to the core of the place of faith in
Buddhist ethics.29 In Pure Land Buddhism, where this idea is powerfully
elaborated, the development of amindof faith (jp. shinjin) is the goal of
devotional practice, where this faith is the manifestation of the
practitioner’sabsoluterenunciationoftheir‘selfpower”(jp.jiriki)andthus
theircompletesurrendertothe“otherpower”(jp.tariki)ofAmidaBuddha.
InShinBuddhism,whichframesthisattainmentintermsgenerallyfamiliar
totheMahayanatradition’ssenseofthenon-dualismbetweenrelativeand
absoluteknowledge, this transformation is representedbyabi-directional
process: first thepractitionercultivatesaso-calledpureandegolessmind
(throughmeditationandotherpractices),effectivelytravellingtothe“Pure
Land”andengagingwiththeabsolute,butthenthepractitionerreturnsto
thisworldofrelativeformstocontinuelifeasthoughunchanged(whilstin
reality fully awakened). This process, to which Žižek (Buddhist Ethic)
appearstoalludewhenhereferstotheBodhisattvaideal,isdenotedbythe
intenselydensephrasegensō-ekō(returingtotheworld)30:“inoneversion
ofBuddhismnothingevenhastochangematerially,onlyyour,let’scallit–
eventhoughitsoundstooCalifornian–yourattitude.”
28ŽižekestablishesanopenandfrankspiritofexchangeinhisworkonBuddhism.Heisclearthathisterm“WesternBuddhism”isalabelforparticularpracticeinthestoryofBuddhism,whichintheendisperhapsnotreallyareligiousorBuddhistform.HealsoprofessestobeingopentocorrectionwherehisknowledgeofBuddhismseemstolethimdown.29ŽižekisveryclearlynotinterestedinBuddhismasareligion,butratherasaframeworkwithinwhichtechniquesforaparticularkindofexistentialtransformationhavebeendeveloped.Indeed,thesetechniques(meditation)arewhathetakestobe“Westernbuddhism.”30ThisphraseiscloselyassociatedwiththeteachingsofShinran(1173-1263),thefounderofwhatisnowJōdoShinshūBuddhism.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.25
In these deliberately provocative interventions, Žižek appears to be
relativelyunconcernedwiththepotentiallytranformativeimpactoffaithin
Buddhism. He is interested inwhatheterms“WesternBuddhism,”which
he specifically identifies asbeingprimarily concernedwith thepracticeof
meditation itself – he calls this “our Western distortion”: the parsing of
Buddhismfromitsreligiousstructures,itsethicaltraditionsandmoralrules,
and its reformulation as a kindof technology accompanying the so-called
“cognitivist breakthrough” (Buddhist Ethic).31 When considering Žižek’s
various interventions about Buddhism (which have caused quite a storm
amongst Buddhist groups32), it is useful to remember that he is explicit
about his focus on what he takes to be a “distorted” kind of Buddhism,
which he believes has taken root in the “West” for predominantly
ideologicalreasons(or,atleast,withpowerfullyideologicalconsequences).
Žižek thus locateshimself in theheartofanongoing,emotive,andrather
volatile debate about the merits and authenticity of so-called “secular
Buddhism,”whichhaspolarisedpractitionersaswellasscholarsandmany
voices in between.33 The critical issue for Žižek appears to be what he
identifies as the “completely authentic” existential experience that is
occasioned by disciplined meditation and self-cultivation (through the
deployment of techniques traditionally associated with Buddhism). This
“existentialexperience,”forŽižek,neednotbeseenasreligiousbutsimply
as an empirical moment, a state which one can attain with the kind of
practised attention developed in meditation and mindfulness training.
Žižek’s“WesternBuddhism”morecloselyresemblesthecategoryofsecular
mindfulness training than it does Buddhism.34 As he sees it, Buddhism is
31Wilsonalsodiscussestheformationof“AmericanBuddhism,”suggestingthatthemindfulnessmovementmightbeseenastheexemplaryexpressionoftheinteractionbetweenBuddhismandAmericanculture.32Anecdotally,Ihavebeenatanumberofmindfulnessconferences,onlineforums,andBuddhistmeetingsatwhichŽižek’sworkhasbeenthesubjectofmutteredfussandindignance,usuallyaccompaniedbythechargethatheisignorantaboutBuddhism.However,I’mnotawareofanyserious,sustainedresponses.33Seenote15,above.34I’mnotespeciallyinterestedinjudgingwhetherhe’srightthatthisisgenuinelytheflavourofBuddhismintheWest,orWesternBuddhism.SeeWilsonforanattempttograpplewiththeeffectsoftheintersectionbetweenBuddhismandAmericancultureinparticular.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.26
“automatically meditation” in the West, while in traditional Buddhist
societiesit’sawayoflife,asystemofethics,andacommitmenttofaith.35
Inthisway,Žižekarrivesattwopowerfulcriticismsofsecularmindfulness,
bothofwhichresonatewithourfearofthezombieapocalypse.Thefirstis
preciselythisfearoftheethicalimplicationsofthechangeless-changethat
apparentlyaccompanies theattainmentof the standpointof thedeathof
the ego and the collapse of the subject-object dichotomy. The second
concerns the sociological impact of a growing subculture of people (who
look just like everyone else) dedicated to living their lives following the
deathoftheirconventionalegos.Tophrasethisintermsoffears:thefirst
isthefearofwhatazombiemightbeuninhibitedfromdoinginourpresent
societies; the second is the fear ofwhat happens to such societieswhen
zombiesbecomeaninfestation.
UnlikeLauroandEmbry,Žižekdoesnotprimarilyseethe liberationofthe
selffromtheselfasthemostfundamentalformofrupturefromcapitalism,
notevenintheironyoftheapocalypse.Instead,Žižekisconcernedabout
35Thisobservationspeakstoadeephistorical,culturalanddoctrinalschisminBuddhism,highlightingthedangersoftreating“Buddhism”asaunitarycategory.Therehavebeen(atleast)twomajorapproachestothedifferentialimportanceofmeditationandritualordevotionalpractice.Inone,theso-calledMahayanatradition(whichlatertookitsmostaestheticandasceticformasZeninJapan),theemphasisisonthe“suddenenlightenment”ofpractitionerswhoseektofollowtheBuddhaintoenlightenmentthroughhisownexampleofaccomplishingthisspontaneouslythroughmeditation.ThistypeofBuddhismbecamemostrootedinEastAsia.Intheother,theso-calledHinayanatradition,moreemphasisisplacedondevoteesfollowingtheteachingsofBuddhabyservingintheircommunities,performingcompassionateduties,andincrementallyaccumulatingmeritsthatwouldleadtotheireventualsalvation.ThistypeofBuddhismtookfirmestrootinSriLankaandSoutheastAsia.Ofcourse,thedifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthesebroadtraditionsareoftensubtleandsophisticated.Indeed,thetermsMahayanaandHinayanaarethemselvesdisputed,inparticularbecausetheyappeartobepartisan:praisingMahayanaasthe“greatvehicle”anddeprecatingHinayanaasthe“lesservehicle.”SometimesthetermTheravadaisusedinsteadofHinayana,butthisisanimperfectsubstitution.TheravadaistheBuddhisttraditionmostcommoninThailand.HenceŽižek’scontrastbetween“WesternBuddhism”and“authentic”BuddhismmightalsoreflectthepowerfulinfluenceofZenonBuddhismintheUSAafterWWII,aswouldhischoiceofThai/TheravadaBuddhismasrepresentativeofnon-WesternBuddhism.Thesignifier“Western”mayplayonlyanominalrolehere.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.27
themore scientific, empirical problemof verifiability. If it’s the case that
weacceptthepossibilityofa“completelyauthentic”existentialexperience
that results inaprofound (yet invisible) transformationof theself intoan
enlightened and liberated post-self (or authentic prior-self), surely it
becomes important to be able to recognise when this has happened to
other people? While it seems plausible to believe that we are able to
recognisethistransformationinourselves,itisdifficulttoimagineawayof
identifying it in another.36 Unlike zombies, presumably themindful post-
self does not distinguish itself by staggering through its own decaying
immortality,droolingmoronically,staringvacantly,andthenattemptingto
eatanyoneitencounters.Presumably.
Theneedtoidentifytheliberationofanotherintotheconditionofpost-self
becomes especially urgent when one considers that such a liberation is
immediately (also) liberation from the restrictions andnormsof a society
premised upon a conventional self (and even liberation from the very
principles that established and bolster such restrictions and norms). The
post-self is no longer circumscribed by conventional morality (which has
beendevelopedforasocietyofselves).Itispreciselyinthiskindofradical
libertythatwesupposetheemancipatorypotentialofthepost-selfresides;
through behaviours that subsist outside the frameworks of instrumental
rationality associated with capitalism, the post-self manifests and
demonstratesthepotentialsofthislibertyforothersandhence(assuming
thatconventionalselvescanreallyunderstandtheactionsofthepost-self)
serves as a vanguard in the revolution. The post-self should be as
charismaticasthezombieiscontagious;butfromthestandpointofmental
health provision, it is important to be able to distinguish between the
liberatedpost-selfandthesimplyinsane.37
36Thereareanumberofongoingattemptstocreateafunctional“mindfulnessscale”thataimstoassessandcomparelevelsofaccomplishmentinthisfieldscientifically.Resultsarecontroversial.OneofthemostinfluentialistheTorontoMindfulnessScale(Lau,etal.).37Indeed,anti-psychiatrywouldcautionustopredictthatgenuinepsychicaccomplishmentherewouldbepathologisedbyhegemonicvoices(suchaspsychiatrists)and“corrected”tobringthepost-selfbackintolinewithconvention.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.28
This shape of argument is familiar within various kinds of Buddhism,
especially those that make use of the Bodhisattva as a device for the
salvation of all living beings. The Bodhisattva (an enlightened beingwho
refuses to enter into Nirvana before the salvation of all beings, and so
“returns” to theworld toassist them in their journeys) ispreciselysucha
liberated agent, to whom the conventions of everyday morality cannot
adhere.TheBuddhistcanonisrepletewithstoriesofBodhisattvabreaking
allkindsoflawsas“expedientmeans”(jp.hōben)toencouragepeopleinto
behaviours or attitudes more conducive to their own eventual
enlightenment.Theyhavebeenknowntolie,cheat,steal,evenkill–even
appearingasdaemons (although I’mnotawareofBuddhistzombies)–all
activities that appear to contravene the “relative ethics” of the
conventional self, but that apparently do not contravene the more
“absoluteethics”ofthepost-self.ThemetaphysicsofMahayanaBuddhism
arefoundedonthenon-dualityofthesetworealmsandonthedoctrineof
originalenlightenment(jp.hongakushisō).
Unsurprisingly,Buddhismhasproducedvariousresponsestothisdilemma
initslongandsophisticatedhistory.Twentieth-centuryhistoryhasbrought
these responses under renewed critical scrutiny, including through the
development of the so-called “critical Buddhism” movement in Japan
beginning in the 1980s (jp. hihan bukkyō).38 In the Buddhist discourse, a
keyissuehasbeenhowtotellwhetherornotaselfhasenteredthepost-
self condition (or achieved enlightenment), before taking it on faith that
Ofcourse,thispost-selfmightalsocomeintoconflictwithotherkindsofsocialandpoliticalauthorities,suchasthepoliceandjudges.Insuchcircumstances,itisinterestingtoconsiderwhatthecontentofaninsanitypleawouldbeforonewhoseostensibleinsanityisactuallyemancipatedenlightenment.38CriticalBuddhismisassociatedwiththeKomazawaUniversityinTokyo(aSōtōZenuniversity),andespeciallywiththeworkofHakayamaNoriakiandMatsumotoShirō.SōtōZenisthelargestsectofZenBuddhisminJapan,foundedbyDōgen(1200-1253);itplacesgreatemphasisonso-calledshikantaza(justsitting),focusingonsittingmeditationasthecore(andsometimesonly)practicerequiredinthecultivationofenlightenment.SōtōZenisoneoftheinspirationsbehindthemindfulnessmovementintheWest,eventhoughmanypractitionersareunawareofthedifferencesbetweenthisandothertraditions.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.29
anyone genuinely undergoing this changeless-change would “return” to
everyday life free of the egoistic compulsions, interests, and imperatives
that leadtherestofusintoimmorality–hence,takingitonfaiththatthe
actionsofsuchpost-selveswillbe(insomesense)‘good’forus(notmatter
howtheymightappear).
Inhiscritiqueoftheethicaldangersofthisposition,Žižek(BuddhistEthic)
drawsupon the rather contentiousworkof ZenBuddhist “D.T.” (Daisetsu
Teitarō)Suzuki,arguing (correctly) thatSuzuki’swork revealsapotentially
deep complicity between the idea of the consummate changeless-change
(found,forSuzuki,inZenBuddhism)andthepossibilityofrecklessviolence
andmoralmonstrosity, specificallyduringWWII inAsia. Suzuki’swritings
on Zen and martial violence are part of a long (and sometimes rather
nuanced)traditionofsuchwritings inJapan,whichemphasizetheways in
which moral agents are (invisibly) transformed by the experience of
enlightenment in such a way that they not only become much more
expeditiouskillers(thisformofconsciousnessmakesthemtechnicallymore
proficient at killing) but also removes them from amoral universewithin
whichtheycanbeheldresponsibleforsuchkilling(orinwhichsuchkilling
could be judged as “wrong”).39 Žižek quotes Suzuki explaining that the
enlightened swordsman is not responsible for the deaths caused by his
blade,butratherthesworditselfactsasaninstrumentofjusticeandmercy
–theswordsman iswieldedbythesword.40Žižekgoesfurthertosuggest
39Suzuki’smostfamouswritingsinthisconnectionarehiscontroversialessaysonZen,thesamurai,andswordsmanship.ItseemsthatŽižekleansheavilyontheinfluentialinterpretationofthesetextsbyVictoria.ŽižekisatpainstoevadethechargethatthisinterpretationofBuddhismisreallyaboutthe“freakyJapanese,”butinfacttheliteraturetowhichhealludesisimportanttotheintersectionoftheJapanesebushidōtraditionwithJapaneseZen.40Averyinterestingcontemplationonthisideaisthe1966OkamotoKihachifilm,Dai-bosatsutoge(TheGreatBodhisattva’sPass,ingeniouslytranslatedasTheSwordofDoom).Thebasicpremise,whichwouldberecognizabletoreadersofcertaintextswithinthebushidōtradition,isthattheperfectionofswordsmanshipisapost-selfaccomplishment,liberatingtheselffromthemoralconcerns(andpresumablythebonds)ofselfhood.
Thefilmopenswithanoldmanandhisgranddaughteronapilgrimage,trekkingacrossamountainpass–theeponymousdai-bosatsupass.Atthetop,before0abeautifulvista,theycomeacrossalittleshrine.Thegrandfatheroffersa
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.30
that an individualmightbestdemonstratehis enlightenmentbybehaving
monstrously (without feelingbadabout it), since todosowouldmanifest
hispost-selfcondition.Followingalongtheselines,wemightaskwhether
thezombie’srelentless, inhumanviolenceisthesuprememanifestationof
its liberation from the conventional human condition. Does the zombie
stand-in for the fear that psychic emancipation from capitalism tends
towardsFascism?
FormostBuddhistsandschoolsofBuddhism,however,thiskindofposition
wouldseemoverlypolemical,notleastbecauseitdeliberatelybracketsout
the issues of faith, moral cultivation, and ethical commitment to
compassionandnon-violencethatlieattheheartofBuddhismasareligion
(whichŽižekexplicitlydismissesassalientfactorsintheauthenticityofthe
secularized existential transformation we’re interested in). However,
postwar Zen Buddhists in Japan have struggled to understand how/why
some rōshi (highly venerated Zen masters who have been certified as
enlightened) were able to support the atrocious conduct of the Imperial
Army in Asia. At the very least there appears to be an interpretive
conundrum:either it’sthecasethattheattainmentofenlightenment(the
attainmentofchangeless-change)isnotaccompaniedbytheattainmentof
conventionalShin-BuddhistprayertotheBuddha,askingformercyandcompassion,andsayingthathehopestopassfromtheworldsothathe’llbelessofaburdentohisgranddaughter.HeputshisfaithintheBuddhatomovethingsastheyshouldmove:namuamidabutsu.
Justashefinisheshisprayer,adeepvoiceintonesfrombehindhim:Oldman…looktothewest(whichisthedirectionofthePureLandforrebirth).Alonesamuraiappearsandkillstheoldmanwithasinglecut.He(thesamurai)thencasuallywandersoffdownthemountainasthoughnothinghashappened.
Thisswordsmangoesontokillmanyotherpeople,butweseehisgradualdeclinefromaratheramoralfigureatthestart(whenhepresentshimselfasthetoolofhissword),throughagatheringprideinhisabilitytokillasanimmoralfigure(whentheswordbecomeshistool),tocompletepsychiccollapsetowardstheendwhenhecannolongerreconcilehimselftowhathe’sdone,asaninsanefigure.
Inthisway,thefilmseemstocondemnswordsmanshipasaWayofcultivation,sinceitspracticeissoviolentandanti-humanisticthatitultimatelyunderminestheveryspiritualaccomplishmentthatmarkeditinthefirstplace.Thesamuraicannotsustainbeingasword-sageanddoingthethingsthatasword-sagecando.Hecannotreconciletheabsoluteandtherelativeandcontinuehiseverydaylife–thechangless-change.Yet,perhapsthesword-sagemustdothesethings?Thisistheswordofdoom.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.31
great moral virtue (hence, rōshi could support war crimes in good
conscience),or it’s thecasethatthesystemusedtoverifytheattainment
ofenlightenmentinZenBuddhismisessentiallyflawed(i.e.,therōshiwho
supported monstrous activities were not really rōshi at all – they were
frauds, simply insane, or both). 41 The possibility that the rōshi were
authentically enlightened and supported the war efforts because those
efforts were moral and good in ways that may be unintelligible to
conventional selveshasbeenconsideredonly in thecontextof right-wing
historical revisionism in Japan, where the question of the historical and
moralsignificanceofJapan’sdefeatin1945remainsdeeplycontested.
ItseemsthatŽižekwantstogoatleastonestepfurtherthanthisZensoul-
searching, not only because he’s uninterested in the religious argument,
butalsobecauseheissearchingforamorescientificallyverifiablespaceof
transformation. Assuming the authenticity of an existential experience
that can be reached through meditation, Žižek wants to know whether
thereisanythingempiricallyverifiableabouttheconditionofthepost-self
and whether it is accompanied by moral imperatives. By scientifically
resolving the question of those who fraudulently claim post-selfhood in
order to excuse anti-social behaviour (such as precipitating the zombie
apocalypse), Žižek seeks to isolate the moral quality of the condition of
post-selfhooditself.
41SuchissuesareconvincinglydiscussedbyChristopherIves.
Image4:‘recognisingfreedom’(Goto-Jones&Bessa)*
Drugs,Zombies,andEmancipation
Inaparticularly intriguingmove,Žižekaskswhat theconsequencesmight
be if the shift in consciousness that we’re calling “authentic existential
experience”couldbeaccomplishedartificially.Specifically,hepondersthe
significanceofthebiochemicalattainmentofthisstateofmindthroughthe
use of drugs, hypothesizing that such a synthetic experience could
“imminently,inherently,fitnirvana.”42Inthisway,hedismisses(as“totally
non-immanent”) the possibility that religious or devotional practices can
impactonthequalityofthespaceinwhichyoufindyourselfquapost-self:
“onceyouarein,youarein;whocareshowyougotthere?”Itisamaterial
site.Thepointdoesnotappeartobe(althoughwecouldalsotakeittobe)
that the “accomplishment” of a zombie is usually the result of a viral
infectionratherthananextendedperiodofmeditativediscipline.
Related to the ostensible materiality of this site (and the European
Enlightenmentconceptionoftheself thatundergirds it) is thequestionof
whether a biomedical intervention could accomplish such an “authentic
existential experience” and, if so, should the medical establishment be
requiredtoprovide it (assumingthat itcanbeagreedthatthesepromote
well-being)?Thisquestionrestsattheheartofanti-psychiatry,whicharose
as a movement in the 1960s and 1970s to resist the (bio)medicalising
mentalandemotionalwell-beingbecauseitopenedthedoortoinvoluntary
treatment of patients, and especially involuntary treatment with drugs,
surgery, and electro-shock therapy. Of course, this kind of “involuntary
treatment” is very different from the way in which zombies infect other
people involuntarily, but the spectre of involuntary biomedical
interventions to bring about an existential condition provokes a
42HereŽižekappearstobeusingtheterm“nirvana”asaplaceholderfortheempiricallyverifiablebiochemicalconditionofabrainundergoingtheexistentialexperienceoftransformationtothepost-self.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.34
considerationoftheplaceofthepoliticsofdominationinpracticesofwell-
being.43
Insteadofmaking thisengagementwith thepoliticsof (bio)medicalizinga
therapeutic technology, Zizek makes a remarkably agile move from the
dismissalofreligiousawakeningasabasisofethicalquality(inthespaceof
an empirically verifiable transformation to the post-self) to a Star Wars
analogyapparentlyprovokedbywhisperedconversationswithTibetans in
Beijing. However, thismove to a science fictional realmprovides exactly
thekindofprovocationthatcriticalsciencefictionshouldenable,notonly
(but also) in the context of our concernwith the zombie apocalypse as a
kindofinvertedsciencefictionalcritique.44Hispointappearstobethatthe
“Force”(towhichJediandSithattainwhentheirmindsareatpeaceandin
tune with the whole, following sustained cultivation via meditation)
operates as a power resource rather than an ethical determinant. The
Force has a “dark side,” but it is still the Force; as a place of existential
experienceitisunified.Thisisnotthe“darknight”ofWilloughbyBritton’s
psychologicalstudyatBrownUniversitybutratherthemoraldarknessthat
is the concern of the ‘sword of Doom” – although we might concede a
correlationbetweenthese.
43Infact,thecomplexpoliticsofdominationisoneoftheareasofcontestationbetweenthefoundersoftheanti-psychiatrymovement.WhileSzaszstronglyendorsesanindividualismrootedintheEuropeanEnlightenmenttradition,andsoopposesanykindofinvoluntarypsychiatrictreatment(oreventhemedicalizationofpsychiatryperse),hecombinesthiswithadefenceofthefree-market(andthecommodificationoftherapeutictechnologies)asthebestwaytobolsterindividualliberty.Contrarytothis,Laingappearstousehisoppositionagainstinvoluntarypsychiatricinterventionsasaspringboardtoamoregeneraloppositionagainststatedomination,wherepsychiatristsactassurrogatesfortheoverwhelmingpower(andsometimesviolence)ofthemodernstate.AconcisecomparisonofthetwoisRobertsandItten.44IdiscussthesharedfrontierofAsianStudiesandScienceFictionelsewhere(Goto-Jones).HereitisinterestingtonotethatŽižekeffectivelyrendersTibetintoasciencefictionalplace.Heseesitasanexemplarycaseofthe“colonizationoftheimaginary”andthereductionof“theactualTibettoascreenfortheprojectionofWesternideologicalfantasies”(“FromWesternMarxism”).InthecontextofthesciencefictionalizationofTibet(andthemythic/haunticOrientasawhole),wemightalsounderstandtheattractionofStarWarsintermsofthelustforspirituality.ItisinterestingtoconsiderthecategoricaldifferencesbetweenJediKnightsandTibetanmonksinthepublicimaginary.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.35
Fromthissciencefictionalspringboard,Zizekfindsanewwaytoaskabout
theethicsofthesecularpost-self:althoughtheremaybea“higherdomain
ofpeace” intowhichwecanstep to find liberation fromthe stressesand
confusionsofcapitalistsociety,“whatifsomethingcouldgoterriblywrong
inthisnirvanadomainitself?”Whatifthezombieandthemindfulpost-self
areunified inthis“domainofpeace”? HereZizekopensthepossibilityof
the evil of the authentic post-self; indeed, he seems to posit that this
possibility is abasic featureof the secular “nirvanadomain” inwhich the
self is liberatedfromitself. HeborrowstheagnostictermsofSchellingto
paraphrase this insight: “human evil is not because we fell from God;
humaneviloriginates inmadnessreversal, somethinggoingwrong inGod
himself.”45
In this way, Žižek effectively resuscitates the credibility of the zombie
apocalypseasnotonlyanaspectofour ideologicalhorrorregarding ideas
aboutenlightenment(thatweinventtoscareourselvesawayfromourown
liberation),butalsoasarepresentationofourfearofthepotentialsforevil
withinenlightenmentitself.Itseemstomethatthisisasuperbinstanceof
an inverted science fictional critique, in which the device is the
estrangementofcognitionratherthan“cognitiveestrangement.”
Conclusion:don’tjustdosomething,sitthere!
The “mindfulness revolution” appears to be gathering pace across the
Western world. While there seems to be a growing scientific consensus
about its therapeutic and health-related benefits for practitioners, there
remains scepticism and concern about the social, cultural, and political
significanceofmindfulnessasamovement.Indeed,powerfulprovocations
in this direction by thinkers such as Slavoj Zizek have been largely
unanswered, presumably because the secular mindfulness community
45Inkeepingwiththeunusual,secularizeduseof“nirvana,”Zizekisclearthathe’saware that Buddhism has no conception of God and he’s deploying this term tosignifyaexistentiallocationratherthanadeity.
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.36
(suchasit is) is largelyunconcernedbythepolitical(ratherthanpersonal)
significanceoftheirpractices,whiletheBuddhistmindfulnesscommunities
feelthatthesecularizeddebateisnotreallyaboutBuddhismatall.Thereis
legitimacytoeachofthesepositions,althoughthedebatesareincreasingly
starting toblur theboundariesbetween these stakesandcommunitiesof
interest.
Thisessayhasattemptedtoexposesomeoftheethicalandpoliticalissues
that arise from the gradualmainstreaming of secularmindfulness,with a
particular focus on the kinds of fears that this movement seems to
engender. Playingwiththetraditionofcritical,posthumanist“manifesto”
that originateswithDonnaHarraway andmoves through Lauro&Embry,
thisessayattemptsadeploymentofŽižek’szombie(anditsapocalypse)as
a lens throughwhich to frame our concerns about a future inhabited by
mindfulpost-selves.Itisanironicanddepressingvision.
On the one hand, we have the critical stance of Žižek, who argues that
mindfulness is essentially a mechanism in the thrall of capitalism. In a
relatively extreme formulation: the mindfulness movement pathologizes
theexperienceofstressthat iscausedby lifeundercapitalism,suggesting
thatitrequirestreatment(atherapeuticintervention)tocurethis“thinking
disease”sothatthepatientcancontinueintheserviceofcapitalistsociety
without breaking. The emphasis on overcoming our “doing mode” and
enteringintoamoreharmonious“beingmode”isbestunderstoodasaway
forus toaccommodateourselves to thestressfulandpersistentdemands
oflifeincontemporarycapitalism.
Insteadof trying to copewith the accelerating rhythmof techno-
logicalprogressandsocialchanges,oneshouldratherrenouncethe
veryendeavor to retain controloverwhat goeson, rejecting it as
the expression of the modern logic of domination. One should,
instead, “let oneself go,” drift along, while retaining an inner
distance and indifference toward the mad dance of accelerated
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.37
process, a distance based on the insight that all this social and
technological upheaval is ultimately just a non-substantial
proliferation of semblances that do not really concern the
innermostkernelofourbeing.(“FromWesternMarxism”)
NotonlydoessecularmindfulnessresembleMarx’s“opiateforthepeople,”
replacing more traditional conceptions of religion in the age of rational,
secular globalization, but it also “fits perfectly the fetishist mode of
ideology in our allegedly ‘post-ideological’ era.” Here, the fetish allows
people in capitalist societies to accept their situation of exploitation and
servitude while clinging to a fetish that disavows this signification. For
Žižek,thismindfulnessfetish“enablesyoutofullyparticipateinthefrantic
paceofthecapitalistgamewhilesustainingtheperceptionthatyouarenot
reallyinit;thatyouarewellawareofhowworthlessthisspectacleis;and
thatwhatreallymatterstoyouisthepeaceoftheinnerSelftowhichyou
know you can always withdraw.” The idea of withdrawing or returning
home to the self is abasic teaching (and constant refrain)ofmindfulness
meditation.
This fetish seems to adopt thequalities of the hauntic. Mindfulness, like
the popular imaginary of Tibet in the contemporary West, resembles a
“fantasmaticThing…which,whenoneapproachesittoomuch,turns into
the excremental object” (Žižek, “FromWesternMarxism”). Here the line
between the mindfulness ideal and the apparent mindlessness of the
zombieapocalypseblursintoahauntinglyrepellentvisionoffuturesociety,
where people have regressed to a “zero-level” of humanity through
transformation into psychically-detached creatures of unengaged routine
andhabit.Thisrendersmindfulnessintothehandmaidenofthedystopian
capitalist nightmare of the zombie apocalypse. The mindful and the
mindlessoccupyaunifiedexperientialspace.
By playing with the question of whether this condition of post-selfhood
might be accomplished throughbiomedicine (narcotics or technology)we
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.38
canseehowthisfetishalsoextendsintovarious(post-)Marxiancritiquesof
psychiatry and therapy in general, where these disciplines seek to
encourage accommodation to the madness of capitalism rather than
bolsteringitsopposition.“Prozacnation”becomesatherapeuticallyofthe
mindfulness (r)evolution in the framing of the zombie apocalypse.
However, while anti-psychiatrists tend to critique psychiatry for its
ideological(andmedical)violenceagainstindividualswhodivergefromthe
status quo of instrumental reason, the mindfulness movement seeks to
embrace, support, and encourage a specific divergence, suggesting that
mindlessfulness is of even greater benefit to capital than stressed or
anxious conformity to reason. In either case, the idea that this move
constitutesa“treatment”provokesthespectreofdomination.
For good measure, Žižek also colours his critique with hints of an alien
invasion. Partof thenarrative that leads towards the zombieapocalypse
involves a foreign infection – like the viral contaminants ofmost zombie
movies. For Žižek, this “NewAge, ‘Asiatic’ thought”has entered into the
ideological superstructure of the “Judeo-Christian” West and launched a
challenge to hegemony from within (“From Western Marxism”). This
infectionhasmutated intoadistorted formthrough interactionwith local
agents, and it is precisely this mutation that has made the infection so
dangerous, destructive, and contagious. The communicability of
globalization provides the conditions of the possibility of the zombie
apocalypse,combiningaprimalfearofthelossofselfwithaculturalfearof
the loss of historical centricity. The conception of self in the European
Enlightenment project is displaced by the self of the Asian, Buddhist
Enlightenmentideal.Thisisthehorrorofthelonesurvivorwithashotgun
surroundedbyhordesofalien(ated)andinfectiouszombies.
Ontheotherhand,wehavetheradicalstanceofLauroandEmbry,which
enables us to see the cultivation of mindfulness as an emancipatory
technology,even inthe instancethatthis leadsustoconsiderthezombie
apocalypse. The emphasis on making a shift from the instrumentalized
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.39
rationalityof“doingmode”toalesssubservientandslavish“beingmode”
is understood as a form of liberation from the hegemonic reason of
capitalism (built on a subject/object distinction that provides the
parameters of the conventional self) into a form of post-capitalist
organization (resting upon the transformation of this subject/object
dichotomy into an enlightened post-selfhood). From this standpoint,
attempts to quash the mindfulness movement (including that of Žižek)
themselvesseemtoresemble thepatternsofdomination in thediagnosis
and treatment of mental illness identified by the post-psychiatrists.
Ironically, Žižek’s attack on mindfulness as an opiate of capitalism itself
comes to resemble a voice of domination seeking to thwart human
(r)evolution.
Inthisinstance,then,ratherthanbeingthevisionofacapitalistdystopiato
which we could condemn ourselves through mindfulness practice, the
zombie apocalypse becomes the representation of our fears about our
emancipation;itservestofrightenusawayfromthecultivationofprecisely
the technology that will liberate us from capitalismmost fundamentally.
The zombie apocalypse, being a consumer product of capitalism and a
popularrepresentationofourego’sfearofitsowndissolution,doesnottell
us what our lives would be like were we free of capitalism but rather it
warns us away from our freedom with the horrors of our bounded
imagination.Zombiesarethedaemonsofmara,trickingusintowantingto
remainenslavedbyfabricatingnightmaresthatmakesenseonlytoslaves.
Thisradicalreadingofthezombieapocalypseisonlyabletosustainhopein
the most abstract, non-utopian sense. It rests upon the idea of an
empiricallyverifiable,authentic,andsecularexistentialexperiencethatcan
beattainedthroughmeditationandmindfulnesspractice.Thisexperience
affects a transformation of the self into a kind of post-self, which may
actuallybeinvisibleinanymaterialaspect.Itcouldentailnovisiblechange
atallintheorganizationandconductofsociety,butsimultaneouslyinvolve
thecompletetransformationofthequalityofourexperienceofthatsociety
Goto-Jones, ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’ Postmodern Culture, 24:3 (September 2013), unnumbered pages.p.40
and its signification. The post-self is distinguished as a form of agency
emancipated from the instrumental rationality that characterizes
capitalism. Since such a form of agency is inconceivable and actually
unimaginable to the conventional self (bounded as it is precisely by this
rationality), theverynotionofourability todepictanattractiveutopiaor
anaversivedystopiaisnonsensical.Wesimplycannotknowwhatitwould
meantobenot-ourselves. Allwecanexpect toseeare falseutopiasand
dystopias generated by the attractions and aversions of the “doing self”
that seeks its own continuation, evenwhile rupture from that self into a
“beingself” is (in thesescenarios) theonly route to radicalemancipation.
From the perspective of themindfulness revolution, even critical science
fictional utopias and dystopias are revealed as complicit in capitalism;
emancipation relies on the inversion of the logic of such visions and the
estrangement of cognition itself. This is the meaning of the zombie
apocalypseasmindfulnessmanifesto.
Goto-Jones,‘ZombieApocalypse,’PostmodernCulture,24:3(September2013),unnumberedpages.p.41
Image5:‘emancipation?’(Goto-Jones&Bessa)
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* The original illustrations were conceptualized by Chris Goto-Jones and
commissionedfromRicardoBessaaspartofabroaderprojectonsciencefictional
philosophy– theywere first shownatapublicexhibitionatThePulchriStudio in
The Hague (Netherlands) on 6 December 2014 – copyright resides with the
Asiascape.org research center at Leiden University. The author gratefully
acknowledgesthesupportoftheNetherlandsOrganizationforScientificResearch
(NWO) for awarding the ‘VICI’ grant that has made the research for this paper
possible, in the context of the overall project:BeyondUtopia –NewPolitics, the
PoliticsofKnowledge,andtheScienceFictionalFieldofJapan.