thinkers, led the search  for answers  in the inner workings
of the mind in order to add new dimensions  to the nature of
perception.  He brought  to the  fore  the  function  of the
unconscious, a truly  innovative  idea neglected  so long by
man.   In  retrospect,  though,  it  would  seem  that  this
psychological  coup was but the beginning  of the search for
the  fuller  dimensions  of being  that  combines  both  the
subjective  and objective  realms.  We are at this point  in
East-West discourse.
   Though  far  from  any  success  in our search  for total
perceptual  understanding  of things, we must take stock  of
past achievements, especially in Asia proper, and center our
attention on the two great and continuous  civilizations  of
India  and China.  Although  these civilizations  are not at
their  glorious  splendor  of  yesteryears, they  are  still
formidable  and retain  much of the essentials  of the great
moments of human endeavor that propelled them to their great
heights.  We need to take a closer look at these essentials;
indeed  some  of them  are  quite  novel  and cogent  today,
especially in respect to their guidance in understanding and
intimating with the nature of holistic perception.
   It may sound like a contradiction  in terms but, first of
all, it would be necessary  for us to attune ourselves  to a
kind of organic  metaphysics  which lends itself to fluidity
and  resiliency.  In  other  words, we must  conceive  of  a
metaphysics   which  is  not  limited  to  rigid  conceptual
understanding oriented in merely spatial dimensions.  For in
dealing with reality, experiential reality in particular, it
is   necessary   that   a   metaphysical   description   and
understanding  be truly open, unfixed  and indeterminate  in
any way, such  that it is able  to acco-mmo-date  more  than
what  the  senses  report.  Earlier  it was  said  that  the
sciences had to incorporate  the non-rational  or irrational
realm. Now it must be asserted that this realm must be given
a more precise  focus and function.  Indeed, it will soon be
clear  that  the  Western  and  Eastern  conceptions  of the
non-rational are not always speaking in identical terms. But
the important
 
　　　　　　　　　　  P.366
 
point is that the Eastern  view of the non-rational  is part
and  parcel  of  a  metaphysics  that  promotes  a  complete
unadulterated  nature to perception and understanding.  This
is an entirely  new metaphysics  for the West to ponder  on;
indeed, this so-called novel organic metaphysics is uncommon
and unknown in the West for the most part.  Its presence  in
Eastern thought however cannot go without notice, especially
for the fact that it has shaped Eastern civilization.  It is
in brief the very foundation of what is the East.  Still, it
is  difficult  to  grasp  and remains obscure because of its
foundational  nature in ordinary experience, i.e., it is the
very basis  upon which  perception  takes  place  in dynamic
ways.  In other words, whenever  there  is perception  under
ordinary metaphysical understanding, we can only describe it
in terms of the substance or elements involved in it but the
substance or elements in and of themselves do not constitute
the perception  itself.  That  is, perception  includes  the
substance or elements but in addition much more content. The
"much more content"  refers  to  the openness  of perception
to which  one must focus.  This  is a challenge  but it also
creates a paradoxical  situation in the organic metaphysical
perception  of  things.   So  while  Eastern  experience  is
essentially   built   on  this  novel  metaphysics,  Western
experience  is  still  essentially  based  on  tangible  and
rationally deducible nature in perception.
   The  foregoing  discussion  on the  dynamic  foundational