Buddhism And The Poetry Of Jack Kerouac Essay Example

manifestation of the 'essence of isness'.

Both Kerouac's prose and volumes of poetry demonstrate his literary translation of the spirituality of living. Through his poems, he effectively utilizes the poetic medium to express the deep and concentrated spiritual essence inherent in everything, especially emphasizing Buddhist teachings. Kerouac's commitment as a Buddhist student impressed his peers, including fellow Buddhists like Gary Snyder and ordained Zen monk Philip Whalen, due to his extensive understanding of Buddhist texts and concepts.

In 1956, Kerouac authored a 420-page book known as Some Of The Dharma. This book comprised of notes, thoughts, poems, and prose poems on various ideas from the Sutras. Its purpose was to bring ancient Buddhist wisdom into a modern context that would be relevant for those undertaking a spiritual journey in the western world. Additionally, Some of the Dharma was intended to function as a study guide for Allen Ginsberg, who was both a close friend and companion of Kerouac. Concurrently with writing his spiritually-inspired novel Desolation Angels, Kerouac also crafted a poem named Desolation Blues.

Although written after Kerouac had left Desolation Peak, where he served as a fire lookout in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this text reflects on the contemplations he had during his solitary moments atop the mountain. From the very beginning, he acknowledges a Buddhist perspective of the world through his own personal lens. Standing on my head on Desolation Peak, I witness the world suspended in an endless ocean of space, with mountains slowly dripping their rocks like bubbles in a void. Kerouac portrays a world that is constructed and almost surreal in its essence. It is as if he recognizes the true nature

of the mountain and the world itself, hidden beneath their facades. Later in the poem, he directly connects this concept to our own existence. We are hanging into the vast blue abyss—a space filled with countless and boundless worlds, even more numerous than the rocks that shatter and transform into smaller fragments. At this point, it becomes evident that Kerouac employs the same writing style used in many of his books.

He embraced the 'spontaneous bop prosody', greatly influenced by Buddhism, much like Jazz musicians were. Both in his writing and in a musician's solo, there was a distinct Buddhist essence. This entailed becoming deeply connected with the subject, transcending the mere act of writing or playing to embody the action itself. Kerouac skillfully employed this technique in a later section of the poem. And if you don't appreciate the tone of my poems, feel free to disregard them. I am empowered to gently assert that you are completely liberated, as free as empty space.

You don't have to be famous or perfect. You don't have to work or marry. You don't have to carry burdens or kneel. Why kneel for the taste of rain? You don't even have to sit. Like an endless rock camp, go ahead and blow, explode. I won't say anything, neither will this rock. My outhouse doesn't care and I don't have a body here.

Kerouac relies on intuition to execute a Zen rambling, confusing consciousness into an unconfused state of awareness of our confused human condition. Kerouac continues this tradition of contemplating the essence of existence fused with whirling word play. Ultimately, his long-term poetic goal is to paint a confused, random,

and chaotic literary melange, which presents itself as a poetic interpretation of the nature of the world.

Many of the choruses in his book Mexico City Blues, which consists of 242 separate choruses or individual poems, engage with this technique.

The 106th Chorus Man is presently not in any specific place because the absence of anywhere is synonymous with being present right here. My purpose here is to provide evidence or bear witness. Nowhere indicates the former condition of nowhere, which I am well aware of. I am more knowledgeable about anywhere than I am about this specific and all-encompassing location. This happened when I descended through the narrow opening of the needle and transformed into a rolling torso in the Univers-O. Let me inform you, my fellow brethren, that by this point, roughly around 1958-59, Kerouac had become extremely proficient in skillfully controlling the English language to suit his own poetic objectives. Additionally, he had developed a deep comprehension of Buddhist philosophy. He considered himself to possess a practical understanding of Buddhism. This was of ultimate importance to him because he believed it was essential not only to have memorized numerous concepts and names but also to be able to apply those ideas to one's own surroundings and circumstances. He continued in this manner throughout Mexico City Blues.

157th Chorus

Bring on the single teaching, It's all indeed in Love; Love not of Loved Object Cause no Object exists, Love of Objectlessness, When nothing exists Save yourself and your not-self Hung in a moon Of perfect O canopy Sorrowing Starborrowing Happiness Parade Here Kerouac makes reference to the notion of compassion or, 'Love.'; Compassion (Ahimsa in Sanskrit)

is a prevalent concept in Buddhism. As for the object of this love, Kerouac saw the Buddhist concept of essential selflessness and the subsequent 'objectlessness'; of everything as a wonderful opportunity to tie the proverbial tongue with a spiritual excersize in poetry.

158th Chorus

It wont happen is what it is- It'll lose touch- It was the same in past eternities It will be with the bees now the feeling of in and out your feeling of being alive is the feeling of in ; out your feeling of being dead u n a l i v e When it comes you wont sneeze no more, Gesundheit. It wont happen, is what is- And it aint happenin now Smile ; think deeply Kerouac makes an attempt here at explaining another Buddhist concept known as Samsara. Samsara is the beginningless cycle of birth and rebirth within which ignorant beings are caught.

Kerouac explains the feeling of being alive as the feeling of "in ; out." The cyclic nature of this phenomenon is referenced in the lines "your feeling of being dead/u n a l i v e." The juxtaposition of dead and "unalive" shows that they are not opposite but rather complementary. With a small amount of analysis, Kerouac confuses enlightenment through his poetry. In his poems, Kerouac tries to explain Buddhist concepts as they relate to modern America and attempts to paint a broader image of the "big picture." One such attempt can be seen in Mexico City Blues, specifically the 129th Chorus, where he discusses a mission to conquer the desert and the consequences of our actions. Whether we end up in hell or heaven depends

on our choices, but the certainty is that our time is limited and death awaits us.

The focus is on the reward received by the victorious individual, highlighting that it is not about personal importance but rather selflessness, a crucial element for achieving enlightenment. This selflessness is what qualifies someone as a 'Victor' and enables them to attain Heaven or Nirvana. Kerouac also introduces the bodhisatva, underscoring his exploration of Mahayana Buddhism.

Within this particular school, there is a strong emphasis on the bodhisatva, an enlightened individual who chooses to be reborn as a human to assist others in achieving enlightenment. Kerouac viewed himself in this role and believed his poetry and prose could serve as a guide for others on their spiritual journey. When he wrote about being sent on a mission to conquer the desert and create tracks in the dust that do not exist, he was referring to the responsibility he and others have to unravel the mysteries of this world and aid others in reaching Nirvana.

In the end, Kerouac abandoned his efforts to incorporate Buddhist thought into his Western life and literature and instead embraced the literary technique of Buddhism. Throughout his career, he made sporadic attempts at Haiku, although he deviated from the traditional syllabic pattern of 5-7-5. He justified this deviation by highlighting the significant difference between writing in English with letters, as opposed to writing in Japanese with characters. This shift in approach reflects Kerouac's desire to view poetry from a Zen perspective, given that Haiku originated in Japan. Below are a few examples of his attempts.

Dusk: the bird on the fence a contemporary of mine Enlightenment is: do

what you want eat what there is The moon, the falling star- Look elsewhere Jack Kerouac was a writer with spiritual preoccupations. He embraced religion as an essential component of his life, including his writing. Like a Buddhist, Jack regarded life as a remarkable phenomenon that could be comprehended. Nevertheless, in Western belief, miracles are thought to be only understood by God.

Kerouac easily embraces this argument, perceiving the world as countless diamond essences. In his poetry and prose, he conveys the idea that we are all God. His Buddhist perspective enables him to see the world with insightful eyes and capture his contemplations. For Kerouac, life is not only a miracle but also an art form.

Both Buddhism and Kerouac introduced this concept to the western world.