American writer Jack Kerouac's Buddhist beliefs brought to the forefront in new publication

- through Henry Oudin

Published

Jack Kerouac. At peterkurtz.wordpress.com

A book to come Jack Kerouac: The Buddhist Yearswill focus on Buddhist spirituality and the thoughts of American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), exploring how Buddhism shaped some of his most compelling ideas and eloquent writings.

According to a recent report by The Observer journal, the book, which will be published by Rare Bird Books later this year, contains about 30 "witty and moving semi-autobiographical stories, musings and poems, with titles such as 'The Long Night of Life' and 'A Dream Already Over.'"The Observer)

These compositions, discovered more than fifty years after Kerouac's death, have never been published except for two short excerpts. Much of the material came from the larger Kerouac archives, "the bulk of which is in the New York Public Library." (The Observer)

Kerouac was particularly interested in Buddhism in the 1950s, an interim period between his active writing years of 1942 and 1969. The Observerthe editor of Jack Kerouac: The Buddhist YearsCharles Shuttleworth noted that at this time Kerouac was "at his peak as a writer," at "his soul's best." (The Observer) Shuttleworth said: "This is a fascinating trove of material that takes readers ever deeper into Kerouac's psyche, all written in his fluid, expressive style. The writing is earnest and full of longing: longings for understanding and transcendence, his wish to be a better person. (The Observer)

At rarebirdlit.com

Buddhism was part of a broader postwar cultural rebellion against Western traditionalism, which for Kerouac included drugs and sexual libertarianism. Kerouac's seminal novel On the road (an experimental work of biography and fiction in which he recounts his travels with Beat Generation icon and fellow author Neal Cassady), has itself become a Beat Generation staple. Still, Kerouac was a complicated person: he remained deeply spiritual and faithful to his Catholic roots, and he was also anti-communist.

Kerouac remains an inspiration and even an icon to many contemporary Western Buddhists, primarily because of his seminal Buddhist work. The Dharma Bums (1958). In this autobiographical novel, he recounts his experiences with San Francisco Bay Area poets, including Buddhist author Gary Snyder (who appears as the semi-fictional character Japhy Ryder, while Kerouac himself appears as Ray Smith).

Like much of the work of American Buddhist writers of the time and since, the book is a harmony of American and Dharmic ideals, in which Ray Smith attempts to find meaningful contexts, particularly in relation to Buddhist teachings, for his encounters and experiences. A central theme is the duality or contrast between the high points of urban life that shaped some of Kerouac's great loves (jazz bars, poetry clubs, partying and drinking), and the wide-open spaces of the West Coast, where Kerouac indulged his love of hiking and mountaineering.

BDG columnist Kassidy Evans credits Kerouac for the inspiration for her column's name, Dharma Bum. San Diego's Buddhist community Dharma Bum Temple also draws inspiration from Kerouac's novel.

Kerouac's legacy, especially in light of the renewed coverage of Asian Americans who shaped postwar Western Buddhism, is not straightforward. In a review of The Creation of American Buddhism (2023), the late Buddhist professor and writer Hozan Alan Senauke has pointed out that Zen, particularly “Beat Zen,” has been privileged in dominant narratives of American Buddhism, which emphasize exoticism and the valorization of figures like Jack Kerouac, as well as Gary Snyder and even early pioneers of mindfulness and secular meditation, such as Alan Watts.

However, with this upcoming publication, Rare Bird Books will reveal a new side of Kerouac's Buddhism, with further inspiration for American Buddhist writers, of all ethnic backgrounds and cultures, who have since succeeded him.

See more

The Buddhist Years by Jack Kerouac (Rare Bird Books)
'The Best of His Soul': Jack Kerouac's Buddhist Writings to Be Published for the First Time (The Observer)

BDG Related Features

Book Review: The Creation of American Buddhism
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Buddhism Dharma Bum by Kassidy Evans

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Henry Oudin

Henry Oudin is a Buddhist scholar, spiritual adventurer and journalist. He is a passionate seeker of the depths of Buddhist wisdom, and travels regularly to learn more about Buddhism and spiritual cultures. By sharing his knowledge and life experiences on Buddhist News, Henry hopes to inspire others to embrace more spiritual and mindful ways of living.

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