<i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i>
This paper analyses Jack Kerouac’s brief but intense conversion to American pseudo-Buddhism and the artistic effect of this biographical development, arguing that his conversion was total from a spiritual point of view and that its almost immediate effect was the production of a literary piece which...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/2/148 |
| _version_ | 1797297166800125952 |
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| author | Ovidiu Matiu |
| author_facet | Ovidiu Matiu |
| author_sort | Ovidiu Matiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper analyses Jack Kerouac’s brief but intense conversion to American pseudo-Buddhism and the artistic effect of this biographical development, arguing that his conversion was total from a spiritual point of view and that its almost immediate effect was the production of a literary piece which should be read as a (fictional) pseudo-Buddhist hagiography, or a pseudo-<i>ojoden</i>. The article investigates Jack Kerouac’s life as the life of a modern American Buddha, as a person engaged in a constant quest for spiritual enlightenment, who imbued his work with a spiritual feeling derived from his personal, direct, albeit limited experience with spirituality. His novel, <i>The Dharma Bums</i>, is a (fictional) pseudo-Buddhist hagiography because it is (auto)biographical, and the central characters are portrayed as enlightened, “holy” beings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:16:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dca29f4808c54017bba1a0154a36f00a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:16:22Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-dca29f4808c54017bba1a0154a36f00a2024-02-23T15:32:35ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442024-01-0115214810.3390/rel15020148<i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i>Ovidiu Matiu0Department of Anglo-American and German Studies, Faculty of Letters and Arts, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, RomaniaThis paper analyses Jack Kerouac’s brief but intense conversion to American pseudo-Buddhism and the artistic effect of this biographical development, arguing that his conversion was total from a spiritual point of view and that its almost immediate effect was the production of a literary piece which should be read as a (fictional) pseudo-Buddhist hagiography, or a pseudo-<i>ojoden</i>. The article investigates Jack Kerouac’s life as the life of a modern American Buddha, as a person engaged in a constant quest for spiritual enlightenment, who imbued his work with a spiritual feeling derived from his personal, direct, albeit limited experience with spirituality. His novel, <i>The Dharma Bums</i>, is a (fictional) pseudo-Buddhist hagiography because it is (auto)biographical, and the central characters are portrayed as enlightened, “holy” beings.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/2/148hagiographyBuddhismJack KerouacBuddhist novel<i>ojoden</i> |
| spellingShingle | Ovidiu Matiu <i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i> Religions hagiography Buddhism Jack Kerouac Buddhist novel <i>ojoden</i> |
| title | <i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i> |
| title_full | <i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i> |
| title_fullStr | <i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i> |
| title_short | <i>The Dharma Bums</i>: A (Fictional) Pseudo-Buddhist Hagiography, or a Pseudo-<i>ojoden</i> |
| title_sort | i the dharma bums i a fictional pseudo buddhist hagiography or a pseudo i ojoden i |
| topic | hagiography Buddhism Jack Kerouac Buddhist novel <i>ojoden</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/2/148 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ovidiumatiu ithedharmabumsiafictionalpseudobuddhisthagiographyorapseudoiojodeni |