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Some Of The Dharma
 
 
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Some Of The Dharma (Paperback)

by Jack Kerouac (Author) "1. All Life is Sorrowful ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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From Library Journal

Begun in December 1951 as a notebook for his Buddhist studies, this work records Kerouac's reactions to a variety of Buddhist texts. Over the course of five years, it grew to include poems, prayers, dialogs, meditations, and notes on his reading, as well as commentary on family, friends, and meaningful concerns in his life. Readers of Kerouac's novels may find some of the discussions of Buddhist doctrines tedious and repetitive, but those who persevere will be rewarded with interesting insights into Kerouac's struggle with alcoholism, his occasional thoughts of suicide, and his disturbing tendency toward misogyny. Long anticipated by Kerouac scholars, this major work belongs in all literature collections.?William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib.,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Kirkus Reviews

More ersatz Buddhism from postwar America's most overrated author. ``Dharma'' is a Buddhist term meaning, roughly, ``law.'' Some of the Dharma purports to be a journal of meditations on that subject, but Kerouac is unable to keep his mind on track, resulting in a work that's ultimately chaotic. His technique seems sound enough: He takes a classic Buddhist philosophical statement and then decodes it for his own use. Unfortunately, his interpretations are usually far from the point, as Kerouac is unable to separate Hinduism, Taoism, and even Catholicism from Buddhism, with repeated incorrect assessments of how the Tao affects Buddhahood (it does not) or how Jesus was a Buddha-like figure (by most accounts he was not). Furthermore, Kerouac, by his own admission, is unable to stay sober long enough to attain any real enlightenment. He sets forth the goals of not drinking, meditating regularly, and abstaining from sex, but he makes lame excuses for his falling off the wagon, and his rationalizations for avoiding sex devolve into plain misogyny, such as his statement ``PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES F*** you all,'' or his observation that jazz cannot possibly be a high art form if women can perform it. Kerouac's various conceits, e.g., that he is a greater writer than Joyce (whose term for verse- -pome--he steals) or Burroughs (whose ``cut-up'' technique it appears Kerouac is trying to approximate), are downright absurd. Comparing himself as an artist to Mozart on the one hand, while unable to get his manuscripts published (a continual obsession in the journals) on the other, often renders Kerouac laughable. If the reader is left wondering what all this has to do with Buddhism, the answer is, very little. If you're searching for real Buddhism, pick up Suzuki; if you must indulge your guilty pleasures with more Kerouac, reread On the Road. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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1. All Life is Sorrowful Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
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2 star:    (0)
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4.2 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST of Kerouac's work, Jun 9 2004
By M. Bridgeman (Baton Rouge, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Some Of The Dharma (Paperback)
He did not realize these notebooks would be published, so this is Kerouac at his very core. I have been an avid, hungry devotee of Kerouac's work not since reading On the Road, but since getting my hands of a copy of THIS BOOK. Some of the Dharma is the most inspirational book I own - dare I say even more inspiring than my Bible - his random poems about everything ranging from vulgar liquids all conjoined in your earthly body, to the serious issue of the Boddhisatva... Every writer, reader, English teacher, English learner should all read at least parts of this book at some point in their lives.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Changeless Time, Aug 3 2001
By NO FLAG (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Some Of The Dharma (Paperback)
Glad to see kind folk jump in to defend a true literary master. One who is more commonly dismissed by the American scholastic establishment than overrated by it. Point blank-do a worldwide deity count and start at the beginning of human existence. Now divide that number by the ones who had a full grown beard, then by the ones who were left handed, and then by the ones who were lactose intolerant, and then ... ... with whatever flag, or president, or hockey player you just know is going to take the home team all the way this year. People, anyone that tells you that Christ & Buddha couldn’t have been similar better be one old son of a gun. If they read their Socrates they would know that the only thing we know about Christ is what got through the King James filter and ditto for Buddha and the innumerable self-serving(yuppie in the U.S.) translations of his teachings. Kerouac is great and should be cherished because of his amazing grasp on such material. It is this obvious understanding he has that makes him more guilty than most of us. Kerouac’s hypocrisy(or any other fault or sin) is more defined to the reader simply because the man understands where God stops & man starts within the confines of these doctrines. But I guess something like that would be too hard to understand if you think that general American academic establishment ...like T.S. Eliot is end of all literature.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Jack... beatnik love, Jul 21 2001
By Eryn Roles "erynroles" (Somewhere on the east coast) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Some Of The Dharma (Paperback)
In all consideration, this Kirkus fellow sees Jack's work as something to be embarrassingly indulged in. I disagree wholeheartedly. Jack Kerouac could not be more insightful. He seems to express all the random feelings one would have in life. He explores language and snakes through the river of life in a completely authentic way. Some of the Dharma is just one example of his many masterpieces. To read any one of Kerouac's books is an adventure into a mind that not only wants to experience life but wants to be drunk and sick with it.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars that editorial review
Obviously "kirkus" translates to incompetent moron. I have never witnessed a more inept, bungling, and egocentric review as the editorial review above. Read more
Published on May 23 2001 by nico_blue

4.0 out of 5 stars Odd, but strangely useful.
The way this book is written is somewhat mad. It's mostly just clips & paragraphs of Kerouac's thoughts on Buddhism. Read more
Published on Mar 1 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars a book to grow with
This is one of my all time favorite books. It's a journal that spans years, with thoughts that are illuminating. Read more
Published on Jul 4 2000 by Alejandra Vernon

3.0 out of 5 stars Hope People Are Ready For This. . .
O boy, what a novel to review -- or is this a novel? Actually it's not. It's a collection of random notes on Zen Buddhism, and some sections made its way to other books (i. Read more
Published on April 8 2000 by Rayv

5.0 out of 5 stars Kerouac--all in all--GENIUS
I will agree that the Kirkus review is HARSH. It is sad to see someone with little "heart" for Kerouacs work. Read more
Published on Sep 24 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Kirkus Review: You know nothing!
Kirkus Review is a piece of junk. This book is great Kerouac. Also Kirkus made a mistake. Burroughs did not make up the "cut-up" method, Brion Gysin did. Read more
Published on May 26 1999 by Philip Cartelli (rent42@prolog...

5.0 out of 5 stars Value Kerouac as Kerouac, Not as a Tulku
I agree with most of my fellow reviewers that the Kirkus review is rather harsh. To attack Kerouac on the basis of his alcoholism, his Catholic upbringing, and his lack of being... Read more
Published on April 17 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Thank maya for Jack's flaws.
By way of providing a balance to Kirkus' rather grouchy review of Kerouac's "Book of the Dharma":

Kerouac's being unable definitively to seperate Buddhism from... Read more

Published on Feb 12 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars the spiritual foundation of kerouac
if you are the least bit curious of kerouac's spirtual quest as well as the roots of one of america's first boddhisatva's then this book is a must. Read more
Published on Sep 27 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars Bottom of the barrel scraped for this one!
'Dharma' may be of interest to Kerouac scholars for obscure historical reasons, or to a few Kerouac fans for emotional reasons, but it doesn't stand on it's own as a work of... Read more
Published on Sep 2 1997

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