Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha
by Jack Kerouac
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jack KerouacEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2008-09-18
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Viking Adult
Book Reviews of Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha
Book Review: The Beatnik Version of Buddha
Summary: 3 Stars
Many passages of this short book are beautiful, striking and poetic. Kerouac was sincerely impressed and inspired by the Buddha and WAKE UP was his meditation on the life and example of Buddha. For that alone, I would call this an important book.
For someone seeking information, it falls woefully short. Kerouac has written a poetic version of Buddha stitched together from various uncited sutras. There is a long philosophical discussion in the middle with Buddha instructing his disciple Ananda which seems murky as if Kerouac was copying from a translation he didn't completely understand. Also, Kerouac's subsequent career and life showed that he was not practicing Buddhism in a practical sense. His assertions about what he perceived Buddhism to be should be taken with a grain of salt.
After reading several scholarly biographies of the Buddha, the poetic stream of consciousness style that Kerouac adopted was very refreshing. One needs to read this book when in the mood for a mystical turn of mind and enjoy the poetic gems that swim to the surface. On the negative side, stream-of-consciousness does not lead to greater coherence when discussing obtruse philosophical points.
For a better explication of the philosophy, I'd recommend THE BUDDHA SAID by Osho.
Ultimately, this book may be interesting and valuable for people who are interested in a better understanding of Kerouac, and as a landmark point in the development of American Buddhism.
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