More Salinger and Zen

Camille Scaysbrook (verona_beach@geocities.com)
Sat, 13 Jun 1998 15:14:42 +1000

Here's some more stuff that didn't make it in to my last post - mostly
comparisons of the stories and a couple of little tidbits.

THE STORY OF SRI
  RAMAKRISHNA
At the age of sixteen he
went to Calcutta but was
disgusted by the material-
istic ideals of the people
of the great metropolis. He
eventually became a priest
in the Dakenshineswar Temple
and practically without the
help of any teacher obtained
the vision of God.

THE STORY OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA
At the age of sixteen
Gautama faced the reality of
adulthood. His family was
rich and he lived a life of
luxury but was not satisfied
by it and made a journey.
For 6 years he wandered the
Ganges, learning from famous
religious teachers, none of
which satisfied him.
Meditating by the river
Neranjara after years of
meditation in a forest full
of wild animals, he suddenly
experienced unexpected and
indescribable enlightenment.
He realised that once a man
stops trying to control his
life and environment, and
attempting the impossible,
he feels liberated from the
everlasting round of birth
and death.  
     THE STORY OF 
`THE CATCHER IN THE RYE'
A sixteen year old boy named
Holden Caulfield (the son of
wealthy parents) runs away
from school to his home in
New York. Wandering the city
alone, he is disillusioned
by the superficiality of it
and its citizens. However,
it is through witnessing his
young sister Phoebe going
round and round on a merry-
go-round after a trip to the
zoo that he recieves any
sort of answer or joy, not
from the advices of the
school teachers, girl friend
and other acquaintances he
meets along the way.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ZEN
`Zen has always specialized
in nonsense as a means of
stimulating the mind to go
forward to that which is
beyond sense.'
- ALDOUS HUXLEY 
`The basic idea of Zen is to
come in touch with the inner
workings of our being, and
to do this in the most
direct way possible, without
resorting to anything super-
natural or added.'
- PROFESSOR DAISETZ SUZUKI

SRI RAMAKRISHNA : A Hindu
mystic whose teachings of a
`Universal Religion were
popularised by a disciple,
Swami Vivekanda. His
writings `THE GOSPELS OF SRI
RAMAKRISHNA' were published
by Salinger's publisher
Hamish Hamilton at his
suggestion.

DEFINITION OF THE ZEN KOAN:
`Those surrealistic, un-
answerable conundrums
designed to stir up and re-
adjust one's view of things'
: JAMES LUNDQUIST )

Camille 
verona_beach@geocities.com
@ THE ARTS HOLE
www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6442