Re: Snap, Crackle, Pop-Zen

Yonatan Kaganoff (kagi@hotmail.com)
Fri, 29 May 1998 06:24:31 -0700 (PDT) 

I am sure that JDS read all of the standard works of ZB. But I wasn't 
questioning his background. Rather the ZB that he presents in his 
stories is not an authentic ZB although it has many elements of ZB. 
I assume that Seymour/Teddy is meant to be a Buddhaist Saint but it is 
pushing it to include Holden in that category. 
One gets the sense from reading JDS's early short stories, especially 
"The Young Folks" and "The Long Debut of Lois Taggett" that long before 
he discovered ZB, he had a sense of it, and this sense is what permeates 
CITR. The Meditative element which any serious understanding of ZB 
requires is absent from all of his works pre-"Teddy".
But to argue that a "pop Zen appearing superficial might actually be the 
most authentic" misses the point. The irreverce of ZB is what marks ZB, 
not superficiality. ZB is not to be treated lightly and a way of 
releiving the stess of Western life as I've seen modern books do. 

----Original Message Follows----


>>>Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 14:15:23 -0700 (PDT)
>>>From: Yonatan Kaganoff <kagi@hotmail.com>
>>>To: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu

>>>
>>>I would be interested, although many of his reads on Zen reveal a 
1950's
>>>pop-Zen, which are a useful segue into primary sources, but 
themselves
>>>are incorrect.
>>>Yonatan Kaganoff

Actually, I disagree.  I checked up on some of the references Salinger 
made
to Zen translations, and they're pretty well respected, if dated.  For
instance, he mentions R. H. Blyth as being a major motivation.  I went 
and
looked for Blyth's books (which are lamentably difficult to locate!).  
It
turns out Blyth is considered one of the best transmitters of Zen to the
Western world--and Blyth was friends with D. T. Suzuki, who I wouldn't 
call
pop.

But even still, couldn't the pop Zen, be the zenniest Zen?  I mean, a 
false
Zen would be one that took itself too seriously, whereas a pop Zen 
appearing
superficial might actually be the most authentic.

Has anyone else been reading up on R. H. Blyth?

C.M.P.







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