Re: So stand up and introduce yourself.
J J R (jrovira@juno.com)
Fri, 30 Oct 1998 20:11:18 -0500 (EST)
That was a good question at the end there, Matt.
Well, I'm unfamiliar with Vedantic scholars you mention and their work,
but would love to read it. I suppose it partly depends on what kind of
Hindu we're talking about here, and to tackle a bigger issue, well,
reading any literature within the context of a very specific and well
defined belief system (be it a particular brand of Hinduism, a particular
brand of Christianity, Marxism, feminism...whatever) is highly suspect to
me.
The problem I have is that a value system is either artificially imposed
upon the text, or the text is made subservient to a value system. I
still believe in the objectivity of texts, to a degree--forgive my lack
of sophistication on the matter. I think a value system can be drawn out
of a text rather than imposed upon it.
I'd say Ayn Rand, since she's been discussed a lot lately, is a good
exception. She was both novelist and consciously and deliberately a
philosopher.
But then we're talking Buddhism and Salinger, no? So this begs the
question. I would have to present Buddhism clearly, then present the
Hinduism of your Vedantic scholars clearly, then try to read Teddy in the
light of both. Not really in a position to do that right now :)
Jim
PS Just finished reading Sundeep's post and I want to say Thanks. I much
prefer a belief system being presented by those who hold to it. And yes,
I wish it was even more pedantic, because I think that's what was called
for in this discussion--specific facts, down to the nit-picking details.
There's just no substitute for accuracy and even a little bit of truth...
On Thu, 29 Oct 1998 23:45:49 -0500 Matt Kozusko
<mkozusko@parallel.park.uga.edu> writes:
>J J R wrote:
>
>> There are probably well over a hundred upanishads, but
>> something like 15 or so of them are considered the principal ones
>(BOY do
>> I need to catch up again).
>
>Sort of like Pound's Cantos, eh?
>
>> Teddy is...eh...well, it has a Buddhist Feel to it, let me tell you.
> I'm
>> not sure that the view of reincarnation in Teddy is completely
>buddhist,
>
>That's odd--what do you make of all the Vedanta (Hindu, no?) experts
>who
>have written rare treatises on Salinger's preoccupation with
>particular
>Vedantic tenets? "Teddy" being something of the end of the line for
>Sal's published spiritual adventures, I would expect it also to be the
>ultimate Vedantic gesture.
>
>Thanks for the fine post...
>
>
>--
>Matt Kozusko mkozusko@parallel.park.uga.edu
>
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