Jack Kerouac's Buddhism and the American Search for Enlightenment: The Diamond Vow
Sarah F. Haynes provides a detailed analysis of Jack Kerouac's unpublished diaries and Buddhist writing alongside the Buddhism presented in his published works. Kerouac's involvement with Buddhism is traditionally accepted to have occurred between 1953-1958. However, his unpublished diaries reveal that he continued to write about Buddhism until at least 1967.

Haynes' comparative analysis of Kerouac's unpublished documents provides a richer and more complete understanding of Kerouac's Buddhist practice. She reflects on the differences between the themes in Kerouac's published and unpublished Buddhism, arguing that Kerouac's Buddhism is based in his search for stability, which is contradictory to the messages in his published works. Kerouac's unpublished writings reveal his inability to actualize the lifestyle he promoted. Despite this conflict, however, the impact and legacy of Kerouac's religious vision on the development of Buddhism in America is significant.

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Jack Kerouac's Buddhism and the American Search for Enlightenment: The Diamond Vow
Sarah F. Haynes provides a detailed analysis of Jack Kerouac's unpublished diaries and Buddhist writing alongside the Buddhism presented in his published works. Kerouac's involvement with Buddhism is traditionally accepted to have occurred between 1953-1958. However, his unpublished diaries reveal that he continued to write about Buddhism until at least 1967.

Haynes' comparative analysis of Kerouac's unpublished documents provides a richer and more complete understanding of Kerouac's Buddhist practice. She reflects on the differences between the themes in Kerouac's published and unpublished Buddhism, arguing that Kerouac's Buddhism is based in his search for stability, which is contradictory to the messages in his published works. Kerouac's unpublished writings reveal his inability to actualize the lifestyle he promoted. Despite this conflict, however, the impact and legacy of Kerouac's religious vision on the development of Buddhism in America is significant.

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Jack Kerouac's Buddhism and the American Search for Enlightenment: The Diamond Vow

Jack Kerouac's Buddhism and the American Search for Enlightenment: The Diamond Vow

by Sarah F. Haynes
Jack Kerouac's Buddhism and the American Search for Enlightenment: The Diamond Vow

Jack Kerouac's Buddhism and the American Search for Enlightenment: The Diamond Vow

by Sarah F. Haynes

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Overview

Sarah F. Haynes provides a detailed analysis of Jack Kerouac's unpublished diaries and Buddhist writing alongside the Buddhism presented in his published works. Kerouac's involvement with Buddhism is traditionally accepted to have occurred between 1953-1958. However, his unpublished diaries reveal that he continued to write about Buddhism until at least 1967.

Haynes' comparative analysis of Kerouac's unpublished documents provides a richer and more complete understanding of Kerouac's Buddhist practice. She reflects on the differences between the themes in Kerouac's published and unpublished Buddhism, arguing that Kerouac's Buddhism is based in his search for stability, which is contradictory to the messages in his published works. Kerouac's unpublished writings reveal his inability to actualize the lifestyle he promoted. Despite this conflict, however, the impact and legacy of Kerouac's religious vision on the development of Buddhism in America is significant.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350134751
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 07/09/2026
Pages: 224
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Sarah F. Haynes is Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Western Illinois University, USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Section I : Kerouac's Pre-Buddhist t Period (1922-1953)
1. Young Kerouac
2. Religion in Post-War America
Section II: Kerouac's Early Buddhist Period (1953-1958)
3. Kerouac's Published Buddhist Works
4. Kerouac's Unpublished Buddhist Works
Section III: Kerouac's late Buddhist Period from 1958-1969
5. Kerouac's Unpublished Buddhist Works Post-1958
6. Kerouac, Buddhism, and Pop Culture
Appendices
Index

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