Humanities and Arts
Mountains and Waters of No-Mind A Transcultural Approach to Moments of Heightened Awareness and Non-Substantialist Ontology in Henry David Thoreau, Jack Kerouac, and Gary Snyder
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Birgit Capelle
Birgit Capelle
University of Bonn; North American Studies Program; Department of English, American, and Celtic Studies;
Abstract
This article explores the epic poem Mountains and Rivers Without End (1996) by Gary Snyder and a Song/Chin dynasty Chinese landscape painting. I illustrate how the poem and the painting, together with Henry David Thoreau’s autobiographical narrative A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849) and Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums (1958), form a complex web of intertextual and intermedial references. All four works, I argue, tell similar narratives of spiritual journey and paths through mountain and river landscapes; all four speak of moments of heightened awareness in the sense of Buddhist “no-mind” (Chinese: wu-shin; Japanese: mushin). I show how they converge in exhibiting ontologies of non-substantiality, emptiness, and becoming. Taking the philosophies of Zen Buddhism and Taoism as a theoretical frame, I argue that the American transcendentalist and Beat works poetically and narratively convey relational rather than substantialist views of Being and life. They depict the world as a dynamic and open field of tension between two non-oppositional forces from which we as subjects are not essentially separate in a dualistic way. I substantiate my argument by drawing on the French sinologist and philosopher François Jullien, who refers to the Chinese understanding of landscape (“mountains and waters”) in his critical treatment of (European) philosophy’s centuries-long subject-centered epistemology and substantialist “ontology of Being.”
Key Questions
What is the main focus of this article?
The article explores the intertextual and intermedial connections between Gary Snyder’s epic poem *Mountains and Rivers Without End* (1996), a Song/Chin dynasty Chinese landscape painting, Henry David Thoreau’s *A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers* (1849), and Jack Kerouac’s *The Dharma Bums* (1958). It examines how these works share narratives of spiritual journeys and reflect Buddhist and Taoist philosophies.
How do the works discussed in the article relate to Buddhist and Taoist philosophies?
The works reflect Buddhist and Taoist ideas of non-substantiality, emptiness, and becoming. They emphasize relational views of Being, depicting the world as a dynamic field of tension between non-oppositional forces, rather than a static, dualistic reality.
What is the significance of the concept of “no-mind” (wu-shin/mushin) in these works?
“No-mind” refers to a state of heightened awareness and non-attachment central to Zen Buddhism. The article argues that the works depict moments of such awareness, where the self dissolves into the interconnectedness of all things, reflecting a non-dualistic worldview.
How does the article connect Gary Snyder’s poem to Chinese landscape painting?
The article highlights how Snyder’s poem and Chinese landscape painting both depict mountain and river landscapes as metaphors for spiritual journeys. They share a focus on the dynamic interplay of natural forces and the interconnectedness of all things.
What role do Thoreau’s and Kerouac’s works play in the article’s argument?
Thoreau’s *A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers* and Kerouac’s *The Dharma Bums* are analyzed as American transcendentalist and Beat works that similarly explore spiritual journeys and non-dualistic views of Being. They complement Snyder’s poem and Chinese landscape painting in their shared philosophical themes.
How does the article use François Jullien’s philosophy?
The article draws on François Jullien’s critique of European subject-centered epistemology and substantialist ontology. Jullien’s interpretation of Chinese landscape as a relational and dynamic field of tension provides a theoretical framework for understanding the works discussed.
What is the “ontology of Being” contrasted with in the article?
The “ontology of Being” is contrasted with a relational ontology that emphasizes non-substantiality, emptiness, and becoming. The article argues that the works reflect this relational view, rejecting dualistic and static conceptions of reality.
How do the works depict the relationship between humans and nature?
The works depict humans as inseparable from nature, rejecting a dualistic separation between subject and object. They emphasize the interconnectedness of all things and the dynamic interplay of natural forces.
What is the significance of mountain and river landscapes in these works?
Mountain and river landscapes serve as metaphors for spiritual journeys and the dynamic interplay of forces in nature. They symbolize the interconnectedness and fluidity of existence, central to Buddhist and Taoist philosophies.
How does the article contribute to understanding American transcendentalism and Beat literature?
The article shows how American transcendentalist and Beat works, influenced by Eastern philosophies, challenge Western dualistic and substantialist views. It highlights their shared emphasis on relational ontologies and spiritual interconnectedness.
