Kerouac Jack
Jack Kerouac Outstanding ALS Exploring Christianity, Buddhism, Spirituality, Philosophy & Linguistics, & Referring to his Upcoming Book, Some of the Dharma, as a "pearl…shining in the desert"

4pp autograph letter signed by Beatnik author Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) as "Jack K." in the bottom right corner of the last page. Dated October 26, 1954, and addressed to Robert Lax (1915-2000), Kerouac's friend and fellow writer and Catholic. Written in pencil on two 8.5" x 11" sheets of paginated onion skin paper, each folded in half. Wonderfully complete with traces of Kerouac's occasional edits and pencil erasures. The recipient's surname has been inscribed in red ink at the top of the letter at a later date. A few stray wrinkles, else near fine.

This letter is exceptionally rich in content, and dates from early in Kerouac's literary career. (The Town and the City had been published in 1950, but Kerouac's widely acclaimed masterpiece On the Road was still three years away from its publication date of 1957.)

During the early- to mid-1950s, Kerouac became intensely interested in alternative religions, including Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism. Kerouac especially devoted himself to Buddhism: its study, interpretation, and practice. He did so without abandoning his fervent Roman Catholicism, which has been instilled in him by his beloved French-Canadian mother, Gabrielle-Ange Lévesque (1895-1973). Kerouac thus embraced an array of faiths, finding an interesting--if not schizophrenic--way to live out all of their ideals in tranquility. This letter suggests that Kerouac relished seeking out common elements found in multiple religions, both as an intellectual and as a spiritual exercise. An example of this is found in the letter when Kerouac contrasts karuna, or compassion (a cornerstone principle of Buddhism, and a prerequisite for attaining a happy life and rebirth) with agape, the Greco-Christian belief in the existence of the highest and purest form of love.

Kerouac's letter to Lax is packed with profound ideas and controversial insights. In it, he refers to no fewer than three different world religions. He compares and contrasts Eastern, Ancient, and Christian philosophy; comments about the Faustian struggle of Communism and Capitalism; and name-drops, with dizzying rapidity, such disparate figures as Buddha, Tao, Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Oxford scholar F. Harold Smith, and Catholic radio and television host Fulton J. Sheen. The letter not only illustrates Kerouac's scholarliness (his diverse interests ranged from art history to literary criticism, and from science to history), but also his true intellectualism. Kerouac was completely devoted to a personal quest for spirituality, and as we shall see in the letter, this vision was also messianic.

In the letter to Lax, Kerouac employs the imagery of a pearl found in a desert to describe the illuminating quality of one of his works. This is almost certainly a flattering reference to Kerouac's Some of the Dharma, a creative work of non-fiction about Buddhism published in 1956. Kerouac worked on Some of the Dharma steadily between 1953-1956, and in a very unconventional way. The book is really a compendium of different literary forms: snippets of haiku poetry, journal entries, summaries of conversations, excerpts from letters, prayers, and more. The project grew out of reading notes that Kerouac compiled on Buddhism for friend and fellow Beat Allen Ginsberg.

The remarkable letter is transcribed below in part, with original spelling and punctuation:

"…I want to tell you about Karuna and Agape and a political note. I read somewhere that Agape is the seed soul + center of Christian feeling which I call Christian Trustfulness - Agape is defined as CARE + REVERENCE, care is from Anglo Saxon Cear, 'taking heed', Icelandic Kaeri, 'complaint', Latin carus 'dear' - Cark is Old English for great care + comes from cearig 'anxious') - in other words, the true Christian worries about the suffering of others; he is filled with concern ('concernere', how to translate it? from-seeing). Agape is a form of dear complaining heed arising from-seeing …. (from-discriminating) …. reverence is defined = RE (again) VEREOR (I feel awe) … dear complaining heed arising from seems + feeling awe again before suffering - right? That feeling that love's dying slowly. -

Now KARUNA is the soul of Buddhism, is translated by Harold Smith (Oxford Scholar) to mean 'the pathos of compassion redressing human sorrows'. REDRESS is from Latin Redirigo and really means 'to again lay straight'. To restraighten the crooked, the smooth out the suffering again - (Einstein's Ripple Returned to Void) - Karuna is the Buddhistic return to again straighten the sorrowing world, the rediscovery of the lost path of the Buddhas of Old, the straight + narrow path of pathos + compassion, fleshy gate to bright emptiness…

My point is, no good comes of suffering with the workers in this Sea of Ignorance; instead, we must emancipate the workers from bondage to the coal-mines of self-delusion and raise them to the purity of solitude, quiescence + concentration of mind in prayer + compassion - THE WHOLE WORLD A MONASTERY, ASCETISM, CHASTITY, - we must re-straighten their sorrows, not encourage them to go on suffering because of delusionary world-work + false imagination - This is all ignorant form of pity, but in a black mine, sweating, making imaginary 'goods' for the world's impure attachments, how can enlightenment take place? when you're bone-weary?

The ancient Chinese say 'Perturb not your vital essence.' 'Be quiet, be pure'. TAO

This Western 'work' idea is essentially Faustian and it is Faustian Totalitarianism created both Capitalism + Communism, Tit and Tat. Buddha is Antifaust but not Antichrist … Christ is magi[ci]an … self-realization of highest perfect wisdom, ecstasy of transcendental insight, sorrowing compassionate radiance + transcendental assistance in the emancipation of all suffering sentience from the unbroken chain of suffering's causation can only be achieved in solitude, poverty, and contemplation - AND IN A GATHERING OF HOMELESS BROTHERS - The rest is chickens with their heads cut off raving in ignorant forms of pity, O what for? - what are we waiting for? The pearl is shining in the desert. (This is my book).

That's why, solitude, non-involvement, sincere dedication to holy realization is my lone way. I'm no saint, I'm sensual, I can't resist wine, am liable to sneers + secret wraths + attachments to imaginary lures before my eyes - but I intend to ascend by stages + self-control to Vow to help all sentient beings find enlightenment and holy escape from the sin and stain of life-body itself - I'm afraid of going to France - impatience is my chief weakness - but thank God I'm a lazy bum, because of that repose will come + in repose the secret, and in the secret: - Ceaseless Ecstasy. - ['Nirvana, as when the rain puts out a little fire'.]

See you in the world

Jack K."

Kerouac's correspondent Robert Lax was a poet and freelance editor. Lax traveled extensively and adopted a hermetic lifestyle which Kerouac probably envied, considering certain of his passages in the letter. Lax converted to Roman Catholicism from Judaism and was keenly interested in the Roman Catholic Church. In this subject, too, Kerouac and Lax shared an interest.

While this letter is from Kerouac's hand--and is in fact one of the best letters we've seen produced by Kerouac--it does not come directly from the Jack Kerouac Estate.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!