#5

"I really believed in the reality of charity and kindness and humility and zeal and neutral tranquillity and wisdom and ecstasy, and I believed that I was an oldtime bhikku in modern clothes wandering the world, [...] in order to turn the wheel of the True Meaning, or the Dharma, and gain merit for myself as a future Buddha (Awakener) and as a future Hero in Paradise"
This quote, taken from Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums, is a great summary of what a Dharma Bum is. Both Ray Smith and Japhy Ryder, along with their buddies, aspire to find the Zen (peace) in life through nature and simplicity. "Dharma" is an Indian spiritual term that incorporates the meaning of higher truth and one's belief or religion. However, according to the narrator, Ray Smith, in order to be considered a Dharma Bum does not specify on a person's religious beliefs. As long as the "bum" follows and truly believes in the truth and goodness of their religion Smith defines them as a Dharma Bum such as the old bum he encounters on the train to Santa Barbara: "The little bum in the gondola solidified all my beliefs by warming up to the wine and talking and finally whipping out a tiny slip of paper which contained a prayer by Saint Teresa announcing that after he death she will return to the earth by showering it with roses from heaven, forever, for all living creatures. [...] "I cut it out of a reading-room magazine in LA couple of years ago. I always carry it with me."" Smith becomes impressed with the old man's devotion to his beliefs and later refers to him as "the little Saint Teresa bum" and "the first genuine Dharma Bum [he'd] met."
Based on this understanding of Dharma Bum, the term can be easily related to the Beats/beatitude. The Beats derived their name from 'beatitude', meaning the ones who are blessed. The Beats, like the Dharma Bums, attempted to live simple 'beat' down lifestyles just as Ray Smith and his buddies bummed around the country. Also like the Dharma Bums, the Beats had a a zen like attitude and view of the world.


Question: The terms Beat and Dharma seem almost interchangeable based on Kerouac's descriptions. Have you ever heard of the term Dharma Bum before or is it just Kerouac's "code word" to talk about his adventures as a part of the Beat Generation?