January 17, 2004
Spiritual Chewing Gum for the Mind
I am just reading, if I don't lose it, a novel called Bankok 8 , which I bought as a Christmas present for someone who has spent time in Thailand, and then commandeered. The protagonist, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, is a Buddist detective on the Royal Thai Police Force. The thinking in the book is all Buddist, and it is a delicious way to immerse oneself in the principles of a belief system.
I feel the same way about Tony Hillerman's detective series , starring Joe Leaphorn, a Navajo policeman on the reservation in Four Corners, Arizona. The plots are saturated with Hopi and Navajo beliefs, practices, and differences.
Although I gave away two for Christmas, (I'll borrow one back) I understand that The DaVinci Code popularizes the principles of Gnosticism . Fascinating that it's a best seller at this time in history. I am assuming that the novel exposes ways in which Christianity has been distorted to serve the self serving powers of the patriarchy/papacy.
Then there are Mutant Message from Downunder" , a walkabout in the Australian desert with Aborigines , all of Carlos Castaneda , for the Yaqui traditions, and the Celestine Prophecy, for what it's worth.
I forgot "Bee Season" which, surprisingly, deals with Jewish mysticism and Abraham Abulafia .
Denoument: Carlo Suares , using the energetic meanings of the Hebrew Alphabet, decoded the real message of Genesis . His books are scholarly and dense. They are crucially important. Packaging is everything. We need an novelist here. Any
volunteers?
Hm....m..mm