Ginsberg Allen Ginsberg\'s Poetry Reflects

Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg's poetry reflects the Beat generation's budding brand of American Buddhism. Ginsberg's poem "America" encapsulates many of the author's political beliefs including his sympathy with socialism and communism. Formal Buddhism is not aligned with any political system, but Ginsberg skillfully incorporates Beat generation political sentiments into a Buddhist spiritual foundation. Ginsberg's spirituality belies a formal understanding of Buddhism even though the poet does not directly reference academic concepts like the Four Noble Truths, co-dependent origination, mindfulness, or the Eightfold Path. Moreover, Ginsberg denounces materialism while at the same time exhibiting a profound appreciation for the manifest universe. His deep caring for the world and his fervor to evoke change seem a far cry from sitting meditation. Therefore, Allen Ginsberg overcomes what K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera calls the "inherent problem of trying to intermingle religion with politics."

One key parallel between Ginsberg's "America" and Buddhist doctrine is the line "America after all it is you and I who are perfect not the next world." Unlike the Religions of the Book, Buddhism urges a greater concern for this world than the next. Afterlife is less important than good works in the here and now. Living according to the Eightfold Path requires a concentrated effort to experience each moment fully. Ginsberg affirms the perfection of the present moment by saying "America after all it is you and I who are perfect not the next world."

The narrator of "America" also refers to the mind in Buddhist terms. When he states "I can't stand my own mind," the narrator evokes the Monkey Mind concept of Zen. Buddhist meditation is a practice enabling transcendence of the desires that entrap the mind. Similarly, the narrator states, "I won't write my poem till I'm in my right mind." Being in the "right mind" suggests Satori, the state of Enlightenment. The narrator also begs for the kind of self-reflection and self-awareness that is the goal of Buddhist meditation. For example, he asks a series of rhetorical questions of America like "When will you look at yourself through the grave?" Honesty is a main theme of Ginsberg's "America," and self-knowledge is a key theme of Buddhist practice. The Buddhist practice of "just sitting" while in meditation also emerges in Ginsberg's poem when he writes, "I sit in my house for days on end and stare at the roses in the closet."

The narrator also likens himself to Buddha by saying, "You made me want to be a saint." The Buddha abnegated his wealth to pursue a path of total transcendence. Dissatisfied with asceticism, however, the Buddha pursued a middle path. The narrator in Ginsberg's "America" admits "I smoke marijuana every chance I get." Antithetical to formal Buddhism, which denounces mind-altering substances, the assertion nevertheless echoes the idea that total abstinence is not the spiritual goal. Honesty and respect for human life, on the other hand, are the goals of spiritual practice.