This book argues that Dylan actually embraces two radically distinct world views at alternating periods. Throughout his various stages, Dylan's work reveals an affinity with the Zen world view, where enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Forgoing Christianity and Western Views for Zen and Buddhism, "Bargainin' for Salvation" will capture your attention and direct it toward the East. One of the mysteries of Bob Dylan's incredible corpus is why he seems to veer and zigzag so drastically and dramatically from one extreme standpoint to another. Throughout his career, rapid, radical transitions in musical style and public persona have either inspired or shocked different sectors of his fans. Is Dylan's work complex and contradictory, or is there an underlying consistency and continuity? Steven Heine, Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University, argues that Dylan actually embraces two radically distinct world views at alternating periods. One is prevalent in his Protest (early '60s), Country (late '60s), and Gospel (late '70s) phases; it finds Dylan expressing moral outrage in endorsing a single higher truth based on a right-versus-wrong philosophy. The second view appears during periods of Dylan's disillusionment in the mid '60s ("Desolation Row"), mid '70s ("Tangled Up in Blue"), and mid '80s ("Jokerman"), finding him disenchanted with one-sided proclamations of truth and wandering, seemingly aimless amid a relativistic world of masks and disguises where nothing is ever what it claims to be. Throughout his various stages, Dylan's work reveals an affinity with the Zen world view, where enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Whatever his current beliefs are, though, one can go into reading this book knowing that there are no others like it. Forgoing Christianity and Western views for Zen and Buddhism, "Bargainin' for Salvation" will capture your attention and direct it toward the East.
Show moreThis book argues that Dylan actually embraces two radically distinct world views at alternating periods. Throughout his various stages, Dylan's work reveals an affinity with the Zen world view, where enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Forgoing Christianity and Western Views for Zen and Buddhism, "Bargainin' for Salvation" will capture your attention and direct it toward the East. One of the mysteries of Bob Dylan's incredible corpus is why he seems to veer and zigzag so drastically and dramatically from one extreme standpoint to another. Throughout his career, rapid, radical transitions in musical style and public persona have either inspired or shocked different sectors of his fans. Is Dylan's work complex and contradictory, or is there an underlying consistency and continuity? Steven Heine, Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University, argues that Dylan actually embraces two radically distinct world views at alternating periods. One is prevalent in his Protest (early '60s), Country (late '60s), and Gospel (late '70s) phases; it finds Dylan expressing moral outrage in endorsing a single higher truth based on a right-versus-wrong philosophy. The second view appears during periods of Dylan's disillusionment in the mid '60s ("Desolation Row"), mid '70s ("Tangled Up in Blue"), and mid '80s ("Jokerman"), finding him disenchanted with one-sided proclamations of truth and wandering, seemingly aimless amid a relativistic world of masks and disguises where nothing is ever what it claims to be. Throughout his various stages, Dylan's work reveals an affinity with the Zen world view, where enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Whatever his current beliefs are, though, one can go into reading this book knowing that there are no others like it. Forgoing Christianity and Western views for Zen and Buddhism, "Bargainin' for Salvation" will capture your attention and direct it toward the East.
Show more1. Satori in Amsterdam - "Inside the Museums, Infinity Goes Up
on Trial"
2. The Paths of Duality and Non-Duality - "The Judge is Coming In,
Everybody Rise"
3. Duality I: The Protest Era - From the Union Halls to the Blues
Bars
4. Non-Duality I: The Mid 60's Folk-Rock Era - "I've Had to
Re-Arrange Their Faces"
5. Duality II: The Country Era - "Have a Bunch of Kids who Call Me
'Pa'"
6. Non-Duality II: The Mid-70's Road Show: "An Illusion to Me
Now"
7. Duality III: The Gospel Era - "You Either Got Faith or
Unbelief"
8. Non-Duality III: Mid-80's Retro - "Staying One Step Ahead of the
Prosecutor Within"
9. The "Modern Era": Middle Way Lost - "I Used to Care, But Things
Have Changed"
10. Dylan's Expressiveness and Zen - "Sitting Like Buddha in a Ten
Foot Cell"
This book argues that Dylan actually embraces two radically distinct worldviews at alternating periods. Throughout his various stages, Dylan's work reveals an affinity with the Zen worldview, where enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Forgoing Christianity and Western Views for Zen and Buddhism, Bargainin' for Salvation will capture your attention and direct it toward the East.
Steven Heine is professor of religious studies and history and director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University.Heine's research specializes in the life and thought of Zen master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Soto sect in Japan, and he has published twenty books and dozens of articles on Japanese culture.His publications include Did Dogen Go to China? (Oxford, 2006), The Zen Poetry of Dogen (Tuttle, 1997), Dogen and the Koan Tradition (SUNY, 1993), Shifting Shape, Shaping Text (Hawaii, 2000), and White Collar Zen (Oxford, 2005), which has been reviewed in USA Today, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Working Knowledge, and elsewhere.
Bob Dylan has assumed many identities in his long career: folk
singer, protest singer, rock poet, filmmaker, born-again Christian,
bluesman, and radio show host. Now Heine (Florida International
Univ.) makes the case for Dylan as Zen Master. Who knew? In a
thorough survey and critical analysis of Dylan's lyrics and other
writings, Heine examines the shifting worldviews of the man who
once wrote "he not busy being born is busy dying." He contrasts the
dogmatic Judeo-Christian premise (good vs. evil) in Dylan's songs
with a nondualistic view (represented by an awareness of "multiple
relativistic truths") that creeps into other songs-and often within
the same song ("Nettie Moore," from Modern Times, is a recent
example). The book's bulk expands on this thesis and is rich with
lyrical exposition, arguing that Dylan's embrace of both worldviews
explains his own ever-changing styles and persona. Heine offers a
fresh look at Dylan's spiritual side and clearly demonstrates his
mastery of Zen Buddhism as well as Dylanology. His book deserves to
stand next to other studies of Dylan and religion, such as Stephen
Webb's Dylan Redeemed: From Highway 61 to Saved and Scott
Marshall's Restless Pilgrim: The Spiritual Journey of Bob Dylan.
Recommended for academic libraries.
*Library Journal*
In Bargainin', Heine...interprets the oeuvre of Dylan's career
through a Zen Buddhist perspective and includes but digs much, much
deeper than Dylan's obvious Buddhist influences -- the references
in songs and interviews, his travels to Japan, his kinship with
Allen Ginsberg and other Beat writers who were involved in Zen
practice -- by presenting Dylan's entire career trajectory as a
demonstration of attainment of the "Middle Way" in Buddhist
teaching, or the avoidance of all extremes and the refraining from
opposing positions.
*The Examiner*
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