Buddhism and IV

[rich]

I nicked this from the Cormac McCarthy discussion group and I found it
very interesting. if this has been posted apologies. it was written by
martinzook

Rich

One of the great things I'm enjoying about IV is the variety of realms
in it. I haven't quite organized them in my Pooh brain yet, but, at
the least, there are the dopers/surfers; the authorities divided into
two realms that might be thought of as capitalist and enforcement; and
the ancients, including the gurus with their links to previous
incarnations.

This roughly parallels the three higher realms in the buddhist
cosmology: the gods, demigods, and human.

I equate the dopers with the human realm. It is the best realm because
it offers the best equilibrium, the best causes and conditions to
awaken the mind.

The capitalist interests I equate with the god realm. They have
accumulated such wealth and luxury.

The enforcement authorities - coppers & feds - have a demigod quality
about them, in that they are in a constant state of conflict,
especially with the dopers. This deviates a little from the
traditional buddhist cosmology where the demigods are at war with the
gods, but generally reflects Pynchon's take on "authority."

The ancients are interesting. In many strains of buddhism, if not all,
lineage is important. Those who've gone before extend and expand the
path(s) to an awakened mind. In a proper wheel of life portrayal, the
path to liberation leads from the six realms to the upper left corner
where lineage is represented. There are several characters in IV who
might qualify as guides to the ancients, and there is a sense of
cyclical, or ancient, Time to IV.

There are also three lower realms of existence in the buddhist realms:
the animal realm (ignorance), the hungry ghost realm (unquenchable
desire), and the hell realms (anger). Instead of representing these as
separate realms, it seems to me that Pynchon has overlayed the
qualities of these realms on the top three realms. In effect, these
hell realms are the inherent vice of the three upper realms.

It's not only imaginative, but also in keeping with the many ways that
the wheel of existence can be perceived. I can envision the Tibetan
monks I know getting quite a chuckle out of this book.