I wanted to circulate this note on a book and TV show called "The Art of Travel" by Alain de Botton (see author's website at
http://www.alaindebotton.com/travel.htm )
He examines the psychology and aesthetics of travel in an amusing yet thought-provoking style. One of his conclusions is that to truly experience "traveling", we must learn to edit what we see in the same way artists single out and elevate aspects of reality in their work.
I wondered if such ideas could be applied to spiritual travel, (meaning either actual pilgrimage or more broadly traversing the ups and downs of everyday life). For instance, if somone was trying to explore an interior landscape and communicate their vision, de Botton would advocate not mere reportage, but aesthetic interpretation of their experiences there. Perhaps this could be termed "poetic license".
Reading the spiritual writings of the past in this way, that is as subjective and interpretive rather than narrative and literal, might help to reconcile apparently differing narrations of the same events, for example in the various biographies of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. . . Any views on that?
QUOTE(Kamala @ Jan 4 2005, 11:59 PM)
I wanted to circulate this note on a book and TV show called "The Art of Travel" by Alain de Botton (see author's website at
http://www.alaindebotton.com/travel.htm )
He examines the psychology and aesthetics of travel in an amusing yet thought-provoking style. One of his conclusions is that to truly experience "traveling", we must learn to edit what we see in the same way artists single out and elevate aspects of reality in their work.
I wondered if such ideas could be applied to spiritual travel, (meaning either actual pilgrimage or more broadly traversing the ups and downs of everyday life). For instance, if somone was trying to explore an interior landscape and communicate their vision, de Botton would advocate not mere reportage, but aesthetic interpretation of their experiences there. Perhaps this could be termed "poetic license".
Reading the spiritual writings of the past in this way, that is as subjective and interpretive rather than narrative and literal, might help to reconcile apparently differing narrations of the same events, for example in the various biographies of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. . . Any views on that?
I find this to be a very inspiring post. In a sense, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, one of the greatest spiritual travellers in medieval India, "edited" the landscape of the geographic Braj to initiate the renaissance of the
yatric Braj.
I wish you every success with this topic.
Jay Chitra Sakhi !