Book List 2

As the political and social struggles which spawned the hippy movement gained more experience and more followers, a deep insight into the roots of humanity's problems emerged. By the early 1960s, intellectuals and artists had declared that our very souls were crying out for spiritual nourishment in the existential darkness, and said our churches and religious authorities were not answering the call in any meaningful way. A crisis of spirit seemed to permeate the times.

By the late 60s, the youth culture had discovered that some answers and nourishment could be obtained from an eclectic mixture of the world's religious traditions - leading to some new hungers and questions to contemplate, of course. American and European kids brought up as Protestants and Catholics developed a fascination with Buddhism and Vedantic practices, along with ancient shamanic wisdom and pagan lore. They then blended this exotica with Jesus and other favored heroes retained from the Christian catechism, such as St. Francis of Assisi. The result was a tossed salad of spirituality, which could be sampled and nibbled as needed, in a sort of do-it-yourself approach to individualized religious syncretism.

Book List #2 - Spiritual Awakening

These are just a few of the books which influenced and guided hippy explorations of the soul and spirit. 

Be Here Now 
by Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)
1971

This is the ultimate hippy guidebook. Starting with Dr. Alpert's autobiographical transformation from psychologist into a devotee of yoga and meditation, this unusual book also includes an assemblage of quotable quotes of wisdom, instructions for breathing techniques and yoga postures, and a wonderful bibliography that is probably responsible for the awkward similarity of so many hippy libraries.

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The Sacred Pipe
by Black Elk
1953
 
A generation raised on Hollywood Westerns questioned the cowboy and Indian polarity, and soon embraced the Native American cause. Hippies often consulted this little book to keep it real. Black Elk was an Oglala Lakota medicine man. He was also a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show throughout Europe in 1887, he fought at the battle of Wounded Knee in 1890, and he was a Catholic school teacher in the 1900s. His semi-autobiographical book Black Elk Speaks was published in 1932. He became known for expounding the symbolic purpose and meaning of traditional Sioux ritual, along with his own visions and prophecies. This much slimmer volume, The Sacred Pipe, explains how and why to perform the most sacred of these rites and prayers.

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Zen in the Art of Archery
by Eugen Herrigel
1948

The culture clash known as "East meets West" has been colliding and melding ever since Marco Polo. Even though European and American organizations such as the Vedanta Society (founded 1894) and the Theosophical Society (founded 1875) translated and studied the holy books of India, Japan, Tibet and China, the general public in the West was largely unfamiliar with Asian religions - until this brief introduction to Zen Buddhism was published in Germany in 1948. Herrigal was a philosophy professor who stayed in Japan for five years to study archery from a Zen master. His account of the experience made the basic concepts of Zen accessible to Westerners, and became required reading for all hippies interested in spiritual pathways. And because of its emphasis on the balance and co-ordination of mind and body in the midst of an athletic feat - in this case, archery - this book also had a big influence on sports and coaching.

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Autobiography of a Yogi
by Paramahansa Yogananda
1946

Even when regarded crassly as a mere marketing gimmick, this book was a miracle worker. Decent hard-working Christian folk regarded Hinduism with suspicion and disdain, equating it with snake charmers and devil worshippers. When along came this mild-mannered, long haired guru, packing lecture halls across America with his infectious love of God, and his advice about how to experience that love more fully. Yogananda was a hit sensation with the novelty seeking public. The lecture tour was soon followed by publication of this book, which details Yogananda's youthful yearnings and plucky pilgrimages, complete with some mystical miracles. Suddenly the whole Western world had a friendly handle on the holy teachings of India, and the ancient legacy of Brahmanic Hinduism gained a bit of acceptance. After George Harrison read this book in 1966, it inspired The Beatles to take their 1968 trip to Rishikesh, India. As a result, every hippy had to read it - and with a miraculous resurgence, book sales skyrocketed.

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Meetings with Remarkable Men
by G. I. Gurdjieff
(English edition) 1963

Gurdjieff's teachings are notoriously tough to adhere to, and his writings have a
reputation for abstruse density. But this story is a carefree romp compared to his other books. An autobiographical tale of his wanderings through Transcaucasia and Central Asia, it puts emphasis on Gurdjieff's quest for wisdom and meaningful work, and the people he met along the way. Some of the more improbable anecdotes in the narrative are no doubt intended as fables for teaching purposes, so approach it with a bit of skepticism and a metaphoric eye. But for the most part, we can trust this to explain the origins and development of Gurdjieff's unique spiritual philosophy. As such, it serves as an entertaining primer on the subject. It was even made into a movie in 1979. Nevertheless, only a certain type of hippy took much interest in Gurdjieff's teachings. This book could only be found on the bookshelves of super serious, introspective, intellectual, agnostic hippies. But it always held a place of importance there.

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The Way of Zen
by Alan Watts
1957


Alan Watts was the consummate explainer of Eastern philosophies to Western readers. With a prolific number of books to his credit, he expressed his thorough scholarship - on everything from ancient Chinese divination to the meaning of Easter Sunday - in terms that ordinary lay people could understand. This book outlines the historical background of Zen Buddhism, describes how it is practiced, and discusses its relevance and meaning in the modern world. It is thought that this book was partly responsible for the Buddhist underpinnings of Jack Kerouac's 1958 travelogue, The Dharma Bums. And indeed Alan Watts himself makes an appearance in that novel as the character Arthur Whane. A typical hippy collection might include half a dozen different Alan Watts books. But at least one of them was inevitably The Way of Zen.

Vietnam

The significance of the Vietnam War in bringing about the confluence of the hippy counterculture can not be overstated. For the duration of that war, one's political and spiritual identity were defined by one's position on the conflict in Indochina. Several other urgent issues were on the table during those decades: civil rights, environmental disasters, labor struggles, and political corruption, to name a few. But it was the war that split Americans into two camps, separating the hawks from the doves. 

Draft notice

And because compulsory conscription of young men to fight this war was in effect, the Vietnam War had an intensely personal impact on college aged youth. Those who questioned the justification for this war began to meet and talk and think on campuses and cafes everywhere. This counterculture of peace activists was actually born several years before men started growing their hair long, and before the word "hippy" was applied to peace protestors. And the peace movement has continued to carry on long after the hairstyle and the word have gone out of fashion.

North and South Vietnam

The history of the Vietnam War is complex and messy. Battlefield conditions were terrifying. The tactics were frustrating. The moral quandaries for soldiers were agonizing. Back in America, the gory details were televised on the nightly news. Families bickered or glowered across the dinner table, divided by the war. So it was a war fought on many fronts, and I will be writing more about all of them in upcoming articles.

Vietnam service ribbon

When they returned home, veterans of the Vietnam War were not greeted by cheering crowds, as the veterans of most other wars have been. Many felt shunned by society, and were passed over for work and housing opportunities. This despite the fact that so many of them had no choice when they were drafted. And this was also despite the fact that so many of them were opposed to the war which they had been forced to fight. Some had even decorated their helmets with peace signs and such. But strangest of all, this neglect occurred despite the fact that it was compassion for these self-same inductees that had inspired draft resistance and anti-war protest in the first place. When it was finally over, America just wanted to forget. And regrettably, pacifists were only too happy to go along with that. However, veterans rights groups eventually prevailed upon the public conscience, and most liberals these days do advocate decent education, employment and health care for vets, who all deserve dignity and respect for their sacrifices and service.