| How I Became A Hindu - My Discovery of Vedic Dharma |
 |
| Books By David Frawley |
| EARLY YEARS | |
|
|
|
Mystical Poetry and Discovery of Eastern Spirituality Throughout this intellectual revolt I never lost sight of a higher reality. I fancied myself to be a "mystical atheist" because though I rejected the Biblical idea of a personal God I did recognize an impersonal consciousness or pure being behind the universe. I also remember reading Herman Hesse’s Journey to the East. I learned that there were great spiritual and mystical traditions in the East that perhaps still existed. I began my own journey to the East. Meanwhile I also studied European poetry and art. I particularly enjoyed the French symbolist poets like Rimbaud and Mallarme who had a mystic vision. The German mystic poet Rilke, however, was my favorite and best epitomized what I thought real poetry should be. Poetry had a depth and ambiguity that philosophy could not reach. I realized that it was a better vehicle to reflect this mysterious universe in which we live. I examined twentieth century European artistic movements like the Surrealists and Dadaists as well. While I enjoyed their images and ideas I felt that their style of expression had become crude. I preferred something more classical in art. The modern art of the machine, the newspaper or the mass media seemed vulgar. I could not relate to the degradation found in modern art, particularly what transpired after World War II.
|
|
