"Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out..." (Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971: 89)
***
I must disclose that Robert Aho is my relative. But don't expect that I will fill this review with fawning acclamation and adulation for my beloved older cousin. On the contrary, my evaluation will be harsh and critical (because that's what cousins are for).
My early childhood memory of Bob is a letter he wrote to me with instructions how to make a snow fort. So, it should be no surprise that he became an architect. Timeless Luminosity is the book that Bob built, a blending of his profession and studies of anthropology, art, literature, philosophy and religion. It is a multivocal construction of Buddhist inspired prose and poetry related to his Near Death Experience (NDE) and suited for multiple audiences.
So why write about death (or near death)? This doesn't have to necessarily be a depressing or awkward subject. Many cultures view human existence as cycles of life, death and rebirth. For example, J. Stephen Lansing writes about the Balinese-Hindu conception of samsara, "Most anthropological descriptions of the life cycle begin with birth... in the Balinese case, it makes more sense to begin at the moment of death" (The Balinese, 1995: 32). And this is where Bob's composition begins as well.
The book's prose aims to explain Bob's early studies that seem to have prepared him for such an experience, the NDE itself and his meditations and contemplations afterwards. There are many Buddhist terms that might be too esoteric for some readers. The academic in me wishes that Bob included direct references within the text. (A guru might respond, "Silly academic, do you need me to hold your hand?" To be fair, there is a bibliography at the end of the book which would allow for one's own investigation of these terms, guiding the horse to water to allow it to drink at its own pace). But the bibliophile in me is glad there aren't any pesky citations or footnotes. I wish the prose was a bit longer because it is interesting and I want more details. Bob's style of writing is personal, brave and spiritual. It almost reminds me of the work of Haruki Murakami, writing about the adventures of a regular guy in otherworldly, dreamlike settings trying to understand the contradictions of life and death. After reading Murakami I usually feel like I have had a couple of drinks.
The book's poetry is assembled like mala prayer beads (108 verses and 4 introductory guru verses). The poems are separate and related, free verse and sometimes playful, reminiscent of the Buddhist Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. The stanzas are different shapes and sizes, similar to pictographs resembling meditative imagery, breathing and/or heartbeats. This is Bob's shared meditation - he discusses reading the poems front to back and back to front. I feel like I can open to a random page and read them in any order. Random orders and timely contexts make for new revelations with every reading. Verses 21 and 31 especially speak to me during these trying and troubling socio-political times. We all need to shut off CNN (or FOX News) and meditate. I agree with Bob in that we need to examine our minds, look inwardly to see what awaits and relax. RELAX.
I conclude with Bob's own advice about the book. "Please enjoy. Do not take any of this too seriously, and don't take my word for it" (25). ENJOY.
Self-published, Duluth, MN USA
ISBN 9798633736199
https://www.facebook.com/Timeless-Luminosity-100996178269439
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