Chapter 2 Summary

Ray reflects on his meeting with the St. Theresa Bum and realizes that the man is doing what he is supposed to be doing. That is, he is a Dharma Bum, having realized and assumed his rightful place in the world. Ray then hitchhikes to San Francisco where he meets a man named Japhy Ryder on the street, and Ray and Japhy spend several hours in each other's company.

Japhy is a backwoods boy from Eastern Oregon and grew up in a log cabin in the woods. He is five feet, seven inches tall, strong and wiry, with a bony face. He wears a goatee and has stained teeth. He has studied extensively in anthropology and Indian myth and speaks Chinese and Japanese. He is considered to be an Oriental scholar. Japhy is well versed in Buddhism, plays the guitar, loves the outdoors...