Buddha or Bust: In Search of Truth, Meaning, Happiness and the Man Who Found Them All

By Perry Garfinkel

Book Overview

Why does an idea that's 2,500 years old seem more relevant today than ever before? How can the Buddha's teachings help us solve many of the world's problems? Journalist Perry Garfinkel circumnavigated the globe to discover the heart of Buddhism and the reasons for its growing popularity--and ended up discovering himself in the process. The assignment from National Geographic couldn't have come at a better time for Garfinkel. Burned out, laid up with back problems, disillusioned by relationships and religion itself, he was still hoping for that big journalistic break--and the answers to life's biggest riddles as well. So he set out on a geographic, historical and personal expedition that would lead him around the world in search of those answers, and then some. First, to better understand the man who was born Prince Siddhartha Gautama, he followed the time-honored pilgrimage "in the footsteps of the Buddha" in India. From there, he tracked the historical course of Buddhism: to Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Tibet, Japan and on to San Francisco and Europe. He found that the Buddha's teachings have spawned a worldwide movement of "engaged Buddhism," the application of Buddhist principles to resolve social, environmental, health, political and other contemporary problems. From East to West and back to the East again, this movement has caused a Buddhism Boom. Along the way he met a diverse array of Buddhist practitioners--Thai artists, Indian nuns, Sri Lankan school children, Zen archers in Japan, kung fu monks in China and the world's first Buddhist comic (only in America). Among dozens of Buddhist scholars and leaders, Garfinkel interviewed His Holiness the Dalai Lama, an experience that left him speechless--almost. As just reward for his efforts, toward the end of his journey Garfinkel fell in love in the south of France at the retreat center of a leader of the engaged movement, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh--a romance that taught him as much about Buddhism as all the masters combined. In this original, entertaining book, Garfinkel separates Buddhist fact from fiction, sharing his humorous insights and keen perceptions about everything from spiritual tourism to Asian traffic jams to the endless road to enlightenment.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400082188
• ISBN13: 9781400082186
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Harmony
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Good Read!

Good Read! Want a break from The Stephen King Books or Lost on ABC? Then pick up a copy...Nice Break from everyday life.......

It was funny. It was on target.

I bought the book as a gift for my husband and as I was wrapping it I started reading it. Ultimately, read the whole damn thing. Garfinkel is funny with dry detached observations that make the subject digestable and, well, funny! I've struggled with traditional discussions of Buddhism and heard scholars discuss Buddhism in the west. I usually zoned out early on. Not this time. I ended up buying 4 books, gave them all away and now, damn it, need one for myself.

Who the heck is Buddha anyway?

If you wanna know, read this book! The author takes you on a phantasmagorical ride around the globe to trace Buddha's origins. This guy even gets a meeting with the Dalai Lama himself and sort of becomes his pal. Garfinkel's writing style and incredible knowledge of history combines to create a book that's easy to read and understandable -- for the first time I think I really understood the Sri Lankan conflict that occurred between the majority Sinhalese, largely Buddhists, and the mainly Hindu Tamil separatists. And it was in Sri Lanka the author comes face to face with the hypocrisy of even the peaceful dogma of Buddhism when he realizes there are "Monks in politics? Buddhists at war?" While it should be a country showing the best of what Buddhism has to offer, he writes, "it is hemorrhaging from within." He made Buddha real for me, even showing that he may have had some self-doubt. In Chapter 4, "In the Land of Buddha's Birth", Garfinkel writes: "Indeed, the Buddha considered `checking out.' He could have lived up to one of his names, Tathagata, which means `thus gone'. Furthermore, he lamented that his Truths were much too complicated to teach and much too difficult to follow." Buddha obviously chose to persevere, but through such nuggets the author breaths life into the Buddha many of us have come to know as a fat silly sculpture like the one on the book cover.

A lively blend of travelogue and spiritual examination.

It may surprise you to know a recent study revealed one in eight Americans say that Buddhist teachings or practices have influenced their lives: BUDDHA OR BUST: IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, MEANING, HAPPINESS, AND THE MAN WHO FOUND THEM ALL tells of a journalist's world-wide journey to understand why. His assignment for National Geographic led him to follow the footsteps of the Buddha, and in the course of his travels to sacred Buddhist sites and his interviews with renowned Buddhist authorities, he discovered many underlying influences on Buddhist beliefs systems - revealed here, in a lively blend of travelogue and spiritual examination. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Humorous and Insightful Take on Contemporary Buddhism

At some point in our cultural consciousness, Buddhism developed a hip cachet. From Zen mp3 players and the rock band Nirvana to Richard Gere's appearances with the Dalai Lama, Buddhist vocabulary and imagery began to infiltrate our collective psychic ken. Journalist/Author Perry Garfinkel spins what began as a National Geographic assignment on modern Buddism around the globe to a full-length book chronicling his journeys around the planet in search of the living Buddhist spirit amidst the cacaphony of modern life. From the war-torn provinces of Sri Lanka(where Buddhist soldiers defy the image of pacificism associated with the religion) to Takster, the birthplace of the Dalai Lama, Garfinkel gives a humorous and sharp-eyed report on Buddhist faith and practice. The picture that emerges is of a complex, evolving religion that is not spared the contradictions, hypocricies, and perplexities of other faiths. Along the way Garfinkel encounters a cast of lively characters, including Sri Lankan activist Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Shao Lin monk Shi De Cheng, Thich Nhat Hanh, and His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Garfinkel seasons the book with just enough autobiographical information and humor to keep it lively and quick-paced without becoming indulgent or self-aggrandizing. He manages to blend contemporary observations with historical record to create an informative, clear, and accessible portrait of the historic Buddha and the religion that followed in his wake. At 291 pages, the book is a quick, lean, and fun read. For those who enjoy travel writing and/or religious exploration, this book is a score.