The accidental Buddhist : mindfulness, enlightenment, and sitting still / Dinty W. Moore.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

THE ACCIDENTAL BUDDHIST is the funny, provocative story of how Dinty Moore went looking for the faith he'd lost in what might seem the most unlikely of places: the ancient Eastern tradition of Buddhism. Moore demystifies and explains the contradictions and concepts of this most mystic-seeming of religious traditions. This plain-spoken, insightful look at the dharma in America will fascinate anyone curious about the wisdom of other cultures and other religions. "Sure of foot in complex terrain, and packing a blessedly down-to-earth sense of humor, Dinty Moore is the perfect scout for the new frontiers of American Buddhism."--Rodger Kamenetz, author of THE JEW IN THE LOTUS and STALKING ELIJAH.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Moore (The Emperor's Virtual Clothes: The Naked Truth About Internet Culture) offers a lighthearted account of how, in 1995, he set out to find out why Buddhism seemed to be taking America by storm. Along the way, he becomes a practicing Buddhist. With good humor and a penchant for not taking life too seriously, Moore travels to a variety of locations in the U.S. where Buddhism has thrived and become a part of the culture. In a chapter titled "Buddha 101: Stumbling Up Monkey Mind Mountain," Moore describes his weekend at a Zen monastery in upstate New York where he and other participants learn the basic lessons of mindfulness and sitting meditation. Other chapters find Moore discovering key principles of Buddhism, such as the struggle to give up attachment to material things ("Why Do Tibetan Buddhists Have Such Trouble with Their Vacuum Cleaners?: They Lack Attachments") and zazen, or sitting meditation ("Eat Your Rice, Wash Your Bowl, and Just Sit: Studying with the Seven-Year-Old Master"). In a final chapter, Moore remarks that his Buddhism, even though he calls himself a "fairly lousy Buddhist," has made him aware that he should "live my life according to the principles of kindness, compassion, and awareness." Moore's hilarious and sometimes irreverent look at Buddhism is a perfect primer for the budding Buddhist. Second serial rights to Tricycle. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Moore is an explorer. He ventured into Internet culture in his first book and was inspired to write his second when he became intrigued with the surge of interest in Buddhism in the West. A lapsed Catholic with a healthy sense of skepticism, Moore went on retreats at Buddhist monasteries, attended sessions at zendos and meditation centers, and participated in all manner of Zen and Tibetan Buddhist events. His witty and candid "regular guy" approach to these experiences is entertaining and comforting, and his conclusions--that a viable form of American Buddhism has yet to coalesce but that meditation can benefit nearly everyone--are right on target. Moore is the quintessential Buddhist novice, whereas Salzberg, a longtime Buddhist teacher, is an adept. As her practice evolved, she learned that it is possible to live with a sense of connectedness and an "unbounded heart" and to help others do the same. Her teachings take the soothing form of stories, both personal anecdotes and instructional tales, and all are told with lucidity and warmth. Yoga isn't a religion per se or merely a set of physical exercises that help relieve stress and increase flexibility; rather it is a spiritual and philosophical tradition articulated in a wealth of poetic scriptures. Feuerstein, a prolific and cogent yoga scholar and popularizer, has selected inspirational passages from various Sanskrit and Hindi texts, including the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Mahabharata, poems that bare the "very heart of yoga," and created a gracefully organized and beautifully translated anthology. Bhante Wimala, as the Dalai Lama explains in his foreword, is a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka who has traveled far and wide "teaching in the spirit of monks at the time of Buddha," and his book is a passionate and explicit invitation to walk the spiritual path. Bhante Wimala helps readers recognize their preconceived notions about various issues, then offers in-depth essays on alternative perspectives. Like most Buddhist teachers, Bhante Wimala draws on his own experiences to illuminate every discussion, whether the topic is breath awareness or love. --Donna Seaman

Kirkus Book Review

A self-absorbed but still instructive trek through the many varieties of American Buddhism. Moore (The Emperor's Virtual Clothes, 1995) claims a predicament with which many Americans are familiar: Life along the information superhighway can seem a hurried, tense affair. Like other seekers, Moore turns to Buddhism to soothe his angst and fill the meaningless void. Thus, another book about yet another Baby Boomer who skeptically embraces an Eastern religion--and who thinks that his spiritual quest is fascinating enough to relate to all the world. The quest is hackneyed, the humor irritating (``Why do Tibetan Buddhists have trouble with their vacuum cleaners? They lack attachments''). That said, Moore's tale is valuable on an entirely different, perhaps unintended, count: as a travelogue detailing the tremendous diversity within American Buddhism. His anecdotes make it clear that the umbrella term ``Buddhist'' encompasses strict Zen monks, laid-back Tibetan politicos, and beatnik holdover Allen Ginsberg. In his travels, Moore attends weekend retreats, chronicles the Dalai Lama's 1996 visit to Indiana, and grooves to Change Your Mind Day, a meditative Buddha- fest in New York City's Central Park. Along the way he asks whether American Buddhism is ``the real thing or just shallow amusement''; his own experiences seem to indicate that it is both. In the end, Moore's wanderings come full circle, as he quite accidentally discovers a group of practicing Buddhists in his own rural town. He finds that his family is his sangha (monastery), and while he still feels he is ``probably a fairly lousy Buddhist,'' he will eclectically combine his various forms of new knowledge to find a path that makes sense to him. Now that may be an authentic American Buddhism. (Author tour)