I loved this book. Enlightening without being preachy. We all take so much for granted and need to open our eyes and appreciate the things that matter- love, family, etc. ( )

A great read, a spiritual road trip, a good man who is a little lost, has the opportunity to travel the US teaching a monk about the United States while he learns something from the monk along the way. Often funny and sometimes touching, I learned a lot reading it. ( )

I enjoyed this novel very much. It was a slow, meandering read but the characters were well developed. I wanted to meet them, spend time hanging out with them. I would love to read more encouraging novels like this one that spends time with real people in ordinary circumstances. ( )

Otto Ringling is having a hard time processing his parents' deaths via car accident. He drives from New York to New Jersey to pick up his sister, Cecilia for the long drive to their parents' farm in North Dakota to settle the estate. (Cecilia is afraid to fly.) But she talks him into driving her friend, Volya Rinpoche instead to open a meditation retreat on her part of their inheritance. Otto is not pleased believing Volya is a scam artist taking advantage of his sister.

But over the long drive the very positive Rinpoche is able to help Otto open his heart and mind. And learn about himself, his life, his beliefs and misbeliefs. Otto comes to like, respect and admire Rinpoche, and understand what he is trying to do to help people.

Excellent novel about choosing your life's paths, spiritual, or superficial, loving or hateful, productive or wasteful, insightful or insensitive.

I truly believe most of us will benefit from reading this book. Its beautiful optimistic and hopeful message that changing for the better is possible, and results in true fulfillment.

this was funny and good overall. a nice way to get some buddhist thoughts going w/o the dry stuff from cryptic Zen riddles.

i was slightly annoyed at the narrator at first. but perhaps because i am all too similar !!
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