Dinner with Buddha : A Novel

Algonquin's long-awaited follow-up to Breakfast with Buddha —one of our best-loved "word of mouth" bestsellers (with 200,000 copies in print)—finds Otto Ringling and Mongolian monk Volya Rinpoche on another unexpected road trip of discovery. In Roland Merullo's Breakfast with Buddha an inveterate skeptic and a world-renowned spiritual master set off across America; the Boston Globe raved, "Enlightenment meets On the Road, in this witty, insightful novel." Now, some eight years later, the world has spun a few times, and what had been certainties in both men's lives have proved fleeting. Otto's future is less than clear after the death of his wife, the departure of his children to make their own lives, and the loss of the only remaining structure in his life—his long-held job. For Rinpoche, the changes have been less daunting but nonetheless dramatic, as the encroachment of both technology and daily society threaten the... “We, like Otto, find our cynicism worn away by Rinpoche's gentle instruction in the simple but terribly difficult art of letting go, living each moment to the fullest, seeing the sacred in the everyday... This brave, meditative author has carved a unique niche in American literature.” —Kirkus Reviews starred review If life is a journey--with detours, paths from which to choose, and myriad roadblocks to overcome--then Otto Ringling is most certainly on the journey of a lifetime. The first fifty or so years of his journey were pretty good. He felt that he had it all, until one day he didn't. Looking for answers, he calls on his brother-in-law, Volya Rinpoche, a wise man and spiritual leader. A man who accepts the world as it comes to him; a man without pride or vanity. Someone who, as it turns out, is experiencing his own time of doubt. So, in hopes of finding answers to life's mysteries, the two embark on a journey through America, a road trip that becomes a lesson in love and gratitude. “Merullo offers keen insight into and intelligent assessments of modern American life, but it is his compassionate portrait of a grieving Otto in search of inner tranquility that is most affecting.” —Booklist “Otto is such a full human, which is why we can empathize with his questions and immerse ourselves in his experiences. In the end, we are all humanized by the spiritual journey of Dinner with Buddha.” —Spirituality and Practice “Merullo masterfully depicts the struggles of practicing mindfulness moment by moment... [The] novel is full of nuanced, thoughtful prose and is an immensely satisfying conclusion to the series.” —Publishers Weekly The author of Breakfast with Buddha brings his characteristic whimsy to a new novel about New York book editor Otto Ringling and Mongolian monk Volya Rinpoche, who embark on a road trip from Rinpoche's meditation center in North Dakota to the glitter and glitz of the Las Vegas strip. What prompts the trip is Otto's recently altered life, having lost first his wife, then his job, and then seeing both his children leave home for lives of their own. With Rinpoche's guidance, he hopes to find a new meaning in his life, and a new direction. But what begins as a quietly contemplative journey becomes much more, as the two men travel through the heart of the American midwest, witnessing the decimated lives of so many American natives and giving Otto new perspective on the trials he is experiencing in his own life. Along with these inner awakenings for Otto, there is also a very real hint of menace in the novel, as men show up who may be looking to make sure that the world never knows of the existence of Shelsa, the eight-year-old daughter of Rinpoche and Otto's sister, Cecilia. Shelsa has consistently shown that she has the markings and the instincts of a spiritual leader, leading to speculation that she may be the new Dalai Lama. Brothers-in-law New York book editor Otto Ringling and Mongolian monk Volya Rinpoche embark on their third road trip, this time from Rinpoche's meditation center in North Dakota to the glitter and glitz of the Las Vegas strip. What prompts the trip is Otto's recently altered life, having lost first his wife, then his job, and then seeing both his children leave home for lives of their own. With Rinpoche's guidance, he hopes to find a new meaning in his life, and a new direction. But what begins as a quietly contemplative journey becomes much more, as the two men travel through the heart of the American Midwest, witnessing the decimated lives of so many American natives and giving Otto new perspective on the trials he is experiencing in his own life. Along with these inner awakenings for Otto, there is also a very real hint of menace, from men who may be looking to make sure that the world never knows of the existence of Shelsa, the 8-year-old daughter of Rinpoche and Otto's sister, Cecilia. Shelsa has consistently shown that she has the markings and the instincts of a spiritual leader, leading to speculation that she may be the new Dalai Lama "Eight years after Breakfast with Buddha skeptic Otto Ringling and Mongolian monk Volya Rinpoche set off across America on another unexpected road trip of discovery--from Indian reservations and farming towns to Colorado's New Age culture and the nonspiritual streets of Las Vegas"--