Q:  Are the books available in other languages?

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A:  Buddhist Boot Camp is available in Spanish, French, Polish, Dutch, Chinese, Czech, and German (please note the German edition is called "Sit Happens" instead of "Buddhist Boot Camp"). If you are interested in making any of the books available in other languages, please contact Hawkeye Publishers.

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Q:  Can you recommend any other books to read?

 

A:  Most definitely! I read about a book a week and have many literary gems to recommend, so CLICK HERE for a list to get you started. Enjoy!

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Q: Why is the first book called "Buddhist Boot Camp"?

 

A:  Every time I watched the movie Fight Club I thought to myself "THIS is Buddhist Boot Camp!" It beautifully (although quite violently and graphically) depicts the internal struggle within us all. The book is a collection of journal entries and personal emails that I had sent to my friends and family over the course of a few years. I was studying different belief systems and psychology at the same time in an ongoing effort to not only understand what it is that people believe, but why they believe what they do. When my friends encouraged me to publish my letters in a blog-to-book format, naming my diary "Buddhist Boot Camp" felt like a good fit. This is not a book about Buddhism or the Buddha, nor would you find any academic or historical information about the many different sects of Buddhism, the traditions, ceremonies, sutras, or anything of the sort! It is, however, a non-sectarian invitation to be a Buddha (awake), by mindfully living in line with your values, whatever they may be. As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist, use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are!" We are soldiers of peace in the army of love!

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Q:  Why is the memoir called Faithfully Religionless? Isn't Buddhism a religion?

 

A:  Buddhism isn't a religion (there is no creator nor a theory on how or when the world began). Buddhism is a philosophy or a way of life, and it beautifully works alongside your existing faith (whatever it may be; see my answer to the question below about "Christian Buddhists"). I called my memoir "Faithfully Religionless" because it beautifully encapsulates where I currently am with my faith: lots of it, without any affiliation to a specific religion or sect.

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Q:  I'm confused! I got a copy of Buddhist Boot Camp in 2012 in paperback, but now there's a different edition of the same book? What's going on?

 

A:  You're not losing your mind! If you have a 70-page English paperback of Buddhist Boot Camp, you actually own a rare copy of the first edition manuscript of the book before it was published in hardcover by HarperCollins for worldwide distribution with twice as many chapters. The current English edition of Buddhist Boot Camp is not available in paperback, except for not-for-resale copies printed exclusively for distribution to prisons, schools, and juvenile centers that don't allow hardbound books.

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Q:  Can I be your student?

 

A:  We can certainly be friends, but I am not a teacher.

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Q:  I love Jesus but I think I might be Buddhist; do I have to convert?

 

A:  Absolutely not! As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are!" I strongly recommend you read "Living Buddha Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh. I think you'll find that it beautifully bridges the gap between the two faiths and strengthens both.

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Q:  Are the books available in audio?

 

A:  Yes, all three books are available through audible narrated by yours truly.

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Q:  What are you doing now?

 

A:  My intention is to complete the Mana'o Journal Series (six down, six more to go).