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Dinner with Buddha
Dinner with Buddha
Dinner with Buddha
Audiobook10 hours

Dinner with Buddha

Written by Roland Merullo

Narrated by Sean Runnette

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 2, 2015
ISBN9781622315796
Dinner with Buddha
Author

Roland Merullo

Roland Merullo is the bestselling author of more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, including Once Night Falls; The Delight of Being Ordinary; The Talk-Funny Girl, an Alex Award winner; Vatican Waltz, a Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2013 pick; Breakfast with Buddha, an international bestseller now in its twentieth printing; Lunch with Buddha, selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews; Revere Beach Boulevard, named one of the “Top 100 Essential Books of New England” by the Boston Globe; and Revere Beach Elegy, winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction. Born in Boston and raised in Revere, Massachusetts, Roland attended Brown University, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in Russian studies and a master of arts in Russian language and literature. A former Peace Corps volunteer, he’s also made his living as a carpenter, college professor, and cabdriver. Roland, his wife, and their two lovely daughters live in the hills of western Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.rolandmerullo.com.

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Reviews for Dinner with Buddha

Rating: 4.170454489772727 out of 5 stars
4/5

88 ratings20 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Otto Ringling is on a road trip with his brother-in-law Volya Rinpoche, a Russian monk. They head out from the family farm turned spiritual retreat center in South Dakota … and they’re headed for the mountains. As they head west, with a few circular side trips, Rinpoche is learning about America, and Otto is learning about himself.A recent widower with two grown children, Otto has just lost his editing job in New York City. He’s up in the air about where to go next, and what do to. In his indirect, Buddhist way, Rinpoche becomes his guide.Dinner with Buddha has the same feel as two earlier books I read by Mr. Merullo: Golfing with God and Breakfast with Buddha. They all shimmer with an otherworldly aura, suffused with a spirituality that embraces all and offends only the offensive.Dinner with Buddha is a feel-good read, with enjoyable characters and positive, uplifting messages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Otto Ringling is still at loose ends two years after his beloved wife Jeannie's death. His grown children are doing well but he still feels something is missing in his life. When he visits the family farm in North Dakota which has been turned into a Buddhist retreat center, he doesn't get the rest and time with his daughter Natasha that he expected. Instead, his unpredictable sister Cecelia sends him on another journey with her husband, the wise and humble Rinpoche who has been tutoring Otto in the art of meditation. In return, Otto is teaching Rinpoche about life in America. The road trip takes them to Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah where the lessons become deeper and more personal. This particular journey ends in Las Vegas where Otto is presented with a challenge that will hopefully lead to another book about his remarkable family. I have enjoyed all three books about Otto and Rinpoche. The author doesn't bombard the reader with spirituality, but the lessons are there for those who look for them. Humor plays a big role in these books. It would be difficult to not enjoy reading about an internationally known spiritual teacher with such a lust for life. Rinpoche is most often dressed in the maroon robe of a Tibetan monk, but likes to don a Speedo to relax in the pool when they stop at local inns on their route. He also likes to use his favorite new expression, "Bet your ass", when he agrees with the new people he loves to meet. I am looking forward to the next geographical and spiritual journey Otto and Rinpoche make together. Wherever the road takes them, I will be along for the ride.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved this series of books and this volume published a year before the 2016 election shows a deeply divided country, and possibly a way forward to heal some of that rift.


    We used to be able to talk across that divide. Then for a while we used to be able to shout across it. Now we’re so far apart we just stand on one bank or the other and yell insults up into the air. It worries me, I have to say.”


    an ice-hearted belief in the god of competition. Our success, always, depended on someone else’s failure.

    Maybe the addictive hurry was all a kind of racing away from our existential predicament, as if we could outrun old age and death,


    the American political scene was starting to resemble nothing so much as a circus performance in Rome’s dying days,
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Firstly, and unrelated to my review, I never received my copy of this book. I checked a copy out of the library, as perhaps mine got lost in the shuffle as I was moving in August.I don't quite know what to say about this book. In contrast to other reviewers here, I didn't find it terribly well written. Merullo writes well about food, and so there is a lot of that scattered throughout the narrative. He also has a knack for creating parables related to Buddhism, which his characters share with one another. In terms of plot and character development, however, this book was not strong at all. To be fair, this pseudo-religious self-help-esque format is something I find rather patronizing and irritating. That said, it definitely resonates with some readers, and I won't take that away from Merullo. Finally, in terms of stirring my interest about Buddhism, it was a success. I won't be reading any other works by Merullo based on this work, but I will probably delve further into other works on the topic of this religion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Two men (one who is a serious and revered Mongolian monk) whose lives are connected through marriage end up on a road trip through the middle of the country. They have some good and insightful conversations that illustrate some of the main tenets of Buddhism. This book follows Merullo’s, Breakfast with Buddha.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As usual, I'm not going to give a summary of this book, other than to say I truly enjoyed it. I am definitely going out to get the first books and can't wait for the next! It is NOT preachy - in fact far from it. While some of the characters they encounter along the way are a little whacked - is that not real life? There are many people in my personal life who most would consider whacked! Perhaps myself included! That said - good book. I recommend.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I received "Dinner with Buddha" as part of the LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. While the work did hold my interest, I did not feel a part of the leisurely reflective journey that Otto was traveling. Too often I found myself saying, "Really" to the characters that crossed his path. I began to find the road trip tedious and rejoiced when Otto finally was able to reflect on how his life had changed since meeting Rinpoche, "The things I did now that I never would have done before meeting him. The very different angle from which I looked at the world. The kinds of thoughts I hold on to and the kinds of thoughts I dismissed....The fact was I'd either been saved or brainwashed by a bald man in a gold-trimmed robe." It was at the moment that this portion of Otto's journey was complete. A corner had been turned and fortunately the reader of "Dinner with Buddha" was being dismissed. If a new journey in Otto's voice commences, I doubt I will be tempted to pick up where the reader was dropped. I've had enough. Roland Merullo's writing is entertaining and crisp. I would not hesitate delving into another of his books, however anything within the "Buddha" realm I would leave on the shelf.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    On a road trip across the northwestern United States with his Buddhist brother-in-law, Otto continues to deepen his meditation and learn new ways to see the world. I have gained so many insights from this series and highly recommend them. I sincerely hope there is a sequel in the works.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    There are books you like from the get-go and books you don’t. This is one of those I don’t. I don’t like preachy books and this one is just a bit too preachy for me. And it’s a sequel and I’m not much for sequels.You may be fine with it. You may love it, in fact. Don’t take my word for it. Sometimes I’m a little idiosyncratic about my reading.Oh dear. Just not my cuppa tea, I’m afraid.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As soon as I started reading, I realized how pleasing it would be to go back on the road with Otto and Rinpoche. It had been a few years since I read Breakfast with Buddha, and Lunch with Buddha had somehow escaped me. As this road trip begins, Otto is restless, grieving for his wife, and still seeking peace and comfort with himself. At the same time, Otto remains somewhat skeptical of his sister's, brother in law's and now his daughter's commitment to Buddhist ways. Rinpoche is ever the wise one yet he, too, knows changes are coming and he must seek and receive them. The book is an easy ride in terms of readability but the road twists and turns and offers plenty of surprises. The reader experiences the men's challenges and progress in the context of the beauty and quirkiness of America's people, communities and cultures. The reader can almost see the terrain, water and sky the travelers experience. Human and societal issues, such as violence carried out in the name of religion, genocides, water availability and quality, the human tendency to judge others, and so on, come up early as bumps in the road, with little discussion. As the two men continue their journey, however, the issues come up again and are woven together. The result is new questions that confront the two and lead to new realizations and insights. The reader gets to follow along and experience in some ways the Buddhist path. This was a great road trip for this reader. i liked the book a lot, and recommend it to all. It offers easy reading combined with humor and deep insight.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Roland Merullo never disappoints. He is a very accomplished writer whose skill is ever evident no matter what the content. I loved his novels about Revere, and Vatican Waltz, Talk-Funny Girl, and A Little Love Story. That being said, Dinner with Buddha appeared to me to be more a thinly veiled philosophical exploration than a novel. The characters seemed more vehicles than flesh and blood actors. Why did Otto just give himself over to Rinpoche, Cecilia and Natasha? It seemed like there was no force of personality in Otto himself. I liked the musings about religion and the good life, for sure, and got caught up in the travelogue aspect of the book. So many areas of the country that are not really familiar to me were described in a way that made them come alive to me.I found the concern about the Chinese guys and the resolution of that supposed threat to be a not very satisfying plot device.Again, all in all, I found the fiction element the weakest part of the book.If you enjoy a well written book with thought-provoking ideas and good descriptions of the country, please consider this book. If you like a good story, you might want to try one of his other offerings.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    44 of 75 for 2015. Every now and again a book comes into my possession that I feel is life-changing. Dinner with Buddha fits that description. This was a book I had to read. It's a road-trip book, and I'll admit that I'm a sucker for that genre. Furthermore, it's a road trip book covering roads and places I've seen myself, so I could compare my own experiences with those enjoyed by Otto and Volya. But like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or The Celestine Prophecy, Dinner with Buddha is so much more than a simple narrative of places to go, people to see. I am no Buddhist, nor do I spend much (hardly any) time in meditative practice, but Merullo's story of a North Dakota boy, retired (not of his own choosing) from a successful New York City career, traveling the West with his brother-in-law, a Russian-Tibetan Monk, spoke deeply to me. One example: we talk often of how our diet is so much worse than that of our grandparents (who really didn't know "fast food"). We talk about how our "lifestyle" is not as healthy as that of our grandparents because we sit all day while they were working with their bodies, burning calories and stoking their metabolism. We talk about our attention spans being shorter (especially for our children) because we are constantly bombarded with images through our various media and video games that our forebears did not experience. Merullo brings forth another aspect of loss in our modern lives: the innate meditative experience of repetitive work. Walking behind a horse while plowing a field allowed for an inner communion that even today's farmer doesn't have, riding in his air-conditioned tractor with the sound system playing U-2 (or whatever). Dinner with Buddha is an excellent argument for the need to slow down, experience life, yes, meditate. I heartily recommend this book to everyone! (And for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, it's copyright is 2015.)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this book to be charming, funny, inventive and spiritual. It is the story of a road trip taken by an ordinary man (who is searching for meaning) and his brother-in-law who just happens to be a famous Eastern spiritual leader. The family of characters are so genuine, I found myself pulling for all of them. Their journey is fraught with mysteries. I raced to the ending which was so rewarding. I am anxious to read more from this author. This book was a wonderful "trip."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This third book in a series is another thoughtful and highly entertaining book by Merullo; another unplanned road trip for a retired family man and a monk who happens to be his brother-in-law. Leisurely exploring the American western towns, mountains, and byways they are seeking a new home and business venue. The two men are an odd couple on a spiritual journey. And yet the reader can easily relate. This book is such a delight to read. It's funny and full of warmth.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wonderful book. Walks you through the basics of Buddhism with a very gentle hand in a very real setting. I found it peaceful to read. Instilled in me a feeling of acceptance and awe for all I have, inside and out. I would definitely recommend this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After reading Breakfast With Buddha, and then winning Dinner with Buddha, I also read Lunch With Buddha. I was delighted to have read the books in sequence. I was pleased that this was the final trip for the two. Otto and Rinpoche, as the lessons to be learned had to "click" with Otto, so he did not look like a lost cause. Otto has just lost his life partner to Cancer. I could relate, as I have just lost my husband six months ago. The reality is that the old reality is gone, and a new reality has to emerge for us to survive. It seemed plausible that Otto would develop a spiritual path and a new life. I was pleased that his new found spirituality included his daughter as well as sister and niece. I loved the descriptions of the places in Colorado they visited, as I am a native, and they were very accurate.I truly loved this book on so many levels. Thank you for my Early Reviewers copy. I have already purchased for a friend undergoing Cancer treatment, whose daughter really ended up in Crestone, Colorado to find her spiritual path, and loaned out my book to another friend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was the first "Buddha" book I have read by this author. I enjoyed reading it very much. It was a free flowing travel-type book with themes of loss, life and death on earth. Letting go and awareness through meditation were concepts throughout the book. Rinpoche, the main character's brother in law taught Otto, the main character, many life sustaining things throughout their travels. I found this to be a really good read. The ending was a little abrupt and dissonant with the rest of the book but not unpredictable. All in all, a good book. I will try to read Merullo's earlier "Buddha" books now.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I got this book as an Early Reviewer copy from Library Thing. I will pretty much read anything that Roland Merullo writes -- it is so interesting to read a spiritual author who refuses to be categorized into a particular viewpoint. I agree with so much of the philosophy of this and all his books (my favorite was American Savior, about what would happen if Jesus ran for president). I will say that I think the Buddha theme has been a bit overdone (I've read Breakfast with Buddha and Lunch with Buddha) -- I felt slightly preached at during this book. But -- minor complaint, I just really like this author's writing!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Back in 2008, Roland Merullo's non-mainstream novel Breakfast with Buddha was published. A Buddhist-centric novel is a rarity. Our bright but befuddled, astute but misguided, amiable but earnest protagonist is Otto Ringling. He's Dakota-born but now very New York City, an editor at a publishing house. Unsettled by his parents' recent deaths, he begins questioning his comfortable life. Because of a sister's switcheroo, he ends up with her guru Volya Rinpoche as his riding buddy on a cross-country drive to his parents' home. Russian-born, Volya dresses in a red robe and, with his ESL and unpredictable sense of humor, is hard for Otto to take seriously. As Otto shows Volya backroads America in many beautifully-described scenes and scenery, Otto begins to understand Volya's wisdom and different way of looking at things. Otto, being as American as can be, fights for logic and practicality at every turn.After the successful Breakfast with Buddha came Lunch with Buddha. Otto's life has had a catastrophe, and he and Volya once again travel together across the mountainous West. There's great food (Otto's also a food writer), water parks, transvestites, weed, and more. It's filled with amusing and again beautifully-described scenes, along with lessons for unmoored Otto. Otto can't resist trying to straighten Volya out, but that's like trying to straighten out a fluffy cloud.Now we've got Dinner with Buddha, which ratchets up the series' ambition. This won't be the last book (Dessert with Buddha? Midnight Cocoa with Buddha?) Otto's life is in a ditch, with him embracing couch potatodom. Reluctantly, he agrees to more adventures with Volya and the two end up in . . . Las Vegas? Really? The Rinpoche loves to gamble, and is good at it - go figure. Their journey includes struggling Native Americans who bring some perspective, and a sad ex-NSA employee who vividly portrays American 21st century paranoia. The difficult scenarios they confront include an amusing convention of psychotherapists supremely annoyed at Volya's cavalier attitude. More may be at stake now, with threats from those opposed to the current Dalai Lama's influence and that of a potential successor. Somehow Shelsa, the 8-year-old daughter of Volya and Otto's sister Cecilia, is critical to what is happening. She may also be in danger. Otto, who is close to her, has to figure out what he can do to help.Those who enjoyed Breakfast with Buddha are likely to enjoy the sequels, and those who haven't tried it may want to dip in and see whether the journeys of Otto and Volya, and the evolving story, draw them in. I've enjoyed every minute, and look forward to the next one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Although this sequel to "Breakfast with Buddha" and "Lunch with Buddha" can be read independently, the events will make more of an impact if read in sequence. In the eight years since the events in "Breakfast", 50-something Otto Ringling has been battered: his beloved wife and dog have died, he no longer has his book editing job, and he's grown depressed and fat. When he visits his sister at the meditation center she runs with her world-renowned husband, Buddhist teacher Volya Rinpoche, she talks him into another road trip with Rinpoche because she's had a dream of them driving through the mountains together. Off they go through the American west, visiting tourist attractions, meeting locals, and traveling to towns where Rinpoche has talks scheduled: Rinpoche in his usual gentle and funny manner, dressed in his maroon robe, and Otto, alternately obsessed with worries and sadness and, along the way, learning from Rinpoche. Otto's sister has told him her young daughter is the next Dalai Lama, and Otto can't decide if she's a flake, which he's always thought, or whether there might just be another path, one he's approaching with Rinpoche.Just a wonderful, charming and funny story, with a gentle ending which gives us a definite direction for Otto and (hopefully!) leaves room for another sequel. For the Everyperson as stuck as Otto, this is a delightful way to consider alternatives to staying on one's current path.