Saffron Days in L.A.: Tales of a Buddhist Monk in America

In this delightful memoir, Bhante Walpola Piyananda, a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka, shares his often amusing, often poignant experiences of life in America. Whether he's reasoning with a group of confrontational punks on Venice Beach, bridging the gap between a rebellious teenager and her traditional parents, explaining to an errant Buddhist that the concept of "non-attachment" does not justify irresponsibility, or dealing with a nude sunbather at a meditation retreat, no situation--no matter how sticky--manages to affect Bhante's unflappable calm or his phenomenal ability to find the right parable for the moment.

Bhante Walpola Piyananda, who is abbot of a Buddhist meditation center in L.A., has met and counseled a wide range of people--the disenfranchised of society, couples dealing with relationship issues, American Buddhists trying to reconcile their practice with their very Western lifestyles, recent immigrants struggling to assimilate but also maintain their traditional values. His stories reveal the complicated, joyous, painful, baffling, and inspiring aspects of the human condition and the power of true compassion.

Author: Bhante Walpola Piyananda
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 05/01/2001
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.58lbs
Size: 8.45h x 5.47w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9781570628139


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/14/2001 pg. 75
Booklist 05/15/2001 pg. 1712

About the Author
Bhante Walpola Piyananda was born in Sri Lanka and has been living in the United States for over thirty years. He is the founder-president and abbot of Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara in Los Angeles, California.