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

Rating:
Summary: Chicken Soup for the Buddhist Soul?
Review: An anecdote of many feel-good stories written by an ordained monk of the Theravada school of Buddhism, the book is simply written and contains some canonical discourses relevant to the situation described in each chapter. Try not to read it as a biography or a self-help book; most people who do so will be sorely disappointed. However, it is a comforting work that leaves one feeling a little more hopeful, and perhaps that's what the bhiku is aiming for and nothing more. The collection is not an explanatory work on Theravada Buddhism and does not really cover the "tenets" of that sect per se. However, since Buddhism relies less on vicarous experience than on personal, individual experience, the lack of theology may even be a good thing! I did find the stories to become a bit too formulaic, but none-the-less they were all heart-warming and at times even humorous.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing insights
Review: Bhante Piyananda takes the hairiest of situations--punks confronting him on the boardwalk, catholic-buddhist marriages in trouble, murders in the monastery--and shines the light of metta and compassion upon them. He is a truly amazing person, and this is a truly amazing book. It will make you more mindful just by reading it, I guarantee!

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Summary: What a pity...
Review: Bhante Walpola Piyananda is a sri lankan monk who came to the united states on,of all days,july 4,1976.{there is a humorous account of this in this volume] He has been the spiritual advisor and friend to countless southeast asian immigrants,and westerners who are attracted to the middle path. This volume is a collection of vignettes that he has collected through the years,all the while gently inflecting Buddhist teachings . From confrontations with a gang, to a cuckold husband, to a "hopeless "alcoholic, Bhante is there with compassion and wisdom. There is a lightness here, not a lack of depth ,but a freshness lacking western cynicism that is both invigorating and assuring. There is no magic here,no easy way to nirvana passed out to gullible desperate people. Bahnte grounds himself seriuosly in Buddhist scripture,and the result is a delight and,well enlightening. Well done, a decpetively easy read and a very interesting monk.

Rating:
Summary: Vijja-Carana: The knowledge and the Practice
Review: I am writing from a personal bias, because I have known Ven. Piyananda from about age 5 onwards (20 years). Correction: I *thought* I knew Ven. Piyananda before I had read this book. He had taught me all of the fundamentals of Theravada Buddhism, and he even gave great support to me when as a child I was encountering a great amount of prejudice at a Christian missionary school my parents sent me to. Not only did he teach me about Buddhism by word, but his very character struck me as being the essence of what the Buddha taught.

After I read this book, I saw that Ven. Piyananda had many experiences which I had barely knew of. I had no idea he had his own encounters with religious fundamentalists, or that he gave helpful advice to other young people. I see that he had lived a very interesting life beyond my own relatively brief meetings with him. Although I was surprised by some of the experiences he has had, I was *not* really surprised in the way he dealt with them- with the same dignity and intelligence I have always associated with him.

Someone here has complained that the book appeared to be egotistical. Well, the very *purpose* of this book was to describe some of Ven. Piyananda's own personal experiences in the US!!! There are trillions of books on Buddhist doctrine out there written by a wide assortment of characters, from highly respected academics and experienced monastics to the lowest of hacks and frauds. Here is a book about the experiences of a Sri Lankan monk in the US. If you are not interested in this topic, don't buy this book and then complain that it was 'only' about the experiences of a SL monk in the US. However, if you are curious about how a practitioner of the Dhamma has dealt with some of the craziness one can find in Los Angeles, then I could recommend no better book.

Rating:
Summary: Vijja-Carana: The knowledge and the Practice
Review: I am writing from a personal bias, because I have known Ven. Piyananda from about age 5 onwards (20 years). Correction: I *thought* I knew Ven. Piyananda before I had read this book. He had taught me all of the fundamentals of Theravada Buddhism, and he even gave great support to me when as a child I was encountering a great amount of prejudice at a Christian missionary school my parents sent me to. Not only did he teach me about Buddhism by word, but his very character struck me as being the essence of what the Buddha taught.

After I read this book, I saw that Ven. Piyananda had many experiences which I had barely knew of. I had no idea he had his own encounters with religious fundamentalists, or that he gave helpful advice to other young people. I see that he had lived a very interesting life beyond my own relatively brief meetings with him. Although I was surprised by some of the experiences he has had, I was *not* really surprised in the way he dealt with them- with the same dignity and intelligence I have always associated with him.

Someone here has complained that the book appeared to be egotistical. Well, the very *purpose* of this book was to describe some of Ven. Piyananda's own personal experiences in the US!!! There are trillions of books on Buddhist doctrine out there written by a wide assortment of characters, from highly respected academics and experienced monastics to the lowest of hacks and frauds. Here is a book about the experiences of a Sri Lankan monk in the US. If you are not interested in this topic, don't buy this book and then complain that it was 'only' about the experiences of a SL monk in the US. However, if you are curious about how a practitioner of the Dhamma has dealt with some of the craziness one can find in Los Angeles, then I could recommend no better book.

Rating:
Summary: The power of compassion
Review: In the West, where Zen and Mahayana Buddhism have long been in vogue and where Tibetan Buddhism is beginning to take stronger hold, there is often an impression of Theravada Buddhism as something remote and unapproachable, a mysterious and austere tradition practiced by hermit-like forest monks in the remote corners of southeast Asia and having little contact with the outside world. At worst, the Theravada tradition is seen as being too focused on individual personal enlightenment at the expense of helping others. Perhaps this pleasant little book will help to shake off some of those misconceptions. Bhante Walpola Piyananda, himself a practitioner of the Theravada tradition, presents a collection of personal stories from his meetings with a broad cross-section of others in need of guidance since his arrival in the United States more than two decades ago, revealing a humble monk who is anything but reclusive and too self-focused.

More importantly, "Saffron Days in L.A." emphasizes the power of compassion. The prose does seem to wander into new-agey, self-help territory now and then, but while some may criticize this book for those faults, or for being overly simplistic, with easy answers to tough problems, that's missing the point of Bhante's stories. He uses his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the vast Pali canon to present to those in search of help a potential way to see the solution to their problems, yet he is able to reach out even to non-Buddhists because his message is conveyed with such a kind, gentle sense of universality that one is never left with the impression that he is doing anything more than to offer help and comfort-not to proselytize (even though we do meet a few Buddhist "converts" in the book) or speak only to those already "in the know." And although his sharing of the Buddhist "basics" with others can indeed provide a basis for understanding the Buddhist path and living a harmonious life accordingly, what shines through in his stories most brightly is his incredible storehouse of equanimity, lovingkindness, and compassion that, again, stretch beyond the borders of Buddhist philosophy. How many of us would not lash out at a person who jumped out of his car and spit in our face, as happened to Bhante? How many could defuse a hostile situation in which a group of punks made fun of us and in the end have them laughing along with us? *Here* lies the true message of this book, which Christians can understand as Jesus' teachings to turn the other cheek and love your enemies. These sound like tough things to do, as every Christian knows, but Bhante shows it can be done-even by those who aren't followers of Jesus. Such virtues, Bhante proves, are universally attainable, and even if just a little bit of that message rubs off on the reader from having explored "Saffron Days in L.A.," Bhante will have helped to make the world a little bit of a nicer place to be.

Rating:
Summary: buddhism in practice
Review: Nowadays , Buddhism is viewed as somewhat cerebral . Indeed , it seems to attract the more philosophical amongst us . Not without probable cause , Buddhism starts with the mind and its perspectives / perceptions . With Mahayana , we see this coming to its logical ( or illogical as the case may be ) fruition with a plethora of mind bending philosophical schools .
It is therefore quite refreshing to read a book about a monk's everyday experience . Better still , couched in these experiences are the Buddha's Teachings . Its so much easier to digest a new way of thinking when the context in which it is told is something we can all quite easily identify with . Bhante's little anecdotes are often quite funny , but the message is powerful .
I recommend this book .

Rating:
Summary: Do You Have A Problem? Buddha Can Help.
Review: This is a sweet book, featuring 20 short stories about Bhante Piyananda's experiences as a Sri Lankan Theravada monk in America. Specifically the tales take place in Los Angeles, where since the mid 70's he has headed a local temple.
The stories he presents regard a variety of issues and circumstances that he finds himself in, or are brought to him by other Buddhists, many of whom have also immigrated to America. As well, he recounts experiences when his Buddhism attracted attention enough to inspire conversation, judgement, confidences. All the stories are morally driven, as Piyananda passes on the Buddha's words and feelings.
As a resident of L.A. this book seemed by the title an oasis, a peaceful perspective on a wacky, unrooted place. In fact, Los Angeles could be anywhere in America inside these stories. What matters is the lovely heart and soul of Buddhism, shone through it's most disciplined, devoted monks. Whether dealing with marriage troubles, robbery, parent/child conflicts, gossip, wealth, cultural differences, etc., Piyananda's compassion and love evoke the Buddha's and the beauty of their revolutionary religion and lifestyle.
I recommend this as a sweet, easy read. For anyone interested in Buddhism this features a wide range of situations all addressed by Piyananda and Buddhist texts he draws from.