Rating: 
Summary: A Buddhist Bible
Review: I was introduced to this book by my meditation teachers. I've recently finished reading it for the second time. It's uplifting, it's humbling, its funny. . . it's everything Buddhism is. The author is an enlightened being, I think it's safe to say he has some insights on life to share that might be worth reading. Frederick Lenz, Rama, codified the Buddhist thought to fit our Western world. We should be thankful a book like this is at our disposal. If you gained something from this book you should read the follow up book, "Snowboarding to Nirvana."
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This book never fails to touch me with its light, innocence and humor. It sits on my book shelf along with a short list of other books I read whenever I need to be spiritually refreshed, including the Dhammapada and The Great Path of Awakening. I recommend Surfing the Himalayas for its easy to read introduction to Buddhism and spirituality, for its whimsical spirit, but mostly for the light filling it from cover to cover. Approach this book with an open mind and you will be amazed at where it will take you.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing to Write Home About
Review: Frederick Lenz's work of a traveler and a Buddhist I found rather uninspiring as a whole. Some interesting ideas overall, but when I was done with the book I put it down and moved on. I read this book when it first came out, and I never reccomended it to anyone because there are so many other books that are better. Thats what I feel.
Rating: 
Summary: An ideal place to start
Review: For anyone who has not read any Buddhist literature previously, 'Surfing the Himalayas' could be an ideal place to start. This is not a great work of literature with a gripping story line, or very descriptive of the Himalayan region - but then that is not the point of this book.Lenz manages to outline some valuable Buddhist concepts which can sometimes be quite complicated for Western minds. This book is easy to read & understand, & if you can sort out the valuable lessons from the rest of the story, then it will be worth reading. As there are probably not many Westerners who would walk into a bookshop & buy a book about Tantric Buddhism, Lenz has succeeded in bringing a few Buddhist concepts to a much wider audience.
Rating:
Summary: Seriousness aside read this book for what it is
Review: This book was comedy. Was it a definition of Tantric Buddhism? Hardly. Was it fun? Very. It did have some good messages though. Don't get too caught up in seriousness. Have fun. Be happy.
Rating:
Summary: Know your audiencE
Review: Lenz wrote this for the novice, splashing in various ideas from adjacent domains. I'd give it to young people into snowboarding, edge seeking and wanderlusting who are starting to formulate their own ideas about life. When I was growing up it was Castaneda. Now it's Master Fwap. Woah!
Rating: 
Summary: load of absolute gibberish
Review: Right from the start, taking a wagon out of snowy Kathmandu pulled by a yak, the author alientated me with the lack of ...anything but pedantic rubbish, glib sayings from the works of Buddhism. It was as if he had read the Celestine Prophecy and figured he could write a best seller with an adventure set in the Himalayas instead of Peru, and using Tibetan Buddhism to get his spiritual message across. I despair when I see how this book becomes a bestseller when other more erudite books speak from the heart and experience. Try reading Annapurna Circuit: Himalayan Journey by Andrew Stevenson. There's a spiritual journey, full of the colour and reality of the experience. You'll feel as if you're with him.
Rating:
Summary: An easy reading confirmation on reality and spirituality
Review: I enjoyed the ease in which I could travel through the basics in Buddhism
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written.
Review: While I wouldn't forgive a book for being poorly written, this one plants a nail in it's own coffin because it is exceedingly boring as well. If you feel the need to see what all the hub-bub is about, save yourself some cash and simply borrow it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: Simple as Buddhism is..
Review: Readers, those who appreciate and strive to understand and those who are willing to learn the light and wisdom of Buddhism will enjoy Dr. Lenz's novel. Forget that you are reading a novel because this is not aimed to be "The Great American Novel" rather a story of an encounter... something like East meets West in harmony/commonality. This book is as simple as the Buddhist teachings and has a soft edge to the purity of Buddhist principles. What you may find is encouragement to believe that everything around you has a positivity... if you are mindful and that harmony is found for those who are in touch with their spirit and energy, and the impact that the two have on their surroundings. (There is also additional harmony from those who know how it feels to carve up a mountainside or surf the Big Blue). Keep your head up mentality and the wholeness that meditaion brings is the theme, keep up if you can! Peace
| 
