Surfing the Himalayas: Conversations and Travels with Master Fwap Book

As the spiritually-inclined in the West struggle with the crisis in Christianity, turning to the East for enlightenment continues to be an attractive alternative, and many successful books have been written about this subject. By fictionalising his Himalayan experiences, Lenz has created both a compelling narrative and a text that functions as an aphoristic guide to the problems of life and faith. The elderly Tibetan Buddhist monk of the title is given a powerful visionary quality by Lenz (along with a mordant sense of humour that keeps sententiousness at bay). Lenz presents his charismatic teacher's wisdom in the form of a steadily unfolding narrative, avoiding the lifelessness that can often overtake similar books. The device of using the exhilarating snowboarding scenes as spiritual epiphanies is both novel and convincing, as is the way the narrator's moral odyssey dovetails with his physical odyssey across perilous mountain ranges alongside his mentor. The language is purely functional, but those seeking a challenging meditation on the problems of existence may just make this book very successful-- indeed, since its first publication in 1995, it has already achieved quite a following. --Barry ForshawRead More