Book picks similar to
For Monks Only by Ralph-Michael Chiaia


buddhism
on-deck
south-east-asia
southeast-asia

The Lodger


Joanne Ryan - 2022
    What could be better, she reasons, than having a lodger who she already knows instead of a total stranger. As they rekindle their friendship, Gina recalls the long ago summer when they spent every day together. Gina believed then that they’d be best friends forever.But Lissa thought differently.With the benefit of hindsight, Gina now realises that Lissa unfriended her in the most brutal way possible. With a growing awareness that Lissa might not be the perfect person she always believed her to be, she’s beginning to wonder if she can even trust her. Because what Lissa wants, Lissa gets. Has she made a mistake by asking Lissa to move in? She thinks that maybe she has, but Lissa makes no secret of the fact that she has no intention of going anywhere....

In The Middle of Middle America


David B. Lyons - 2021
    

Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads


Benedict Rogers - 2012
    Accused of crimes against humanity, they have brutally mistreated their people. Yet in the last couple of years, and in spite of sham elections, the pace of change has been breathtaking. Much is now hoped for. However, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse nations in SE Asia: there are roughly seven major ethnic groups living along its borders. They have a long history of conflict with the government and have been cruelly treated by the current regime. Their future affects the country as a whole, as Benedict Rogers explains. Drawing heavily on his many fact-finding visits both inside Burma and along its frontiers, he gives a unique appraisal of the current ethnic situation and its implications for the nation as a whole. Wide-ranging, expertly researched, and full of brand new accounts of the courage and determination of the Burmese people, Burma: a nation at the crossroads explains the country's conflicted history, as well as its contemporary struggle for justice. Burma stands poised for freedom, or for further repression. No one can be sure. This fascinating and accessible book describes what is really happening inside this beautiful, secretive, and potentially prosperous country.

The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha


Stephen T. Asma - 2005
    Buddhism, Booze, and the Four Noble Truths

The Gate


François Bizot - 2000
    Accused of being an agent of 'American imperialism', he is chained and imprisoned. His captor, Douch - later responsible for tens of thousands of deaths - interrogates him at length; after three months of torturous deliberation, during which his every word was weighed and his life hung in the balance, he was released. Four years later, the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh. Fran-ois Bizot became the official intermediary between the ruthless conqueror and the terrified refugees behind the gate of the French embassy: a ringside seat to one of history's most appalling genocides. Written thirty years later, Fran-ois Bizot's memoir of his horrific experiences in the 'killing fields' of Cambodia is, in the words of John le Carr-, a 'contemporary classic'.

Tell Me Something about Buddhism: Questions and Answers for the Curious Beginner


Zenju Earthlyn Manuel - 2011
    Written by Soto Zen priest Zenju Earthlyn Manuel and organized in an easy-to-use Question and Answer format, this brief book answers the many common questions people have about Buddhism, everything from who was Buddha to why do monks, nuns, and priests shave their heads.Manuel, who was been involved in Buddhist practice for over twenty years, after an L.A. upbringing in an African-American Christian church, intertwines throughout the book her personal experiences as one of the first African-American Zen priests. Her life in the Sangha, her teaching in local communities, and her travels around the world meeting other Buddhist practitioners enliven her answers to the most fundamental questions about Buddhist practice. She writes, "Had I not opened myself to the many teachings from the earth, such as Buddha's wisdom, it would have been nearly impossible to survive the fires of my soul." Included are about 20 illustrations by the author in charcoal-and-pencil style.

Zen on the Trail: Hiking as Pilgrimage


Christopher Ives - 2018
    By directing our attention to how we hike as opposed to where we’re headed, Ives invites us to shift from ego-driven doing to spirit-filled being, and to explore the vast interconnection of ourselves and the natural world. Through this approach, we can wake up in the woods on nature’s own terms. In erudite and elegant prose, Ives takes us on a journey we will not soon forget. This book features a new prose poem by Gary Snyder.

A History of Thailand


Chris Baker - 2005
    It demonstrates how throughout the twentieth century, Thailand has been drawn into the international system, the American camp in the Cold War, the economic gambit of rising Japan, and more recently, the forces of globalization. The authors also survey the country's transformation accompanying massive social evolution over recent decades. (Control of the nation state is still contested between forces with a patriarchal belief in change from above, and advocates of democracy and liberal values.)

A House in Bali


Colin McPhee - 1946
    This classic book tells the story of Balinese culture through a history of Balinese music.First published in 1947, it tells the story of the writer and composer Colin McPhee's (1900–64) obsession with a music once unknown to the West, and of his journey to Bali to experience it firsthand. In 1929, the young Canadian– born musician chanced upon rare gramophone recordings of Balinese gamelan music which were to change his life forever. From that moment, he lived for the day when he could set foot on the island where the clear, metallic music originated. He was able to realize his dreams and spent almost a decade there during the 1930's. Music of Bali and dance, as McPhee discovered to his delight, are second nature to the Balinese, and his subsequent writings and compositions proved seminal in popularizing Balinese gamelan music in the West.In A House in Bali, McPhee unfolds a beguiling picture of a society long established, staggeringly poor in Western terms, but rich beyond belief in spiritual values and joy. The young composer writes about his discoveries of music in Bali and growing understanding of an astonishing culture where the arts are a prime preoccupation, and of the arts, music is supreme. Much has been written on Bali, but this classic work from 1947 remains the only narrative by a Western musician.

The Love Trap


Caroline Goldsworthy - 2020
    Instead, she got a nightmare.Concert violinist, Lily Gundersen broke her fingers. How? She mustn’t say. With her career over, she worries she’s going insane despite her perfect marriage and picturesque home. But after a car crash kills a young family and leaves her own body broken, she begins to suspect her husband’s involvement.Staying with him to protect her children, Lily slowly sees the scope of her controlling spouse’s grand gaslighting plan. But her hunt for damning evidence exposes the twisted man’s scheme for something far worse than a life of abuse.Can one traumatized woman reclaim the music within to defy a monster?The Love Trap is a chilling, standalone psychological thriller. If you like cunning villains, bold heroines, and stories chock full of twists and turns, then you’ll lose yourself in Caroline Goldsworthy’s mesmerizing tale.Step into The Love Trap and uncover the truth today!

Buddha on the Bus


Nate Damm - 2014
    When various complications arise during the journey, Nate finds himself focusing closely on the characters around him for a bit of entertainment, but ends up getting more than he bargained for. The focal point of the story is Nate's seat-mate, a young man named Bud, whose extremely odd behavior catches the attention of everyone on the bus.

Sister Surrogate


LaChelle Weaver - 2016
    Yet these sisters always manage to come together in times of need.When Savannah, the youngest sister, is faced with a life-altering illness, which threatens her lifelong desire to have children, one of her sisters offers to give her the ultimate gift- to become her surrogate.While Savannah is overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude about her impending motherhood, not everyone in the family shares her sentiments. In fact, the upcoming bundle of joy has created a discord that this family may never be able to overcome.

The Bloom Trilogy: Complete Box Set


A.P. Kensey - 2014
    But she's more different than she knows.When tragedy strikes and her life crumbles, it triggers a special power within her. Haven is a Source – someone who can generate and unleash powerful bursts of energy. Soon she is on the run from a sinister group that will do anything to extract her ability, no matter the cost.18-year-old Colton Ross is fresh out of high school. He's just beginning to scratch the surface of his power as a Conduit — one who can absorb and redirect the energy that exists all around us: light, electricity, even gravity. A mysterious offer to learn more about his troubled past will send him crashing right into Haven.Together, they are pulled into the middle of a secret war – a war of heroes and villains, light and dark, love and hate. Telling one from the other isn’t easy – and making the wrong choice could lead to the destruction of everything they hold dear.Superpowers, intense action, epic adventure, and mind-bending time travel combine in this thrilling Young Adult fantasy action series, recommended for fans of X-Men and Steelheart.

The Burma Spring: Aung San Suu Kyi and the New Struggle for the Soul of a Nation


Rena Pederson - 2015
    Suu Kyi's party will be a major contender in the 2015 elections, a revolutionary breakthrough after years of military dictatorship. Using exclusive interviews with Suu Kyi since her release from fifteen years of house arrest, as well as recently disclosed diplomatic cables, Pederson uncovers new facets to Suu Kyi’s extraordinary story.The Burma Spring will also surprise readers by revealing the extraordinary steps taken by First Lady Laura Bush to help Suu Kyi, and also how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton injected new momentum into Burma’s democratic rebirth. Pederson provides a never before seen view of the harrowing hardships the people of Burma have endured and the fiery political atmosphere in which Suu Kyi’s has fought a life-and-death struggle for liberty in this fascinating part of the world.

Silent Shadow


Jack Parker - 2015
    because once this killer has you in his sights, he doesn't stop until you're dead. Talia is chasing a shadow of a terrorist who has haunted her international family for years across Europe to rescue her kidnapped daughter. The shadow is her long dead husband. Its a wild chase to the ultimate decision. Does she kill him or walk away?