Synopses & Reviews
Buddhism, Booze, and the Four Noble Truths
Review
“Candid, funny, and insightful . . . an enjoyable read for both the practicing Buddhist and the casual seeker.” Beliefnet.com
Review
“A must-read for anyone with spiritual stirrings who finds organized religion wanting and Buddhism, American-style, deeply flawed.” Seattle Times
Review
“Intense and revelatory . . . an electrifying and frank mix of hair-rising anecdotes and expert analysis.” Booklist
Review
“Gods is a raw, heartbreaking confluence of religion and adventure rarely encountered in works of nonfiction these days.” Shambhala Sun
Review
“This may be an account of the ultimate intellectual hippie road trip.” Dallas Morning News
Synopsis
Theravada Buddhism is considered the oldest form of Buddhism, focusing on the historical Buddha, and is mostly practiced in Southeast Asia. In the early seventies, Theravada Buddhism was virtually destroyed in Cambodia amidst the rule of the Khmer Rouge, but has begun to re-emerge over the last few decades.
Stephen T. Asma taught Buddhist philosophy in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia, while traveling extensively throughout the region. The Gods Drink Whiskey describes Asma's experiences of drinking with holy men and poets, encountering with overzealous Christian evangelical missionaries, witnessing a political assassination, and climbing mountains to visit ancient animistic temples. The end result is a compelling, darkly comic, never-before-experienced look into the clash of cultures in a little-known corner of our shrinking world.
Stephen T. Asma is a professor of Buddhism at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of the bestselling Buddha for Beginners (Writers & Readers, 1996), and the highly acclaimed Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads: The Culture and Evolution of Natural History Museums (Oxford, 2002).
"His forays into Southeast Asian politics, violence and globalizing trends, colorfully entertaining as travel writing, illuminate the ways in which Buddhism plays a primary role in the collective welfare of the region."
- Publishers Weekly
--Beliefnet.com
Synopsis
Buddhism, Booze, and the Four Noble Truths
About the Author
Stephen T. Asma is a professor of Buddhism at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of the illustrated, bestselling Buddha for Beginners and the highly acclaimed Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads: The Culture and Evolution of Natural History Museums.