Why I Am a Buddhist

No-Nonsense Buddhism with Red Meat and Whiskey

By: Stephen T. Asma

Narrated by: Tom Pile

Profound and amusing, this book provides a viable approach to answering the perennial questions: Who am I? Why am I here? How can I live a meaningful life? For Asma, the answers are to be found in Buddhism.

There have been a lot of books that have made the case for Buddhism. What makes this book fresh and exciting is Asma's iconoclasm, irreverence, and hardheaded approach to the subject. He is distressed that much of what passes for Buddhism is really little more than "New Age mush." He loudly asserts that it is time to "take the California out of Buddhism." He presents a spiritual practice that does not require a belief in creeds or dogma. It is a practice that is psychologically sound, intellectually credible, and esthetically appealing. It is a practice that does not require a diet of brown rice, burning incense, and putting both your mind and your culture in deep storage.

In seven chapters, Asma builds the case for a spiritual practice that is authentic, and inclusive. This is Buddhism for everyone. This is Buddhism for people who are uncomfortable with religion but yearn for a spiritual practice.

©2010 Stephen T. Asma (P)2012 Linda Biagi

My Kind of Zen

Any additional comments?

I just found this book to be well organized, and even fun to listen to. The narrator did a great job, has a clear, steady voice and knew when to inject humor into his voice.

Good for thought

While I enjoyed this book I found the performance of the reader very quiet and dry. the book itself has humor but the delivery does not.

All you need to know to be a Buddhist

I have been pursuing Buddhism for a while and have read/listened to numerous titles on the subject. This book by Stephen Asma is the most practical approach I've found. The voice of the author is fresh, engaging, entertaining and authoritative. The voice of the performer is clear and easily kept my attention.
I will enjoy this book many times.

Great topic Poor recording

What did you like best about Why I Am a Buddhist? What did you like least?

If you are not familiar with the Sanskrit terminology it can be confusing.

What did you like best about this story?

he content is relevant to every day living and offers practical application of the concepts.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tom Pile?

Tom Pile did a fine job narrating. His skills were however thwarted by a very poor quality of the recording. Turn the bass all the way down in order to listen to the book without reverberation muddling Mr. Pile's voice.

Was Why I Am a Buddhist worth the listening time?

It helped me on my personal journey to discover modern day and practical applications of Buddhism.

Superb presentation of Buddhism in a modern world

This book is exceptionally well written. The author takes a vast and complex subject and presents it in a way that is both fun and interesting. The author tells his story and gives his insights with humor and charm, always taking great care not to be preachy or dogmatic. Although the narration was a bit breathless and some pronunciation suspect, the book is enjoyable to listen to and I found myself staying up on more than one occasion to listen to just one more chapter.

Buddhism is presented as being eminently practical for our modern world. Perhaps unique among religions this is one which makes pretty good intellectual sense. Partly that is due to the skill of the author and the thoroughness with which he has mastered his topic.

If I have a criticism it is that, in my opinion as a lifelong Hindu, he misinterprets, and misunderstands the nature of karma, the evolution of the soul and the importance of mystical experience. That may sound harsh, but it should be a positive reason to read this book. His eloquent arguments get you thinking and in the process you end up with greater clarity about how you feel.

Absolutely one of the best books on Buddhism out there.