THE ACCIDENTAL BUDDHIST is the funny, provocative story of how Dinty Moore went looking for the faith he'd lost in what might seem the most unlikely of places: the ancient Eastern tradition of Buddhism. Moore demystifies and explains the contradictions and concepts of this most mystic-seeming of religious traditions. This plain-spoken, insightful look at the dharma in America will fascinate anyone curious about the wisdom of other cultures and other religions. "Sure of foot in complex terrain, and packing a blessedly down-to-earth sense of humor, Dinty Moore is the perfect scout for the new frontiers of American Buddhism."--Rodger Kamenetz, author of THE JEW IN THE LOTUS and STALKING ELIJAH. Dinty W. Moore has worked as a documentary filmmaker, professional modern dancer, wire-service journalist, and college creative writing professor. He has published fiction and poetry in numerous national literary magazines and is the author of another book of nonfiction, The Emperor's Virtual Clothes: The Naked Truth About Internet Culture. He lives with his wife and daughter in State College, Pennsylvania. Prelude (1) PART 1: ZEN MIND, MUDDLED MIND 1 Buddha 101: Stumbling Up Monkey Mind Mountain (7) 2 One Bright Idea: My American Buddhism Project (16) 3 Just Sitting: I Obsess a Lot, and Then I Get Distracted (21) 4 Zen Gardening: ME and My Green -Thumbed Monkey (35) 5 Why Do Tibetans Have Such Trouble with Their Vacuum Cleaners? They Lack Attachments (39) PART 2: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT 6 Catholic Boy Zen: Was Jesus a Bodhisattva? (57) 7 You Can Change Your Mind: And Your Karma, Too (72) 8 The Work Koan: Life Without a Cushion (90) 9 The Plain-Spoken Theravadan: A High View from a Low Seat (103) 10 Buddha Bug, Buddha Being: You Are What You Eat (124) PART 3: REAL BUDDHISTS DON'T TAKE NOTES 11 Destroy Your Neighbor, Destroy Yourself: The Dalai Lama and the Action Hero (139) 12 Trying to Hit the Ball: Fruitless Searching on the Fruited Plain (160) 13 Eat Your Rice, Wash Your Bowl, and Just Sit: Studying with the Seven-Year-Old Master (171) 14 What Kind of Buddhist Am I? A Lousy One, Thank You (186) Basic Buddhist Terms (199) Suggested Further Reading (207) I am an accidental Buddhist. I never intended to find a new religion, I was just passing curious. I started to notice Buddhism everywhere. BUSINESS WEEK was writing long articles about meditation sessions in major corporations and on Wall Street. Schoolchildren and cops on the beat were being encouraged to breathe as a way to fight stress. Buddhist monasteries and retreat centers were flourishing in out-of-the-way places, and NEWSWEEK declared that America may be on the verge of Buddhadharma" I wanted to know what was going on, so I went on retreats myself and interviewed the key players. Before long, I, too, was hooked. I hadn't counted on actually liking it." -- Dinty W. Moore