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9781608320059

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Writings about spiritual journeys have the potential to read like deadly dull navel-gazing. This book is not like that. Schettini is a keen observer of what's around him and what's going on inside him. He has obviously spent decades mulling over the material and has a nice, self-aware style. -- Michael Hill, Associated Press A lively read with a deep meaning ... told with ruthless honesty and understated humor in an engaging combination. I recommend it enthusiastically. -- Robert Thurman, Professor of Buddhist Studies, Columbia University, author of Inner Revolution and Why the Dalai Lama Matters What a story! By turns epic and heroic, tender and touching, The Novice imparts a hugely important lesson to our times. It is a gift to every Western seeker of the 'spiritual' East. With the seductive verve of a novelist, Schettini tells a subversive and liberating tale. -- Glenn Wallis, PhD, author of Basic Teachings of the Buddha, The Dhammapada, and Mediating the Power of Buddhas A wonderful achievement, gripping and calmly insightful by turn, honest to the point of being a sustained howl of pain at times, with some brilliantly succinct portraits of the author's teachers and friends. -- Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism without Beliefs

what would happen if you were to give up everything? Who would you meet if you hitchhiked to India? What's it like to come into one of the most intriguing and secluded cultures in the world and to enter and leave a monastic order? And what's marriage like through the lens of a former monk?It's an astonishing feat, which Schettini achieves with aplomb. - The Middle Way, August 2010 Writings about spiritual journeys have the potential to read like deadly dull navel-gazing. This book is not like that. Schettini is a keen observer of what's around him and what's going on inside him. He has obviously spent decades mulling over the material and has a nice, self-aware style. -- Michael Hill, Associated Press A lively read with a deep meaning ... told with ruthless honesty and understated humor in an engaging combination. I recommend it enthusiastically. -- Robert Thurman, Professor of Buddhist Studies, Columbia University, author of Inner Revolution and Why the Dalai Lama Matters What a story! By turns epic and heroic, tender and touching, The Novice imparts a hugely important lesson to our times. It is a gift to every Western seeker of the 'spiritual' East. With the seductive verve of a novelist, Schettini tells a subversive and liberating tale. -- Glenn Wallis, PhD, author of Basic Teachings of the Buddha, The Dhammapada, and Mediating the Power of Buddhas A wonderful achievement, gripping and calmly insightful by turn, honest to the point of being a sustained howl of pain at times, with some brilliantly succinct portraits of the author's teachers and friends. -- Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism without Beliefs

Author Information

At the age of twenty-two, Stephen Schettini was ordained as a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan tradition and lived for eight years in Northern and South India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland. He was a found-ing member of Tharpa Choeling Centre d'hautes etudes Tibetaines in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, where, following his training, he served as a translator and instructor in language, philosophy, and meditation. In 1982 he cut his ties with institutional Buddhism and struck out on his own. Since then, working in Canada as a graphic artist, writer and publisher, he has authored, edited, and illustrated articles and books on health science and stress management. He took up his teaching career again in 2002 with the inauguration of mindful reflection workshops and Quiet Mind Seminars and is highly regarded for his ability to interpret traditional Buddhism in terms of everyday Western life. He lives in Montreal, Canada, with his wife and children.

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