Overview
"This is a true story, a call to come on a great adventure. More than a travel tale or memoir, it is an invitation to the very real possibility of freedom, always available, always here and now. In 1974, intrigued by accounts that spoke of the magic and mystery of Asia, a young man commenced an overland journey from Indonesia to Europe. His story is, in some ways, a ""coming-of-age"" narrative about a singular journey of discovery through Southeast Asia and India, across the Middle East to Greece. However, the movement from innocent abroad to cynical world traveler is interrupted in the Himalayas by a chance meeting with a Buddhist monk and the Dharma. The title of the book comes from Kalu Rinpoche, a Tibetan master. ""We live in illusion, the appearance of things. There is a reality. You are that reality. When you see this, you realize you are nothing and being nothing, everything. That is all."" This is also a cautionary tale where ""awakening"" does not necessarily mean ""wisdom in the world"". As the Buddha is meant to have said, ""Sometimes the closest you can get to the truth is in the knowing of what is not true."""
Full Product Details
Author: Vernon St Clair Castle
Publisher: Vernon Castle
Imprint: Vernon Castle
Dimensions:
Width: 17.00cm
, Height: 2.90cm
, Length: 24.40cm
Weight: 0.875kg
ISBN: 9780692881101
ISBN 10: 0692881107
Pages: 556
Publication Date: 20 April 2017
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
In his candid and intimate account Vernon meets his youthful self and others along a strange and exotic journey. A most welcome and satisfying contribution to the archives of self-discovery. David Hornsby
"""In his candid and intimate account Vernon meets his youthful self and others along a strange and exotic journey. A most welcome and satisfying contribution to the archives of self-discovery."" David Hornsby"
Author Information
"Vernon St. Clair Castle is a third generation Californian, born in 1951. He grew up in Los Angeles, California and attended UCLA as a pre-med student, graduating with a BS in Zoology and minor in Biochemistry. His family were ranchers in the northern reaches of Los Angeles County but after the death of his father in 1952, his mother moved to the city where she worked as a designer. After nearly a decade of travel and work around the world he married in 1984 and undertook the life of family and householder. The decade of travel included a formative period in Asia during the early 1980's when he explored the reality of becoming a Theravada Buddhist monk. For the last thirty five years Vern has lived and worked in West Marin, California. He taught the sciences in both public and private schools until his retirement in 2013. Currently he and his wife Renee, an encaustic and watercolor artist, divide their new ""rewired"" lives between Indonesia, Mexico and West Marin, California. For more information, including a photo gallery, or to contact the author please go to www.vernoncastle.com"
