Convinced he doesn’t belong anywhere, a young man hitchhikes from Europe, through the Middle East, to Asia, searching desperately for peace of mind.
Disenchanted by Western culture and dispirited by middle-class values, author Stephen Schettini sets out to find truth and discovers the world of Tibetan Buddhism. In this lyrical and affecting memoir, Schettini explores the roots of his quest and, after eight years as a monk, unearths the soul of the Buddhist faith and ultimately the personal truth buried beneath formal religious structures.
A life of comfort and security awaits Stephen Schettini but, feeling trapped by the conventional expectations of his parents, teachers and culture, he scorns his unhappy childhood and determines to pursue his deepest hopes and dreams. This intimate, colorful memoir tells the story of a disillusioned young man who sabotages his university finals and abandons home, family, and possessions to journey through Europe, the Middle East and Asia in search of a meaningful life. Narrowly escaping death by sickness and drugs, he encounters Tibetan refugees in exile. Entranced, he finally stops running. In introspective detail and lyrical prose, the author recounts his monkhood in the Buddhist tradition—staring down the gaping hole at the center of his life to come back strengthened and confident. With eye-opening accounts of the most famous Tibetan lamas to escape Chinese occupation, poetic descriptions of faraway places and faces, and dozens of evocative photographs, The Novice is destined to become a classic memoir of faith in oneself and the search for ultimate truth. |
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